Psalm 51 - Repentance - 8 - The Redeemed Heart

"Have mercy on me, O God, because of Your unfailing love. Because of Your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night. Against You, and You alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in Your sight. You will be proved right in what You say, and Your judgment against me is just. For I was born a sinner--yes, from the moment my mother conceived me. But You desire honesty from the womb, teaching me wisdom even there.
Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me and I will be whiter than snow. Oh, give me back my joy again; You have broken me--now let me rejoice. Don't keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. 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. Forgive me for shedding blood, O God who saves; then I will joyfully sing of Your forgiveness. Unseal my lips, O Lord, that my mouth my praise You. 
You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering. The sacrifice You desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God. Look with favor on Zion and help her; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Then You will be pleased with sacrifices offered in the right spirit--with burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings. Then bulls will be sacrificed on Your altar." (Psalm 51 NLT) 

Hello, Mrs. Kurtz. I looked at the excerpt by Ravi Zacharias ("Threads of a Redeemed Heart"), and I decided to outline his main points:

     We are either willing to follow God at all costs, or we aren't following God at all. This is highlighted in the opening anecdote where a short story discusses how a woman willing to lose her standards for a million dollars has shown that she "has a price" and the dollar amount is no longer relevant, because she has shown a willingness to compromise. This story is compared to our morality as Christians; if we are willing to settle for anything less than God's will under certain circumstances, we have already shown that we are not fully committed to Him.
     Unlike other religions, Christianity does not require attaining morality to gain salvation (Romans 5:8 - salvation while being sinners). Zacharias emphasizes the idea that salvation is NOT based on works; "no amount of moral capacity can get us back into a right relationship with God" and "morality was never a means of salvation for anyone".
     We cannot define for ourselves what is moral. Our flawed society does this all the time, yet the lack of one standard is what causes unrest. We have a "selective denial of absolutes" when it comes to morality, which gives everyone a different idea of right and wrong based on their own subjective preferences; "we want to live forever on our own terms".
     The text brings up the struggle between morality and the redeemed heart: 

A redeemed heart focuses more on a relationship with God and paying attention to His spiritual tugging, 

while one focused solely on morality tends to take a more judgmental and legalistic approach. 

You can't have a godly sense of morality without having a heart redeemed by God. 

You have to know God to have a sense of morality, not the other way around.

     
     I found this text to be very challenging for me. Truth be told, I had to drive to Woodcock and sit in my car with no distractions to really pull apart the information. I do however enjoy reading things that stretch me...I had to combine my prior knowledge as well as the text and even research a little (some of the language was unfamiliar). I think reading this really helped me learn, but also acknowledge the extensiveness of Christianity, and that as a human I will never fully understand it all.

Dear friend,
     I think that you have managed this text very well! I'll share some additional takeaways:
     Sin, whether Adam and Eve's original sin, or mine or yours, has at its heart rebellion. We want to be the god of our own lives, defining (or erasing) boundaries, compromising our very selves to reach for what we feel that we deserve. It's so easy to slip into this! "The garden may have changed, but the tantalizing trade-offs continue as we barter away our souls".
     We (humanity) have redefined "morality" as a self-defined set of values that we hold, but not absolutely. Morality can change to fit our desires, and we have erased all "need" for shame (I think that we discussed the loss of shame before, didn't we?). "For them, H2O as the formula for water is indisputable; but in ethics, man is still the measure--without stating which man".
     Our very redemption gives purpose to our morality. Having been redeemed by God Himself, how can we do anything less than live as He has established? Yet we fail, time and time again. "It is only following redemption that we can truly understand the moral law for what it is--a mirror that indicts and calls the heart to seek God's help. This makes moral reasoning the fruit of spiritual understanding and not the cause of it."
     Left to our own determination, morality becomes our alibi and a court in which we judge God and our neighbor, just exactly the opposite of what we are called to do.

" 'Teacher, which is the most important commandment

in the law of Moses?'

"Jesus replied, 'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. 

This is the first and greatest commandment. 

A second is equally important: 

Love your neighbor as yourself. 

The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments'." 

(Matthew 22:36-40) 

     Morality without the understanding of the redemptive work of God leads to harsh judgment. Morality within a redeemed heart leads to mercy. Wow! We are back to the teaching of Micah 6:8:

"No, o people, the LORD has told you what is good, 

and this is what He requires of you: 

to do what is right, 

to love mercy, 

and to walk humbly with your God"

     "True fulfillment and the possibility of boundless enjoyment come when we do life God's way. When we do it our way, we only enslave ourselves." WOW! Joy and freedom are found WITH God, yet the world seeks (vainly) for these WITHOUT Him--and they fail. Let us strive to honor God in our life, in our love, and in our world.

