Vindicate me, LORD, for I have led a blameless life;
I have trusted in the LORD and have not faltered. Psalms 26:1
Psalm 26 is about integrity. David begins and ends this psalm with his integrity. He claims “integrity” in verse 1 and commits himself to “integrity” in verse 11. This focus on integrity follows naturally from the penetrating psalms that come before it.
If we preach this psalm without Christ, we end up moralizing. All we can do is tell people to try harder, work harder, and do more. But we know we can’t possibly be good enough to have the integrity that will survive God’s penetrating, painful testing. The psalmist says,” If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?” (Psalm 130:3). If we apply Psalm 26 without Christ, we load a backpack of religion onto our shoulders that will not bring us any closer to God.
In fact, I have waited, dreaded even, praying this Psalm because I know I can not say any of it about me!
But if we see that Psalm 26 is ultimately about Christ, then we preach the gospel. Jesus is the true Man of Integrity. Jesus is the one man who lived up to Psalm 26 and fulfilled it completely. He had nothing to hide—God tested him at the cross, and he was found blameless. Jesus had nothing in common with the wicked—he praised God in the congregation of God’s people (Psalm 22:22; Hebrews 2:12). He had nothing to fear—God did not sweep his life away with the wicked but brought him back from the dead.
If this Jesus is your Savior, then your feet stand on level ground with him. Your life is joined together with his. His blameless integrity is counted as yours. The Spirit of the true Man of Integrity is within you, helping you to obey. His life is within you. You have nothing to fear.
Join me in praying Psalm 26 and be encouraged!
