Well, if it weren't for the superscriptions that head these Psalms, I don't think we would ever expect that they have the same author.
! Psalm 25, it includes three different admissions of guilt and distinct confessions of sin.
!
A cry of faith from a man in desperate need of God's mercy and forgiveness.
Psalm 26, on the other hand, is a passionate declaration of innocence.
It's almost the opposite of Psalm 25.
And it's not just a declaration of innocence.
It's a call for God to act in righteousness, to publicly announce and vindicate the king's righteousness, David's righteousness.
After supplying the evidence to make his case, David even goes so far as to say that he stands on level ground.
That's stability in relationship to his argument.
I stand on level ground here that the right thing in David's mind is his vindication from God in judgment.
He fully expects, in the end, to remain inside the great community of God's people, that great assembly of worshipers.
His claim of innocence here in Psalm 26, it's so strongly voiced that some, including C.S. Lewis at one point, mistakenly, I believe,
fought it to contain the seed of self-righteous Phariseeism that ultimately comes into full bloom in the Gospels.
It's a strong, strong voicing of innocence.
And yet, the man who wrote it is the same man who wrote Psalm 25, where we saw last week, is this just incredible contrition.
How could David express such contrition on one hand and maintain such confidence on the other hand?
How can these two things actually come together?
I think a basic explanation will suffice for this, and that is, whereas Psalm 25 really is concerned with David's life broadly as a whole,
he's thinking of his all-around standing before God,
it seems that Psalm 26 is zeroed in on a particular moment in his life.
We can't say for sure what moment that was, but it seems that he was at least facing accusations that he was fully persuaded he was not guilty of.
Whether it was accusations about using some type of wicked scheme to actually obtain the throne in following Saul.
Maybe it was something in relationship to something else in his life.
We don't know exactly what it is, but it seems we can discern from all that's happening here that David is thinking about a particular moment.
He has accusers in this moment, and he's not guilty of what he's being accused of.
But the accusations are serious.
They're serious enough that if found guilty, David could have been expelled from the covenant community,
being swept away in judgment with sinners.
Psalm 26, then, is the prayer of an innocent man in response to his accusers.
He submits his calls to the righteous judge.
He gives evidence of his integrity in the matter at hand,
and then he trusts that God, being righteous himself, will in the end vindicate him and declare his true righteousness.
So what is the Psalm here for?
Well, all of that being said, the Psalm, its primary intention is not to give us a prayer to pray whenever we are falsely accused.
That's not exactly what it's here to do.
It's actually much more significant than that, I think.
The song shows us what it looks like to truly walk in integrity.
That's the word that David uses at least twice here.
He actually bookends the whole song with this language of integrity.
He says in verse 1, vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked in integrity.
And then he circles back to it in the end, and he says, I shall walk in my integrity.
Telling us that integrity is central to the song.
And though there is the setting of a particular moment, a particular instance in David's life,
what the Psalm as a whole is doing as Israel, as God's people are singing it together,
it is putting in front of God's people what it actually looks like to live with spiritual integrity,
to truly be righteous.
But even more than that,
it points us finally to the truly righteous one.
What was true of David in this instance was true of the greater David, Jesus,
in every instance.
David might have been able to claim innocence at that moment,
but he could not claim innocence altogether.
Jesus is completely different than that.
This instance in Psalm 26 is a microcosm of what we see in totality
with the person of Jesus Christ.
And I think we're meant to see that here.
Through Christ alone,
we have level ground on which to stand.
And in him alone,
can we walk the path of integrity that's laid out in the Psalm
and be assured of God's blessing,
of being present in the great assembly of God's people,
surviving the judgment.
We find that assurance here.
That level ground,
not on the basis of our own innocence and righteousness,
but on the basis of Christ's innocence and righteousness.
And that's what I want you to see as we work through it.
I think if we break it up into three parts,
it might be helpful to do that.
We could probably do a few more than that.
But to keep it simple,
let's just look at three sections of the Psalm.
First,
I want you to see integrity's examination.
Integrity's examination.
Look again at the first three verses.
Vindicate me,
O Lord.
Why?
For I have walked in my integrity.
I've trusted in the Lord without waiver.
I've not slipped.
Prove me,
O Lord.
Try me.
Test my heart and my mind.
For your steadfast love is before my eyes.
Steadfast love bringing in the dynamic of covenant.
