Psalm 18:25-27

To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless, to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd.

I am buffeted and intrigued by this verse.

I am strengthened by its truth because the LORD has said “Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God,…” Deut 7:9 (I almost think “the” should be capitalized don’t you?). I am encouraged because “The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.” I Th. 5:24. But most of all I am thankful, humbled, held and comforted because “if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself.” Tim 2:13. Deut 7:9, I Th 5:24 and Tim 2:13 is almost summed up by the verse “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” Eph 2:8. To know He is faithful when I am faithless is an understanding of truth words cannot express – only my heart. Thank you God for knowing this heart of mine. It also makes me think about Joshua 1:5 …” So I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Chuck Swindoll’s paraphrase of this verse has stuck with me and gives me a better understanding: For I will never leave you and I will NEVER LET YOU GO. How can we not praise Him?

My being blameless before Him is only done by Christ. Sometimes when I’m praying I see myself before the throne of God. I know it is not me He sees but his Son. I know the answered prayer(s) are not to me but to His own Namesake. What an awesome God he is! What a privilege to be a part of the communing between God the Father and Christ his son. What other position in this life would we want? To know Him as a blameless God can only be understood by the Spirit which He has given us. How beautiful your Being is God –

I believe the pure in heart will not only see the purity of God – his attributes of love, righteousness and justice but also His very face. He has told us so in the blessing and promise of Mat 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” I know I am not the only one who longs for this day and cries “Create in me a pure heart, O God…” Ps 51:10. Why doesn’t every believer desire this? Why, why, why? I know He has made each person different – different personalities, different appearances, different gifts and different ways. But to every believer He has given us one heart and that for Himself. Even I cannot trust my own heart, but I can trust Him who holds it and makes it pure.

The saddest part of this whole verse is “…but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd.” Do you think this is why non-believers think he his an angry and/or a capricious God? They cannot see his faithfulness, his blamelessness nor his purity – how dark it must be to them. How alone they must feel. Or worse yet, how prideful they must be. It would be better to be lost and hear His call than to walk in pride, for “…arrogance (is) like the evil of idolatry.” I Sam 15:23. When God gave the commandment “You shall have no other gods before me.” and “You shall not make for yourself an idol…” Deut 5:7-8, it included ourselves.

This makes me think about the two thieves on either side of Jesus on Calvary. One was lost and heard his call, the other was prideful. One asked, received, and lives, the other never bowed the knee and is dead.