“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me” (Psalm 51:10-12)
The above passage is probably the most familiar one from Psalm 51. I grew up in a Lutheran church, and that passage was part of the weekly liturgy during the service. These words were part of a song, and it’s so ingrained in me that I really can’t read that passage without singing it in my head!
Psalm 51 was written by King David, and it’s one of the seven penitential psalms. That means it’s primarily a psalm of penance or confession, asking for God’s forgiveness and renewal. David wrote this psalm after he had been rebuked by the prophet Nathan for David’s sin of adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband (2 Samuel 11-12). Through Nathan, David realized how great his sin was against God, and this psalm is him expressing his sorrow, confession, and repentance to God over that sin. Many of David’s psalms question God, but in this one there is no questioning, only his deep awareness of sin and desire for God’s grace and forgiveness.
In verses 1-6, David recognizes how sinful he is. Verse 1 says, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.” David knows that all he can do is beg for God’s mercy, knowing that he doesn’t deserve it but that God is loving and compassionate. When we sin against God, we no longer have any right to claim God’s blessings for our lives, but that’s what His grace is all about - giving us mercy and favor that we don’t deserve at all.
We see a few different words for “sin” in these verses - sin, iniquity, and transgression. These are three separate words in the Hebrew, and while there are slight nuances of difference between them, they really all mean going against God in some way and disobeying His commands. Since the psalms are poetry, the authors will often use multiple words that mean the same thing for literary purposes.
Because God is so “right” and “justified” in all He does (verse 4), that shows David how much more sinful he is compared to God’s perfection. Knowing we’re sinful isn’t an excuse to sin, but rather an understanding of our need for God’s grace in our lives that much more. We’re sinful even from birth (verse 5), but God still requires faithfulness from us (verse 6).
In verses 7-12, David moves from confession of his sin to praying for restoration from God. Restoration means that he will be cleansed (verse 7), have joy again (verse 8), and that God will no longer see his sin (verse 9). David knows that God is able to accomplish all of these things in his life, and he prays that God will do so, since he has confessed and realized how sinful he is.
If we simply just remove sin from our lives, we are more likely to commit that sin again if we don’t fill its place with something more beneficial. So, David asks God to give him a pure heart, so that his intentions will be renewed (verse 10). We must be cleansed and forgiven before we can come before God, but when we then have a pure heart, we can maintain that relationship with God. This transformation is radical, and God needs to “renew” our hearts to make it happen. Sin is so bad that God can’t just put a band-aid on it, but instead we need a whole new heart, one that has not turned away from God in disobedience.
David knows that he needs God’s Spirit to remain in his life to help guide and direct him on the right path, the path that can overcome future temptations (verse 11). David also asks God for a “willing spirit” (verse 12) so that he will be following God’s ways out of joy and not obligation. He wants to want to follow God, not just to follow God and obey Him because he knows he should.
Now that David has confessed his sin and repented of it and God has cleansed him and given him a new heart, he praises God and recommits his life to Him in verses 13-17.
First, David realizes that others who have sinned need to go through this same process of confession and renewal that he has gone through. He says in verse 13, “Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you.” David knows that he can help others overcome their sin and receive God’s grace and forgiveness, so he commits to teaching them.
Next, David praises God in verses 14-15: “Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, you who are God my Savior, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise.” David knows that he doesn’t deserve the grace and mercy that God has shown him, so he praises God for delivering him.
Out of this gratitude, David comes to a point of deeper commitment to God in verses 16-17. David knows that God doesn’t really want animal sacrifices, but that He wants our hearts to realize our sinfulness and our dependence on Him for His grace. That is the sacrifice that God wants from David and from us as we follow Him.
Finally, in verses 18-19 David puts his sin in perspective of the nation of Israel. David desires that the nation of Israel also confess her sins to God so that she may be restored and experience God’s grace. David shows this in the imagery of the walls of Jerusalem needing to be rebuilt after they have been broken down, knowing that God can restore Jerusalem both physically and spiritually.
Where have you sinned in your life and are in need of God’s grace? It may be a “big” sin like David’s sins of adultery and murder or a “little” sin like telling a small lie - but all sin is sin in God’s eyes. We must confess each and every sin we commit, truly be sorry for them, and ask God for His forgiveness to restore us to a right relationship with Him. We need to have God create pure hearts inside of us so that we are more resistant to temptation when it comes again. When God does that, which He will because He always fulfills His promises, we need to praise Him for what He has done and teach others about it as well. I encourage you to pray Psalm 51 as you confess, repent, and experience the wonder of God’s grace in our life!
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