PSALM 51:1-7 - KING'S CONFESSION

PSALM 51

INTRODUCTION: Psalms 51 and 32 were written by David after He committed adultery with Bathsheba and ordered the leader of his army to abandon her husband Uriah on the battlefield resulting in his certain death. The account of these acts is found in 2 Samuel, chapters 11 and 12. David wrote these psalms as an act of repentance. In them we see his confession of sin against God and the cleansing he requested and received as a result of trusting the Lord.

PSALM 51:1-7

KING’S CONFESSION

Psalm 51:1 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

Susan: David entreats God to have mercy and blot out his transgressions. David needs God to exercise His authority in showing mercy because if He does not, David would remain convicted by guilt and separated from God.

Susie: David does not deny his wrongdoing or make light of it. He understands the holiness, the righteousness of God in judging sin. He appeals to God’s tender mercies, His lovingkindness.

Susan: The Hebrew word for tender mercies can be used to describe the womb cherishing, nurturing, and protecting the unborn baby.

Susie: Wow! God is merciful toward His children like a mother is merciful toward her child. David appeals to that aspect of God’s character in his plea for forgiveness.

Psalm 51:2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

Susie: No amount of outward bathing would cleanse David from adultery and murder. He needs God to wash him thoroughly within his heart.

Psalm 51:3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.

Susan: When David is awake, he is reminded of his sin. Most likely, when he sleeps, he is having nightmares about it. The guilt will remain until God removes it because only God in His mercy can wipe it away from David’s mind.

Susie: David admits that he was fully aware of his sin. Adultery may have been a heat of the moment sin (although he did have to have her summoned which would have given him a chance to think twice about his actions). However, the murder of Uriah was a premeditated crime to cover up his adultery.

Psalm 51:4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.

Susan: Even though Bathsheba and Uriah were violated when David did not respect their marriage covenant, ultimately his sin was against God for disobeying the commandment concerning adultery.

Susie: Then he compounded sin upon sin when he ordered Uriah murdered, definitely a wrong against Uriah but again even more against the God who created man in His image and decreed that no one should murder a person.

Susan: David realizes he has no moral grounds to expect to avoid judgement, but he is imploring God to exercise mercy.

Psalm 51:5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

Susie: David is not saying his mother sinned in conceiving him. His parents were married, and his birth was legitimate. He is acknowledging that like all men since Adam sinned in the garden of Eden, he was born with a sinful nature. He is admitting that he gave in to that nature and sinned rather than obeying God.

Psalm 51:6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

Susan: God’s Spirit guides David’s spirit to live in truth, in agreement with God.

Susie: God knows our secret thoughts, so we might as well be truthful with Him and with ourselves when we sin. As Christians, we have the blessing of the Holy Spirit indwelling us at all times to convict us of sin and guide us in truth.

Psalm 51:7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Susan: David was not just any man: he was the king of Israel, so his sin affected the whole nation. His actions reflected on God as well because the Lord has chosen David and groomed him to be king. David felt the magnitude of his sin made him spiritually unclean.

Susie: Hyssop was a leafy plant dipped in blood or ashes mixed with water as prescribed by God and used to sprinkle a person who had touched a dead body or who had leprosy in order to cleanse them. David knew he had defiled himself by committing adultery and murder. This would make him unfit to worship Holy God. He asked God to cleanse and restore him.

Susan: This psalm is David’s desperate plea to be made right with God again.

QUESTIONS

1.         What sin(s) did David have in mind when writing Psalms 51 and 32?

2.        What does David mean when he says his sin was against God only?

3.        In verse five, David says he was formed in iniquity. Explain what he meant.

4.        Can we hide our sin from God? Why or why not?

5.       Take a few moments to examine yourself and confess any sin(s) to the Lord. If you write it down, then destroy it completely. It is a private between you and your Master.