Heart of a Psalmist - Worshipping Christ Through The Psalms

I. I HAVE ACTED WITH INTEGRITY - (1-5)

“ Declare me innocent, O Lord, for I have acted with integrity; I have trusted in the Lord without wa- vering. Put me on trial, Lord, and cross-examine me. Test my motives and affections. For I am con- stantly aware of your unfailing love, and I have lived according to your truth.” (1-3)

David invites the thorough examination of God into his life with three petitions:

1. ‘ Declare me innocent ’- David asks for an acquittal from the charge of murder. 2. “ Put me on trial …l ” (2) He is not claiming a sinless life but a life of right motives towards God. 3. “ cross-examine me ”(2) He appeals to God to look at his emotional desires ( motives ) and the intellectual focus of his life ( affections ). He begins this psalm with “ I have acted with integrity; ” and ends the psalm with the same resolve: “ I do what is right;” (11) . His whole motivation for walking in “ truth ” is his “ love ” for God that he pursued with unwavering “ trust. ” How admirable and worthy of copying, if we love him we must declare our resolve to live blamelessly before him. Though we will all make mistakes along the way, our hearts can be right. This is David’s list of ‘things not to do’ when leading a blameless life: • “ I do not spend time with liars, ”(4) In the first psalm we are called ‘blessed’ when we avoid spend- ing time with people who will wrongly influence us. • “ or go along with hypocrites; ” (4) Hypocrites are those who appear pious but in reality are not. Jesus had a special dislike for them: “ How terrible it will be for you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you won’t let others enter the Kingdom of heaven, and you won’t go in your- selves.”(Mt.23:13) • “ I hate the gatherings of those who do evil, ” (5) Both David and Jesus kept company with sin- ners and outcasts to affect their lives in a positive way. These people were not hypocrites but were gen- uinely interested in changing for the better. “ Then others began coming-men who were in trouble or in debt or who were just discontented…”(1 Sam. 22:2) It was reported of Jesus that he’s “ a friend of the worst sort of sinners!”(Lk. 7:34)

II I LOVE YOUR SANCTUARY O LORD - 6-8

“ I wash my hands to declare my innocence. I come to your altar, O Lord, singing a song of thanksgiv- ing and telling of all your miracles.” (6,7)

The first step in coming to the altar of God is to be clean and innocent of transgressions. In the Old Testament the priests washed themselves in a bronze washbasin: “ Aaron and his sons will wash their hands and feet there before they go into the Tabernacle to appear before the Lord and before they ap- proach the altar to burn offerings to the Lord.”(Ex. 30:19,20) Today we are washed when we respond to the word of God: “ He (Christ) gave up his life for her (us, the church!) to make her holy and clean hav- ing cleansed her by the washing of water with the word.”(Eph. 5:25,26) It is then that our praise and proclamation of the good news of Christ is without hypocrisy and blemish.

“ I love your sanctuary, Lord, the place where your glory shines.”(8)

It is so essential to love the ‘house’ of God, the gathering of his people together. We are told in Eph- esians: “ We are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets.”(Eph. 2:20) Christian- ity is not a ‘solo’ experience, we are to share our lives in community. The greatest expression of his glory comes when we worship in unity with our fellow believers from every segment of his church. While architecture and cathedrals are enjoyable, they are not loveable, only his people qualify for that.

III. I DO WHAT IS RIGHT - (9-10)

“ Don’t let me suffer the fate of sinners. Don’t condemn me along with murderers. Their hands are dirty with wicked schemes, and they constantly take bribes.”(9,10)

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