Examining the Heart (Psalm 26)

Examining the Heart
Psalm 26

INTRODUCTION:
A man was asked to “baby-sit” an Irish setter while the family ran some errands. It was a bright, hot, Georgia afternoon. The dog’s name was Max and Max was and the man were in the family’s fenced-in backyard. The man was sitting on the back steps, petting Max, admiring the beautiful, long coat. All of a sudden Max jumps up and takes off after some creature that had caught his eye.

As Max ran, the man looked ahead of him and saw the shadow of a bird flying over the yard. The shadow approached the edge of the yard and then the shadow “flew” into the shadow of a tree that stretched over the fence into the yard. The bird’s shadow, of course, disappeared into the shadow of the tree.

But Max did not know what to do, how to interpret the experience. He was at a full-run when the bird’s shadow all-of-a-sudden disappeared and Max did not know what to think. He was confused. Every muscle in his body was tense. His claws dug into the dirt. His tail was high and wagging with excitement and anticipation. His eyes were sharp. His tongue was hanging out and panting. His eyes were wide open and searching everywhere in the immediate area for his prey that had disappeared.

That is how life is for too many people — chasing things that turn out to only be a shadow. King David sought a momentary sexual experience by committing adultery with a married woman. Then, he sought a momentary feeling of satisfaction by murdering the woman’s husband. But when God appeared to him and said, “David, you have sinned,” David repented. How was it that David could sink so low into sin - committing the two biggest sins (in our eyes) - but not lose his faith? Not turn away from God and just keep living a life of sin? He tells us in Psalm 26: “Examining the Heart.” Before David ever committed those two sins, God referred to David as a “man after God’s own heart” (1 Sam. 13:14). How could God describe David that way? Let’s study Psalm 26 and take a look at David’s heart. When we do, we will not see a heart wrapped up in sex or wrapped up in revenge. We see a heart wrapped up in God.

We might also title this psalm: “How to Stay Faithful to God.” In verse 1, David says he has not “wobbled” or “wavered.” He has stayed faithful to God. At the end of the psalm, verse 12, David says his feet stands on an even place. Let’s learn from King David…

WALK IN INTEGRITY - 26:1:
David calls on God to “vindicate” him. The word means “judge.” David calls on God to “judge” him. Why? Because David is able to say that he has walked in “integrity.” This word “integrity” means “wholeness.” It is the word used to refer to animal sacrifices that were perfect animals, perfect specimens of animals. David says that’s the way he lived.
Secondly, living a life of integrity means that David trusted in Jehovah God. Through all the ups and downs in David’s life, he did not waver from his trust in God. He knew that God would provide for him. God would not waver in His steadfast love for David. That’s how we stay faithful to God: “Believe in God; believe also in Me” (John 14:1).

LIVE AN “OPEN-BOOK” LIFE - 26:2:
In this one verse, David gives three commands to Jehovah God: examine, try, and test. Those are all synonyms for a single idea. Of course, the word “test” comes from the metal-working field where you put metal into a fire to purify it, to soften it, so that it can be molded into the form you want.
Here, David says he is willing to let God purify his inward life. The word translated “mind” in the NASV is the word for “kidneys.” It mean the deepest part of your organ system. David wants God to examine, try, and test the deepest part of David, his hidden thoughts, hidden motivations, hidden desires, hidden agenda.
Fundamentally, David wants to do one thing: what pleases God.
The Hebrew writer points out that the sword of the Spirit, the word of God, is able to examine, try, and test us. It is sharper than a two-edged sword, piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Heb. 4:12). We need to approach the word of God, as a mirror James tells us in James 1:23-25, and we need to fix whatever it is in our lives that God’s mirror tells us is wrong. We need to live an “open-book” life.

WALK IN GOD’S TRUTHFULNESS - 26:3:
David kept God’s “lovingkindness” (NASV), His “loyalty to His promises”, His “steadfast love” always before his eyes. The word translated “before” means right in front, opposite. So, when David went about his life, the lovingkindness of God was right in front of his face. And He walked, David says, in God’s truth, God’s faithfulness.
Both “lovingkindness” and “faithfulness” are language from the covenant. God is loyal and God is faithful. David knew that, if his heart wanted to follow God, then God would stay loyal and faithful. Now, David did not believe that God would save him in his sin; he had to repent. But he trusted God would save him from his sin. That’s the loyal and faithfulness of God.
Here’s a promise from the NT that keeps Christians walking in God’s truthfulness: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

LIVE AN HONEST LIFE - 26:4:
In this verse, David says he would not sit, or spend time with, “deceitful” men. That word can also be translated “worthless” or “vanity,” even “wickedness” or “evil.” He also would not associate with “pretenders.” These are people who hide what they are doing. They are hypocrites. They hide their agenda, their ambitions, their motivations. They are not honest. They are like chameleons and change who they are, depending on who they are around.
But Jesus wants us to live an honest life. Be transparent. Don’t be hypocritical. Jesus criticized the Pharisees for being hypocrites on a regular basis, especially Matthew 23. But the word “hypocrite” is used 18 times in Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

DO NOT ASSOCIATE WITH THE EVIL - 26:5:
Here, David says that he “hates” the assembly of the evil ones. I do not know what these “evil ones” wanted to do but it was not good, not good in the eyes of God. David will not assemble with them. The word “wicked” is a synonym for the word “evil” and David says he will not “sit” with the wicked. David would watch his companions and make sure that they did not have a more powerful, negative, influence over him.
Paul tells Christians in 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 to “not be bound together with unbelievers, for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?”

