A Look at Psalm 51
“For about three thousand years, this Psalm has been a pattern of penitence. Scarcely will one find a poem that throbs with such heartbeat. Across the centuries, men who have been guilty of David’s sin have found in his confession a pattern of prayer. Others whose sins have been different have found equal verbalization of their broken and contrite heart. The Psalm is autobiographical. At least four areas of the message challenge us. (Zondervan Pastor’s Annual: P 317)
“In Psalms 51, we have what David wrote after he was guilty of adultery with Bathsheba...he provides an example of how one should confess their sins to God. He provides what I like to call ‘The art of confessing our sins.” (Mark Copeland: Executable Outlines “The art of confessing our sins”)
In this lesson we will consider the thoughts of the above two authors and look at the four areas of the message as stated by Zondervan
Committed:Before composing this Psalm, David had sinned
with Bathsheba & sinned grievously.David did nothing wrong at first.
He simply walked out on his rooftop & saw a beautiful woman bathing (2 Sm 11:2).
David saw Bathsheba purely by accident - nothing wrong in walking upon his roof and looking out over his kingdom.
Committed:We all know that David didn't stop there.
He called Bathsheba to him, committed adultery, & when she sent word to the king that she was pregnant, David had her husband placed on the front lines of battle and married Bathsheba upon his death.
Committed:God sent Nathan the prophet to confront the
king over his extremely impure actions.He presents David with the story of a rich man who
took a poor man’s lamb and killed it rather than kill one of his own to entertain a guest
David becomes indignant at the action of the rich man
Nathan explains to David “You are the man!...” (2 Sam 12:7)
The child born to David and Bathsheba dies which compounds the grief he feels when confronting his sin
Confessed:Ps 51:4 “Against You, You only, have I sinned,
And done this evil in Your sight—…”“Against thee, thee only, have I sinned - That is, the
sin, considered as an offence against God, now appeared to him so enormous and so aggravated, that, for the moment, he lost sight of it considered in any other of its bearings. It "was" a sin, as all other sins are, primarily and mainly against God; it derived its chief enormity from that fact.” (Barnes’ Notes on the Bible)
Confessed:Ps 51:4 “Against You, You only, have I sinned,
And done this evil in Your sight—…”“Against thee, thee only, have I sinned,.... All sin,
though committed against a fellow creature, being a transgression of the law, is against the lawgiver; and, indeed, begins at the neglect or contempt of his commandment, as David's sin did, 2 Samuel 12:9; and being committed against God, that had bestowed so many favours upon him, was a cutting consideration to him, which made his sorrow appear to be of a godly sort; wherefore he makes his humble and hearty confession to the Lord, and who only could forgive his sin;” (Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible)
Confessed:The word of God clearly teaches confessing of
our sins2 Sam 12:13; Prov 28:13; Ps 32:5; 1
Jn 1:9
Cleansing:Ps 51:2 “Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And
cleanse me from my sin.” “Wash me thoroughly -"Wash me again and again, - cause my
washings to be multiplied." My stain is deep; ordinary purgation will not be sufficient.” (Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible)
Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity,.... Which supposes defilement by sin, and that very great, and such as none can remove but the Lord himself; who, when he takes it in hand, does it effectually and thoroughly; David's sin had long lain upon him, the faith of it had as it were eaten into him, and spread itself over him, and therefore he needed much washing: "wash me much", all over, and thoroughly” (Gill’s Exposition of the entire Bible)
“And cleanse me from my sin - Remove it entirely. Make me wholly pure.” (Barnes’ Notes on the Bible)
“and cleanse me from my sin: which only the blood of Christ can do,” (Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible)
Cleansing:Other passages regarding the washing of away
of sin or cleansingEzek 36:24-25; Acts 22:16; 1 Cor
6:11; 1 Jn 1:7-9
David asks for mercy and forgivenessPs 51:1 “51 Have mercy upon me, O God, According
to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions.”Mercy: The compassion that causes one to help the weak,
the sick, & the poor Mercy is the divine attribute that causes God to help the
sinful.Lovingkindness: refers to God's faithful love - This is the
divine attribute that allows God to be patient with sinnersDavid did not seek mercy based on anything he had done in
the past for the Lord but upon the goodness and mercy of God
To blot out means to erase so completely that the pencil marks do not even show.
