“I will wash mine hands in innocency; so will I compass thine altar, O LORD,
that I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving,
and tell of all thy wondrous works.”
Psalm 26:6–7
“But to the wicked, God says, ‘What have you to do, to declare my statutes,
or that you should take my covenant into your mouth?’ ”
Psalm 50:16
David understood that for worship of God to be acceptable, the worshipper must have “clean hands and a pure heart”. He also knew that to serve God by speaking to others about Him accomplishes good only if the speaker is innocent in God’s sight. To go about serving God with sin in your heart is worse than having sinned in the first place. It is hypocrisy.
This is why God warns the wicked not to speak about Him. He does not approve of sinful people testifying about His righteousness. He does not accept that kind of service. He wants the wicked to repent and be made righteous, then tell others about Him!
