Walking in Integrity: Help to Do Right When You’ve Been Done Wrong (Ps 26)

Read Psalm 26:

Of David.

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 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.

Understand Psalm 26:

Bloodthirsty, deceitful men seek David’s life and they will stop at nothing—even bribery and coercion. Yet the king resolves to walk in his integrity (vv. 1, 11).[1] So also, as believers, we must do right even when we’ve been wronged.

A.    Nothing to Hide (vv. 1-3)

David cries out for God to judge, “Not guilty” (v. 1). For only his Creator, who intimately knows men’s souls, can pronounce him to be innocent: “Prove me, O LORD, and try me; Test my heart and my mind” (v. 2).[2] David opens up his life before the Lord: “Explore my inmost recesses to see if I am hiding sin (139:23-24). Refine me like precious silver and gold (12:6; Zech 13:9). Smelt away my impurities by the difficulties of life. Test me in the fire and show me to be worthy.”

In our Father’s sovereign hand, each trial becomes a test (Jas 1:12) and he may allow such personal affliction in order to examine us (Deut 8:2). For although many remain honest and upright at room temperature, what will happen when God turns up the heat (e.g., Dan 4)? So when others do you wrong, don’t get bitter and don’t get even. Instead, draw closer to the Lord your God.

David presents three arguments before the Judge: his life of integrity (Ps 26:1a), his unwavering trust (v. 1b), and his focus on God’s steadfast love (v. 3). So too, we must fix our eyes on God as we faithfully rehearse his Word.[3] If you are trying to find your way home in the dark of night, you need the fixed point of a north star to keep you walking in the right direction. In this manner, Christ’s love is the north star for godly living, for we obey him not to earn his favor but in gratitude for salvation. His justifying grace has declared us righteous, so we invite his sanctifying grace since we have nothing left to hide.

B.    Nothing in Common (vv. 4-5)

Those who walk in integrity also have nothing in common with those who hate the Lord (vv. 4-5; 1:1-2). “Men of falsehood” have lying tongues, “hypocrites” say one thing but do another, and “the assembly of evildoers” plot and scheme against the righteous. So David hates their sin out of love for God (11:5; 139:21-22). He chooses to avoid them, for “bad company corrupts good morals” (1 Cor 15:33) and “the companion of fools will suffer harm (Prov 13:20b).

Yet how can believers remain in the world without becoming of the world (John 17:14-15)? How do we dissociate from the darkness, while shining forth the gospel’s light (Matt 5:16; 28:18-20). Our goal is not to become like sinners, but for them to become like Jesus.

Therefore, speak often about your love for Jesus with your unchurched friends. If they stay close to you, then hang onto them and keep on praying. But if you talk of Jesus and your friends reject you, then they have shown you what they’re made of. Be kind and humble and gracious like Christ, but do not share their company. Your separation from the world gives evidence that you are walking in integrity, for the company you keep speaks louder than your words.

C.     Nothing but Worship (vv. 6-8)

Instead of keeping company with the wicked, we will seek to worship God (Ps 26:6-8). Thus, David describes the cleansing of his hands before God’s presence in the tabernacle (Exod 30:17-21; 40:30-32). The king proclaims, “I love to worship in God’s house and with God’s people, but I must first make sure my heart is right and my hands are ceremonially clean” (Pss 24:4; 73:13-14).

David also proclaims aloud the wonders of his God as worship takes the center stage.[4] He loves the dwelling place of God (Exod 40:34-38; Pss 27:4; 65:4; 84:10) and presents an offering of thanks for all that God has done (Lev 7:11-15). Yet David only partly knows this grace, for one day God himself would “tabernacle” among his people as the fullness of “grace and truth” (John 1:14). One day, God would send his Son to reside within the very world that he had made (vv. 1-3, 10).

In Christ, therefore, we can respond even to mistreatment with thanksgiving to our God. What better way to get our minds off man than by extolling God with praise? So instead of sinful anger or revenge, we recall our Savior’s words, “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matt 5:11-12).

D.    Nothing to Fear (vv. 9-12)

Lastly, those walking in integrity have nothing to fear. David prays once more, “Since I have kept myself separate from evil men, Lord please keep me separate when you judge them” (Ps 26:10). David pictures the wicked with cruel weapons in one hand and deceitful bribes in the other (v. 10). “But as for me” emphatically affirms the king’s resolve to walk in his integrity (v. 11a), for God will rescue him by his grace and won’t allow his foot to slip from the promises in his Word (vv. 11b-12). Thus, David worships joyfully in the assembly of God’s people.

So too, as long as we are grounded in Christ our Lord, we have nothing more to fear. In Christ, we are redeemed by grace (Rom 3:5, 21-24) and declared “not guilty” before our Judge. In Christ, we possess the hope of eternal life (5:1-5) with no fear of condemnation (8:1). Our integrity does not mean that we are sinless, but simply alive in the righteousness of Christ.

