Psalm 51 - Right Hearts

The author of Psalm 51 is David. This psalm is a plea for mercy, forgiveness and cleansing. God wants our hearts to be right with him. 

 

Psalm 51:1-7 - "Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. 2-Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. 3-For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. 4-Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge. 5-Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. 6-Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place. 7-Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow."

 

David was truly sorry for his adultery with Bathsheba and for murdering her husband to cover it up. He knew that his actions had hurt many people. But because David repented of those sins, God mercifully forgave him. No sin is too great to be forgiven! Do you feel that you could never come close to God because you have done something terrible? God can and will forgive you of any sin. While God forgives us, however, he does not always erase the natural consequences of our sin - David's life and family were never the same as a result of what he had done (see 2 Samuel 12:1-23 for the story).

 

Psalm 51:10 - "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."

 

Because we are born as sinners, our natural inclination is to please ourselves rather than God. David followed that inclination when he took another man's wife. We also follow it when we sin in any way. Like David, we must ask God to cleanse us from within, clearing our hearts and spirits for new thoughts and desires. Right conduct can come only from a clean heart and spirit. Ask God to create a pure heart and spirit in you.

 

Psalm 51:12 - "Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me."

 

Do you ever feel stagnant in your faith, as though you are just going through the motions? Has sin ever driven a wedge between you and God, making him seem distant? David felt this way. He had sinned with Bathsheba and had just been confronted by Nathan the prophet. In his prayer he cried, 'Restore to me the joy of your salvation.' God wants us to be close to him and to experience his full and complete life. But sin that remains unconfessed makes such intimacy impossible. Confess your sin to God. You may still have to face some earthly consequences, as David did, but God will give back the joy of your relationship with him.

 

Psalm 51:13 - "Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you."

 

When God forgives our sin and restores us to a relationship with him, we want to reach out to others who need this forgiveness and reconciliation. The more you have felt God's forgiveness, the more you will desire to tell others about it.

 

Psalm 51:17 - "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise"

God wants a broken spirit and a contrite heart. You can never please God by outward actions - no matter how good - if your inward heart attitude is not right.  Are you sorry for your sin? Do you genuinely intend to stop? God is pleased by this type of humility.