A
psalm of David (Psalm 26:1-4 NLT)
Declare
me innocent, O Lord,
for
I have acted with integrity;
I
have trusted in the Lord without wavering.
Put
me on trial, Lord, and cross-examine me.
Test
my motives and my heart.
For
I am always aware of your unfailing love,
and
I have lived according to your truth.
I
cannot help but have second thoughts about King David, about anyone
who could challenge God to put them on trial and cross-examine them
in order to endorse their unqualified certitude of perfection: “for
I have acted with integrity; I have trusted in the Lord without
wavering.... I am always aware of your unfailing love / and I have
lived according to your truth.” These are pretty strong
self-assessments to come from any mortal. Maybe it's an attitude
that typically comes with strong, confident leaders. (We joke about
the egos in Washington.) I cannot but come to the conclusion that
danger lurks with such thoughts, such absolute testimonials of
righteousness. It suggest to me a limited understanding of the
complexities and challenges inherent in living ethical lives. It
would tend to make ethical living formulaic which by its nature it
can never be. The impossible task would be to contrive formulas
absolute in their application. This impossibly is simply another way
of saying that wider human judgment must always grace our actions.
Hanging judges yearn for black and white certitude while heaven calls
for justice mixed with mercy. Thus, even heaven acknowledges
extenuating circumstances whose inclusion are necessary to calibrate
reality—to arrive at fairness with a reliable sense of truth imbued
with human experience and hope.
Print Page
