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Pentecost Season · Proper 17 · Year A

Psalm 26:1-8

A Plea for Vindication and Integrity

August 30, 2026

The Interior of the Oude Kerk, Amsterdam, Emanuel de Witte
The Interior of the Oude Kerk, Amsterdam, Emanuel de Witte, c. 1660–1665Emanuel de Witte, c. 1660
De Witte painted Dutch church interiors swept bare by the Reformation, full of ordinary life: dogs, gravediggers, children, people talking during the sermon.I wash my hands in innocence, and go around your altar, O Lord, singing aloud a song of thanksgiving. O Lord, I love the house in which you dwell, and the place where your glory abides.Emanuel de WitteThe Dutch painter of church interiors, who filled the whitewashed Protestant churches of his day with ordinary, untidy life.Emanuel de Witte, c. 1660Recorded without a holding institution; the painting is known from reproduction rather than from a gallery wall.Emanuel de Witte, c. 1660
Revised Common Lectionary
GospelMatt. 16:21-28Mt 16:21-28
EpistleRom. 12:9-21Rom 12:9-21
Old TestamentExod. 3:1-15Ex 3:1-15Alt. OTJer. 15:15-21Jer 15:15-21
PsalterPs. 105:1-6, 23-26, 45bPs 105:1-6, 23-26, 45bAlt. PsalmPs. 26:1-8Ps 26:1-8

Overview & Insights

"Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering." (Psalm 26:1)

The psalmist protests his innocence, asks God to examine his heart, and declares his love for the house of God, seeking vindication and a place among the upright.

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Take it further: Psalm 26:1-8

Commentary

Commentary on Psalm 26:1-8Commentary on Ps 26:1-8 Working Preacher

The Lutheran home commentary on the appointed psalm by a named seminary scholar.

Psalm 26 - A Plea for VindicationPs 26 - A Plea for Vindication Enduring Word · David Guzik

A verse-by-verse evangelical study of the prayer for vindication and love for God's house.

Psalm 26:1 CommentariesPs 26:1 Commentaries BibleHub

Classic commentaries gathered verse by verse on the plea of integrity.

Background & Word Study

Psalms 26 (Hebrew and English)Ps 26 (Hebrew and English) Sefaria

The Hebrew of the psalm alongside English with linked Jewish commentary.

The Church Fathers

Psalms 26 (Catena)Ps 26 (Catena) Catena

Early church readings of the psalm of integrity and love for the sanctuary.

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