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)
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.
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."
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)
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