Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering. Prove me, O Lord, and try me; test my heart and mind.” vss. 1-2
Psalm 26:1-8
The psalmist was a righteous man, and he knew it! And he didn’t want anyone to confuse him with the sinners that may have hung around the temple precincts. And he was so confident in the way that he had lived that he asked the Lord to test him. He was sure of his own righteousness and had no fear of any judgment from God. And what evidence did he present of his inherent goodness? He didn’t mince words, “I do not sit with the worthless, nor do I consort with hypocrites; I hate the company of evildoers, and will not sit with the wicked. I wash my hands in innocence, and go around your altar, O Lord, singing aloud a song of thanksgiving, and telling all your wondrous deeds.” Now some might resonate with these words and claim them as a description of their own behavior. But others find this kind of religiosity troublesome – we see ourselves as people of faith but are much more comfortable identifying with sinners than with the self-identified righteous. We may even suspect that the psalmist would avoid our pew like the plague if he ever visited our congregation. And we’d likely be okay with that! It’s really not much fun to hang out with the righteous – which is why Jesus sought out sinners!
Thought for the Day: What does the company we keep say about us?
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