I'm linking (again) the audio clip from the original blog, because I keep listening to it, and it keeps speaking to me. "A Worldview without Redemption".


Heavenly Father, You are our reason for life, and for abundant life. We thank You for redeeming us, and for showing us Yourself. We want to know You, we want to be filled by You, and we want to live as You have called us to live!

Psalm 51 - Repentance - 7 - Coming Full Circle

1 "Have mercy on me, O God, because of Your unfailing love. Because of Your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. 
2 Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. 
3 For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night. 
4 Against You, and You alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in Your sight. You will be proved right in what You say, and Your judgment against me is just. 
5 For I was born a sinner--yes, from the moment my mother conceived me. 
6 But You desire honesty from the womb, teaching me wisdom even there.
7 Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me and I will be whiter than snow. 
8 Oh, give me back my joy again; You have broken me--now let me rejoice. 
9 Don't keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. 
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.
11 Do not banish me from Your presence, and don't take Your Holy Spirit from me.  
12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and make me willing to obey You.
13 Then I will teach Your ways to rebels, and they will return to You. 
14 Forgive me for shedding blood, O God who saves; then I will joyfully sing of Your forgiveness. 
15 Unseal my lips, O Lord, that my mouth my praise You. 
16 You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering. 
17 The sacrifice You desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God. 
18 Look with favor on Zion and help her; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. 
19 Then You will be pleased with sacrifices offered in the right spirit--with burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings. Then bulls will be sacrificed on Your altar." (Psalm 51 NLT)

Hello, Mrs. Kurtz. Here are some of my thoughts on Psalm 51 and David's requests:
      David asks for a clean heart. He wants forgiveness, and afterwards David seeks a changed attitude/spirit. "Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me" (v12). He understands that first he must be forgiven by God, but then David expresses his desire for change. 
     David wants to leave his sin behind him and to move forward with God. He no longer wants anything to do with his old life, because to him God is more important. David plans on making a 180 change in order to live for God. This shows us that David's heart is in the right place; God is his priority now.
     I think it is also interesting how difficult it must have been for David to turn away from sin. He wanted things to work out his way and to do things he wanted, but once he repented, David knowingly and willingly left his selfish life to follow God. This shows that David has put his faith in God, trusting that he will help him through this process.

Dear friend,
     As you can see, there is more to repentance than simply saying "I am sorry". David's prayer demonstrates a repentant attitude, and indicates that repentance also leads to action. I would encourage you to continue to study and reflect on this passage, and to memorize it. What you build into your heart and mind will dwell there, will guide you, and will sculpt your viewpoints and attitudes.

"And so dear brothers and sisters, 

I plead with you to give your bodies to God 

because of all He has done for you. 

Let them be a living and holy sacrifice

--the kind He will find acceptable. 

This is truly the way to worship Him. 

Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, 

but let God transform you into a new person 

by changing the way you think. 

Then you will learn to know God's will for you, 

which is good and pleasing and perfect." (Romans 12:1-2)

     We have spent considerable time studying the components of Psalm 51, and through this we have been able to see the emotions, attitude, and actions of a truly repentant person, one who loves God and desires to walk in His ways--whatever the cost.

1. Sin is wrong. At its core, sin is rebellion against God, rejecting Him as Lord.
2. Sin separates us from God; we are guilty.
3. We are without excuse when we sin.
4. We cannot undo our sin by good deeds, sacrifices, or offerings. We can't "pay" God to look the other way.
5. God does not owe us forgiveness; however, He freely offers it to us.
6. Repentance involves admission of sin, sorrow over the sin, asking for forgiveness, turning away from sin, teaching others about sin's consequences. 
7. Repentance has no "conditions"; in other words, we do not have any right to expect that the consequences of our sin will be eliminated.
8. Repentance is a leap of faith. We launch ourselves onto God's mercy, turning away from the things that call to us. We ask Him to renew us, knowing that in ourselves we are powerless to gain victory over sin.

As we end our study of repentance through Psalm 51, I'm going to leave you with some questions that refer back to some of the questions you asked in the past regarding repentance:

"Repentance is not only asking for forgiveness, but also seeking a relationship with God so He can give you the power to turn from your sins." (from your email, 3/13) 

• As you are confronted with your sins, how do you respond? Do you draw nearer to Him, asking for help? Or, do you feel guilty and pull away from God?

