"I lead a blameless life; deliver me and be merciful to me." (Psalm 26:11 NIV)
There’s a distinct dichotomy in this verse and, I believe, a two-fold meaning.
The first is that how God sees us and how we see ourselves are two totally different perspectives. There’s the perspective from God’s view, the "who He sees us as," and then there’s the perspective of "who we really want to be (but know that we aren’t)." We see those two perspectives in verses 1-3 and 4-7.
How God sees us: "Vindicate me, Lord, for I have led a blameless life; I have trusted in the Lord and have not faltered. Test me, Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind; for I have always been mindful of Your unfailing love and have lived in reliance on Your faithfulness." (v. 1-3) For those of us who are believers, because the Lord has wiped away our sin, He sees us as blameless. He sees us as faithful. He sees us as always trusting Him. He sees us as righteous, holy, and complete. Isn’t that amazing . . . and wonderful? And it isn’t because of anything we’ve done, but because of everything He’s done!
How we would really like to be (but aren’t): "I do not sit with the deceitful, nor do I associate with hypocrites. I abhor the assembly of evildoers and refuse to sit with the wicked. I wash my hands in innocence, and go about Your altar, Lord, proclaiming aloud Your praise and telling of all Your wonderful deeds." (v. 4-7) These descriptions are who we should aspire to be as believers. We should refuse to be deceitful, hypocritical, evil or wicked. We should spend our days praising Him and telling everyone of His wonderful deeds. It is a lifestyle to aspire to and something we should work at being everyday.
The second dichotomy in v. 11 is this: No one is perfect; we all need salvation even if we live "blameless" lives. The verse says "I am blameless" (meaning without sin) and then pleads with God to deliver and be merciful (meaning I need a Savior). Even at our best we need a Savior. Even when we think we aren’t sinning, we need a Savior. We want to be blameless, but only are because of the blood of Jesus Christ.
This psalm ends with "My feet stand on level ground." The perfect life. I know that everyone of us has experienced those times when we’ve had to walk gingerly along because the surface on which we walked was uneven. We were unsteady because the ground wasn’t level. When we stand on level ground, when we trust the Lord to guide our paths, we don’t need to be hesitant in our lives. We can walk firmly and boldly ahead, knowing that God has prepared the way for us. We needn’t fear anything because He is with us and will guide us in all our decisions.
We can become that which we want to be through His power and because of His love and mercy.
The first is that how God sees us and how we see ourselves are two totally different perspectives. There’s the perspective from God’s view, the "who He sees us as," and then there’s the perspective of "who we really want to be (but know that we aren’t)." We see those two perspectives in verses 1-3 and 4-7.
How God sees us: "Vindicate me, Lord, for I have led a blameless life; I have trusted in the Lord and have not faltered. Test me, Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind; for I have always been mindful of Your unfailing love and have lived in reliance on Your faithfulness." (v. 1-3) For those of us who are believers, because the Lord has wiped away our sin, He sees us as blameless. He sees us as faithful. He sees us as always trusting Him. He sees us as righteous, holy, and complete. Isn’t that amazing . . . and wonderful? And it isn’t because of anything we’ve done, but because of everything He’s done!
How we would really like to be (but aren’t): "I do not sit with the deceitful, nor do I associate with hypocrites. I abhor the assembly of evildoers and refuse to sit with the wicked. I wash my hands in innocence, and go about Your altar, Lord, proclaiming aloud Your praise and telling of all Your wonderful deeds." (v. 4-7) These descriptions are who we should aspire to be as believers. We should refuse to be deceitful, hypocritical, evil or wicked. We should spend our days praising Him and telling everyone of His wonderful deeds. It is a lifestyle to aspire to and something we should work at being everyday.
The second dichotomy in v. 11 is this: No one is perfect; we all need salvation even if we live "blameless" lives. The verse says "I am blameless" (meaning without sin) and then pleads with God to deliver and be merciful (meaning I need a Savior). Even at our best we need a Savior. Even when we think we aren’t sinning, we need a Savior. We want to be blameless, but only are because of the blood of Jesus Christ.
This psalm ends with "My feet stand on level ground." The perfect life. I know that everyone of us has experienced those times when we’ve had to walk gingerly along because the surface on which we walked was uneven. We were unsteady because the ground wasn’t level. When we stand on level ground, when we trust the Lord to guide our paths, we don’t need to be hesitant in our lives. We can walk firmly and boldly ahead, knowing that God has prepared the way for us. We needn’t fear anything because He is with us and will guide us in all our decisions.
We can become that which we want to be through His power and because of His love and mercy.
© 2017 Robin L. O’Hare. All rights reserved. Permission granted for nonprofit and church groups to use this article in its entirety (including this notice). For other uses, please contact servinggodalone@yahoo.com.
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