LIVE IN INNOCENCE - 26:6:
David wants to come into worship in purity. “I shall wash my hands in innocence.” David is reflecting on that basin of water in which the priests washed their hands before they entered the tabernacle or temple. David wants his life to be innocent of any wrong doing. “Innocence” is another word for “purity.” David wants to be pure. He wants to be pure in order to worship God in purity. We’ll talk about worship in just a moment; my focus here is on purity.
We live in a culture that wants us to look more like the culture. The culture nudges us away from Jesus Christ. Jesus is our standard. Our culture wants us to look more like it and less like Jesus Christ. But the Hebrew writer challenges us: “Let us draw near with a sincere heart (a life of innocence) in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water” (10:22).
David wanted to live in innocence, to worship God in purity. The Hebrew writer calls on us to live a life of innocence and worship God in purity. It is a good idea before we worship, to ask God for forgiveness, to be pure and innocent when we come to Him.

EVANGELIZE - 26:7:
Again, we are going to talk about worship in a moment; the word “altar” in verse 6 lets us know that David is thinking about worship. So, David wants to “go about” God’s altar, in verse 7, “that” (so that, showing purpose) he may “proclaim” with the voice of thanksgiving. the word “thanksgiving” here can also be translated “praise.” David wants to praise God out of thanksgiving for what God has done. That is also seen in the second part of the verse where David says he wants to “declare” all God’s “wonders.” From the creation to the exodus, to the blessings God had given to David personally, David wanted to tell others about God’s wonderful works. David was a recipient of God’s blessings and he wanted others to do the same.
We ought to be inspired in worship, to go evangelize. We ought to take what we have learned in worship and share it with someone who needs to hear it. Peter tells us in 1 Peter 2:9 that we are a “royal priesthood” “so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” A strong motivation for sharing the gospel is thanksgiving for what we enjoy as Christians.

How do you stay faithful to God?

WORSHIP - 26:8:
David speaks directly to Jehovah God here and says, “I love the habitation of your house.” “Habitation” carries the idea of “refuge,” a place of safety. Here, the “refuge” or place of safety is the tabernacle, the temple. The temple did not exist in David’s time; Solomon built it. But David is talking about the place of worship. The word translated “where dwells” in the OT carries the idea of God’s presence, His “glorious presence.” At the exodus, God’s “glorious presence” was visible in the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire. When Moses built the tabernacle according to God’s pattern, God’s “glorious presence” came down and filled that tabernacle.
The “glorious presence” of God is now found in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the “radiance” of God’s glory and the “exact representation” of His nature (Heb. 1:3). That fact compels us to worship God for what He has done for us in Jesus Christ and it compels us to worship Jesus Christ! That’s why the Hebrew writer tells Christians not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together in worship. Why? Because worshiping God and focusing on the blessings we have in Jesus Christ, which we do in worship, will help us stay faithful to God.

AVOID THE TRAP OF EVIL - 26:9:
This is another way of saying avoid associations with non-Christians that are so close, they draw you away from God. Here, David says that when God “throws His net” to collect those who will be cast away from God’s presence, David asks that God not gather him up with the sinners. These sinners are those who take advantage of others, those who are looking out for themselves. They are “men of bloodshed.” David does not want to be caught up in the net of judgment with them. So, he has to avoid them.
“Bad company corrupts good morals” (1 Cor. 15:33). Every teen and pre-teen as well as all of us adults need to have that verse engraved on the walls of our hearts. The people we associate with, notably our spouses, have a tremendous influence over us and we simply cannot allow them to lead us away from God. Otherwise, when Jesus separates the sheep from the goats, we’ll find ourselves with the goats. Because we could not say “no” to non-Christian influences.

LIVE SIMPLY - 26:10:
David is continuing his description of the sinners, the men of bloodshed from verse 9. These men have “wicked schemes” or “evil plans” in their hands. In their right hands, they are holding “bribes.” We had to deal with people wanting bribes on a regular basis in Romania. If you do not have a society that emphasizes the rule of law, then you create a society that is run by bribes. But when you pay a bribe, then you complicate life. Bribes easily get larger and larger and larger, more and more expensive. Or, if you pay a bribe to this guy, then you have to pay a bribe to that guy and there is no end to it. We refused to pay bribes in Romania and, in some ways, it cost us more in the short term, but I believe it was better for us in the long-term. If you stay true to Jesus Christ’s principles, you live more simply.
The serpent deceived Eve, Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 11:3, by his craftiness and Paul prayed that the Christians in Corinth would not be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. Stay dedicated to Jesus Christ and His commandments. That’s a simple life.

LIVE A “REDEEMED” LIFE - 26:11:
David again mentions his “integrity,” his “completeness.” He walks in his completeness so he believes he can be redeemed. He calls on God to redeem him and share His grace with David. To live a “redeemed” life is to live a life recognizing that we have the forgiveness of God. We have been redeemed by God. He has graciously forgiven our sins and that makes a huge difference in how we view life and how we handle life. The verb “redeem” comes from the slave trade; it means to purchase someone from slavery and set them free.
According to Paul in Titus 2:14, Christ redeemed us from every lawless deed, to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. So, what does the “redeemed” life look like? In that same context, Paul says we “deny ungodliness and worldly desires and live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age” (2:12). That’s the “rdeemed” life, zealous for good works. Why? Because we have been graciously forgiven by Jehovah God and that motivates us to live a different kind of life.

BLESS THE LORD - 26:12:
How can you stay faithful to God? David concludes his psalm by saying that his feet were standing on level ground. Therefore, he will assemble with other saints in the OT times, in the assembly of worship, and he will bless the Lord. Here, the word “bless” carries the idea of praising God, worshipping God. It all comes back around to our relationship with God.
If you want to stay faithful to Jesus Christ, worship Him. Bless Him for the life that you are able to live. “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing” (Rev. 5:12).

Take home message: We can stay faithful to Christ if we follow the steps David outlines for us in Psalm 26.