Psalm 26

---LaRondelle's Book Perfection

---He cited Karl Barth in his Church Dogmatics that said the words of David in this Psalm talking about perfection are “strange”.

---N. Ridderbos said that this is not the words of a self-righteous Pharisee.

---Gerhardus Berkhouwer, the dissertaton mentor of LaRondelle said that anyone who is trying to say that it is the words of someone who is ethically self-righteous is wrong and distort the Scripture.

---Berkhouwer said that to say it is really perfect is to believe in nomistic perfection. Legal perfection. Perfection by Law.

---Berkhouwer said that if you believe in Perfection by law, what are you doing? You are rejecting the Mercy of God.

---What did Psalm 119 said? O how I love thy law. Thy law is kindness. Thy law is mercy. Adventists say the Law of God is His character and His character is Love on which hangs Mercy, Kindness, Grace.

---Adventists say, it is not law or grace, it is law through grace or grace through law.

---Adventists say like Calvin: it is not faith or works like Calvinists said, but faith that works.

---Ask God what He thinks of David. Then we can listen to David. Correct?

---David's words in Psalm 26 are "strange". Strange for Barth? Karl Barth had two wives. His wive and his secretary. David's perfection would be strange for him. Barth also has no Devil or Satan in his theology.

---So how do we read Psalm 26?

---Start with 1 Kings 14:8

1 Kings 14:8

ח וָאֶקְרַע אֶת-הַמַּמְלָכָה מִבֵּית דָּוִד, וָאֶתְּנֶהָ לָךְ; וְלֹא-הָיִיתָ כְּעַבְדִּי דָוִד, אֲשֶׁר שָׁמַר מִצְוֺתַי וַאֲשֶׁר-הָלַךְ אַחֲרַי בְּכָל-לְבָבוֹ, לַעֲשׂוֹת, רַק הַיָּשָׁר בְּעֵינָי.

8 and rent the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it thee; and yet thou hast not been as My servant David, who kept My commandments, and who followed Me with all his heart, to do that only which was right in Mine eyes;

---Right only (raq)

---David kept My commandments

---David followed Me with all his heart

---David did only [raq] which was right in My eyes.

---What a Resume!

---God’s Resume.

---What did Ridderbos say? Not the words of a Self-Righteous Pharisee.

---What did Barth say? Strange words.

---What did Berkhouwer say? Anyone who tries to say it is legal commandment keeping perfection is distorting the Scripture. Oops. Resume of God and Resume of Berkhouwer is clashing here.

Ridderbos N. and J., Karl Barth, Krause, Weiser, do not believe that one can be perfect.

So now we are ready to ask David for his own Resume.

Psalms Chapter 26 תְּהִלִּים

א לְדָוִד: שָׁפְטֵנִי יְהוָה-- כִּי-אֲנִי, בְּתֻמִּי הָלַכְתִּי;

וּבַיהוָה בָּטַחְתִּי, לֹא אֶמְעָד.

1 [A Psalm] of David. Judge me, O LORD, for I have walked in mine integrity,

---Jack Blanco, knowing about Berkhouwer and Ridderbos reservation of the possibility of Perfection, changed the text by adding something: “Vindicate my actions, Lord, because I have tried to do what is right...”. Factuality by David is changed by Blanco to possibility. (Blanco 1994 page 653).

---“Integrity” or “Perfection”. It is the same root. tam.

and I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.

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ב בְּחָנֵנִי יְהוָה וְנַסֵּנִי; צרופה צָרְפָה כִלְיוֹתַי וְלִבִּי.

2 Examine me, O LORD, and try me; test my reins and my heart.

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ג כִּי-חַסְדְּךָ, לְנֶגֶד עֵינָי; וְהִתְהַלַּכְתִּי, בַּאֲמִתֶּךָ.

3 For Thy mercy is before mine eyes; and I have walked in Thy truth.

---Jack Blanco [Adventist Targum] added extra words saying “Your loving kindness has ever been my guide...”

---Blanco again: “and I have always tried to walk in your truth”.

