Psalms 26

Protestation of Integrity and Prayer for Protection.

1 1Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have 2walked in my integrity, And I have 3trusted in the LORD 4without wavering.
2 5Examine me, O LORD, and try me; 6Test my mind and my heart.
3 For Your 7lovingkindness is before my eyes, And I have 8walked in Your truth.
4 I do not 9sit with deceitful men, Nor will I go with 10pretenders.
5 I 11hate the assembly of evildoers, And I will not sit with the wicked.
6 I shall 12wash my hands in innocence, And I will go about 13Your altar, O LORD,
7 That I may proclaim with the voice of 14thanksgiving And declare all Your wonders.
8 O LORD, I 15love the habitation of Your house And the place where Your 16glory dwells.
9 17Do not take my soul away along with sinners, Nor my life with 18men of bloodshed,
10 In whose hands is a 19wicked scheme, And whose right hand is full of 20bribes.
11 But as for me, I shall 21walk in my integrity; 22Redeem me, and be gracious to me.
12 23My foot stands on a 24level place; In the 25congregations I shall bless the LORD.

Psalms 26 Commentary

Chapter 26

David, in this psalm, appeals to God touching his integrity.

- David here, by the Spirit of prophecy, speaks of himself as a type of Christ, of whom what he here says of his spotless innocence was fully and eminently true, and of Christ only, and to Him we may apply it. We are complete in him. The man that walks in his integrity, yet trusting wholly in the grace of God, is in a state of acceptance, according to the covenant of which Jesus was the Mediator, in virtue of his spotless obedience even unto death. This man desires to have his inmost soul searched and proved by the Lord. He is aware of the deceitfulness of his own heart; he desires to detect and mortify every sin; and he longs to be satisfied of his being a true believer, and to practise the holy commands of God. Great care to avoid bad company, is both a good evidence of our integrity, and a good means to keep us in it. Hypocrites and dissemblers may be found attending on God's ordinances; but it is a good sign of sincerity, if we attend upon them, as the psalmist here tells us he did, in the exercise of repentance and conscientious obedience. He feels his ground firm under him; and, as he delights in blessing the Lord with his congregations on earth, he trusts that shortly he shall join the great assembly in heaven, in singing praises to God and to the Lamb for evermore.

Cross References 25

Footnotes 9

  • [a]. Lit "Judge"
  • [b]. Lit "I do not slide"
  • [c]. Lit "kidneys," figurative for inner man
  • [d]. Or "faithfulness"
  • [e]. Or "worthless men;" lit "men of falsehood"
  • [f]. Or "dissemblers, hypocrites"
  • [g]. Or "miracles"
  • [h]. Lit "of the tabernacle of Your glory"
  • [i]. Lit "gather"

Chapter Summary

Psalm of David. The occasion of this psalm seems to be the quarrel between Saul and David, the former listening to calumnies and reproaches cast upon the latter, and persecuting him in a violent manner. The argument of it is the same, in a great measure, with the seventh psalm, and is an appeal made to God, the Judge of the whole earth, by the psalmist, for his innocence and integrity; Theodoret thinks it was written by David when he fled from Saul.

Psalms 26 Commentaries

New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, California.  All rights reserved.