We're in a pasuk in Tehilim 26,1 לְדָוִ֨ד ׀ שׇׁפְטֵ֤נִי יְהֹוָ֗ה כִּֽי־אֲ֭נִי בְּתֻמִּ֣י הָלַ֑כְתִּי וּבַיהֹוָ֥ה בָּ֝טַ֗חְתִּי לֹ֣א אֶמְעָֽד A song from David. Judge me God because I went in my perfection and I relied on Hashem I will not falter. What exactly is going on here? David Hamelech is asking to be judged? In another place, David Hamelech says, Don't come and judge me. So how can he now ask to be judged? Rav Shlomo Kluger explains in his sefer Tehilot Yisrae l that David Hamelech is saying, I'm doing my best. I'm trying to do as good as I can. Normally , when a person is trying to do their best, they're pretty confident in their status with God, in their future reward etc. However, David Hamelech is saying, “ Although I am doing my best, still I know that I need to rely on Hashem for anything that I get, because whatever I'm doing, it’s coming from God's benevolence,” and he quotes a pasuk from Iyov 41,3, where God says, מִ֣י הִ֭קְדִּימַנִי וַאֲשַׁלֵּ֑ם תַּ֖חַת כׇּל־הַשָּׁמַ֣יִם לִי־הֽוּא׃ / Who ever did , before I paid them? Who ever beat me to it? Did anybody ever do a Brit milah before I gave them a child? Did anyone ever put on a mezuza before I gave them a home? Did anyone ever check for shaatnez before I gave them a suit? Think about it. Here we are, all proud of our accomplishments. But did anyone ever give 10% before Hashem gave him the other 90%? If you keep thinking about it, you say, “ Wow, every mitzvah that I'm doing, I'm doing, after He gave me! What exactly does He owe me for what I'm doing? Hmmm . When you start thinking like that, you realize that you're not coming to Hashem with any demands or expectations. And that, says Rav Shlomo Kluger, is the secret to being judged by God and getting through it successfully. We need to be able to do the right thing, and at the same time realize it's not coming to me. He further quotes a Gemara in Masechet Berachot 55A that says, “ Delving into your prayer causes God to remember man’s sins.” This means that when a person prays and says, “ Wow, I prayed so good, Hashem is going to answer me…. ” that's a mistake. Don't think because I prayed good, I'm deserving. You prayed good? You still need Hashem’s mercy! You still need to rely on Hashem's kindness. It’s not because of anything that you did. That was Moshe Rabbenu’s secret of VaetHanan . Rashi says he prayed for a Matnat Hinam/ free gift and he would've been answered if not for the fact that Hashem stopped him from praying, which means I'm not relying on what I did . The Midrash tells us on the pasuk of VaetHanan , that Moshe Rabbenu was shown the different treasure houses in Shamayim , each for different set of people. Them he saw an enormous treasure house, bigger than any of the other treasure house. He asked who that was for. “ That's for the people who need a free gift. And that's never ending. ” Does that mean the guy that that doesn't do anything gets more? The sefer Neot Deshe on Parashat VaetHanan explains that the fellow who doesn't feel he's deserving of anything is the one that gets the biggest treasure house. This is what David Hamelech is telling us in this pasuk . Don't ever think, “ I don't need to rely on Hashem's kindness because this one, I have covered. Hashem owes me, so to say. I did good here.” Sometimes people make that mistake. They say, “ I did X, Y and Z. Why didn't I get answered? ” We don't work that way. Of course, we keep all the Mitzvot and do everything that we’re supposed to do, but after everything that we do, we realize מִ֣י הִ֭קְדִּימַנִי וַאֲשַׁלֵּ֑ם /who beat God to it? Who ever did before God paid? God is C.B.D, not C.O.D. He pays us Cash Before Delivery. We haven't given Him anything. He gives us before we give Him. And a person thinks, Hey, You owe me? No . I rely on Hashem because Hashem's kindness is unlimited. It has nothing to do with what I did. Of course, it becomes harder when you do good things. It's easy to say, I have nothing coming to me because I'm really a bum. Of course that’s easy. But David Hamelech says, “ כִּֽי־אֲ֭נִי בְּתֻמִּ֣י הָלַ֑כְתִּי I went in my perfection.” I'm pretty good. And with all that I've done, still וּבַיהֹוָ֥ה בָּ֝טַ֗חְתִּי / I rely on Hashem and that's why לֹ֣א אֶמְעָֽד / I won’t fall