"I found an interesting connection between something that happened to me and the Bible, and I thought I'd share it with you. Today I got a parking ticket for being in a spot (for months) without a pass. I was really annoyed about it, but then I realized that I didn't have the right to be upset. I kenw I wasn't supposed to park there, but I did it anyway because it was convenient and easier than my other options. I tend to think that I can get away with things; I don't think about the fact that there are consequences for my actions. This got me thinking: am I like this when it comes to my faith? Am I breaking commandments because it's convenient and easy without realizing there are consequences for my sin? Do I think that, like the parking ticket, just because I'm not getting in trouble for something now means that there won't be a punishment? I am worried that the answer to these questions might be yes. This brings me back to one of my earliest questions: does my continual sin and defiance mean that I am not saved? If I am not being punished for my sin right now, does that mean that I will face consequences later when I die, or just having something bad happen to me? If this is something I'm continually worried about, does that mean that I may not be on good terms with God/saved?" (3/22) 

• In what ways can you apply what you've learned to answer your own questions here?

"This really makes me consider what I'm going to DO about my stubbornness. I am honestly so tired of my own BS and just talking about my unwillingness and only praying--not listening and responding. I understand that it is important to pray "to be willing to be made willing" because it is only through God changing my heart that my actions will change. It isn't my own doing, but through God transforming me. Yet at the same time I want to DO something." (4/4)

• How can you respond to your own stubbornness?

"I've spent my evening taking some time to reflect on what God wants me to surrender for Him. I am really trying to be honest with myself and listen when God 'calls me out'; it's impossible to keep up a facade with an all-knowing God. I realized that the things I need to surrender to God fall under two categories of my flawed attitude: 1. I want to sin. I noticed that, when it comes down to it, I want to sin more than I want to do the right thing. Sinning is fun. This makes my 'want' to sin an even greater challenge, especially when I make split second decisions." (4/11)

• Sin, as we have discussed, is a natural tendency, yet it is not without remedy. What is the remedy?

     "I think that the reason I'm feeling so overwhelmed by sin right now is because God is showing me that the very things I enjoy and hold on to are what is preventing me from having a relationship with Him. God's goal is not to torment me, but rather to point me in the direction of bettering my relationship with Him. God is showing me that I need to repent.
     "I think I want to take steps towards repentance rather than the alternative. To do so, I'm considering taking some time to 'cleanse'. I think maybe tackling my smaller sins might be a good place to start. I'm thinking about getting rid of secular music/movies/YouTube and social media for a little bit. Although not all of it is problematic, it would definitely help to limit societal influences and even just distractions, and focus on prayer and reading the Bible and my relationship with God. I'm hoping if I decide to do this it will help give me direction for how to have a better attitude about being a Christian and making bigger changes in the future." (4/13)

• According to Psalm 51, how can you respond to what you are feeling?

<"BONUS FEATURE": Sometimes people "repent," but their repentance is not like that of David's. If you are interested, here are a couple accounts of other people "repenting". In each account, something (or more than one thing) is missing:

Saul, the first king of Israel: 1 Kings 15

Pharaoh, ruler of Egypt: Exodus 5-14 (this story extends over many chapters)>

Heavenly Father,  We thank You for loving us enough to confront us with our sin, and for granting us forgiveness through Your own Son, Jesus. We do not deserve Your mercy. Though we know that sin is wrong, we are attracted to it like a moth to a flame. Please fill us, dwell in us, help us to love You and to reject sin. 

"Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what He did for me. For I cried out to Him for help, praising Him as I spoke. If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer. Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer or withdraw His unfailing love from me." 

(Psalm 66:16-20 NLT)

Psalm 51 - Repentance - 6

1 "Have mercy on me, O God, because of Your unfailing love. Because of Your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. 
2 Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. 
3 For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night. 
4 Against You, and You alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in Your sight. You will be proved right in what You say, and Your judgment against me is just. 
5 For I was born a sinner--yes, from the moment my mother conceived me. 
6 But You desire honesty from the womb, teaching me wisdom even there.
7 Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me and I will be whiter than snow. 
8 Oh, give me back my joy again; You have broken me--now let me rejoice. 
9 Don't keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. 
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.
11 Do not banish me from Your presence, and don't take Your Holy Spirit from me.  
12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and make me willing to obey You.
13 Then I will teach Your ways to rebels, and they will return to You. 
14 Forgive me for shedding blood, O God who saves; then I will joyfully sing of Your forgiveness. 
15 Unseal my lips, O Lord, that my mouth my praise You. 
16 You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering. 
17 The sacrifice You desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God. 
18 Look with favor on Zion and help her; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. 
19 Then You will be pleased with sacrifices offered in the right spirit--with burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings. Then bulls will be sacrificed on Your altar." (Psalm 51 NLT)

