Confidence in God's mercy (Psalm 51)
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Today’s reading is Psalm 51, written by David directly after Nathan the prophet confronted him about committing adultery with Bathsheba
Have mercy on me, O God,
because of your unfailing love.
Because of your great compassion,
blot out the stain of my sins.
Psalm 51:1
Reflect ❤️
This Psalm is a plea for mercy, a recognition of David's need for forgiveness. But David, rather than writing from a place of despair and desperation, pleads with confidence. Why?
David's plea starts on the basis of God's character: His unfailing love and His great compassion (v. 1). It is on the basis of these that David asks for forgiveness. David doesn't make excuses or blame other people for his sins; he doesn't try to downplay or diminish their severity. Instead, he takes full responsibility and seeks God's mercy.
David acknowledges that he has sinned against God and God alone (v. 4). At first, this can sound bizarre. We know David has sinned against Bathsheba, Uriah, and each of their families. He has sinned against his people, his army, and the whole nation. But David understands that, even though he has sinned against many other people, first and foremost he has sinned against God. When he lied, he sinned against the God of truth. When he treated human beings as objects, he sinned against the God who made them in His image. It is God whose forgiveness he must seek first.
But even here, David doesn't cry out merely to a judge pronouncing justice, but to a Father whom he has offended. David cries out to God to cleanse and purify him from his sins (v. 7), for God to create a new, clean heart within him (v. 10). He pleads for joy to be restored and for a loyal spirit to be renewed (v. 12). Why? Because he longs for his relationship with the God he loves to be restored. He no longer wants to be separated from God's presence by his sin, and he does not want God's Holy Spirit to be taken away from him (v. 11).
David's confidence in God's forgiveness is so strong that he starts to imagine life after his restoration. David expresses his desire to be a testimony to God's forgiveness and to display God's grace to others (v. 13). He is willing to use his story as a lesson for rebels to understand the seriousness of sin so that they may turn back to God. He is willing for God's grace to shine through his own sin-stained life!
David ends the psalm by asking God to look with favour on Zion and help rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. He knows that his sin doesn't just affect him privately but also has public consequences. His sin has affected the people he was meant to serve, so he prays for the restoration of his people and of Israel.
Let us learn from this Psalm of David.
Let us remember that when we sin, the only fitting response is a broken and contrite spirit, a heart that is humble and repentant, throwing itself on the mercy of God.
Let us remember that, with a humble heart, we can be supremely confident: confident not in what we've done, but in who God is. God's love is unfailing, His compassion is great, His judgment is always just, and His mercy is always abundant. "You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God" (v. 17).
Let us remember that our sin is not only against ourselves and the people around us, but also against God. The consequences of our sins do not just affect us, but also our friends, family, and others around us. But God's mercy is also able to do good to all those around us (v. 18). When we repent and ask for forgiveness, everyone else can rejoice in our restoration.
Pray 🙏
Thank you that you wash us clean and forgive us
Restore us and the people around us we may have hurt from our sin
Use us as a testimony of you grace and love
Thank you we are covered by the blood of Jesus
Amen