Albert Barnes Commentary Psalms 18:23

"I was also perfect with him, And I kept myself from mine iniquity." — Psalms 18:23 (ASV)

I was also upright before him—The margin reads "with." The meaning is that he was upright in God's sight. The word translated "upright" is the same as the one in Job 1:1 that is translated "perfect." See the note on that passage.

And I kept myself from my iniquity—This refers to the iniquity to which he was prone or inclined. It is an acknowledgment that he was prone to sin, or that if he had acted out his natural character, he would have indulged in sin—perhaps the kinds of sins that had been charged against him. But he says here that, despite this natural proneness to sin, he had restrained himself and had not deserved the treatment he received. This is one of those incidental remarks often found in the Scriptures that recognize the doctrine of depravity, or the fact that the heart, even when most restrained, is by nature inclined to sin. If this psalm was composed in the latter part of David's life (see the introduction), then this must mean either:

1. that in reviewing his life, he felt it had been his general and habitual aim to check his natural inclination to sin; or

2. that at the particular periods referred to in the psalm, when God had so wonderfully intervened on his behalf, he felt that this had been his aim, and that he might now regard it as a reason why God had intervened for him.

It is, however, painfully certain that at some periods of his life—as in the matter of Uriah—he did give in to some of the most corrupt inclinations of the human heart. In acting out these corrupt propensities, he was guilty of crimes that have forever dimmed the luster of his name and stained his memory.

These painful facts, however, are not inconsistent with the statement that in his general character he did restrain these corrupt propensities and did keep himself from his iniquity.

So, in reviewing our own lives, if we are truly the friends of God, we may be painfully conscious that we have often given in to the corrupt propensities of our natures. If we are truly children of God, we will have repented of these.

Yet, we may still find evidence that, as the great and habitual rule of life, we have restrained those passions and have kept ourselves from the particular forms of sin to which our hearts were prone.