Hello, Mrs. Kurtz.
     The story of David you shared really shows God's mercy and redemption. At the end of 2 Samuel 11 it says, "But the thing David had done displeased the Lord," yet he goes on to be so much more than his mistakes. God redeemed him (paid the price for David's sins, enabling him to start fresh). Because of this, David is later described as a man after God's own heart (Acts 13:22) and becomes king.
     In Psalm 51 David seeks God because of His mercy, not David's own merits. He came to God acknowledging his brokeness, and repenting, and God forgave him and used him later on, despite his past.
     This story gave me a lot of comfort today, and I really thank you for that. If God was able to forgive David of his mistakes, He can do the same for me. David was not judged based on the sum of his sins, but because of his repentance, God paid for David's sins and used him to become king of Israel. I too have sinned, but God offers a second chance if I am willing.


Dear friend,
     Where would we be without God's mercy and forgiveness?

     Did you notice all the ways that David described his sin? Nowhere did he offer excuses; rather, he confessed his sin. And note, he understood the full impact of sin. Here are just a few of his comments:

• blot out the stain (vv1, 9)/wash me clean (2, 7, 10): David's sin had left its mark; he was unclean, and unable to clean himself.  David cried to God for mercy.
• rebellion (v3): David understands that the root of his sin is rebellion against God: David knew right and wrong; David knew that he had been chosen by God to care for and lead the people of Israel; David knew that what he was doing was wrong. Yet, he sinned anyway. 
• evil (v4): David called his sin "evil". This is a bold confession! We often want to minimize our sin--"white lie," "foolish mistake," "accident". David makes no such claim. 

Did you notice that nowhere does David ask God to remove the consequences for his sin? WOW! I am guilty so often of asking God for forgiveness--not because I am grieved over my sin and rebellion--but because I don't want to pay the price for my sins. "Oh, God, please get me out of this!" 

Let's not take this idea lightly. We have no right to ask for anything, not even forgiveness. We are guilty as charged. Sin is evil, and sin is rebellion. 

Yet, we can cry to God for forgiveness, not because of our credit history, but because God is merciful, and He forgives.

"Yahweh! The LORD!

The God of compassion and mercy!

I am slow to anger

and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.

I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations.

I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin.

But I do not excuse the guilty.

I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren;

the entire family is affected--

even children in the third and fourth generations." (Exodus 34:6,7)

• What does David ask God to give to him or do for him? What does this tell us about David?  

• What does David plan to do, now that he has repented? What does this tell us about David? 

Heavenly Father, We cannot stand before You, for we have sinned, we have rebelled against You. Yet You invite us to come to You and to seek forgiveness. We thank You for this forgiveness! With David we pray, "Create in me a clean heart, O God".  

I've been anticipating sharing this song with you. The words come directly from Psalm 51. As I've said before, music helps us to remember, and I pray that you'll listen and learn, and that it will echo in your heart for a lifetime.



"Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what He did for me. For I cried out to Him for help, praising Him as I spoke. If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer. Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer or withdraw His unfailing love from me." 

(Psalm 66:16-20 NLT)

Psalm 51 - Repentance - 5

1 "Have mercy on me, O God, because of Your unfailing love. Because of Your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. 
2 Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. 
3 For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night. 
4 Against You, and You alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in Your sight. You will be proved right in what You say, and Your judgment against me is just. 
5 For I was born a sinner--yes, from the moment my mother conceived me. 
6 But You desire honesty from the womb, teaching me wisdom even there.
7 Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me and I will be whiter than snow. 
8 Oh, give me back my joy again; You have broken me--now let me rejoice. 
9 Don't keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. 
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.
11 Do not banish me from Your presence, and don't take Your Holy Spirit from me.  
12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and make me willing to obey You.
13 Then I will teach Your ways to rebels, and they will return to You. 
14 Forgive me for shedding blood, O God who saves; then I will joyfully sing of Your forgiveness. 
15 Unseal my lips, O Lord, that my mouth my praise You. 
16 You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering. 
17 The sacrifice You desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God. 
18 Look with favor on Zion and help her; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. 
19 Then You will be pleased with sacrifices offered in the right spirit--with burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings. Then bulls will be sacrificed on Your altar." (Psalm 51 NLT)

Hello, Mrs. Kurtz.
     The story of David you shared really shows God's mercy and redemption. At the end of 2 Samuel 11 it says, "But the thing David had done displeased the Lord," yet he goes on to be so much more than his mistakes. God redeemed him (paid the price for David's sins, enabling him to start fresh). Because of this, David is later described as a man after God's own heart (Acts 13:22) and becomes king.
     In Psalm 51 David seeks God because of His mercy, not David's own merits. He came to God acknowledging his brokeness, and repenting, and God forgave him and used him later on, despite his past.
     This story gave me a lot of comfort today, and I really thank you for that. If God was able to forgive David of his mistakes, He can do the same for me. David was not judged based on the sum of his sins, but because of his repentance, God paid for David's sins and used him to become king of Israel. I too have sinned, but God offers a second chance if I am willing.