Your covenant and my faithfulness to your covenant.
It's been in front of me.
It's been before my eyes and all that I have done.
I have walked in your faithfulness,
he says.
In no uncertain language,
David here invites God to enter into judgment
in the case that has been brought against him.
A bold prayer to pray.
A dangerous prayer to pray.
Confident of his own innocence in the matter,
he submitted his cause to the one he knew would judge justly.
And he expected that this judgment would result in vindication.
The public declaration of his righteousness in the matter.
And notice that the grounds of his prayer,
this invitation to appeal to the greatest judge,
the grounds is that he had walked in integrity
and trusted the Lord without wavering.
Both phrases,
they picture for us a path.
No doubt the very paths that David prayed for God to reveal to him in Psalm 25.
We've now seen this many times over and over.
This picture of a path of walking in God's ways.
And here David is calling for God to be the judge.
Judge, Lord, because I have walked those paths.
I have stayed faithful in this matter.
As he faced his accusers,
David maintains before the Lord,
not merely before his accusers,
but before the Lord,
the one who sees all and knows all.
He maintains that he had indeed walked those paths.
His feet had not slipped,
and his conscience was clear.
He entrusted his cause to God,
which is precisely how Peter describes Jesus responding to his own accusers.
1 Peter 2.23,
when Jesus was reviled,
he did not revile in return.
When he suffered,
he did not threaten.
What did he do?
He continued entrusting himself and his cause and his innocence to the one who judges justly.
But this invitation for examination,
it's heightened in verse 2.
Prove me, Lord.
Try me, Lord.
Test my heart, Lord.
Test my mind.
The threefold call of judgment,
prove, try, test.
They all refer to the process of refining and purifying precious metals.
Like a smith who melts down a brick of gold to expose and remove any impurities.
David asked for God here to put him through the fire, so to speak.
That his affections, that is his heart,
and that his will, that is his mind,
that those things would be tested.
He places his whole being here before God
and invites his omniscient inspection.
If you've ever been through TSA,
I know that Shane and Becky do this about six times a day.
You go through TSA.
Sometimes it can be intense, right?
Several years ago,
Jonathan and I were flying to,
my brother and I were flying to New York City
to meet with a pastor there
and to talk to some people in his church.
And I had forgotten that the week before,
I had been somewhere,
and at the time I had a concealed carry permit,
and I had been somewhere,
and I had left a magazine of bullets in my bag.
I didn't have the gun in my bag.
I had the bullets in my bag.
I completely forgot about it.
I didn't even know it was there.
And so we're going through two pastors on our way
to go meet with another pastor in New York City.
This is right at the 10th anniversary of 9-11,
so people are like intense, right?
And we're going through the thing,
and I get held up,
and I cannot figure out why I'm getting held up,
and it just takes forever.
You know why it takes forever?
Because they were going through
a thorough examination at that moment,
a thorough examination of everything that was in my bag,
and they came,
and they wanted to interview me then
about why do I have this,
and what are my intentions with this,
and all these things.
I actually have a letter from Homeland Security
threatening my life
that if you ever want to see it,
you come to the house,
and I'll show it to you that I got in response.
No matter how intense the examination is
with the TSA or with any other institution
or place that you may go through,
all of it pales in comparison to the examination of God.
Remember we read in Psalm 19,
as the sun,
nothing is hidden from its heat.
So is the mind of God and the word of God.
It pursues every corner of our hearts and our minds.
It knows our deepest thoughts.
It knows the things about us
that we don't even recognize about ourselves,
and it's that.
It's that that David is praying for,
so convinced of his innocence
that he says,
God, you try me.
Put me to the test.
Put me through the fire.
He knows that it's one thing to claim integrity,
but it's another thing to prove it
when the heat is turned up,
and so he asks for God to turn up the heat.
Do whatever you have to do, Lord,
to purify me,
vindicate me in this moment.
And why was he so eager to do that?
In one sense,
I think he is convinced of his innocence in the matter
and believed that God's inspection,
which would be truer than the inspection
of any other human judge,
would lead to his vindication.
I think primarily that's what he means
by the prayer.
But because of the words that he uses here,
the language,
I think he's implying a secondary perspective.
Should God's omniscient examination
reveal some sin in David's life?
He wanted to be made pure.
Just like the heat and the smelting process
will bring the dross
to the surface of that precious metal
so that it might then be removed
and the metal be purified.
