Psalm 26 Devotional
By Pastor Lawrence

Psalm 26 is the first of three psalms in which David speaks of standing in the house of the Lord, and in this particular psalm David is evaluating his ability to stand before God. As he offers himself and his sacrifice before the Lord, he is asking for the Lord to vindicate him or to justify him in his sight. He knows that he is not perfect and can not be justified apart from the blood of the sacrifice; nevertheless, he’s asking for the Lord to accept his sacrifice because he is coming with what he believes is the full integrity of heart before the Lord. Nevertheless, he still asks God to examine his heart, and to try his thoughts, for he wants to know if there is anything that is displeasing to Lord in his life. He desires for the Spirit to probe him and prove his confession that he might offer himself more fully unto God. Clearly, David is not coming into worship half-heartedly or reluctantly but fully expecting to meet with God and want to give to God his utmost praise.

Then picking up on the primary theme of Psalm 1, in terms of the man who is blessed by God, David also states that he has not sat down with men of falsehood, nor consorted with hypocrites, nor sat with the wicked. In v.5 he states adamantly, “I hate the assembly of evildoers.” On the other hand, he says in v.8, “I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells.” Likewise, in v.12, he exclaims with great joy, “in the great assembly I will bless the Lord.” This seems to be one of the main points he is emphasizing in this psalm that those who have standing before God are not only those who love the Lord, but who also love God’s house including the assembly of the saints. Their feet stand on level ground because the assurance that his granted to them by God through the fellowship of the great assembly of believers.

With the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave and the coming of the Holy Spirit, we who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. Our vindication is likewise based upon a blood sacrifice that is fulfilled through his once-for-all offering for sin. And the one who trusts in Christ will also seek to walk with integrity of heart examining himself as he partakes of the Lord Supper discerning not only his own standing before God but also his standing in Christ’s church. For the one who truly enters into the joy of the Lord in earthly worship is the one loves both Christ and His Church.