The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me for I have kept the ways of the LORD; I have not done evil by turning from my God. All his laws are before me; I have not turned away from his decrees. I have been blameless before him and have kept myself from sin.
The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight. 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. You save the humble but bring low those whose eyes are haughty. You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. With your help I can advance against a troop with my God I can scale a wall.
As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.
For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great. You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn.
I pursued my enemies and overtook them; I did not turn back till they were destroyed. I crushed them so that they could not rise; they fell beneath my feet. You armed me with strength for battle; you made my adversaries bow at my feet. You made my enemies turn their backs in flight, and I destroyed my foes. They cried for help, but there was no one to save them- to the LORD, but he did not answer. I beat them as fine as dust borne on the wind; I poured them out like mud in the streets. You have delivered me from the attacks of the people; you have made me the head of nations; people I did not know are subject to me. As soon as they hear me, they obey me; foreigners cringe before me. They all lose heart; they come trembling from their strongholds.
The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior! He is the God who avenges me,
who subdues nations under me, who saves me from my enemies. You exalted me above my foes; from violent men you rescued me. Therefore I will praise you among the nations, O LORD ;I will sing praises to your name. He gives his king great victories; he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed, to David and his descendants forever.
David could count on the Lord’s protection because he kept himself free from sin. “To the faithful, You show yourself faithful,” he said. The Lord rewarded him according to his righteousness, making him strong and swift and confident.
So it is with us. We can count on the Lord to give us victory as a reward for our righteousness, too. For if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Confessing we are forgiven, and being forgiven we are restored to fellowship, once again made just as righteous as He is. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Cor. 5:21)
Unconfessed sin puts a gap in our defenses, lowers our shield. Our enemy exploits our weakened defenses and mounts an attack. Confessing restores us and the attack is repelled. So it will be all of our lives, for we are aliens behind enemy lines. And though our enemy surrounds us, the Lord is a shield for all who take refuge in Him. It is He who arms us with strength and makes our way perfect.
And one day soon He’ll put an end to all of this, taking back what’s been stolen from Him and elevating us to the status of Kings. And like they did with David, people we don’t even know will bow down before us. I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars–I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. (Rev. 3:9) And like David, we will praise Him among the nations.