Psalm 26:4 Komentář

Holy David is in this psalm putting himself upon a solemn trial, not by God and his country, but by God and his own conscience, to both which he appeals touching his integrity (Psa 26:1, Psa 26:2), for the proof of which he alleges, I. His constant regard to God and his grace (Psa 26:3). II. His rooted antipathy to sin and sinners (Psa 26:4, Psa 26:5). III. His sincere affection to the ordinances of God, and his care about them (Psa 26:6-8). Having thus proved his integrity, 1. He deprecates the doom of the wicked (Psa 26:9, Psa 26:10). 2. He casts himself upon the mercy and grace of God, with a resolution to hold fast his integrity, and his hope in God (Psa 26:11, Psa 26:12). In singing this psalm we must teach and admonish ourselves, and one another, what we must be and do that we may have the favour of God, and comfort in our own consciences, and comfort ourselves with it, as David does, if we can say that in any measure we have, through grace, answered to these characters. The learned Amyraldus, in his argument of his psalm, suggests that David is here, by the spirit of prophecy, carried out to speak of himself as a type of Christ, of whom what he here says of his spotless innocence, was fully and eminently true, and of him only, and to him we may apply it in singing this psalm. "We are complete in him." A psalm of David.

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 26 Psalm of David. The occasion of this psalm seems to be the quarrel between Saul and David, the former listening to calumnies and reproaches cast upon the latter, and persecuting him in a violent manner. The argument of it is the same, in a great measure, with the seventh psalm, and is an appeal made to God, the Judge of the whole earth, by the psalmist, for his innocence and integrity; Theodoret thinks it was written by David when he fled from Saul.

I have not sat with vain persons,.... Or "men of vanity" (t); who are full of it; who are addicted to the vanities of the world; who pursue the riches, honours, pleasures, and profits of it; which is no other than walking in a vain show: whose thoughts, words, and actions are vain; who are vainly puffed up in their fleshly mind, and walk in the vanity of it; who take the name of God in vain, and whose common discourse is foolish, frothy, light, and empty; and who are men of a vain conversation, and are rash, imprudent, and deceitful: men of bad principles may very well go by this name, who are vain and unruly talkers, and whose doctrines are doctrines of vanity, and no other than vain babbling; and also men guilty of idolatrous practices, who observe lying vanities, and worship them, and lift up their souls unto them; with such vain men, in any of these senses, the psalmist would have nothing to do; he would not keep company with them, nor have any communion, consultation, and conversation with them; it may be, he may have some respect to the men that were about Saul, to whom such a character agreed; or he may say this, and what follows, to remove a calumny cast upon him and his friends; as if they that were with him were such men as here described, and in Psa 26:5; neither will I go in with dissemblers: or "hidden" or "unknown" persons (u), who lie in private lurking places, to murder the innocent, or secretly take away the good names and characters of men, and it is not known who they are; or who commit sin secretly; go into secret places to do their works in the dark, and hide themselves to do evil; as the Targum, Jarchi, Kimchi, and Ben Melech, interpret it; who love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil; or who cover themselves with lying and flattering words, that it is not known what their real intentions be; they speak one thing, and mean another; are an assembly of treacherous men: such are all deceitful workers, who lie in wait to deceive, and walk in craftiness; and hypocrites, who have the form of religion, but are strangers to the power of it; and who are to be turned away from, and avoided; the houses, assemblies, cabals, and company of such, are to be shunned; see Gen 49:6; or such as are "signed", or "marked"; that is, infamous persons (w). (t) "cum hominibus vanitatis", Gejerus, Michaelis. (u) "cum occultis", Vatablus, Michaelis; "absconditis", Gejerus; so Ainsworth. (w) Vide Schultens de def. Hod. ling. Heb. s. 188.

"I have not sat with the council of vanity" [Psalm 26:4]. I have not chosen to give my heart to them who endeavour to provide, what is impossible, how they may be blessed in the enjoyment of things transitory. "And I will not enter in with them that work wickedly." And since this is the very cause of all wickedness, therefore I will not have my conscience hid, with them that work wickedly.

Now he lists the things that he has accomplished through the Lord’s kindness; such kindness is the basis of his claim that he was pleasing to God. “I have not sat in the council of vanity”; he does not agree to the deliberations of the wicked by any participation in their plan. It can happen that a holy person through some chance may come to the council of the wicked where inappropriate or empty matters are put forward. But while he is aware of these things, he does not sit comfortably with them nor does he tarry over them with any delight, but either he tries to argue against the proposals or he abandons them. So while he previously denied that he sat with the wicked, now he claims that he did not enter in with the most wicked. Earlier he avoided their deliberation, later he also abandoned their actions. “Going into” pertains to a wicked action, when something begins to be done heedlessly. “Going into” indicates the beginning of the activity that the holy person professes is foreign to his conscience.

Here he explains his intention in particular. And first he sets forth his innocence. Second he sets forth his petition, at "Do not destroy me with the wicked, O God." He shows, therefore, his innocence. And first by his withdrawal from evil. Second by his approach to good, at "I will wash." Now there is a threefold kind of evil, according to three sins. For sin is either against God, or against neighbor, or against oneself. Against oneself are sins of vanity, by which a man vainly delights in earthly things; and of these he says, "I have not sat with the council of vanity"; as if to say, I do not claim that in some way I was never with them, because it cannot happen that a man never takes vain delight in earthly things; but he says, "I have not sat": Tob. 3: "I never mixed myself with those who play; nor have I made myself a companion of those who walk in levity." Sins against neighbor are sins generated through action; hence he says, "And with those who do iniquitous things I will not enter," that is, not only have I not sat, etc., but I have not even entered, that is, in no way have I mixed myself with them: Prov. 1: "My son, if sinners entice you, do not walk with them."

After appealing to God's judgment on his avowed integrity and innocence of the charges laid by his enemies, the Psalmist professes delight in God's worship, and prays for exemption from the fate of the wicked, expressing assurance of God's favor. (Psa 26:1-12) Judge--decide on my case; the appeal of innocence. in mine integrity--freedom from blemish (compare Psa 25:21). His confidence of perseverance results from trust in God's sustaining grace.

As exemplified by the fruits of divine grace, presented in his life, especially in his avoiding the wicked and his purposes of cleaving to God's worship.

He still further bases his petition upon his comportment towards the men of this world; how he has always observed a certain line of conduct and continues still to keep to it. With Psa 26:4 compare Jer 15:17. מתי שׁוא (Job 11:11, cf. Psa 31:5, where the parallel word is מרמה) are "not-real," unreal men, but in a deeper stronger sense than we are accustomed to use this word. שׁוא (= שׁוא, from שׁוא) is aridity, hollowness, worthlessness, and therefore badness (Arab. su') of disposition; the chaotic void of alienation from God; untruth white-washed over with the lie of dissimulation (Psa 12:3), and therefore nothingness: it is the very opposite of being filled with the fulness of God and with that which is good, which is the morally real (its synonym is און, e.g., Job 22:15). נעלמים, the veiled, are those who know how to keep their worthlessness and their mischievous designs secret and to mask them by hypocrisy; post-biblical צבוּעים, dyed (cf. ἀνυπόκριτος, Luther "ungefδrbt," undyed). (את) בּוא עם, to go in with any one, is a short expression for: to go in and out with, i.e., to have intercourse with him, as in Pro 22:24, cf. Gen 23:10. מרע (from רעע) is the name for one who plots that which is evil and puts it into execution. On רשׁע see Psa 1:1.