David, I think, has that desire,
at least by implication here.
It's a prayer of humility in that regard.
I think he's confident of innocence,
but he was humble enough to recognize
and admit that there may be some hidden sin
to which he was blind.
Which means we should be careful
when we pray a prayer like this to the Lord.
It's one thing to be innocent
and it's another thing to be prideful,
blind to our own sinfulness.
I think David is praying humbly here
in that sense.
As another sign of his integrity,
he's opening himself to God's test
so that he could be cleansed
from all unrighteousness.
Isn't that what we want as God's people?
We want to avail ourselves to God's judgment
so that we might then be purified.
And doesn't God's judgment in this case
always involve painful struggle,
heat turned up type of struggle?
Are you willing for that?
Would you ever pray for that?
Lord, I believe I'm innocent,
but I also know that
I'm often guilty too.
Would you test me and expose
what is there?
Christian integrity doesn't seek
merely to be vindicated before others.
It actually seeks to be truly right with God.
Psalm 139, David says something similar.
Search me, O God,
and know my heart.
Try me and know my thoughts
and see if there be any grievous way in me.
Lead me in the way everlasting,
he says.
And then we get to verse three
and this is where we see
David's motivation.
Because God's covenant faithfulness
is always before him,
he desired to be faithful himself.
So on the one hand,
God's faithfulness assured him
of vindication,
but it also motivated
and shaped his own integrity.
It's in statements like this
that we see why David was said
to be a man after God's own heart.
He wants to know God.
He wants to know God's ways.
He wants to pursue God.
He wants to believe God.
He wants to be faithful to God.
The covenant is always before his eyes
so that he might be faithful to it.
God's faithfulness motivates his own.
And so it will be with us.
Those who keep God's faithfulness
and steadfast love before their eyes
will always welcome
his righteous examination.
Trusting God to vindicate their innocence
or to be merciful
when the test exposes their sin.
So we see integrity's examination.
Now I want you to see
in the heart of the psalm
integrity's evidence
or integrity's explanation.
The categories that David uses
to describe his integrity here
we find in verses 4 to 10.
Three of them I think are evident.
First in verses 4 and 5
we see that integrity loathes
the ways of the wicked.
It loathes the ways of the wicked.
Verse 4.
I do not sit with men of falsehood
nor do I consort with hypocrites.
I hate the assembly of evildoers
and I will not sit with the wicked.
So David begins to make his case
and his first piece of evidence
is his own hatred for wickedness
and sinful schemes.
He had put a serious distance
between himself and those
who are marked by deception
and hypocrisy and ungodliness.
He recognized the wicked
even to be an assembly
with all of the power
and persuasion of numbers
constantly inviting the faithful
to turn away from God
and share in their own values.
He knows that's the case.
So he distances himself.
He refused to sit
and consort with them
which is not a statement
of social engagement
but of moral and spiritual alignment.
In other words,
he hated the ways of the wicked
and he refused in any way
to blend his worldview
that had God's covenant faithfulness
and steadfast love
before his eyes.
He refused to somehow blend that
with the worldview of sinners
and of those who hated God
and had no desire
to follow in God's ways.
He was blameless then
in his associations.
Now to walk in integrity
requires a hatred of sin
and an intentional distance
from the ways
and the influence
of the wicked.
But this separation for Christians
from the wicked
is something we need to
carefully navigate
at least in this sense.
Tim Keller used to say
that Christians tend to err
in two ways
when it comes to separation
from the world.
On the one hand he says
some will tend to isolate.
That is cutting themselves off
totally from
every possible way
from non-Christians.
Others follow
a different extreme
where it's not isolation
it's actually incorporation
where they imbibe
the values of the culture
in some attempt
to keep Christianity
ostensibly relevant.
And Keller would go on
to say that Jesus teaches us
to reject both of these errors.
If you either isolate
or incorporate
you will fail to obey
Jesus' command
to let your light
so shine before men
that they may see
your good works
and give glory to your Father
who is in heaven.
You can't do that
if you isolate
and they don't see
the good works.
And there are no good works
if you just imbibe
the values of the culture.
So on one hand
David doesn't mean
that he's isolated
in the sense of
no social engagement
whatsoever
with the world
but he is saying
I'm not in any way
incorporating.
I don't want the influence
of their ways.
