Being made clean is only the first part of salvation; there is so much more

Give justice to me, O Yahweh, for I have walked in my integrity,
And I have trusted in Yahweh; I will not waver.
Test me, O Yahweh, and try me;
Refine my mind and my heart.
For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes,
And I have walked in Your truth.
I do not sit with worthless men,
And I will not go with pretenders.
I hate the assembly of evildoers,
And I will not sit with the wicked.
I shall wash my hands in innocence,
So I will go around Your altar, O Yahweh,
In order to proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving
And to recount all Your wondrous deeds.
O Yahweh, I love the habitation of Your house
And the place where Your glory dwells.
Do not take my soul away along with sinners,
Nor my life with men of bloodshed,
In whose hands is a wicked scheme,
And whose right hand is full of bribes.
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 congregations I shall bless Yahweh.

Psalm 26

Introduction

When praying to the Lord, do you often ask Him to test you? Do you have an interest in proving the integrity of your heart in faith toward Him? David does in this Psalm. Immediately, he begins his prayer by asking for justice on the basis of his walk with God. Justice for a man like David looks like relief because his faith is unwavering. Despite his shortcomings, David’s heart is one that seeks after the Lord (1 Samuel 13:14).

If this makes you uncomfortable, it might be because you rightly recognize our total inability to be perfectly blameless before God. Were you or I to pray for justice according to our deeds, we would be destroyed for sinning against a holy God. But David does pray in this manner because he recognizes the grace God gives to those who believe and trust in Him.

Washing our hands in innocence

David pleads with God to test his heart because by his heart he trusts in the Lord. That is what God will see when He examines David’s heart, and that is what He sees when He peers into the hearts of all those who trust in the saving work of Jesus Christ. David proceeds to make reference to the first Psalm in the influences of his life, choosing not to go along with evildoers. Instead, he says, “I shall wash my hands in innocence.”

This is unlike Pilate’s public washing of hands where he merely declares himself innocent. Instead, this is something David does prior to approaching the altar of God. When describing the work of Jesus, the author of Hebrews tells us that He is our great high priest who entered into the heavenly throne room of God, having been tempted in all things but did not sin (Hebrews 4:14-15). Because Jesus has lived this sinless life and presented Himself on to the Father, Hebrews states, “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

The reason we can approach the throne of God is Jesus’ sinless life. It is His innocence with which we are, ourselves, made innocent. David knew he was a sinner, but went to God anyway. David had the faith to know that what he could not do for himself, God could do. God could make him innocent and pure, removing the stain of sin from him.

The presence of God

For many, this is where the story ends. You are justified, and saved from the wrath to come. But our salvation is not merely for the sake of avoiding God’s judgment. Even in this life, our purpose is to glorify God (1 Corinthians 10:31). How much more so in the life to come?

David rejoices in his nearness to God, making that the place for him to, “recount all Your wondrous deeds.” This kind of praise, glory, and enjoyment is what awaits us in eternity. When this world passes away, it will usher in that very eternity where God has prepared the most incredible joy beyond all imagining. There, we will revel in His creation, praising Him for the works of His hands.

In this life, we can only catch small glimpses of this glorious future. Fleeting moments of joy and rejoicing at His deliverance from the oppression that follows us, and gathering together to encourage one another in praise to the Lord are some of the places we see hints of this. We see it when we love one another by praying together, crying together, rejoicing together, and giving to one another. But what we see now is dim, like looking into a fogged up mirror. When that day comes, we will experience the fullness and depth of God’s love, praising Him all the way (1 Corinthians 13:8-13).

May the Lord bless you and conform you into the image of His Son.