Psalms 51:1-19 ESV
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; build up the walls of Jerusalem; then will you delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar.
Rev. Dan Whang
We are going thru the psalms because they are relevant to our lives. They were written in good times and bad. They show us how to pray in all sorts of situations.
This psalms focuses on repentance and struggle over sin. This is meant to drawn us home from places of helplessness and hopelessness in our sins.
A spiritually healthy Christian is one who is continually repenting. They are constantly repenting of sin in view of God's grace and mercy.
Victory over sin does not come from just changing our behavior, paying enough penance/sacrifice... It comes from repenting properly. Repenting in a way that changes us.
A sincere appeal to God's mercy and kindness
David asks for God's mercy. Not by trying to be very sincere or earnest, but throwing ourselves upon God's mercy and love. David appeals to God's faithful love for His people. David knew that he had failed, but God is still faithfully loving us.
An honest admission of our total depravity
David speaks of how he was born in sin and grew up in sin. Are we surprised when people point out our sin? Are we surprised by our bad habits and excuses for them? Do we blame our circumstances, other people, or say that it was an exception to our usual behavior? We should not. We need to admit that we are sinners and that is our character. We need to own up to it. No but's. It is when we see our darkness clearly that we can then receive the fullness of God's grace.
Wanting sin to be completely out of our lives
David then asks for God to completely blur this sin from his life. Not a halfway appeal for momentary forgiveness, but a complete cleansing and removal of sin from our lives. If we do not want the sin out of our lives, it is because we have not repented deeply enough. We are still entertaining thoughts of sin. We are not repenting fully, if we are only concerned with feeling relief from the burden of our sin.
We will know that we have gotten there when we sing of God's righteousness and speak of mercy. When we share of God's mercy to others. Repentant people are not dour. They are joyful because they are being constantly spiritually renewed.
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