Tag Archives: Devotional on Psalm 51

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Come Clean

How to Restore the Joy of Salvation

PREVIEW: King David’s well-known affair with Bathsheba is far worse than what we now consider a mere sexual indiscretion as he tries to cover up his adultery with even worse crimes—conspiracy and murder. Eventually, as God confronts David with what his sin will unleash in the future— rape, incest, murder, sedition, and death—his personal remorse is devasting beyond description. But this is more than just a cautionary tale, in this story. You see, we are David! We are in no less need of the mercy and grace of Almighty God than this sinful yet heartbroken king. And not only are we, too, in need of a God who will forgive all our sins, but we are in desperate need of a merciful God who will create within us a clean heart and grant us a willingness to fully obey going forward. In David’s psalm of repentance, we find the everlasting truth of this story: True repentance is the means of God’s saving grace! For it is only by heartfelt and honest repentance that we can know the deepest and best joy of all—the joy of our salvation!

A Journey of Worship // Psalm 51:10-12

Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and do not take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you.

This well-known psalm of David is often referred to by the byline, “After David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.” But that is only the beginning of the tragic, sin-filled story of David’s affair with Bathsheba. It gets far worse as the king tries to cover up his adultery with even worse crimes. But as David comes to grips with what he has done, his own personal remorse is devasting beyond description as he realizes what his sin will unleash in his family in the years to come: rape, incest, murder, sedition, and death!

I can’t imagine the depth of this man’s anguish, whom scripture memorializes as “a man after God’s own heart,” as he came before the Lord carrying the guilt and shame of the Bathsheba affair. He had not only committed adultery, but he had also conspired to commit murder, he had murdered a gifted and loyal soldier, and he had knowingly covered the tracks of his affair for several months.

But all the while, King David—the shepherd boy who slew Goliath, the greatest king of Israel, the sweet singer of Israel—was absolutely miserable.

Then a courageous prophet named Nathan came to David and stood before the king—the most powerful world ruler of his day, a man who held the power of life and death over pesky little prophets like Nathan—and confronted the king with his evil. And David repented.

In the king’s moving prayer of contrition before the Lord, which is what Psalm 51 really is, David expressed to God the depth of guilt, shame, and humility that revealed why, despite such a horrible sin, he was still a man after God’s heart.

This psalm provides a great case study of authentic repentance. David didn’t want just to off-load his guilt by getting this sin off his chest. He wasn’t just attempting to get a pass by coming clean. He wasn’t just feeling sorry because he had finally been caught. Not at all!

David recognized the utter horror of having offended a holy God. He realized the indescribable pain of having messed up the lives of people over whom he had just played God. He fully confessed his wicked act, and the wicked heart that had led to the act.

For I was born a sinner—yes, from the moment my mother conceived me. (Psalm 51:5)

And by so doing, David cast himself upon God’s infinite mercy, recognizing that only then could he be granted a heart that was truly clean, tender to the Lord, and willing to do the things that God desired.

Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. Then I will teach your ways to rebels, and they will return to you… The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God. (Psalm 51:10-13,17)

I cannot imagine David’s pain! Or can I? Have I not offended the Lord just as coldly and willingly as David? Have I not murdered, conspired, been willfully unfaithful, and concealed sin before a holy God who demands holiness in me? Yes—I have! Not visibly, but certainly in my heart—at the very core of what makes me fully me—which Jesus pointed out is just as offensive to a holy God and corrosive to my spirit as the physical act of sin. (Matthew 5:21-28)

You see, I am David in this psalm. And so are you. And we are in no less need of the mercy and grace of Almighty God than this heartbroken king. And not only are we, too, in need of a God who will forgive all our sins, but we are in desperate need of a merciful God who will create within us a clean heart and grant us a willingness to fully obey.

True repentance—what a grace! Only then can we know the deepest and best joy of all: The joy of our salvation! (Psalm 51:12)

My Offering of Worship: If you are David in this story, in what area of your life do you need to come clean? Perhaps you have hidden your sin from everyone, but God knows. And until you truly confess, sincerely repent, and desperately ask for a clean and willing heart, you will not know the “joy of salvation” restored. So, today, right now, confess your sin to God, repent of what you have done, and cast yourself on the mercy of God. And while you are at it, ask God to give you a David-heart.

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Come Clean

Reflect:
Psalm 51:1-19

“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” ~Psalm 51:10-12

It is hard to imagine the depth of David’s anguish as he came before the Lord carrying the guilt and shame of his unholy affair with Bathsheba. He had committed adultery, conspired to commit murder, executed a gifted and loyal soldier and manipulated people like pawns on a chess board to cover his tracks—but lived with an unbearable sickness of soul for the several months during which he managed to keep his dirty little secret hidden. (Psalm 32:3-4)

Then a courageous prophet named Nathan stood before David and stabbed the prophetic finger of truth into the king’s check. David was the most powerful man in the world, a man who held the power of life and death over people, even pesky little prophets, yet Nathan fearlessly confronted the king with this evil. And David repented. (II Samuel 12:13, Psalm 32:5) In David’s moving prayer of contrition before the Lord, which is what Psalm 51 really is, the broken king expressed to God a depth of shame and humility that revealed why, in spite of such a horrible sin, he was still a man after God’s heart.

