Focal Passage: Psalm 51:1-17
Most of my Bible heroes were also “big time” sinners. Moses was a murderer, Paul rounded up people to be killed and the man who penned Psalm 51 was no different.
David writes this soul wrenching and restoring psalm after being confronted by his advisor about his sin with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11).
David, like my other heroes, knew God, sought forgiveness and aspired to honor God through confession and obedience.
For repentance to take place we must have sorrow over our sin.
Second Corinthians 7:10 says, “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorry brings death.”
Psalm 51 moves directly from David’s guilt over his sin to his desire for cleansing.
David asks God to create in him "a clean heart and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10).
Man may put together something from other materials, but David is asking for a clean heart.
No man can make that.
Only God can create. It is also no wonder that David desires to have a firm spirit about him.
Temptation had led him astray already, and he had no desire to repeat that sin. He desired to stand firm.
Too often humans deny the need for forgiveness by trying to be self-sufficient.
David lusted after Bathsheba, then he sinned with her. He brought Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband, in from battle to entice him to go home to his wife to cover up David’s sin.
Finally David had Uriah killed with a plan that involved the loss of other lives too as the army lines did not pull back from the fierce fighting until Uriah was dead.
David could not erase or cover his sin and neither can we. God is the only self-sufficient being.
God desires for His children to obey Him, but He knows we are sinful. He provides forgiveness and reconciliation through Jesus.
God desires for us to be broken over our sin so that He may restore us.