The contrast between the righteous and the wicked is expressed here in terms that some may find not only immodest, but even tinged with self-satisfaction. Indeed, how can one denounce the evil deeds of others while insisting on one’s own righteousness?
But if we think about it, the psalmist is not nearly as self-assured as one might imagine: he is capable both of repentance and of seeing his own sins. His promise to enter the temple clearly reveals not Pharisaic self-righteousness, but hope in the Lord’s mercy—that He will not allow one who strives to walk in the ways of the commandments to turn onto the inevitable paths of those who deny Him, the paths of evil and falsehood.
