Psalm Meditation 985
Third Sunday of Easter
May 5, 2019

Psalm 26
1 Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.
2 Prove me, O LORD, and try me; test my heart and mind.
3 For your steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in faithfulness to you.
4 I do not sit with the worthless, nor do I consort with hypocrites;
5 I hate the company of evildoers, and will not sit with the wicked.
6 I wash my hands in innocence, and go around your altar, O LORD,
7 singing aloud a song of thanksgiving, and telling all your wondrous deeds.
8 O LORD, I love the house in which you dwell, and the place where your glory abides.
9 Do not sweep me away with sinners, nor my life with the bloodthirsty,
10 those in whose hands are evil devices, and whose right hands are full of bribes.
11 But as for me, I walk in my integrity; redeem me, and be gracious to me.
12 My foot stands on level ground; in the great congregation I will bless the LORD.
(NRSV)

My first impression, cynical as it may be, is that this psalm is akin to the old rhyme, “I don’t smoke and I don’t chew and I don’t go with girls who do.” It is a humble brag about the standards the psalmist holds as well as the expectations of family and friends. First impressions are not always accurate. After the initial cynicism, I realized this is first a prayer lifted to God in a time of need. It is not a humble brag, it is the second part of a three part petition for the help of God as the psalmist pleads for release from a difficult situation. In a time in which God is nearly synonymous with the ruler of the nation, it is necessary and important to remind God who it is raising this petition. What seems to be a humble brag is a recounting of who the psalmist is by way of introduction.

Current belief is that God knows each one of us more intimately than we know ourselves. We do not need to introduce ourselves every time, or remind God who we are and what we do in order to strengthen our relationship on a regular basis. Because God is intimately connected to us, using this psalm to convince God of the rightness of our behavior and that there is justification in meeting our needs at this time does become a humble brag. Any reminders needed will be on our side of the relationship, as we look at who we strive to be for the sake of our relationship with God.

The psalmist has a pretty comprehensive list of folks to avoid; worthless, hypocrites, evildoers, wicked, sinners, bloodthirsty, holders of evil devices, and those who hold bribes in their right hands. If we don’t hang out with these folks, who does that leave? The psalmist has an answer for that too; the innocent, the thankful, those who enjoy the presence of God, those with integrity, and who stand on level ground. The psalmist saw both good and bad behavior as contagious, and so it is. The task for us is to be strengthened by the folks who love God so that we can be the more contagious in the presence of those who are looking to leave the life of wickedness to join life in the presence of God.

April 29, 2019
LCM