Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents

Psalm 26. A variety of settings for Psalm 26 have been suggested, such as a prayer for public exoneration offered by someone seriously or falsely accused of wrongdoing; or perhaps part of an entrance liturgy by which pilgrims came into the sanctuary. There is scant evidence for any of these, though the latter is helpful because it links the theme with that of Psalms 15 and 24. That is, the psalm mirrors for those who attend worship what the ideal covenant participant should actually look like. Some have taken the claims of innocence here as a kind of self-righteous boasting, but this is a mistake. First, the mention of God's steadfast love and faithfulness (26:3), a clear echo of Ex. 34:6, shows that divine grace is the foundation for holy living; similarly, the references to worship in God's house (Ps. 26:6-8) indicate that the covenantal means of grace, with their focus on atonement and forgiveness, are in view; and third, singing this psalm serves to enable worshipers more and more to like and embrace the ideal of faithful covenant membership--but it does not make achieving that ideal a precondition for true worship.

26:1-3 Prayer for Vindication. For God to vindicate the worshiper is for God to distinguish between the faithful and the impious; perhaps there is the additional nuance of showing the distinction publicly (cf. 35:24; 43:1). The faithful are those who take the covenant to heart, and who as a general pattern of life have walked in their integrity and have trusted in the Lord without wavering. They also keep God's steadfast love . . . before their eyes and walk in God's faithfulness--i.e., they live by the grace revealed in Ex. 34:6.