I'm not going to try
to blend
the covenant of God
and the ways of God
with their ways.
He's not going to do it.
And Jesus modeled
this perfectly didn't he?
Jesus on the one hand
sits and has dinner
with prostitutes
and tax collectors
and the hated
of his society.
And it was
the professional isolators
the Pharisees
that hated him for it.
And yet he prays
that the Father
would keep us
in the world
so that we would live
distinctly among it
not isolate from it
or blend in with it.
So we need to be careful
how we apply
what David is saying here.
But all that sin
we must see
that in the text
spiritual integrity
loathes sinful schemes.
It refuses to align
with those marked
by those schemes.
So blamelessness
before God then
is as much
a matter of our
disposition
toward wickedness
as it is
our direct
involvement with it.
Do you see that here?
David's heart
toward the ways
of the wicked
is as important
in his mind
and in God's mind
as actually doing
what the wicked
do.
So we may understand
that we may
generally refrain
from worldly actions
but are we amused
by them?
Are we entertained
by them?
Do we secretly
crave them
in some way
though at least
at this point
we're willing to go
so far as to
make our alignment
with them?
That would be
a contradiction
wouldn't it?
I think what David
is saying here
not only am I
not living in these ways
but I hate these ways
I don't want to be
influenced at all
I'm not going to be
amused by it
I'm not going to
entertain it whatsoever.
Do you genuinely
hate sinful ways
or do you just
hate the thought
of others knowing
how much you love it
or are tempted
by it?
Spurgeon is helpful
here as he
so often is
a man who does
not hate evil
terribly
does not love
good
heartily
men
as men
we must always
love
for they are
our neighbors
and therefore
to be loved
as ourselves
but evildoers
as such
are traitors
to the great king
and no loyal
subject
can love traitors
what God hates
we must hate
so what is integrity
in Psalm 26?
Integrity loathes
wickedness
it loathes
the ways
of the wickedness
it distances
itself
appropriately
from the wicked
but secondly
integrity
loves
to worship
so in 4 and 5
we have what integrity
hates
but in 6 and 7
we have what integrity
loves
it loves
worship
look at verses 6 and 7
I wash my hands
in innocence
and go around
your altar
oh Lord
proclaiming
thanksgiving
aloud
and telling
all your wondrous
deeds
so that in contrast
to his hatred
for wicked ways
is David's love
for God's ways
do you see that
in verse 7
that love
reveals itself
in public worship
while he hated
the ways of evildoers
he loved to tell
others about
the wondrous deeds
of the Lord
see the contrast
I hate
the ways
of the wicked
so much
that I have
set distance
between me
and the wicked
in every
appropriate way
and then he says
but oh
what I love to do
is I love to be
among God's people
just telling about
how awesome
God's ways are
how wondrous
are his deeds
and the context
of that phrase
is Israel's
place of worship
he's around
the altar
of God
and as he gathers
with God's people
he washes
his hands
of sinful ways
and instead
worships
his God
with joy
and thanksgiving
the reference
to the altar here
it's not a reference
to the offering
of atonement
it's a reference
to the thanksgiving
offering
so that rather
than scheme
with the wicked
David loved
to sing
the praises
of the Lord
with the faithful
that's true
integrity
in Psalm 26
it is a distinct
way of life
that in no way
associates
with the world view
of our culture
but it loves
the worship
of God's people
it loves
to be with others
who love God
it loves
to tell
of God's wondrous deeds
and to worship him
Christian integrity
loves to sing
the praises
of God
in the company
of the faithful
just like
our hatred
of sin
this is as much
about our heart's
disposition
toward corporate
worship
as it is
the act
of attending
it
you see
the difference
it's one thing
to be here
it's one thing
to love
to be here
some evidence
their lack
of love
for worship
by how quick
they are
to abandon
it for other
things
still others
attend
a church
every Sunday
without ever
developing a love
for what's
happening there
integrity
as it's described
here
is about
