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Psalm 18:20-24

Psalm 18:20 Yahveh rewarded me according to my righteousness; he repaid me according to the cleanness of my hands.

Psalm 18:21 Because I have kept to the roads of Yahveh and have not turned from my God to wickedness.

Psalm 18:22 Because I let all his ordinances guide me and have not disregarded his statutes.

Psalm 18:23 I was blameless toward him and kept myself from my iniquity.

Psalm 18:24 So Yahveh repaid me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

confidence of repayment

At the beginning and the end of these five verses, David declares that God has repaid him. Is this a statement against salvation by grace? No. The deliverance David is talking about is not his salvation, but his rescue from his enemies. David committed himself to do what God wanted, and he found God faithful to rescue him when he needed it.

When we use the doctrine of grace to keep us from being faithful to God, we open the door to defeat and condemnation. David knew that he had iniquity in his heart (v.23). He disciplined himself to stay on God’s road and obey his law not because he was sinless, but because God is the only means of deliverance.

Lord, we admit our iniquity. Build in us a habit of obedience, so that we can come to you confidently when we need you desperately.