Psalms Reading – 1.25.2022
Psalm 26
Of David.
1 Vindicate me, LORD,
for I have led a blameless life;
I have trusted in the LORD
and have not faltered.
2 Test me, LORD, and try me,
examine my heart and my mind;
3 for I have always been mindful of your unfailing love
and have lived in reliance on your faithfulness.
4 I do not sit with the deceitful,
nor do I associate with hypocrites.
5 I abhor the assembly of evildoers
and refuse to sit with the wicked.
6 I wash my hands in innocence,
and go about your altar, LORD,
7 proclaiming aloud your praise
and telling of all your wonderful deeds.
8 LORD, I love the house where you live,
the place where your glory dwells.
9 Do not take away my soul along with sinners,
my life with those who are bloodthirsty,
10 in whose hands are wicked schemes,
whose right hands are full of bribes.
11 I lead a blameless life;
deliver me and be merciful to me.
12 My feet stand on level ground;
in the great congregation I will praise the LORD.
If you are like me, you might wonder how David could so confidently claim he had led a blameless life when we know he sinned? Throughout the psalms, David proclaimed his own virtue, prayed for it, and vowed to dedicate himself to it. In this psalm, he maintains his integrity more than anywhere else.
However, to claim to be blameless is not equal to being sinless. There is a vast difference. Just as we saw in yesterday’s psalm, he often confessed his sin. David had a remarkable faith, even before Christ came to decidedly deal with our sin. David had confidence in God’s ability to forgive and wipe away our sin so that we can confidently stand before God blameless.
Our blamelessness is not based on our perfection but on the grace and mercy of God who forgives us when we confess, repent, and absolutely trust Him to do so. It is a remarkable thing to consider, that even though, we would be able to write down an infinitely long dirty laundry list of sins, that list does not exist in God’s eyes.
If that were true for David, how much more can we have such confidence, with the once and for all act of salvation given through Jesus on the cross? By the blood of Jesus, we can declare that we, too, are blameless, not sinless, but blameless because of the saving grace of Jesus.
The Apostle Paul said it this way, 2 Corinthians 5:21, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
If we are the righteousness of God, then we are blameless before God. This is what Jesus has done for us!
Memory Verse:
Psalm 25:4-5, Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.
Question(s) to Consider:
By faith in Jesus, will you declare that you are blameless before God? If you cannot, what is holding you back? Will you confess your sin? Will you choose to believe that you have been made righteous like Jesus?