Psalm 26: Integrity worth Interrogating

​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 my mind. 
3    For your steadfast love is before my eyes, 
and I walk in your faithfulness. 
4    I do not sit with men of falsehood, 
nor do I consort with hypocrites. 
5    I hate the assembly of evildoers, 
and I will not sit with the wicked. 
6    I wash my hands in innocence 
and go around your altar, O Lord,
7    proclaiming thanksgiving aloud, 
and telling all your wondrous deeds. 
8    O Lord, I love the habitation of your house 
and the place where your glory dwells. 
9    Do not sweep my soul away with sinners, 
nor my life with bloodthirsty men, 
10    in whose hands are evil devices, 
and whose right hands are full of bribes. 
11    But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity; 
redeem me, and be gracious to me. 
12    My foot stands on level ground; 
in the great assembly I will bless the Lord.
 
 
Meditation
Biblical wisdom compels God’s people to walk in integrity (Proverbs 11:3), external godly character flowing from internal transformation. Purity in practice marks the path of the person walking in integrity, fruit of a heart converted by God’s grace.
 
Integrity depends on faith in The Lord (1), His grace to guide our steps (11). Believers secure in our salvation will seek to live with integrity worth interrogating.
 
David pleads to be vindicated because he has walked in integrity, blamelessly (1). David’s bold request is for God to cross-examine him, to have his faith “tested and tried” by God Himself (2-3). David offers evidence for God’s interrogation by emphasizing the company he kept, fleeing the wicked and making a home in the house of the Lord (4-8). David’s desire for deliverance (9-11) is ultimately secure on the solid ground of God’s steadfast love (12), a reality leading to praise.
 
Integrity is the design and desire of God for His people (Genesis 18:19), a life reflecting the character of God flowing from the headwaters of His love. Integrity is the standard for elders leading God’s people in the Old Testament (Exodus 18:21) and the new (Titus 1, 1 Timothy 3). To put God’s house in order, the home of God’s elders must be in order, too. 
 
Jesus is the only person who has lived with complete integrity, and His sacrifice secures a position as God’s children to sustain steps for believers to imitate Him (Ephesians 5:1-2). God’s grace invites God’s people to live with integrity of faith and practice worth interrogating.
 
Richly Dwelling
-What stands out to you from today’s reading, especially David’s focus on being interrogated in his integrity?
 
-If your integrity was interrogated by God, would the result be praise to God or problems from being exposed for inconsistency and incongruity of faith and practice?
 
-How does the finished work of Jesus free you to live in the light, confessing where you have not lived with integrity and seeking to cultivate a life of integrity? Where do you need to apply His work to your life and leadership? Be specific.
 
Key Verse
1 Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering….      11 But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity; redeem me, and be gracious to me.