Dear friend,
     Isn't God's Word amazing? We see normal, sinful humans, not "polished" images, without fault. The Bible gives us reality, and into this reality, God works. This is the message of redemption. This is the message of hope!

Some things that stand out to me in David's story:

     Before David was the King of Israel, he was a shepherd. He never submitted a resume or set a goal to become king. But God chose David, and God commended David. What a job recommendation, right?! To the current King of Israel (Saul--we'll talk about him during our study of repentance), God gave this pronouncement: "But now your kingdom must end, for the LORD has sought out a man after His own heart. The LORD has already appointed him to be the leader of His people, because you have not kept the LORD's command." (1 Samuel 13:14) Before David had done anything great for Israel, God had already placed His confidence in David. David is remembered by some for the great things he did for Israel. David is remembered by God for having a heart for Him. That is a statement that I pray will be true of me, and of you.

While David was king of Israel, he sinned. The sin that led to Psalm 51 (sins, actually: idleness, irresponsibility, lust, adultery, coverup, conspiracy, murder, leading others to sin, more coverup, denying knowledge or responsibility--until confronted by the prophet) ocurred while David was king of Israel. He had been called and commissioned by God. He had been entrusted with the care of the people of the nation. He had been given power, wealth, honor, greatness. And David squandered it. He succumbed. He sinned. He covered it up. He sinned again. And again. And again.

Praise God for His mercy! God sent a man with a message. It was a message of confrontation. "You are that man!" (2 Samuel 11-12). Sins exposed, consequences identified. This looks like the end.

Out of this moment, we receive Psalm 51. Note that this is David's response to the accusation. He offers no excuses, no justifications. David confesses his sin.

Now, let's return to our Psalm 51 study, with that perspective in mind.

• David makes multiple statements about his sin, and uses various words to describe it. What truths do we learn about sin? 

• What does David ask of God? Do you notice anything he doesn't ask for?

Heavenly Father, You are merciful, even when confronting us with our sin and rebellion. We thank You for speaking to us! We thank You for giving us the Bible, Your Word. Will You continue to work in our lives, even in the midst of our stubbornness, and even when we aren't listening? 

"Not because of who I am
but because of what You've done
Not because of what I've done,
but  because of who You are..."


"Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what He did for me. For I cried out to Him for help, praising Him as I spoke. If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer. Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer or withdraw His unfailing love from me." 

(Psalm 66:16-20 NLT)

Psalm 51 - Repentance - 4

1 "Have mercy on me, O God, because of Your unfailing love. Because of Your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. 
2 Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. 
3 For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night. 
4 Against You, and You alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in Your sight. You will be proved right in what You say, and Your judgment against me is just. 
5 For I was born a sinner--yes, from the moment my mother conceived me. 
6 But You desire honesty from the womb, teaching me wisdom even there.
7 Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me and I will be whiter than snow. 
8 Oh, give me back my joy again; You have broken me--now let me rejoice. 
9 Don't keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. 
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.
11 Do not banish me from Your presence, and don't take Your Holy Spirit from me.  
12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and make me willing to obey You.
13 Then I will teach Your ways to rebels, and they will return to You. 
14 Forgive me for shedding blood, O God who saves; then I will joyfully sing of Your forgiveness. 
15 Unseal my lips, O Lord, that my mouth my praise You. 
16 You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering. 
17 The sacrifice You desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God. 
18 Look with favor on Zion and help her; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. 
19 Then You will be pleased with sacrifices offered in the right spirit--with burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings. Then bulls will be sacrificed on Your altar." (Psalm 51 NLT)

