What is the meaning of Psalm 18:20? The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness - David is looking back on the many rescues God has just given him (see the whole psalm) and declares, “The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness”. This is not bragging; it is a faith–filled recognition that God keeps His word to bless obedience (Deuteronomy 30:16; Proverbs 11:18). - “Righteousness” here speaks of a life aligned with God’s revealed standards. David had refused to take Saul’s life when he had the chance (1 Samuel 26:23). He sought to rule Israel with justice instead of self-promotion. In Psalm 7:8 he prayed, “Judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness,” using the same vocabulary. - Scripture consistently affirms that God sees and rewards faithful living: “The righteous will live by his faith” (Habakkuk 2:4), and “There is reserved for me the crown of righteousness” (2 Timothy 4:8). These passages show that reward is God’s gracious response to a heart that trusts and obeys Him. - Important balance: the Bible also teaches that our righteousness is ultimately a gift from God (Isaiah 61:10; Romans 3:22). Even so, God invites us to walk in that righteousness and promises tangible blessing when we do (Psalm 19:11). He has repaid me according to the cleanness of my hands - “Clean hands” is vivid imagery for moral innocence. Psalm 24:3-4 asks, “Who may ascend the mountain of the LORD? He who has clean hands and a pure heart.” David can point to specific occasions when his hands were literally and figuratively clean—he would not strike Saul, shed innocent blood, or seize the throne by force (2 Samuel 22:21, the parallel passage). - God’s “repayment” is not mechanical but relational: He vindicates His servants when they are falsely accused (Job 17:9; Psalm 37:6) and protects those who keep themselves from evil (Psalm 34:15-17). - The New Testament echoes this principle. James 4:8 urges believers, “Cleanse your hands, you sinners,” while 1 Timothy 2:8 calls men to pray “lifting up holy hands.” Obedience matters; unconfessed sin hinders fellowship and blessing (1 John 1:6-9). - We must avoid the idea that clean hands earn salvation. Salvation is by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). Yet once saved, we are commanded to pursue holiness, and God promises real rewards—sometimes in this life, always in the next (1 Corinthians 3:13-14; Revelation 22:12). summary Psalm 18:20 testifies that God is faithful to reward obedience. David’s “righteousness” and “clean hands” are not claims of sinless perfection but of genuine covenant loyalty expressed in concrete choices. God saw, approved, and responded. For believers today the verse encourages diligent, wholehearted obedience, confident that the same righteous Lord still vindicates and blesses those who walk in integrity. |
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