---One cannot miss the age of Relativism impact on translators of the Bible here.

---Bertrand Russell’s influence cannot be missed: “Thus, with respect to definite answers, "the uncertainty of philosophy is more apparent than real." Oops.

---No such thing as certainty of perfection for everything is fluid and uncertain.

---They say that before the war it was nomism and positivism but the World War II was the paradigm shift from nomism to relativism.

---Perfection is not possible because no one can be perfect. Truth is not truth because it cannot be fixed. Everything is fluid.

---Welcome to Questions on Doctrine (1957) and the Nature of Christ and the nature of impossible perfection.

---Blanco, Jack J. "A Critical Analysis and Comparison of the Doctrine of Reconciliation in Evangelical Theology as Presented in the Dogmatiek of Karl Barth and the Teachings of the Seventh-day Adventist Church". Doctor of Divinity Dissertation, Pretoria, 1970.

---Johan Japp, A study of Atonement in Seventh-day Adventism. M.Th dissertation at UNISA, Pretoria, 1994.

https://uir.unisa.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10500/17008/dissertation_japp_ja.pdf;sequence

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ד לֹא-יָשַׁבְתִּי, עִם-מְתֵי-שָׁוְא; וְעִם נַעֲלָמִים, לֹא אָבוֹא.

4 I have not sat with men of falsehood; neither will I go in with dissemblers.

---Can you see Psalm 1 here?

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ה שָׂנֵאתִי, קְהַל מְרֵעִים; וְעִם-רְשָׁעִים, לֹא אֵשֵׁב.

5 I hate the gathering of evil doers, and will not sit with the wicked.

---Can you see Psalm 1 here?

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ו אֶרְחַץ בְּנִקָּיוֹן כַּפָּי; וַאֲסֹבְבָה אֶת-מִזְבַּחֲךָ יְהוָה.

6 I will wash my hands in innocency; so will I compass Thine altar, O LORD,

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ז לַשְׁמִעַ, בְּקוֹל תּוֹדָה; וּלְסַפֵּר, כָּל-נִפְלְאוֹתֶיךָ.

7 That I may make the voice of thanksgiving to be heard, and tell of all Thy wondrous works.

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ח יְהוָה--אָהַבְתִּי, מְעוֹן בֵּיתֶךָ; וּמְקוֹם, מִשְׁכַּן כְּבוֹדֶךָ.

8 LORD, I love the habitation of Thy house, and the place where Thy glory dwelleth.

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ט אַל-תֶּאֱסֹף עִם-חַטָּאִים נַפְשִׁי; וְעִם-אַנְשֵׁי דָמִים חַיָּי.

9 Gather not my soul with sinners, nor my life with men of blood;

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י אֲשֶׁר-בִּידֵיהֶם זִמָּה; וִימִינָם, מָלְאָה שֹּׁחַד.

10 In whose hands is craftiness, and their right hand is full of bribes.

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יא וַאֲנִי, בְּתֻמִּי אֵלֵךְ; פְּדֵנִי וְחָנֵּנִי.

11 But as for me, I will walk in mine integrity; redeem me, and be gracious unto me.

---Even if you are perfect/in integrity, you need to pray for divine salvation and divine grace.

---No Grace, no perfection. No redemption, no Grace, no perfection.

---This was said by Luther, Calvin, Arminius, Wesley, Ellen White, Denis Priebe, Herbert Douglas, Andrew Kang.

---What about the scholars who said: even though redemption, even though grace, no perfection?

---Is there anyone here saying that?

---Can you raise your hand?

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יב רַגְלִי, עָמְדָה בְמִישׁוֹר; בְּמַקְהֵלִים, אֲבָרֵךְ יְהוָה.

12 My feet are standing on level ground; in the congregations will I bless the LORD.

---When Gerhard Hasel died in June of 1994, I took this phrase Feet on Level Ground as the title of a Book of Essay that I collected as Editor from non-Adventist scholars who submitted them in honor of Gerhard Hasel. Most of them met Hasel. Rabbi Meir Weiss also submitted an essay.

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