Psalm 18:24  
Clean hands
     I Samuel 26 recounts how David spared the life of King Saul. The jealous king is hunting him down with a view to killing David and his men and ridding himself of their threat to his kingdom. David creeps into Saul’s camp in the middle of the night and removes his water jug and his spear. He refuses to take the life of his enemy but instead taunts him from a nearby hill and pleads to know what it is that drives Saul’s hatred. “Why are you pursuing your servant? What have I done? What wrong am I guilty of?”  Saul is full of remorse and realising that David has spared his life he promises not to pursue him anymore. David responds with these words, repeated in Psalm 18:24, “The Lord rewards everyone for their righteousness and faithfulness,” and in the Psalm he adds the words, “According to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.”
Do you have clean hands? Can you stand before the living God hands outstretched, palms up and say to Him, “Look at my hands, they are clean.” Clean of bloodshed, clean of adultery, clean of theft, clean of offerings to idols, clean of abuse, clean of fraud – the list goes on! Do you live for righteousness – to please the Lord? Are you faithful to Him at all times, in all that you do? Am I? It’s time to get rid of that besetting sin and to live clean. Fight off the temptations of the enemy, tell him where to go in the authority and power of the name of Jesus Christ. He cannot stand that; his whimpering demons will flee at the sound of that name. Then hold up your shield and do not let the arrows through. Live to be righteous and in a way that pleases the Lord Jesus for that is how we honour Him. Worship is not enthusiastic song singing at a Sunday service; it is primarily the offering of our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.  Romans 12:1. Let’s do it!

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