So last night, we were reading Psalm 26, and its like whoa, whats up with this deal. I chose some selected verses, rather than the whole thing.
1. Vindicate me, O LORD,
for I have led a blameless life;
I have trusted in the LORD
without wavering.
4 I do not sit with deceitful men,
nor do I consort with hypocrites;
5 I abhor the assembly of evildoers
and refuse to sit with the wicked.
9 Do not take away my soul along with sinners,
my life with bloodthirsty men,
10 in whose hands are wicked schemes,
whose right hands are full of bribes.
11 But I lead a blameless life;
redeem me and be merciful to me.
Its pretty cocky, and Pharisee like, and on the surface, seems counter to much of the rest of scripture. I did a fair amount of googling, and few if any want to look at this, and of those, many try a fair amount of wiggling… I even went to a Jewish website to get their take on things (for much of the OT, Rabbi’s have incredible insight!) and of course the CCEL to see what the ancients had to say.
The end result, I’m really not convinced by the commentary of others… I look at the plain text meaning of things, then look at history when its available or can be inferred, and see if that will then jibe with the plain text presented.
The end result, as far as I can figure, this may well be a case of David being over righteous prior to his fall. Sure, there is the possibility of him looking to the future, and God’s grace making him whole (many commentaters allude to this) but to me, it doesnt square all that well with the plain text reading. Another possibility is he is bargaining with God… some commentators alluded to that aspect. Verses 2-3, 6-8, and 12 which I left out earlier may lead some credence to that aspect.
2 Test me, O LORD, and try me,
examine my heart and my mind;
3 for your love is ever before me,
and I walk continually in your truth.
6 I wash my hands in innocence,
and go about your altar, O LORD,
7 proclaiming aloud your praise
and telling of all your wonderful deeds.
8 I love the house where you live, O LORD,
the place where your glory dwells.
12 My feet stand on level ground;
in the great assembly I will praise the LORD.
I just dont know for sure… bargaining, grace, cockyness, over righteousness. There are a lot of things here for sure, its a most interesting read, especially in light of Jesus words.
