The Song of the Steady Sanctuary

The key word in Psalm 26 is “integrity.” The phrase “walking in integrity” appears at the beginning and at the end, and within that frame, David prays using a structure that biblical scholars call a “chiasm.” It’s kind of like a bullseye, where the outer parts of a poem mirror each other and point to a central core idea. It can be helpful to label the sections to see how it works: A, B, C, B, A. In Psalm 26, David begins and ends with a prayer for vindication because he has lived a life of integrity (those are the A sections, verses 1-3 and 11-12), and then the B sections (verses 4-5 and 9-10) describe David’s desire to separate from evil people. It all points to the central C section, which is David’s delight in the sanctuary of God. Let’s walk through the first A section, verses 1-3: “Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.” Integrity here doesn’t mean faultlessness or perfection but wholeness, sincerity, honesty, consistency between one’s inner and outer life. David is being accused of something, and instead of responding with defensiveness, David appeals to his LORD. He uses the language of a traveler who is navigating a narrow path, but he has not slipped because he has clung to the guard rail of the LORD. As he did in Psalms 7 and 17, David opens himself fully to the scrutiny of God: “Prove me, O LORD, and try me; test my heart and my mind. [In Hebrew, the idiom is literally, “test my kidneys and my heart,” the innermost parts of me.] For your steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in your faithfulness.” That last line is key, because it uses key words (hesed/steadfast love and emet/faithfulness) that echo God’s gracious revelation of his character to Moses in Exodus 34: “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” This God mercifully extended his offer of a covenant relationship to the people of Israel despite their lack of integrity, so David is fully aware that any goodness in him comes from the goodness of God. David is not claiming integrity in an arrogant or self-righteous way. Rather, he is approaching a holy God on the basis of grace, and he’s saying, “I’ve got nothing to hide. I trust your love, I trust your mercy, and it is only with you that I can live with integrity in every area of my life.”

In the first B section, David speaks with strong language about those who do not trust in God (and perhaps it’s these people who are causing him to defend his integrity): “I do not sit with men of falsehood, nor do I consort with hypocrites. I hate the assembly of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked.” In the second B section (verses 9-10), he’ll turn these declarations about the wicked into prayers: “Do not sweep my soul away with sinners, nor my life with bloodthirsty men, in whose hands are evil devices, and whose right hands are full of bribes.” This sort of speech might lead someone to separate themselves haughtily from those they consider to be ungodly, clutching their pearls and saying, “I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like these people.” But that is not the intention of this psalm. Rather, David looks around him and sees evil: falsehood, hypocrisy, hidden motives and schemes for one’s own gain, harming others without a second thought. He sees these sins and prays, “Lord, I want nothing to do with any of that. I want to live in a right relationships with you and with my neighbor.” In other words, David’s prayer here is to reject the dangerous company of dangerous people in order to align himself with the God of love and mercy. There is a cost to doing so, and if you’ve ever wondered why the psalms are so full of enemies seeking to tear down the godly, it’s because this is how it has always been in the history of redemption. Jesus said that no servant is above his master, so if he is rejected and maligned, so will his followers. The apostle Paul wrote that all who desire to live a godly life will be persecuted. There are no neutral parties in the cosmic conflict between good and evil. To put it in the terms of Psalms 1 and 2, there is no middle road between the path of the righteous and the path of the wicked, the way of the King and the way of rebellion. When we choose to trust in the LORD, we are making a choice to reject all other gods and idols. To choose both is hypocrisy and folly, which will never lead us anywhere but death.

All of this leads into the C section, the center and heart of Psalm 26: “I wash my hands in innocence and go around your altar, O LORD, proclaiming thanksgiving aloud, and telling all your wondrous deeds. O LORD, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells.” In the Mosaic covenant, the tabernacle and temple were the place where God’s glory was most present, and therefore it was the place to offer sacrifices and thanksgiving for all of God’s goodness. When modern Christians read the law, it can be foreign and even bizarre, but here, David bursts into joyful song as he marvels at the access he has to the living God. One commentator put it this way: “The dry precision of the law books blossoms into life with this glimpse of a singing procession round the altar in the open court.” The ceremonial and the ethical come together as David rejects the company of evildoers and sings with the corporate people of God. The word translated “habitation” means a hiding place or retreat, so this is where David finds peace. We want to dwell wherever God’s glory dwells, because the sanctuary of the Lord keeps our life steady when nothing else is. In the final part of the psalm, David returns to the idea of walking in integrity: “But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity; redeem me, and be gracious to me. My foot stands on level ground; in the great assembly I will bless the LORD.” There’s some verbal connections here to the Psalm 25, words like “redeem” and “gracious,” and Psalm 26 is also the first of three psalms that have a special focus on the house of the Lord as not just a place for worship but also a refuge and a sanctuary. Within the safety of the presence of God, David speaks with almost an oath-like tone, promising to continue to walk with integrity and bless the Lord who shows him mercy. It’s a statement of loyalty and deep humility, not assuming God’s vindication or help but confessing his need for redemption. In the first verse, David said that he has walked without wavering, but here he declares, “My foot stands on level ground.” He has found equilibrium between his enemies and his God, even though nothing is yet resolved in this conflict. He has found his vindication, he has proven his innocence, and he has joined the assembly of other worshipers in their chorus of praise. It’s in that community that he finds peace and protection in the safety of God’s dwelling place.