Oxymoronic - Psalm 17

Psalm 17 :1 Hear, O LORD, my righteous plea; listen to my cry. Give ear to my prayer- it does not rise from deceitful lips. 2 May my vindication come from you; may your eyes see what is right. 3 Though you probe my heart and examine me at night, though you test me, you will find nothing; I have resolved that my mouth will not sin.

In the previous Psalm, David is broken….knows that apart from God…he has nothing at all to offer good. But in this Psalm, David still knows the source of strength….yet holds himself to right living and good character.

Think about the sins that men most often succumb to;
Lust of the eyes
Deceitful talk or slander
Impure hearts or motives.
There may be others, but these are the biggies, and they are spoken about in the first three verses of Psalm 17. And I think that even as we lay in our beds at night, that when we pray (this is true for me) ….there are things that went on during the day, that we need forgiveness for. But David here….is saying…. Search me, probe the depths of my heart and examine me. Bold!

In Leviticus….God tells Moses to tell the Israelites, “be holy, because I am holy.” Our Holy creator, knows that we cannot achieve holiness, but He calls us to strive for holiness. In Moses time, he had just introduced the law…the Israelites lived under the law. Now, in Christ, we are now made holy.

How we go about holiness depends on our journey….
Freedom vs. Legalism-
I know that God knows my heart…but what I cant always count for is for others to know my heart.
There are both positive and negative things that a legalistic mindset produce. Likewise…freedom in my opinion, must be exercised with caution as well.
There is a balance, probably most people are legalistic early in their faith, or when they’ve been brought back ‘into right relationship”. Usually, if this is the case, there have been some deep dark transgressions, and the best way to overcome them…is through abstinence…and legalistic abstinence may be the most effective. Sometimes though, legalists never get beyond that and or to experience freedom.
Those exercising freedom, must always (in my opinion) temper freedom with the weakest among them in mind. So then, are we truly free?
Its been taught that children experience the most freedom, when they are given boundaries. Children with no boundaries typically become a mess. We likewise must temper our freedom, and use sometimes “legalistic” guidelines. I mean if we were totally free…..laws wouldn’t apply….but they do.
Oxymoronic…..yes.