Bible Commentary

Psalms 26:1

Psalms 26:1

The Pulpit Commentary · Joseph S. Exell and contributors · Public Domain

Judge me, O Lord; for I have walked in mine integrity. It seems to Christians a bold act to call on God for judgment, but the saints of the earlier dispensation, having, perhaps, a less keen sense of human imperfection, were wont to do so.

It is Job's cry from his first utterance until his "words are ended;" and here we find David taking it up and re-echoing it. Man longs to hear the sentence of acquittal from the great Judge. Like Job, David asserts his "integrity," and in the same qualified sense.

He is sincere in his endeavours to do right. Yet still he needs mercy and redemption (see verse 11). I have trusted also in the Lord; therefore I shall not slide. (comp. ; ). David is confident of his past; for the future he trusts in God to uphold his steps, and save him from slips and falls.

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Psalms 26 — OverviewPsalms 26 · Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole BibleHoly David is in this psalm putting himself upon a solemn trial, not by God and his country, but by God and his own conscience, to both which he appeals touching his integrity (ver. 1, 2), for the proof of which…Psalms 26 — OverviewPsalms 26 · Treasury of Scripture KnowledgePsalms 26:1, David resorts to God in confidence of his integrity.Psalms 26 — OverviewPsalms 26 · John Gill's Exposition of the Entire BiblePsalm of David. The occasion of this psalm seems to be the quarrel between Saul and David, the former listening to calumnies and reproaches cast upon the latter, and persecuting him in a violent manner. The argument of…Psalms 26:1-5Psalms 26:1-5 · Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole BibleIt is probable that David penned this psalm when he was persecuted by Saul and his party, who, to give some colour to their unjust rage, represented him as a very bad man, and falsely accused him of many high…Psalms 26:1-12Psalms 26:1-12 · The Pulpit CommentaryEXPOSITION DAVID, about to sacrifice at God's altar, protests his integrity, but still prays for God's protection (Psalms 26:9) and for his redeeming mercy (Psalms 26:11). The psalm has all the notes of David's style,…Psalms 26:1-12Psalms 26:1-12 · The Pulpit CommentaryAssailed integrity's final appeal £ It seems evident that this psalm was written by some Old Testament saint who was surrounded by ungodly men, by whom he was assailed, reproached, and slandered. From them he appeals…