SUNDAY PSALMS PART 5 OF 48 - PSALM 18:22-28

Brown Bear, Louisville Zoo

 22     For all His judgments were before me,
          And I did not put away His statutes from me.
23     I was also blameless before Him,
        And I kept myself from my iniquity.
24   Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness,
        According to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.
25   With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful;
        With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless;
26   With the pure You will show Yourself pure;
        And with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd.
27   For You will save the humble people,
        But will bring down haughty looks.
28   For You will light my lamp;
       The Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.

Psalm 18:22-28, NKJV

How many of you noticed this installment is just a portion of a Psalm, not the full Psalm? While this will be the first time, it won't be the last. This section is about the same length as the full Psalms I've shared thus far, but sometimes I'll just have one verse. 

I will admit - the first three verses of this segment sounds a little boastful. However, what reasons does David have for this confidence? 

1. His focus is on God's Word. God's judgments (often used as a synonym of His Word) were always before him, and he did not put them away from him. Do we set God's Word as that guide for our lives? Or do we turn away from Scripture and get caught up in self-help theology or politics or the like?
   
2. David said he kept himself from his iniquity. A lot of times, we think we've accomplished something by keeping from other people's iniquities, but we excuse the pitfalls we often make. I can pat myself on the back for not gambling, which is something I have no interest in, but am I keeping myself from wasting time or buying a burger to snack on that I don't really need?
3. He is looking at God's standards, not his own. It is God who is the judge, the comparison point. We compare ourselves with others, and often those comparisons tend to make us look good. On the other hand, sometimes our comparisons with others make us feel like we don't measure up. But that makes me think of Romans 14:4, where it says God is able to make us stand.

I love verses 25-28. Several decades ago, I wrote a chorus from verses 25-30. Isn't God wonderful to us, better than we deserve?