Let us turn our
attention to the last two stanzas of study in Psalm 26. Remember,
this is a Psalm written during the time when David has appeased the
Gibeonites for Saul’s unholy dealings.
The text says,
“Gather not my soul with
sinners, nor my life with bloody men: In whose hands is mischief,
and their right hand is full of bribes. But as for me, I will walk
in mine integrity: redeem me, and be merciful unto me. My foot
standeth in an even place: in the congregations will I bless the
LORD.”
In the stanza
of verses 9-10 I have entitled it “A Hallowed Obstruction”.
David used in verse 9 the word ‘gather’ which has an earthly
as well as an eternal meaning. The earthly meaning has the idea of
‘to take away from or to keep from or to obstruct ones path
toward’. David is saying LORD if you see me leaning toward
sinners do whatever you need to do and obstruct my walk from that
path.
I remember the
obstructing work in my own life of God giving me a holy hatred for
sin. In the life of John Newton, through the prayers of his mother,
God brought him to the point of being a slave to a slave before he
could finally write the words, “I once was blind but now I can
see, I was lost but now I am found”.
In verse 10 David
mentions the ‘hands’ of the sinner, which are full of
mischief and bribes. We often think of people in the business and
political world that fit this mold. Let me assure us that many in
the religious world fall into this category as well. They are sheep
in wolves clothing who are hungry for filthy lucre. Oh, how the
church has taken the money of many and given them a false hope of
security. I am not against using the world’s money if it is given,
but let us be clear to tell them that it will do them no good in the
world to come. I wonder if we were honest and told them the truth
if they would still be as free hearted to give. Oh, how the Church
of Rome takes so much money yearly with claims that they can help
people in eternity or remit sins through masses and confessions.
How utterly deplorable!
The other word for ‘gather’
means to take unto. David looks to the world to come and to whom he
will be gathered with. You cannot enjoy living in the company of
sinners here and expect to live in the company of saints up there.
In the stanzas of
verses 11-12 I have entitled it “A Hopeful Order”. It is
here David focuses on a walk of integrity. It is a clean walk of
right living. How can one walk in that way? As David did we must
run to the tree of redemption and the throne of mercy. There is
help at that tree and upon that throne.
David closes this
hopeful order by magnifying his place of standing. He claims to
stand in the ‘congregation’ of the LORD. There is an ‘s’
on congregation. It has the idea of being in the presence of all
majesty. David says he stands in an ‘even place’. The word
‘even’ means a plain and just place. David stands in the
midst of God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Let us remember to be
in their presence is to be right.
The world around
David thought him wrong for his handling of the Saul situation but
the heavenly triune was pleased. Let us set our hearts on pleasing
the world to come and not the world that is around us.
