“ACCORDING TO MY RIGHTEOUSNESS”

Passage: 2 Samuel 22:21-30

Key verse: 25

NIV

21 “The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness;(A)
    according to the cleanness(B) of my hands(C) he has rewarded me.
22 For I have kept(D) the ways of the Lord;
    I am not guilty of turning from my God.
23 All his laws are before me;(E)
    I have not turned(F) away from his decrees.
24 I have been blameless(G) before him
    and have kept myself from sin.
25 The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,(H)
    according to my cleanness[a] in his sight.

26 “To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
    to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
27 to the pure(I) you show yourself pure,
    but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.(J)
28 You save the humble,(K)
    but your eyes are on the haughty(L) to bring them low.(M)
29 You, Lord, are my lamp;(N)
    the Lord turns my darkness into light.
30 With your help I can advance against a troop[b];
    with my God I can scale a wall.

Read full chapter
Footnotes
  1. 2 Samuel 22:25 Hebrew; Septuagint and Vulgate (see also Psalm 18:24) to the cleanness of my hands
  2. 2 Samuel 22:30 Or can run through a barricade
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

21 “The Lord (A)dealt with me according to my righteousness;
    according to the (B)cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.
22 (C)For I have kept the ways of the Lord
    and have not wickedly departed from my God.
23 (D)For all his rules were before me,
    and from his statutes I did not turn aside.
24 I was (E)blameless before him,
    and I kept myself from guilt.
25 (F)And the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
    according to my cleanness in his sight.

26 (G)“With the merciful you show yourself merciful;
    with the (H)blameless man you show yourself blameless;
27 with the purified you deal purely,
    and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
28 (I)You save a humble people,
    (J)but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down.
29 (K)For you are my lamp, O Lord,
    and my God lightens my darkness.
30 For by you I can run against a troop,
    and by my God I can leap over a wall.

Read full chapter
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

In his song of praise to God for delivering him from all his enemies, David said twice, “according to my righteousness,” and “according to my cleanness” (21,25). But David sinned against God, so, technically, he could not say that he was a righteous man. But he didn't mean that he was righteous by his actions. Rather, he had great faith in God’s righteousness. Despite his great sins, David believed in God, who forgave his transgressions, covered his sins, and never counted his sin against him (Ps 32:1-2). So, he was righteous in the sight of God because by faith he was clothed with God’s righteousness. We are not righteous when accounting for our sins. However, when we believe in Jesus who died for our sins, his righteousness that comes from his perfect obedience is put on our account, and we are clothed with the righteousness of Christ. Then we become righteous before God. What a wonderful grace of God in Christ!

When David understood God’s righteousness, he could live a life of faith and repentance, fighting a spiritual battle to humble himself before God to follow God’s leading (26-29). With God’s help, he overcame all the obstacles of life and experienced one victory after another.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for clothing me with the righteousness of Christ. Help me to live by faith to the end of my life.

One Word: The righteous will live by faith