1. Jesus was the true Man who had nothing to hide from his heavenly Father. For when he was tried and tested at the cross, our Lord was proven to be blameless.
2. As the sinless Man, Jesus had nothing in common with the wicked who arrested and accused him. For when reviled, “he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly” (1 Pet 2:24).
3. Jesus also was the God-Man who held forth nothing but worship for his Father in the assembly of the righteous (Ps 22:22; Heb 2:12).
4. Thus, Jesus was finally the victorious Man with nothing to fear in this fallen world. For although his Father would sweep him away in life, he would also raise him from the dead.

So how do you keep on doing right, when the world has done you wrong? Walk outwardly in your integrity while trusting inwardly in the One who has accomplished your salvation. Do this and your foot will never slip from level ground.

Apply Psalm 26:

1. Describe a time when you were wrongly mistreated for your Christian faith. How did you respond? Did you maintain your integrity throughout (Ps 139:23-24)? Why does Jesus command us to rejoice when persecuted for his name’s sake (Matt 5:11-12)?
2. Look at an image of the Old Testament tabernacle with its altar, ritual basin, and tent of meeting. Why did the ancient Jews wash their hands before they worshiped (Exod 30:17-21; 40:30-32; Pss 24:4; 73:13-14)? How do Christians today prepare for worship with clean hands and pure hearts?
3. Research the ancient method of smelting precious metals. How is the refining of silver and gold an appropriate picture of God’s sovereign testing in our lives (1 Pet 1:6-7)?
4. Consider your closest friends. Do they influence you toward wisdom or folly (Prov 13:20; 1 Cor 15:33)? Do you intentionally seek to share Christ with them and bring them to salvation (Matt 28:18-20)?
5. What is the longest season you have gone without worshiping in the company of God’s people? How did it affect both you and your church? What commitment will you make to engage in regular Christian fellowship (Heb 10:24-25)?

Counsel Psalm 26:

Many times, we suffer when we’ve been sinned against. Wise counselors lead people to follow Christ’s example and receive his healing through the cross (1 Pet 2:21-25). Exhort the saints who suffer to continue walking in integrity even when surrounded by the wicked.

Projects for Growth (Psalm 26)

1. If you have been sinned against by others, examine your heart for any responses of fear, sinful anger, bitterness, or unforgiveness. Recite Psalm 26:1-2 as a prayer to God and confess any sin he brings to light (Prov 28:13).
2. Meditate on the character of the God to whom you pray (vv. 1-2): The Judge who vindicates the righteous; Yahweh, the covenant-keeper; The Creator who makes you whole; The Object of your unwavering trust; The Searcher of your soul; The Omniscient One who knows your heart and mind; The Refiner of the saints.
3. Fix your eyes on the steadfast love and faithfulness of the Lord (v. 3; Exod 34:6-7). List all the evidences in your life and in the Scriptures that God truly loves you. Dwell especially on the cross.
4. Evaluate your close companions (Ps 26:4-5). Are they the ones who have sinned against you? Do they threaten you either with coercion or deceit (vv. 9-10)? Or do they goad you to seek vengeance on your oppressors? Your afflictions should prompt you to examine their influence in your life. Ask the Lord to grant you wisdom to discern among your friends (Jas 1:5).
5. Do not neglect to worship in the company of God’s people, the church (Heb 10:24-25). Come before the Lord with a clean conscience (Ps 26:6), an offering of thanks (v. 7), and a passion for God’s glory (v. 8). Tell yourself and everyone around you the wondrous deeds which God has done.
6. Resolve with David (“But as for me”) to walk in your integrity (v. 11). Write down your convictions or declare it to a friend. Then stand firm on the level ground of God’s Word and praise the Lord among his people (v. 12).

Pray Psalm 26:

• Father, help me walk with integrity before you (vv. 1, 11).
• Examine my heart and test my faith, O Lord (v. 2).
• Lead me to stand upon your firm foundation (v. 3).
• Create in me a Christ-like separation from sin (vv. 4-5, 9-10).
• Grant me an ever-deepening joy to worship with your people (vv. 6-8).
• Let my feet not slip from level ground (v. 12).

[1] The “envelope” function (or inclusio) reveals “walking in integrity” as a major theme in Psalm 26.

[2] The “mind” was the seat of the intellect and decision-making, whereas the “heart” (literally “kidneys”) was thought to be the center of a person’s feelings and emotions.

[3] The Hithpael stem of the verb “to walk” depicts our meditation on God’s Word with the repeated action of walking back-and-forth.

[4] The chiastic structure focuses on David’s worship of thanksgiving in verse 7.