I have said quite a few times that one of the aspects that I love about the church is that it is filled with sinners just like me. There is not a sense that the church is populated with people who are good, or perfect, or live a sin free life. This is not a green light to go and sin boldly, but it is a recognition that there is no place for hypocrisy in a church. This psalm does call those who are in the congregation the “upright”. I’m thinking that this might be a desire of the author, and not so much a recognition of who is actually within the group that he calls the “upright”.
Now, it is our desire and our goal to be “upright”. We ought to try to live our lives in a way that reflects the desire of Jesus that we be “upright”. I have always seen humanity as God’s utopia. We have not arrived nor have we become that which God wants us to be, but He so hopes that we would and that we do. There is a godly desire that we reflect the same nature as God. While it is impossible, it is still something after which we strive.
But this psalm has much less to do with the “upright”, than it does with the one whose works of his hands are faithful and just. This Psalm does point to all that God has done for us. It uses that experience of God’s love and faithfulness as that which ought to build up trust and confidence in God. In fact, it ought to build up a wisdom within each person which helps us rely upon God for all things. Look at vs.10 and you should hear a verse with which you are familiar. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
Wisdom does not find its culmination in the fear of the Lord, but rather finds its mere beginning with the fear of the Lord. It is nice to be wise. It is important to have a certain respect and awe of the Lord that may only come through experience. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and soul. Fear the Lord. Rejoice in that fear.