“Mine eyes are ever toward the Lord; For he shall pluck my feet out of the net. Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me; For I am desolate and afflicted. The troubles of my heart are enlarged: O bring thou me out of my distresses. Look upon mine affliction and my pain; And forgive all my sins. Consider mine enemies; for they are many; And they hate me with cruel hatred. O keep my soul, and deliver me: Let me not be ashamed; for I put my trust in thee. Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; For I wait on thee.” -Psalm 25:15–21
Having declared the righteousness of the Lord and prayed for guidance, mercy, forgiveness, and salvation, the psalmist petitions the Lord to lift him out of his distresses caused by his enemies, and once again, forgive him of his sins, presumably the reason for his distresses. Yet, he prays that his integrity and uprightness preserves him. How are we to reconcile these two seemingly contrary conditions?
David is operating on the assumption that it is sin that brings about his troubles. His sin does not create enemies; they are manifest because of his righteousness. Evil men hate when righteousness men rule. Yet, David knows God uses his enemies to chastise him for his sins. His integrity and uprightness is in turning his eyes toward and waiting for the Lord to deliver him.
“And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” -Hebrews 12:5–11