loving God
and his ways
so much
that you cannot
help but gather
with others
to offer your praise
and tell of his
wondrous deeds
namely
of his gospel
and his grace
in the Lord Jesus Christ
isn't that why
we gather
isn't that why
we gather
on Sunday
in particular
isn't that why
our songs
are permeated
with
the death
and the resurrection
and the goodness
of Jesus Christ
we gather
because we love
the Lord
and his ways
and we want
to offer
our thanksgiving
to him
together
third
integrity
longs
for God's
presence
it longs
for God's
presence
verses 8 to 10
oh Lord
I love
the habitation
of your house
and the place
where your glory
dwells
which is what
leads to this
horrifying thought
in 9 and 10
do not sweep
my soul away
with sinners
nor my life
with bloodthirsty
men
in whose hands
are evil devices
and whose right
hands are
full of bribes
these verses
they're all about
a genuine desire
to dwell in the
presence of God
for David
that was a specific
place
it was the
tabernacle
it was placed
in the midst
of God's people
the place
where God's glory
dwelt
on earth
signifying
his willingness
to dwell
with his people
so long as
the stipulations
for atonement
were met
by them
David
longed to be
there
and he longed
to be in the
place that it
represented
the holy hill
of the Lord
but to be found
guilty
before God
would have led
to David
being swept
away
with sinners
expelled
from the covenant
community
where God
dwells
and the thought
of that
in this life
or the next
was horrifying
to him
not simply
because of the
pain of judgment
but the separation
from the God
he loved
do not sweep
my soul away
with sinners
instead
vindicate
my innocence
or purify
the sin
that is there
but please
don't sweep
me away
I want
to be
where you
are
David
says
even
according to
Christopher
Ash
even the
most
remotest
possibility
of being
swept away
with such
an assembly
of moral
garbage
horrified
the believer
as the
prospect
of the
cross
horrified
Jesus
is this
just not
another way
that David
points us
to the
greater
David
this cry
it gives us
a glimpse
into the
agony
of Jesus
as he
prays
in the
garden
of
Gethsemane
the thought
of being
swept away
with sinners
expelled
from the
presence
of the
father
was almost
more than
he could
bear
producing
even a
physical
response
sweat drops
of blood
and such
stress
and agony
in that
moment
such
was
Jesus
love
for the
father
in his
perfect
integrity
such
was his
love
for us
that he
endured
that
agony
so that
we might
be
forgiven
well that's
integrity's
evidence
third and
finally we
see
integrity's
assurance
integrity's
assurance
look at
verses
11 and
12
David
rounds it
all out
but as
for me
I shall
walk in
my
integrity
redeem
me
be
gracious
to me
my foot
stands on
level ground
he declares
in the
great
assembly
I will
bless
the
Lord
I will
he says
this is
earnest
expectation
and assurance
David
sounds the
notes of
determination
a determination
that's based
on his
assurance
of God's
faithfulness
as he had
walked in
integrity
in the
matter in
which he
was accused
so he
was determined
to walk
in integrity
still he
would continue
I shall
walk in
integrity
he says
his
determination
was then
met with
remarkable
assurance
that he
would be
vindicated
that he
would stand
in the
great
assembly
to bless
the
Lord
as regards
his innocence
in that
moment
David
stood on
level ground
but his
assurance
was not
rooted
in
himself
his
assurance
was
rooted
in
God's
grace
and
covenant
faithfulness
despite
his claim
of innocence
he says
redeem me
be gracious
to me
all of
his assurance
it's
resting
on
God's
character
here
not
on
his
own
even
if
his
integrity
held
up
in
God's
examination
David
had
plenty
of
sin
that
was
worthy
of
God's
judgment
so
his
assurance
here
was
ultimately
built
on
the
solid
foundation
of
God's
integrity
of
God's
grace
of
God's
faithfulness
to the
covenant
of
God's
redemption
and rescue
of his
people
not
built
on
his
own
he
was
certain
he
would
stand
in
the
great
congregation
because
he
knew
God
would
graciously
rescue
him
keeping
steadfast
love
and covenant
faithfulness
to the
very
end
in
the
end
any
spiritual
assurance
we
must
we
have
it
must
not
be
based
on
the
strength
of
our
