The psalms show us in various ways what faith looks like in different situations. In the psalms of supplication we often see the psalmists making appeals to the character of God and the covenant promises of God. One of the strangest forms of appeal in the psalms are those which appeal to the psalmist’s own righteousness. This seems strange to most Christians since we are ingrained with the idea that we receive good things from God based on Christ’s righteousness, not our own (which is true!). It is also hard to see how these appeals fit with Paul’s idea that all have sinned (3:23) and John’s insistence that no Christian can consider himself sinless (1 John 1:8). Well, the psalms certainly affirm the perspective of Paul and John and, in fact, Paul quotes from Psalm 14 to make his point. When the psalmists appeal to their own righteousness they are not claiming moral perfection. They are simply asserting that they are endeavouring steadfastly to walk with God and trust in him. In other words, they are pointing to their faith, not to some kind of self-acquired state of moral perfection that warrants merit from God. This faith, according to Paul, is counted to us as righteousness (Romans 4:3), even though we are morally imperfect. The psalmist is appealing here to the fact that he is trusting God by walking steadfastly with him. It is from a position of steadfast trust rather moral perfection that the Psalmist can boldly call on God to show his faithfulness in that situation.
Ask God to fulfil his promises to you for the sake of his purpose in your life.
Read Psalm 26.