David asks for cleansingPs 51:2 “Wash me thoroughly from my
iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin.”David asks to be washed & cleansed from his sin -
This views sins as filth that needs to be washed away.
We can only be cleansed from the filth of sin by being buried in the waters of baptism1 Pet 3:21-22
David asks for a clean heartPs 51:10 “Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.”“The idea is, however, not that a new "substance"
might be brought into being to which the name "a clean heart" might be given, but that he might "have" a clean heart; that his heart might be made pure; that his affections and feelings might be made right; that he might have what he was conscious that he did "not" now possess - a clean or a pure heart. This, he felt, could be produced only by the power of God; and the passage, therefore, proves that it is a doctrine of the Old Testament, as it is of the New, that the human heart is changed only by a divine agency.” (Barnes’ Notes on the Bible)
David asks for a clean heartPs 51:10 “Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.”“The word "renew" here means to be or to make
new; to produce something new. It is also used in the sense of making anew, as applied to buildings or cities in the sense of "rebuilding" or "repairing" them: Isaiah 61:4; 2 Chronicles 15:8; 2 Chronicles 24:4. The word here would naturally convey the idea that there had been formerly a right and proper spirit in him, which he prayed might now be restored. The language is that of one who had done right formerly, but who had fallen into sin, and who desired that he might be brought back into his former condition.” (Barnes’ Notes on the Bible)
David asks for a clean heartAdditional scriptures on the heart
Ps 73:26; 1Kings 8:61; Mt 5:8; Phil 4:7
David asks for the restoration of joy and for supportPs 51:12 “Restore to me the joy of Your
salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.”“Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation - literally,
"Cause the joy of thy salvation to return." This implies that he had formerly known what was the happiness of being a friend of God, and of having a hope of salvation. That joy had been taken from him by his sin. He had lost his peace of mind. His soul was sad and cheerless. Sin always produces this effect.” (Barnes’ Notes on the Bible)
David asks for the restoration of joy and for supportPs 51:12 “Restore to me the joy of Your
salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.”The only way to enjoy religion is to do that which is
right; the only way to secure the favor of God is to obey his commands; the only way in which we can have comforting evidence that we are his children is by doing that which shall be pleasing to him:1 Jn 2:29, 3:7, 3:10; Rom 8:14-17
David asks for the restoration of joy and for supportPs 51:12 “Restore to me the joy of Your
salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.”“And uphold me with thy free spirit - That is,
Sustain me; keep me from falling.” (Barnes’ Notes on the Bible)
“Uphold me with thy free spirit - Prop me up; support me with a princely spirit, one that will not stoop to a mean or base act.” (Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible)
David asks for deliverancePs 51:14 “Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O
God, The God of my salvation,…”“Deliver me from blood-guiltiness…the reference is
undoubtedly to his guilt in causing Uriah, the husband of Bathsheba to be slain (2 Sam 11:14-17) It was this which weighed upon his conscience, and filled him with alarm. The guilt of this he prayed might be taken away, that he might have peace. The "fact" of the shedding of that blood could never be changed; the real "criminality" of that fact would always remain the same; the "crime" itself could never be declared to be innocence; his own personal "ill desert" for having caused the shedding of that blood would always remain; but the sin might be pardoned, and his soul could thus find peace. (Barnes’ Notes on the Bible)
David asks for deliverance Ps 51:14 “Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
The God of my salvation,…”“The penalty might be remitted, and, though guilty, he might
be assured of the divine favor. He could not, indeed, repair the evil to Uriah - for "he" had gone beyond the power of David for good or for evil - but he could do much to express his sense of the wrong; he could do much to save others from a similar course; he could do much to benefit society by keeping others from the like guilt. He could not, indeed, recall Uriah from the grave, and repair the evil which he had done to "him," but he might save others from such a crime, and thus preserve many a useful life from the effects of unrestrained guilty passions. We cannot, indeed, by penitence recall those whom we have murdered; we cannot restore purity to those whom we have seduced; we cannot restore faith to the young man whom we may have made a sceptic; but we may do much to restrain others from sin, and much to benefit the world even when we have been guilty of wrongs that cannot be repaired.” (Barnes’ Notes on the Bible)
