◄ Psalm 26:12 ►
My feet stand on level ground; in the congregations I will bless the LORD.
Study Bible
My feet stand on level ground;
This phrase signifies stability and security in one's faith and life. In biblical times, level ground was often associated with safety and a firm foundation, contrasting with the treacherous and uneven paths that could lead to stumbling. Spiritually, this can be seen as a metaphor for living a righteous life, grounded in God's truth. The imagery of standing on level ground is echoed in other scriptures, such as Psalm 40:2, where God sets the psalmist's feet upon a rock, establishing his steps. This stability is a result of living in accordance with God's will and experiencing His guidance and protection.

in the congregations I will bless the LORD.
The term "congregations" refers to the assembly of believers, highlighting the importance of communal worship and the public declaration of faith. In ancient Israel, the congregation would gather for worship, prayer, and the reading of the Torah, often at the temple or synagogues. This communal aspect underscores the significance of fellowship and collective praise in the life of a believer. Blessing the LORD in the congregations emphasizes the act of worship as a shared experience, where individuals come together to honor God. This practice is seen throughout the Psalms and is a precursor to the New Testament church gatherings, as seen in Acts 2:42-47, where believers devoted themselves to teaching, fellowship, and prayer. The act of blessing the LORD publicly also serves as a testimony to others, reflecting the believer's commitment to God and encouraging others in their faith journey.

Persons / Places / Events
1. David
Traditionally attributed as the author of this Psalm, David is expressing his confidence in his integrity and his commitment to worship God.

2. Congregations
Refers to the assembly of believers, the community where worship and praise are offered to God.

3. Level Ground
Symbolizes stability, security, and righteousness, indicating a life lived in accordance with God's will.
Teaching Points
Stability in Righteousness
Standing on "level ground" signifies living a life of integrity and righteousness. As believers, we are called to live in a way that reflects God's standards, providing stability in our spiritual walk.

The Importance of Community Worship
The mention of "congregations" highlights the importance of gathering with other believers to worship and bless the Lord. Community worship strengthens our faith and encourages us in our walk with God.

Confidence in God's Presence
David's declaration of standing on level ground reflects his confidence in God's presence and guidance. We, too, can have confidence that God will guide us and keep us secure when we live according to His will.

Blessing the Lord
Our response to God's faithfulness should be one of praise and blessing. In every situation, we are called to bless the Lord, acknowledging His goodness and sovereignty.

Living with Integrity
Integrity is a key theme in this Psalm. As believers, we are encouraged to examine our lives and ensure that our actions align with our faith, standing firm in our commitment to God.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the imagery of "level ground" in Psalm 26:12 relate to your personal walk with God? What steps can you take to ensure your spiritual footing is secure?

2. In what ways can participating in congregational worship strengthen your faith and relationship with God?

3. Reflect on a time when you felt unstable in your faith. How did returning to God's Word and community help you regain stability?

4. How can you actively "bless the LORD" in your daily life, both individually and within your community?

5. Consider the role of integrity in your life. How does living with integrity impact your relationship with God and others? What scriptures can you turn to for guidance in this area?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Psalm 40:2
This verse also speaks of God setting one's feet upon a rock, establishing steps, which parallels the idea of standing on level ground.

Psalm 27:11
David asks for guidance on a level path, connecting the idea of walking in righteousness with divine instruction.

Proverbs 4:26
Advises making level paths for one's feet, emphasizing the importance of living a life of integrity and righteousness.

