“Vindicate me, LORD, for I have led a blameless life; I have trusted in the LORD and have not faltered.” (Psalm 26:1).
Wow! Just, wow!
I am not sure how any human being could ever say such a thing. A blameless life?
The ascription for Psalm 26 says informs us that this is a Psalm of David. A Psalm of David.
Come on now! We all know about David’s story of how he seduced and raped Bathsheba, and then planned and carried out the murder of Bathsheba’s husband Uriah to cover up his adultery.
“I have led a blameless life…I have not faltered…vindicate me…”
Puh-lease!!!
How are we supposed to understand such passages? Could we utter such a statement ourselves? What is going on in passages like this?
Justification.
Derek Thomas says, “That’s what justification means: I am as spotless in Christ as Christ himself is.”
Justification.
Hebrews 5:8-9 tells us, “Son, though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.”
- Through the obedience and the suffering of Jesus, he became the perfect sacrifice for the atonement and forgiveness of sins.
- Jesus, on the cross, took on his body all of God’s wrath so that in Christ’s resurrection we might share in all of Christ’s righteousness.
- Through the obedience and the suffering, Jesus became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.
What the psalmist has in mind in Psalm 26 is the time of judgment. Those who have received Jesus as Lord and Savior will be able to stand in the judgment of God and be able to boldly declare, “Vindicate me, LORD, for I have led a blameless life; I have trusted in the Lord and have not faltered.”
We dare declare such an incredible statement because Christ has led a blameless life on our behalf, and Christ has never faltered once. That is our faith and trust. And because of Jesus, our status has forever changed from sinner to an heir of God’s kingdom.
Justification!
Wow! Thank you God! Thank you Jesus! Thank you Holy Spirit!
Praxis: Faith in Action 