Hello, Mrs. Kurtz. (from a previous email)  
     I know I had asked you about sin silencing God when we pray, referencing questions I had from the book (70 Years of Miracles, by Richard Harvey), so your reference to Isaiah 59:2 and Psalm 66:18 clarify pretty bluntly: "It's your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins He has turned away and will not listen anymore" and "If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened." The Bible not only explains separation over sin, but also God's anger toward sin: "But God shows His anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness." The Bible is clear that unrepentant sin limits our communication with God and angers Him.
     Luckily, the Bible provides a solution later on in Psalm 66 - repentance. In the verses to follow, the Psalmist praises God for listening to his prayer. He came to God confessing his sin, and God was merciful and listened to his plea. This shows that the separation from God that I'm experiencing now doesn't have to be final. If I come to Him with a repentant heart, our relationship will be restored...
     I think that the reason I'm feeling so overwhelmed by sin right now is because God is showing me that the very things I enjoy and hold onto are what is preventing me from having a relationship with Him. God's goal is not to torment me, but rather to point me in the direction of bettering my relationship with Him. God is showing me that I need to repent.
     I think I want to take steps toward repentance rather than the alternative. To do so, I'm considering taking some time to "cleanse". I think maybe tackling my smaller sins might be a good place to start. I'm thinking about getting rid of secular movies, music, YouTube, and social media for a little bit. Although not all of it is problematic, it would definitely help to limit societal influences and even just distractions, and focus on prayer and reading the Bible, and on my relationship with God. I'm hoping if I decide to do this it will help give me direction for how to have a better attitude about being a Christian and making bigger changes in the future. Do you think I should try this?

Dear friend,
     It has been a while since I said that we'd study Psalm 51, but now we are here. It is important to note the context for Psalm 51, So I'd encourage you to read from 2 Samuel 11-12. In short, David was somewhere he shouldn't have been, at a time he shouldn't have been there, doing something he shouldn't have done. The outcome is grievous.
     Yet David was known as a man of God, a man "after God's own heart" (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22). This sin (not David's only one, by the way) was terrible, but it did not define who David was.
     In Psalm 51 we have a powerful perspective about sin and repentance, and also a guide for our own repentance. You'll see that in the passage at the top I've added verse numbers to help our study. I'd like to note first that David cries out to God for mercy, not because of who he is, but because of who God is. 

• To what attributes/characteristics of God does David appeal?

• Why doesn't David begin with his own merits? 

Heavenly Father, We could not draw near to You if You did not first invite us. Will You teach us about true repentance? Will You help us to hear Your voice and to respond, that our hearts may, like David, be drawn to You? 

"You did not wait for me to draw near to You,
but You clothed Yourself with frail humanity.
You did not wait for me to cry out to You,
but You let me hear Your voice calling me..."


"Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what He did for me. For I cried out to Him for help, praising Him as I spoke. If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer. Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer or withdraw His unfailing love from me." 

(Psalm 66:16-20 NLT)

Psalm 51 - Repentance - 3

"Have mercy on me, O God, because of Your unfailing love. Because of Your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night. Against You, and You alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in Your sight. You will be proved right in what You say, and Your judgment against me is just. For I was born a sinner--yes, from the moment my mother conceived me. But You desire honesty from the womb, teaching me wisdom even there.
Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me and I will be whiter than snow. Oh, give me back my joy again; You have broken me--now let me rejoice. Don't keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. 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. Forgive me for shedding blood, O God who saves; then I will joyfully sing of Your forgiveness. Unseal my lips, O Lord, that my mouth my praise You. 
You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering. The sacrifice You desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God. Look with favor on Zion and help her; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Then You will be pleased with sacrifices offered in the right spirit--with burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings. Then bulls will be sacrificed on Your altar." (Psalm 51 NLT) 

*Are you working to memorize Psalm 51 yet? It will prove to be a very valuable use of your time!

Hello, Mrs. Kurtz.  
     One thing that stood out to me was that our world does not have one set standard of what is just. What is strange is that the definition of "just," "acting or being in conformity with what is morally upright or good" can have multiple interpretations depending on an individual's own morality. This is reminiscent of the verses you mentioned (Judges 17) where Micah relies on his own ideas and worships an idol. 
     Like Micah, when we hold our beliefs of what is right instead of God's, we will certainly fall short of His standard because we put our interests ahead of God, rather than submitting to Him. Without God's standard of what is just, we have no direction and will fall. The complexities of the world's corruption and injustice stem from the lack of consistent guidelines or rules. 
     We are left to justify our unjust actions and motives to make sense of them for ourselves and others; like you said, "we find ways to prove that what we are doing is right, according to a standard other than God's." Not having one single set of guidelines corrupts justice systems because too much is left to interpretation and leads to conflicting views of justice.

(from a previous email) I'm also a little confused about the word "redeem" in the Biblical context.

Dear friend,
     You've done an excellent job of studying and understanding the word "justice" and its related terms! Something that has held my fascination for quite a while is looking at how Biblical words and concepts have been redefined in our culture today. I call it "hijacking"--a word or concept is hijacked--forcibly and violently stolen and appropriated for a use completely opposite of what it was intended to mean/accomplish. You may find it interesting as well to start a little "collection" of such terms, and "justice" can begin your list.

