NOTES for Psa 26

Can everyone say with confidence that they are ready to stand before the Lord? Who among us would dare call our way blameless?

Yet the psalmist boldly declares his readiness to stand before God's judgment. He gives examples of his own blamelessness and hopes that his righteousness will justify him.

At first glance, such confidence may seem like excessive self-regard. But if we read the lines of the psalm closely, we will see that the psalmist does not rely on his own merits alone. After all, he asks the Lord to forgive his sin precisely because it is great.

Hope in the Lord and in His boundless mercy is the root of our confidence that, with His help, our earthly paths will be set right and that we ourselves will be delivered from the power of sin and saved.