Hiking through the woods can be an enjoyable time, that is, as long as you know where you are going. Staying on the correct path in remote areas is important. If you make the wrong choice when you are at a fork in the path, it can lead to trouble further down the way. A couple more wrong choices, and you can be thoroughly lost, which in the wilderness could be dangerous. We may not realize it right away, but wrong choices can lead us down the wrong path in life, and the end result is equally dangerous. In our psalm for today, King David shows how he tried to stay on the right path, God’s path, throughout his life.
As we read through this psalm, we see that King David’s enemies had brought a false accusation against him. The psalm gives no indication as to what these accusations were, but since the lies distressed him enough to write this psalm, it must have been something of some significance. We also do not know when this occurred, whether before David became king, or during any time during his reign. David sought that the Lord would vindicate him, to judge and prove him innocent from the lies brought against him.
When King David said that he had walked with integrity, that he had walked in God’s truth, and that he washed his hands in innocence throughout this psalm, he was not saying that he was sinless. One thing David knew and acknowledged was that he was a sinner before God, and that he made many mistakes. However, David was consistent in his fellowship with God. When he did sin, he always came to God for forgiveness.
As David penned this psalm, and reflected on his desire to follow God throughout his life, he was personally putting into practice the principles that are found in Psalm 1. Psalm 26 is similar to Psalm 1 in its instructions to keep ourselves from the wrong company, from evil-doers, from those who would lead us down the wrong path away from God’s ways. Psalm 1 instructs us not to walk with the ungodly, stand with sinners, or sit with the scornful (Psalm 1:1). David kept the same practice in his life. He would not keep company with idolatrous people, nor with hypocrites (vs. 4). He avoided people who practiced evil and wickedness (vs. 5, 9-10). David made sure that these types of people were not his companions.
As Christians, this should be our practice, as well. Ungodly people and their lifestyle and practices will lead us down the wrong path, away from God. They will lure us to go one way, when we should go the other. As they continue to do that, drawing us slowly further away from God’s path, we will soon find ourselves quite lost from where we should be.
Does this mean that we should never speak with someone who isn’t a Christian and living for the Lord? No, that isn’t the case. Christians shouldn’t totally avoid the lost. We need to be witnessing to them, telling these folks about the Savior who died for them. The best way to do that is to be friendly with them, get to know them, and develop a pleasant relationship with them. However, there are some places Christians should not go, and some things that a Christian should never do. If an unsaved neighbor invites one to an ungodly place, or to take part in a questionable or sinful activity, the Christian should decline. There is a difference between being with unbelievers and being one of them. The latter will harm your witness for God.
Just like King David, Christians should not get lost in life by wandering off of God’s path of truth (Proverbs 4:26). Reading and studying God’s Word will keep us pointed in the right direction (John 8:32). Even when life throws many stumbling blocks our way, just as it did with David, we need to remember the hikes through woods, and the need to stay on the right path. Our best decision is to stay on the correct path, or get back on it as soon as possible before one gets hopelessly lost.
No comments:
Post a Comment