“Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your steadfast love; according to the multitude of Your tender mercy and loving-kindnes blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly [and repeatedly] from my iniquity and guilt and cleanse me and make me wholly pure from my sin!
My sacrifice [the sacrifice acceptable] to God is a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart [broken down with sorrow for sin and humbly and thoroughly penitent], such, O God, You will not despise.”
Psalm 51:1-2, 17 AMPC
Grace Perspective:
These are the words of a man whose heart was broken by his sin. King David wrote these after being confronted with the choice he made to commit adultery with Bathsheba (read 2 Samuel 11). After a time of fleshly pleasure, David sent Bathsheba back home, thinking no one would find out. However, Bathsheba conceived a child, so David was faced with another choice, confess the sin now, or continue to hide it. David chose to continue the charade and tried to get Bathsheba’s husband, a soldier on the front lines, to spend the night with his wife. But Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband, was an honorable man who refused to take comfort with his wife while the rest of the army was still out in the field fighting Israel’s enemies.
Since David’s planned cover-up failed, he had Uriah killed on the battlefield. After a short season of mourning the loss of her husband, David married Bathsheba.
The King thought no one knew what had occurred between himself, Bathsheba, and Uriah, but he was wrong.
God sent the prophet Nathan to confront David about his sinful choices. David could have responded in anger; after all, he was the King of Israel and could pretty much do whatever he wanted. But David, often described in Scripture as a man after God’s own heart, was broken by his sin. This Psalm is an outpouring of grief as he seeks God’s forgiveness. David doesn’t make excuses or defend his sin; he takes responsibility for his own choices, not blaming others, but freely admits the depth of his depravity.
David cries out to God, knowing that God is merciful, the King seeks to be cleansed from his sin and trusts God’s steadfast love to purify his heart and soul. David knows that God will never despise a heart broken by sin, seeking His forgiveness.
A Touch of Grace:
What are your thoughts about David’s sin with Bathsheba?
When was the last time you went to God with a broken and contrite heart?
Grace Application:
Before he even mentions his sin, David appeals to God’s graciousness. He begins this Psalm with a plea for mercy, trusting God’s steadfast love to blot out his sin. David trusted God’s proven character, His tender mercy, and loving-kindness. He seeks to have the crimson stain of sin washed away, looking forward to the cleansing blood that Christ Jesus shed for sin, trusting that the Savior’s sacrifice for sin will purify him.
David’s sin with Bathsheba had grave consequences. However, my sin is just as grievous to God. Adultery is wrong, but so is gossip, slander, lying, worry, stealing, idolatry…the list could go on and on. Like David, I need to repent of my sin and trust that God will forgive me, that I, too, am cleansed and purified by the precious blood of the Savior.
Verse 17 assures us that God will not despise or reject a broken and contrite heart. Contrite means crushed, broken in pieces. There have been seasons in my life where the weight sin crushed my heart, making it hard to breathe. When I finally broke under the unyielding weight that threatened to consume me, God gently reminded me of this Psalm. Like David, I remembered who God is, His tender mercies and loving-kindness.
I confessed my sin, not making excuses or blaming others, owning that my sin was crushing the life out of me. The weight of guilt and shame lifted as God’s word reminded me of the cleansing power of Christ’s forgiveness for my sin. I pray God will keep my heart tender to my sin so that the crushing weight of guilt doesn’t pull me into a pit of despair. I hope to quickly run to my merciful Father with a heart that is broken by my sin, knowing His tender mercy will cleanse me.
Precious friend, trust that God never scorns a heart that is broken because sin. Instead, His gentle mercy will heal the crushed and scattered pieces with gracious forgiveness, as we are cleansed from our sin.
Prayer:
Gracious Father, thank You for Your steadfast love and tender mercy. I come to you with a heart that is broken by my sin. Wash me thoroughly from the sin of (___________________) and cleanse me. Create in me a heart that is tender to sin and make me quick to repent, so the weight of my sin doesn’t cause me to despair. Guard my heart from the deception of sin and keep it tender so that I run to You quickly seeking Your tender mercy and loving-kindness. In the precious name of Jesus Christ, our Savior, Amen.
**Today, as you read this, I pray each of you will know for certain you are in Christ Jesus. If you have any doubt, please call out to God so all doubt may be erased. Today is a good day to be assured of salvation in Christ Jesus. If you have any questions, please contact me at graceisdawning@gmail.com**