David asks for deliverancePs 51:14 “Deliver me from the guilt of
bloodshed, O God, The God of my salvation,…”“Deliver me from blood-guiltiness - This is one of the
expressions that gives most color to the propriety of the title affixed to this Psalm. Here he may have in view the death of Uriah, and consider that his blood cries for vengeance against him; and nothing but the mere mercy of God can wipe this blood from his conscience. The prayer here is earnest and energetic: O God! thou God of my salvation! deliver me! The Chaldee reads, "Deliver me (מדין קטול middin ketol) from the judgment of slaughter." (Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible)
David asks for deliveranceThe bible teaches that God will deliver us
In the New Testament, God is always the subject—and His people are always the object—of deliverance
By God’s power, believers are delivered from this present evil age (Gal 1:3-4)
By God’s power, believers are delivered from the power of Satan’s reign (Col 1:12-14)
All aspects of deliverance are available only through the person and work of Jesus Christ, who was Himself delivered up for us so that we would be delivered from eternal punishment for sin. (Rom 4:25)
Only Jesus rescues us from the “wrath to come” (1 Thes 1:10)
I will teachPs 51:13 “13 Then I will teach transgressors
Your ways,…”“Then will I teach transgressors thy ways - As an
expression of gratitude, and as the result of his own painful experience. He would show them, from that experience, the evil and the bitterness of sin in itself; he would show them with what dreadful consequences sin must always be followed; he would show them the nature of true repentance; he would show them what was required in order that sin might be forgiven; he would encourage them to come to that God who had forgiven him.” (Barnes’ Notes on the Bible)
I will teachPs 51:13 “Then I will teach transgressors Your
ways,…”“Then will I teach transgressors - I will show myself
to be grateful; I will testify of thy loving-kindness; I will call on transgressors to consider the error of their ways; and shall set before them so forcibly thy justice and mercy, that sinners shall be converted unto thee.” (Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible)
I will winPs 51:13 “…And sinners shall be converted to
You.”“And sinners shall be converted unto thee - They
would see from his case the evil of transgression; they would learn from his example that mercy might be found; they would be persuaded to flee from the wrath to come. The best preparation for success in winning souls to God, and turning them from the error of their ways, is a deep personal experience of the guilt and the danger of sin, and of the great mercy of God in its forgiveness.” (Barnes’ Notes on the Bible)
I will winPs 51:13 “…And sinners shall be converted to
You.”"And sinners shall be converted unto thee." My fall
shall be the restoration of others. Thou wilt bless my pathetic testimony to the recovery of many who, like myself, have turned aside unto crooked ways. Doubtless this Psalm and the whole story of David, have produced for many ages the most salutary results in the conversion of transgressors, and so evil has been overruled for good. (The Treasury of David)
I will singPs. 51:14 “…And my tongue shall sing aloud of
Your righteousness.”“To teach, to win, to sing-what greater
response could come from a grateful heart!” (Zondervan Pastoral’s Annual: P 319)
Ps 51:17 “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise.”
Is 66:1-2 “Thus says the LORD: “Heaven is My throne, And earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest? 2 For all those things My hand has made, And all those things exist,” Says the LORD. But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, And who trembles at My word.”
Ps 34:18 “The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit.”
When we confess our sins:We should look beyond obtaining forgiveness
for past sinWe should look beyond obtaining present joy
and gladness of heartWe should be making commitments regarding
future service!
If we desire to be less self-centered in confessing our sins, we can follow David's example:1. Appeal to God's mercy and lovingkindness2. Acknowledge our sins to God3. Understand where we are and where God wants
us4. Pray for renewal and restoration5. Resolve to offer grateful service6. Pray for God's purposes
By praying as David did, we are to sure to experience two things:1. Forgiveness itself2. The joy of forgiveness
1.As David expressed in Ps 32:1-5, written after receiving forgiveness for his sins
