Psalm 51:1–11 (NKJV) 1 Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your loving kindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me. 4 Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight— That You may be found just 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 inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom. 7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Make me hear joy and gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice. 9 Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Psalm 51 is labeled: A Prayer of Repentance.
This is a Psalm of King David (around 1000 BC) after the prophet Nathan confronted him for committing adultery with Bathsheba and arranging to have Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah the Hittite, to be killed in battle (instructing his soldiers to abandon Uriah while he was on the front lines) in order to cover up her pregnancy.
2 Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king’s house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold. 3 So David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone said, “Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” 4 Then David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her, for she was cleansed from her impurity; and she returned to her house. 5 And the woman conceived; so she sent and told David, and said, “I am with child.” (2 Samuel 12:2-5, KJV)
You are probably familiar with the saying, “Be sure your sins will find you out.” (Numbers 32:23) That happened to David. He was caught. He was confronted. He could have followed after his predecessor King Saul. Ignore God and do your own thing. Live your life by your own rules.
But David repented.
He cries out (Psalm 51:1-9): Have mercy upon me, O God…Blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin…I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight… Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow… blot out all my iniquities.
David Provides a Model for True Repentance
We do not know how many times King David sinned. We do not know how many times he committed similar sins in his lifetime. Was his cry for mercy a one-time event? Or, did he continually pray to God for forgiveness?
What we do know it God’s Mercy is a Mystery.
Not to be doubtful toward God in any way, but how many or how much of my sins will His mercy cover? God knows my heart. God watches over my life. God knows every time I sin and even my premeditated sins. God knows when those sins keep me from communicating with him. God knows when I am most vulnerable to sin. God knows my heart completely.
People and even some Christians live their lives as if God doesn’t exist. Yet God knows us even better than we know ourselves.
How well do we know another person?
People only know of us what we chose to reveal to them. That is one thing that makes life scary. The possibility that one may house hidden secrets. Even more scary that those hidden secrets create harm to another person(s).
But with God there are no hidden secrets.
Jesus said: Luke 12:2 (NKJV) 2 For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.
So, I live my life knowing that God knows everything about me—as God does each of you.
Where does God’s mercy kick in?
We live in a sinful world where we are exposed to sin every moment of the day. Not just our own sins but the sins of those around us. We read about sins every day in the news. We see people sin, without remorse, in today’s social media, gossip columns, and celebrity lifestyles. Many of today’s news (especially celebrity news) focuses on who’s in a relationship with who, or “who’s sleeping with who?”
And while the world sits on the edge of the seat absorbing this “gossip,” it’s not likely these sins will be remembered in the way that we remember King David’s sin. For one, King David’s sin wasn’t kept secret but imagine having committed a sin only for it to be documented in the best selling book of all time and read by millions of people for over 3,000 years. As long as the Holy Bible remains in print, people will continue to read about David’s sin. Whereas, the “published” articles and media we see about other’s sinful acts in today’s news…well, lucky for them, “yesterday’s news is today’s wastepaper” (Notting Hill).
And while we might publish thosands of news articles about the sinful acts of others, it’s unlikely that another text will be published at the level of the Holy Bible. Celebrity’s can rest assured, their sins won’t be printed to last 3,000 years in the future. The main reason, there are just too many people committing the same sins at the
Conclusion
Psalm 51 is an example for repentance, showing David’s transition from a sinner attempting to hid his actions to a broken king seeking God’s restoration. The psalm reflects that while Nathan declared God had forgiven him, the king still felt the weight of his sin upon his shoulders.
Psalm 51 is an “iconic” scripture for Ash Wednesday because it provides the ultimate biblical template for repentance and spiritual renewal. During this 40-day journey of self-examination, we use this psalm to set the pace for this season through the following connections:
- Repentance: Psalm 51 is one of the seven Penitential Psalms and emphasizes a “broken spirit” and a “contrite heart” as the only sacrifices truly acceptable to God.
- Reminder: We start this season with Ash Wednesday. The ash reminding us we are “dust,” symbolizing human frailty and the need for God’s “abundant mercy” to blot out transgressions.
- Renewal: Psalm 51:10, Create in me a clean heart, O God” is a prayer many of us have said during this season. This verse uses the Hebrew word bārā’ (to create), the same word used in Genesis for God creating the world, which suggests only a divine act can provide the fresh start needed for Lent.
We are reminded all throughout the Psalms of God’s everlasting loving kindness, love, and mercy that endures forever. We can be sure of God’s mercy as long as we are willing to repent with a sincere heart. To assure us of a sincere heart we keep in our prayers the words of David, Psalm 51:10-11:
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Cover photo citation: Louis Joseph le Lorrain, 1715-1759, “King David Kneeling in Penitence,” George F. Porter Collection. https://www.artic.edu/artworks/34668/king-david-kneeling-in-penitence
Adapted from Rev. Dr. Dennis Alan RobertsFulbright, 2014.