Hebrews 10:25
Encourages believers not to forsake assembling together, which relates to the importance of congregational worship mentioned in Psalm 26:12.
Sermons
An Even PlaceThomas Dale.Psalm 26:12
Blessing God in the CongregationH. Gurnall.Psalm 26:12
Worship in the Beauty of HolinessN. Marshall, D. D.Psalm 26:12
An Appeal Marked by Specific EntreatyC. Clemence, D. D.Psalm 26:1-12
Assailed Integrity's Final Appeal. F1C. Clemance Psalm 26:1-12
David's Appeal and its IssueBp. Wm. Nicholson.Psalm 26:1-12
David's IntegrityD. Caldwell, M. A.Psalm 26:1-12
IntegrityW. Forsyth Psalm 26:1-12
Leading Proofs of Personal PietyHomilistPsalm 26:1-12
The Character of an Upright Man Sketched by HimselfC. Clemence, D. D.Psalm 26:1-12
The Oppressed Righteous ManC. Short Psalm 26:1-12
People
David, Psalmist
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
27, Assembly, Bless, Congregation, Congregations, David, Foot, Ground, Level, Meetings, Praise, Psalm, Resting-place, Safe, Standeth, Stands, Stood, Uprightness
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Psalm 26:11

     1315   God, as redeemer
     8306   mercifulness

Library
Question of the Comparison Between the Active and the Contemplative Life
I. Is the Active Life preferable to the Contemplative? Cardinal Cajetan, On Preparation for the Contemplative Life S. Augustine, Confessions, X., xliii. 70 " On Psalm xxvi. II. Is the Active Life more Meritorious than the Contemplative? III. Is the Active Life a Hindrance to the Contemplative Life? Cardinal Cajetan, On the True Interior Life S. Augustine, Sermon, CCLVI., v. 6 IV. Does the Active Life precede the Contemplative? I Is the Active Life preferable to the Contemplative? The Lord …
St. Thomas Aquinas—On Prayer and The Contemplative Life

Hezekiah, the Praying King
One can form a habit of study until the will seems to be at rest and only the intellect is engaged, the will having retired altogether from exercise. This is not true of real praying. If the affections are laggard, cold, indifferent, if the intellect is furnishing no material to clothe the petition with imagery and fervor, the prayer is a mere vaporing ofintellectual exercise, nothing being accomplished worth while.--Rev. Homer W. Hodge The great religious reformation under King Hezekiah and the …
Edward M. Bounds—Prayer and Praying Men

The Courts of God
"Lord, I have loved the habitation of Thy house, and the place where Thine honour dwelleth."--Ps. xxvi. 8. R. Rolle, 1349. tr., Emma Frances Bevan, 1899 O Lord, I have loved the fair beauty Of the house Thou hast chosen for Thee, The courts where Thy gladness rejoiceth, And where Thou delightest to be. For I love to be made the fair dwelling Where God in His grace may abide; I would cast forth whatever may grieve Thee, And welcome none other beside. Oh blessed the grace that has made me The home …
Frances Bevan—Hymns of Ter Steegen and Others (Second Series)

Epistle v. To Theoctista, Sister of the Emperor.
To Theoctista, Sister of the Emperor. Gregory to Theoctista, &c. With how great devotion my mind prostrates itself before your Venerableness I cannot fully express in words; nor yet do I labour to give utterance to it, since, even though I were silent, you read in your heart your own sense of my devotion. I wonder, however, that you withdrew your countenance, till of late bestowed on me, from this my recent engagement in the pastoral office; wherein, under colour of episcopacy, I have been brought …
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

A Discourse of the Building, Nature, Excellency, and Government of the House of God; with Counsels and Directions to the Inhabitants Thereof.
BY JOHN BUNYAN, OF BEDFORD. 'Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth.'--Psalm 26:8 ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. Beautiful in its simplicity is this treatise on the Church of Christ, by John Bunyan. He opens, with profound knowledge and eminent skill, all those portions of sacred writ which illustrate the nature, excellency, and government of the house of God, with the personal and relative duties of its inhabitants. It was originally published in …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Letter xxxix (A. D. 1137) to the Same.
To the Same. He expresses his regret at his very long absence from his beloved Clairvaux, and his desire to return to his dear sons. He tells them of the consolations that he feels nevertheless in his great labours for the Church. 1. My soul is sorrowful until I return, and it refuses to be comforted till it see you. For what is my consolation in the hour of evil, and in the place of my pilgrimage? Are not you in the Lord? Wherever I go, the sweet memory of you never leaves me; but the sweeter the …
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux

Assurance
Q-xxxvi: WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS WHICH FLOW FROM SANCTIFICATION? A: Assurance of God's love, peace of conscience, joy in the Holy Ghost, increase of grace, and perseverance therein to the end. The first benefit flowing from sanctification is assurance of God's love. 'Give diligence to make your calling and election sure.' 2 Pet 1:10. Sanctification is the seed, assurance is the flower which grows out of it: assurance is a consequent of sanctification. The saints of old had it. We know that we know …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

St. Augustine (Ad 354-430)
PART I The church in the north of Africa has hardly been mentioned since the time of St. Cyprian (Chapter VIII). But we must now look towards it again, since in the days of St. Chrysostom it produced a man who was perhaps the greatest of all the old Christian fathers--St. Augustine. Augustine was born at Thagaste, a city of Numidia, in the year 354. His mother, Monica, was a pious Christian, but his father, Patricius, was a heathen, and a man of no very good character. Monica was resolved to bring …
J. C. Roberston—Sketches of Church History, from AD 33 to the Reformation

Question Lxxxiii of Prayer
I. Is Prayer an Act of the Appetitive Powers? Cardinal Cajetan, On Prayer based on Friendship II. Is it Fitting to Pray? Cardinal Cajetan, On Prayer as a True Cause S. Augustine, On the Sermon on the Mount, II. iii. 14 " On the Gift of Perseverance, vii. 15 III. Is Prayer an Act of the Virtue of Religion? Cardinal Cajetan, On the Humility of Prayer S. Augustine, On Psalm cii. 10 " Of the Gift of Perseverance, xvi. 39 IV. Ought We to Pray to God Alone? S. Augustine, Sermon, cxxvii. 2 V. …
St. Thomas Aquinas—On Prayer and The Contemplative Life

A Treatise on Good Works
I. We ought first to know that there are no good works except those which God has commanded, even as there is no sin except that which God has forbidden. Therefore whoever wishes to know and to do good works needs nothing else than to know God's commandments. Thus Christ says, Matthew xix, "If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments." And when the young man asks Him, Matthew xix, what he shall do that he may inherit eternal life, Christ sets before him naught else but the Ten Commandments. …
Dr. Martin Luther—A Treatise on Good Works

The Morning of Good Friday.
The pale grey light had passed into that of early morning, when the Sanhedrists once more assembled in the Palace of Caiaphas. [5969] A comparison with the terms in which they who had formed the gathering of the previous night are described will convey the impression, that the number of those present was now increased, and that they who now came belonged to the wisest and most influential of the Council. It is not unreasonable to suppose, that some who would not take part in deliberations which were …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

The Greatness of the Soul,
AND UNSPEAKABLENESS 0F THE LOSS THEREOF; WITH THE CAUSES OF THE LOSING IT. FIRST PREACHED AT PINNER'S HALL and now ENLARGED AND PUBLISHED FOR GOOD. By JOHN BUNYAN, London: Printed for Benjamin Alsop, at the Angel and Bible in the Poultry, 1682 Faithfully reprinted from the Author's First Edition. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. Our curiosity is naturally excited to discover what a poor, unlettered mechanic, whose book-learning had been limited to the contents of one volume, could by possibility know …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Question of the Contemplative Life
I. Is the Contemplative Life wholly confined to the Intellect, or does the Will enter into it? S. Thomas, On the Beatific Vision, I., xii. 7 ad 3m II. Do the Moral Virtues pertain to the Contemplative Life? S. Augustine, Of the City of God, xix. 19 III. Does the Contemplative Life comprise many Acts? S. Augustine, Of the Perfection of Human Righteousness, viii. 18 " Ep., cxxx. ad probam IV. Does the Contemplative Life consist solely in the Contemplation of God, or in the Consideration …
St. Thomas Aquinas—On Prayer and The Contemplative Life

Psalms
The piety of the Old Testament Church is reflected with more clearness and variety in the Psalter than in any other book of the Old Testament. It constitutes the response of the Church to the divine demands of prophecy, and, in a less degree, of law; or, rather, it expresses those emotions and aspirations of the universal heart which lie deeper than any formal demand. It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. Its words are as simple and unaffected as human words can be, for it is the genius …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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