Psalm Chapter 26

Psalm 26: The Man Who Asks to Be Searched

Most of us, if we are honest, would rather not be examined too closely. We prefer a God who forgives in general terms, who looks the other way at the right moments. But here is David making the most dangerous request imaginable: Judge me, O Lord. Examine me. Try my reins and my heart. It is the prayer of a man who has staked everything on integrity — not perfection, mind you, but a certain transparent consistency between what he professes and how he walks. And the foundation of this extraordinary confidence is not his own goodness but God's lovingkindness, which he says is before his eyes, as constant and orienting as the sun. The psalm moves from examination to worship — I will wash mine hands in innocency, so will I compass thine altar — and in that movement we glimpse something important: integrity is not a grim, teeth-clenching business. It is what frees a man to worship with a whole heart. The psalm ends where all genuine self-examination must: not in self-congratulation, but in the congregations, blessing the Lord.

00:00 Judge Me, O Lord
00:30 Walking in Truth
01:00 The Altar and the Thanksgiving
01:20 My Foot Stands in an Even Place