Psalm 26

O 1   Vindicate me, O LORD,
    for I have walked in my integrity,
    and I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.
2   Prove me, O LORD, and try me;
    test my heart and mind.
3   For your steadfast love is before my eyes,
    and I walk in faithfulness to you.
4   I do not sit with the worthless,
    nor do I consort with hypocrites;
5   I hate the company of evildoers,
    and will not sit with the wicked.
6   I wash my hands in innocence,
    and go around your altar, O LORD,
7   singing aloud a song of thanksgiving,
    and telling all your wondrous deeds.
8   O LORD, I love the house in which you dwell,
    and the place where your glory abides.
9   Do not sweep me away with sinners,
    nor my life with the bloodthirsty,
10   those in whose hands are evil devices,
    and whose right hands are full of bribes.
11   But as for me, I walk in my integrity;
    redeem me, and be gracious to me.
12   My foot stands on level ground;
    in the great congregation I will bless the LORD.

Daily Prayer (based on Psalm 26:1)

At first, Lord, I wonder how I could honestly pray like this. How could I claim to walk in integrity when I'm so aware of my failings, my lack of consistency in living for You? Yet, by Your grace, ever so slowly You are transforming me. Your Spirit is at work within me, making me more like You – and what a tough job this is! Yet in Your mercy You persevere. You won't give up on me until Christ is fully formed in me. Thank You, dear Lord!

Postscript

The Hebrew word translated as "integrity" (tom) has a wide range of meaning, including "wholeness, completeness, blamelessness, integrity." It's closely related to the adjective tamim, which is used to describe the quality of the sacrifices offered to God. They are to be without blemish. In fact, this adjective can also describe the way of God as perfect (Ps 18:30). Twice in Psalm 26 David claims to walk with "integrity" (vv. 1, 11). This is not a claim to sinlessness, but rather to have lived consistently, though not perfectly, according to God's law. Yet the parallelism of verse 1 ("I have walked in my integrity" // "I have trusted in the LORD without wavering") shows that integrity has to do, most of all, with one's solid relationship with God. We walk with integrity when we trust in the Lord consistently and live our lives as a reflection of this core relationship.

Share Your Comments, Prayers, or Questions on Psalm 26

If you would like to add a comment, prayer, or question concerning this psalm, click here. Note: whatever you write is public, and may be read by others or used on this website in the future. To go to the main Comments page, click here.

Send Today's Daily Psalm to a Friend

Click here to e-mail a link to this page to a friend.

Copyright Information

Except for the Scripture text, all material of The Daily Psalm Copyright © 2006 by Mark D. Roberts

Note: You may download the contents of The Daily Psalm at no cost, for personal use or for use in a Christian ministry, as long as you are not publishing them for sale. All I ask is that you give credit where credit is due. For all other uses, please contact me at mark@markdroberts.com. Thank you.

The Scripture text used in The Daily Psalm is from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved