Psalm 26:12 - Printer Friendly

ESV: My foot stands on level ground; in the great assembly I will bless the Lord.

NIV: My feet stand on level ground; in the great congregation I will praise the Lord.

NASB: My foot stands on level ground; In the congregations I will bless the Lord.

CSB: My foot stands on level ground; I will bless the Lord in the assemblies.

NLT: Now I stand on solid ground, and I will publicly praise the Lord.

KJV: My foot standeth in an even place: in the congregations will I bless the Lord.

NKJV: My foot stands in an even place; In the congregations I will bless the Lord.

In this closing verse, David expresses confidence that he will not be moved from his commitment to the Lord. The hypocrites were on shaky ground and about to be swept away in judgment (Psalm 26:9), but David stood firm. The typical pattern of David's life was this sincere commitment to God. Though he was not perfect (Psalm 51), David was not a part-time follower of God—devotion to the Lord was a characteristic of his life. His intent to praise God in public worship was yet another sign of this loyalty.

In Psalm 143:10 David prays, "Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!" The believer cannot slip from the path of righteousness if he is submissive to God's will and obedient to the leading of the Holy Spirit. The apostle Paul urges the Ephesians—and all believers—to stand against the Devil's schemes by putting on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:11). He also tells the Thessalonians to "stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter" (2 Thessalonians 2:15). Adherence to the faith enables a believer to stand on level ground (Philippians 2:12–13). Ultimately, it is God who is "able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen" (Jude 1:24–25).

Psalm 26:4–12 is practical evidence of the commitment David expressed in this psalm's introduction. While imperfect, David's life demonstrated consistent emphasis on godliness and obedience to the Lord. David draws a contrast between him and the evildoers that corrupted the worship of God (Psalm 26:5). David loves God's house and thanks the Lord for His miracles. David notes that because he does not associate with those who are evil, he does not expect to be caught up in their judgment.

Some of David's psalms connect directly to events recorded in Scripture. Psalm 26, however, does not seem to match any biblical events in David's life. This might have been David's response to a specific challenge, or a general plea for God to preserve him from deceptive attacks. In this psalm, David reaffirms his lifestyle of godliness and integrity. He is confident that he will not be judged with the wicked; the psalm offers evidence that he honors the Lord.

This Davidic psalm affirms David's integrity and his deliberate separation from evildoers. It also reveals his love for the tabernacle on Mount Zion. In several ways Psalms 26 resembles Psalm 25, though this song does not include a request for forgiveness (Psalm 25:18). David declares his sincere pursuit of the Lord, including attention to genuine worship. He does not participate with evildoers—likely meaningfalse worship —and he recognizes that the Lord will sweep away the souls of sinners.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.