PSALM 51 (Part 1)
1 "Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity And cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I know my transgressions, And my sin is ever before me. 4 Against You, You only, I have sinned And done what is evil in Your sight, So that You are justified when You speak And blameless when You judge. 5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me. 6 Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom."
As we look and think about the first several verses of Psalm 51 we notice, along with King David, some important truths about us.
First we can each say, “I desperately need God’s mercy and cleansing” based on verses 1-2. To what did David not appeal? He did not appeal to his goodness, works, or merit. But rather, he asked for God’s mercy and compassion so that he might be forgiven. How do people usually deal with their sin? Some flaunt it—no shame but celebration. Others will try to run away from it or hide it. Sometimes this means self-medication through alcohol and/or drugs. Or it could be getting into an unhealthy relationship. Still others will try to diminish it, saying at least I am not as bad as my neighbor or friend or co-worker. But this best we is to confess it before God and seek His forgiveness in Jesus. How do you deal with your sin? What did David try at first? He tried to hide his sin but covering it up. This led him into further and greater sin. Then what? God had the prophet Nathan convince David of his sin through law: “You are the man!”
Second, we can also each say, “I know my sin…and it is bad” based on verses 3-6. Against whom did David sin? There is a list: David sinned against Bathsheba, her husband, Uriah, against other soldiers who were killed in battle. David also sinned against God. David confessed that he sinned against God, and God alone. How could he say that? Ultimately and in comparison, all sin is against the infinitely holy, Triune God. In verse 5 we see one of many passages that teaches the doctrine of original sin—that is we each have a sinful nature from the beginning of our life because of the sin we inherited from our first parents. David said, “in sin did my mother conceive me.” We was not teaching the marital act between a husband and wife is sinful, but that we each have a sinful nature from the beginning of our life. The sin that we commit in thought, word, and deep is the fruit of our sinful.
Last, we can also each say, “My only hope is in God’s salvation—the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross in my place” based on verses 7-12. We will look more at this next month. But for now we remember that our ongoing struggle with temptation and sin is a continual reminder of our need for salvation and for a Savior—Jesus—our substitute.
Pastor Dave Nelson