This psalm provides a powerful case study in authentic repentance. David wasn’t wanting just to off-load his guilt by getting this sin off his chest. He wasn’t just attempting to get a pass by coming clean. He wasn’t just feeling sorry because he had finally been caught. Not at all! David recognized the utter horror of having offending a holy God. He realized the indescribable pain of having messed up the lives of people over whom he had just played God. He fully confessed his wicked act—and the wicked heart that had led to the act. (Psalm 51:5) By so doing, David cast himself upon God’s infinite mercy, recognizing that only then could he be granted a heart that was truly clean, tender to the Lord, and willing to do the things that God desired. (Psalm 51:10-13,17)

Yes, it’s hard to imagine David’s pain! Or is it? Have we not offended the Lord just as coldly and willingly as David? Have we not murdered, conspired, been willfully unfaithful and concealed sin before a holy God who demands holiness of us? Yes—we have! Not visibly, but certainly in our heart—in the inner, invisible, secret core of who we really are—which Jesus pointed out is just as offensive to a holy God and corrosive to our spirit as the physical act of sin. (Matthew 5:21-28)

This psalm of repentance isn’t really about David. It’s about you and me! Which means, in truth, we are in no less in need of the mercy and grace of Almighty God than this heartbroken king. And not only are we, too, in need of a God who will forgive all of our sins, but we are in desperate need of a merciful God who will create within us a clean heart and grant us a willingness to fully obey.

True repentance—what a grace! Only then can we know the deepest and best joy of all: The joy of our salvation! (Psalm 51:12, Psalm 32:1-2 NLT))

“Wherever there is a pulverized and penitent heart, there grace also is, and wherever there is a voluntary confession not gained by pressure, there love covereth a multitude of sins.” ~Menno Simons

Reflect and Apply: As you bring your sins before the Lord today, first reflect on I John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

Posted on

Come Clean

Essential 100—Read:
Psalm 51:1-19

“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” ~Psalm 51:10-12

It is hard to imagine the depth of David’s anguish as he came before the Lord carrying the guilt and shame of his unholy affair with Bathsheba. He had committed adultery, conspired to commit murder, executed a gifted and loyal soldier and manipulated people like pawns on a chess board to cover his tracks—but lived with an unbearable sickness of soul for the several months during which he managed to keep his dirty little secret hidden. (Psalm 32:3-4)

Then a courageous prophet named Nathan stood before David and stabbed the prophetic finger of truth into the king’s check. David was the most powerful man in the world, a man who held the power of life and death over people, even pesky little prophets, yet Nathan fearlessly confronted the king with this evil. And David repented. (II Samuel 12:13, Psalm 32:5) In David’s moving prayer of contrition before the Lord, which is what Psalm 51 really is, the broken king expressed to God a depth of shame and humility that revealed why, in spite of such a horrible sin, he was still a man after God’s heart.

This psalm provides a powerful case study in authentic repentance.  David wasn’t wanting just to off-load his guilt by getting this sin off his chest.  He wasn’t just attempting to get a pass by coming clean. He wasn’t just feeling sorry because he had finally been caught. Not at all! David recognized the utter horror of having offending a holy God. He realized the indescribable pain of having messed up the lives of people over whom he had just played God. He fully confessed his wicked act—and the wicked heart that had led to the act. (Psalm 51:5) By so doing, David cast himself upon God’s infinite mercy, recognizing that only then could he be granted a heart that was truly clean, tender to the Lord, and willing to do the things that God desired.   (Psalm 51:10-13,17)

Yes, it’s hard to imagine David’s pain!  Or is it?  Have we not offended the Lord just as coldly and willingly as David? Have we not murdered, conspired, been willfully unfaithful and concealed sin before a holy God who demands holiness of us?  Yes—we have! Not visibly, but certainly in our heart—in the inner, invisible, secret core of who we really are—which Jesus pointed out is just as offensive to a holy God and corrosive to our spirit as the physical act of sin. (Matthew 5:21-28)

This psalm of repentance isn’t really about David. It’s about you and me! Which means, in truth, we are in no less in need of the mercy and grace of Almighty God than this heartbroken king. And not only are we, too, in need of a God who will forgive all of our sins, but we are in desperate need of a merciful God who will create within us a clean heart and grant us a willingness to fully obey.

True repentance—what a grace! Only then can we know the deepest and best joy of all: The joy of our salvation! (Psalm 51:12, Psalm 32:1-2 NLT))

“Wherever there is a pulverized and penitent heart, there grace also is, and wherever there is a voluntary confession not gained by pressure, there love covereth a multitude of sins.” ~Menno Simons

Reflect and Apply: As you bring your sins before the Lord today, first reflect on I John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”