     It is a pleasure to study the word "redeem" with you as well, and I am going to use a similar format as the last blog. This word isn't as commonly used in general conversation; probably the most we hear of it is if people talk about "redeeming" a coupon, rebate or gift card.

This one minute audio clip by Ravi Zacharias will set the scene for our study of redemption: "A Worldview without Redemption".

Again, here are links that show some of the definitions of these words, both from the world and from the Bible:

Redeem (as defined by Merriam-Webster): "to buy back, to free from distresses or harms, to change for the better, to repair/restore, to free from a lien by payment or an amount secured thereby, to atone for" (and countless more sub-definitions) Note: the world's definitions include the ability of mankind to redeem itself.

Redeem (a study of the word origins used in the Bible): to release by paying a ransom, to release, to restore Note: the Biblical definition requires a ransom, a substitute; mankind cannot restore itself.

Redemption (as defined by Merriam-Webster):  the act, process, or an instance of redeeming

Redemption (a study of the word origins used in the Bible): <there are a lot of uses of redemption, here I just covered #487; it would be good to look at all of them> a full ransom, referring to Christ paying the complete purchase price to secure our freedom--i.e. Christ exchanging His eternal righteousness for our sin. 

     A terrific way to understand a concept more is to study its usage throughout the Bible. And the words "redeem," "redemption," "redeemer" (and others) appear again and again and again. Perhaps this would be a good study for you to pursue. Your Bible probably has a small concordance in the back; this will list places where various words appear. More helpful may be a website like Bible Gateway or Bible Hub, where you can have an exhaustive list of the word uses.

     You've mentioned that you are in a Bible study working through the book of Ruth. In Ruth's story we see a redeemer, a kinsman-redeemer (Boaz). When Naomi had lost everything (she thought), there arose a redeemer. He restored her property and her family name, and secured her hope and her future. This redeemer and his wife (Ruth) also had a hand in securing our hope and future as well; Christ the Redeemer came from their family line!

     Like Naomi, we are hopeless, without a means to save or help ourselves.

"When we were utterly helpless,

Christ came at 

just the right time

and died for us sinners"

(Romans 5:6)

Let's contrast beliefs about the word "redeem":

• Humanity cannot and will not admit to being hopeless and helpless; the prevailing worldview is of the goodness of mankind. 

• The Bible teaches the opposite: we are evil and sin-prone. *This does not mean that we are incapable of doing "good" things; rather, it means that we can never undo our evil by our own means. Even the most evil human being can do "good".

• Humanity cannot and will not admit to needing a Redeemer; it somehow makes us dependent, and therefore inferior. Mankind cannot and will not conceive of the need for Someone to rescue it (us) from an inextricable sinful state. Instead, we will rearrange the definition of "redeem" to include the concept of "redeeming oneself". 

• The Bible establishes our depravity, yet it does not degrade humanity. Rather, it establishes the highest value for us; God Himself paid our ransom, rescuing us from sin, and death, and hell. What a tremendous love of God for His creation!

There are many other truths to be discovered by studying the word "redeem" as it appears in the Bible. May you be enriched in your faith and hope by pursuing this understanding!

• Why can we not redeem ourselves?  

• What picture comes to mind when you hear of "ransom"?

• Why do you think so many people reject the free offer of a Redeemer?     

Here is a link to an excerpt written by Ravi Zacharias, "Threads of a Redeemed Heart". It's long, so I have a printed copy to give you when I next see you. I think it will be easier to read; I also think it will be an interesting study for you. I've read it once, but I am planning to read it again, taking notes and jotting down my thoughts, questions, responses and conclusions. 


Heavenly Father, 
We cannot redeem ourselves, and we have no right to cry to You for salvation when we are so sinful. We thank You for coming at just the right time, for securing our ransom, for loving us so much as to pay our debt Yourself. Knowing what You have done for us, how can we not give all of ourselves to You? 

"He paid a debt He did not owe; 

I owed a debt I could not pay. 

I needed Someone to wash my sins away. 

And now I sing a brand new song, 

'Amazing Grace' the whole day long. 

Christ Jesus paid the debt that I could never pay."

Biblical truths set to music--good for our heart, mind and soul. I strongly encourage you to use music to fill your life with Biblical truth!