determination
but
on
the
faithfulness
of
God
those
of
you
who
may
struggle
with
assurance
right
now
in
your
life
your
assurance
as long
as you
try to
root
it
in
the
strength
of
your
determination
to
keep
doing
all
the
things
that
are
marked
by
integrity
here
you'll
never
be
assured
of
anything
because
your
strength
is
always
going
to
be
weak
it
will
never
be
enough
David
doesn't
rest
his
assurance
ultimately
on his
own
righteousness
he rests
all of
his
assurance
on the
goodness
of
God
of
the
steadfast
love
of
the
Lord
of
the
promised
redemption
that
God
had
given
him
if we
are to
stand
on
level
ground
it will
be the
ground
of
God's
integrity
not
ours
and
this
in turn
then
is the
very
motivation
for
continuing
in
integrity
because
we
know
that
God
is
faithful
now
we
need
to
close
but
as
we
close
we
need
to
realize
that
Psalm
26
it's
bigger
than
David's
or
our
integrity
in
a given
moment
it's
bigger
even
than
a
life
that
is
largely
committed
to
the
principles
that
are
enumerated
here
in
the
end
the
song
sets
a
spiritual
standard
that's
impossible
for
any
of
us
to
live
up
to
in
one
moment
we
might
act
in
perfect
integrity
perhaps
in
relationship
to
one
accusation
we
might
be
able
to
claim
innocence
but
this
is
about
more
than
one
moment
this
is
pointing
us
forward
to
our
standing
before
God
we
cannot
possibly
live
up
to
what
is
here
we
can't
neither
could
David
which
is
why
in
the
psalm
before
of it
he's
crying
desperately
to
the
Lord
for
forgiveness
and
mercy
even
if
you
could
finish
the
rest
of
your
days
in
spotless
integrity
which
you
won't
do
it
won't
change
the
sins
of
your
past
or
the
sins
of
your
present
they're
still
there
they're
real
blemishes
and
they're
not
going
to
go
away
just
by
getting
things
better
in
the
future
if
the
integrity
of
the
psalm
is
what
it
takes
to
stand
in
God's
judgment
and
not
be
swept
away
with
sinners
and
isn't
that
really
the
theme
that's
at
the
heart
here
that
it
is
this
perfect
integrity
that
leads
to
vindication
and
anything
less
than
this
perfect
integrity
will
be
swept
away
then
we're
all
damned
we're
doomed
that's
why
we
so
desperately
need
Jesus
that's
why
we
needed
somebody
greater
than
David
who
did
great
in
some
situations
but
failed
miserably
in
a lot
David
wasn't
the
right
king
for
us
he
wasn't
enough
you
are
not
enough
only
Jesus
fulfills
Psalm
26
for
what
was
true
of
David
in
this
instance
was
true
of
Jesus
in
every
way
he
walked
in
sinless
perfection
as
the
son
of
God
he
stood
the
test
without
blemish
even
as
the
heat
was
turned
all
the
way
up
whether
you're
thinking
in
the
wilderness
for
40
days
as
he
fasted
and
was
tempted
of
the
devil
or
whether
you're
thinking
in
the
garden
of
Gethsemane
that
last
major
temptation
of
the
devil
for
him
to
abandon
the
cross
or
whether
it's
the
cross
himself
itself
the
heat's
turned
all the
way up
on the
Lord
Jesus
Christ
and
he
never
fails
he
never
sins
he
never
reviles
he
never
threatens
in a
way
that
was
wrong
for
him
to
do
no
he
stands
the
test
absolutely
pure
he
proved
his
hatred
of
sin
he
proved
his
desire
for
worship
he
proved
his
love
for
God
and
while
for
a
moment
his
life
was
indeed
swept
away
with
sinners
for
us
in
death
his
vindication
came
through
resurrection
he
was
swept
away
so
that
we
don't
have
to
be
and
his
resurrection
and
his
vindication
through
it
provides
a
vindication
for
all
who
will
trust
in
him
he
does
all
of
this
so
that
we
can
be
forgiven
and
so
that
his
integrity
can
then
be
applied
to
our
account
for
all
who
will
trust
in
him
and
believe
if
Jesus
is
your
Lord
and
Savior
then
and
only
then
will
your
feet
stand
on
level
ground
not
the
ground
of
your
righteousness
but
his
righteousness
not
on
your
innocence
for
you
have
none
but
of
his
not
on
the
possibility
of
your
vindication
but
on
the
reality
of
his
vindication
and
resurrection
!
and
then
for
those
who
believe
and
have
received
him
by
faith
we
have
the
assurance
of
our
eternal
salvation
not
because
we've
done
all
that
it
takes
but
because
he
has
and
God
is
faithful
and
that
will
produce
and
motivate
a
determination
to
walk
in
integrity
to
hate
the
ways
of
the
wicked
to
love
worship
and
to
long
for
God's
presence
in
our
lives