Psalm 51 - Repentance - 2

"Have mercy on me, O God, because of Your unfailing love. Because of Your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night. Against You, and You alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in Your sight. You will be proved right in what You say, and Your judgment against me is just. For I was born a sinner--yes, from the moment my mother conceived me. But You desire honesty from the womb, teaching me wisdom even there.
Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me and I will be whiter than snow. Oh, give me back my joy again; You have broken me--now let me rejoice. Don't keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. 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. Forgive me for shedding blood, O God who saves; then I will joyfully sing of Your forgiveness. Unseal my lips, O Lord, that my mouth my praise You. 
You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering. The sacrifice You desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God. Look with favor on Zion and help her; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Then You will be pleased with sacrifices offered in the right spirit--with burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings. Then bulls will be sacrificed on Your altar." (Psalm 51 NLT)

Hello, Mrs. Kurtz.  (from previous blog)
      You brought up an interesting point about the difference between justifying sin and justifying sinners. Justification is God pardoning us so we are "not guilty" under His grace as seen in Romans 3:24, "all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Jesus Christ". God condemns sin, but justifies people by removing the penalty for sin. Sin is wrong, so it is not justified. 
     As sinners, our debt was suffering for eternity as a result of our evil. Since we are unable to carry the weight and punishment of sin, Jesus' blood covered the debt (Romans 5:8-9). 
     I think it's fascinating how God could have easily let us take the punishment we deserved, but because of His Micah 6:8 merciful nature, He chose to pardon us. We deserve death, but Jesus' sacrifice justifies us. Jesus was perfect and didn't deserve death, but He died out of love for us. He was given a choice, and He chose to save our lives over His. 
     Seeing that we have been given the option of salvation through Jesus, we should respond with repentance: asking God's forgiveness and trusting Him to save us. After we come to God with repentant hearts, we have been forgiven, so the next step is turning from our sinful nature and following God instead.
     I'm not sure if I correctly used/interpreted the word "justify," so please let me know if it means something else. I'm also a little confused about the word "redeem" in the Biblical context.

Dear friend,
     Let me reiterate how delighted I am at the thought and study that you put into God's Word! This is a habit that I pray you will keep throughout your life.
     You did a great job of breaking down and applying the word "justify". As a "word nerd," I love to look at how words are used, and what words are related to other words. Obviously we can see connections to "justify": just, justice, justification, justified, adjust, and so on.

The following links show some of the definitions of these words. I'll take just a moment to point out some things to ponder:

Just (as defined by Merriam-Webster): "what is right" (But, how does the world determine what is right if they do not hold to a source for what is right?)

Just (a study of the word origins used in the Bible): righteous, just, according to right, in the right, equitable ("right" as God's Word declares it--God is our standard of right).

Justify (as defined by Merriam-Webster):  to prove, show, judge, regard, treat as righteous
     Here is where justifying our sin comes in: we find ways to prove (show, judge...) that what we are doing is right, according to a standard other than God's. One of the sad verses that stands out to me is from Judges: "In those days Israel had no king. All the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes." (Judges 17:6, as always, it helps to read the context: the chapter, or the entire book).

Justify (a study of the word origins used in the Bible): to make righteous, to defend the cause of, to show what is right, to show to be righteous, to declare righteous 
     And here is our hope and our joy: Christ's sacrifice made us righteous! We were declared to be righteous, in good standing with God. We are no longer seen by our sin, but by the righteousness of Christ. Our sins weren't excused; they were paid for by punishment. "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23)
     God is just; He is the standard of right. We fall short of the standard, and we deserve death and hell, not mercy. Yet, because of His great love for us, He took our punishment. He made us right. That is an overwhelming truth.

In our sin-befuddled world, we will often hear words like "just" and "justice," and even "right". But everyone has a different idea of what those words mean, and how they should be applied. If people reject the God who is just, they reject His just ways (Romans 1:18-32). 

(Nerd Note: I've long been fascinated by the fact that we use "Justification" for how we align words on a paper: left justified, right justified, center justified. Even in our writing we see the importance of aligning to a standard. Imagine if we didn't. How could we make sense of the writing? Understanding that life needs a standard to live by is built into us. Yet God's righteous way is rejected, and even despised, in the world today.) 

• What makes a justice system successful? What corrupts it?
• Why might the world want to reject God?
• Whose standards of right and wrong do you follow?

Heavenly Father, You are just, and you are the One who justifies us. We thank You for making us right before You. We could not and we cannot do it ourselves. We want to live according to Your standard of right. Will You dwell in us, fill us, and lead us into all righteousness? 

*We'll have to talk about "redeem" in another blog; this is really long (sorry)!

"Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what He did for me. For I cried out to Him for help, praising Him as I spoke. If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer. Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer or withdraw His unfailing love from me." 

(Psalm 66:16-20 NLT)