Grace and Mercy of the Lord(2)

Experiencing David’s Challenges

<norhk yv O.ormov;ivn

“or2a-ov;ivnnyr Tavi;i Hyd

Psalm 51

The Psalm has four major parts: an appeal, then confession, a prayer of restoration, finally a revolutionary approach to Sacrifice. (Verses 18-19 were added later when Israel was in exile.)

2. The confession

Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
and blameless in your judgment.
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
and in sin did my mother conceive me. (4-5)

David’s sinful condition brought him on his knees acknowledging who God is.

“Against you, only you I have sinned.” Why is he addressing God? Didn’t he sin against a whole family?

In Hebrew, sin literally means to miss the mark.

He missed the mark first of all by not going to the war.

He missed the mark when he destroyed a family, a marriage.

He missed the mark when he did not act like a king and misused his royal position.

Most importantly, he missed the mark when he lost his peace with his Maker God.

He missed the mark when he cut off the father-son relationship he had with God.

3. Prayer for restoration:

David uses four words to describe his sin. We move on now to the center of this psalm where David pushes the limits of how God will deal with a sinner. He finds more than twenty metaphors about being cleansed from sin. He pushes the limits of the God’s grace.

A. Cleanse me

Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,
and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.(6-7)

In Lev. 14:6-7 we read how the leper would use hyssop in a ceremony cleansing from leprosy. David finds himself unclean like a leper. He needs purification. “Purge me, purify me, wash me, make me whiter than snow.” This concept is new. Later Isaiah used it in his prophecy. (Isaiah 1:18)

David is asking for more than washing; he wants to be delighted inwardly. He wants God’s wisdom to penetrate his inner being. He wants that broken relationship to be restored; he does not want to miss the mark; he needs God’s wisdom in his heart.

B. Restore the Joy

Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.(8-9)

David has lost his joy. David the musician, the poet, has lost that inner gladness which came from God. He is urging God to restore his joy; he finds himself shameful of his sin. He urges God to hide His face from his dirty life. Moreover, he asks God to erase (bolt out) all his sins. He is pushing God’s grace more and more.

C. Recreation

Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me. (10-11)

The third line, “cast me not from your presence” is a tough one. David knows how Saul was cast out from God’s presence. David finds his sin so wicked that he deserves the same punishment as Saul. Yet he is urging, praying to God to give him a new chance, a new creation, a new birth. Creation is God’s job. God created everything from chaos. The word used here for create is bara, a very important word. David is using the same word. David is asking for more. He is not asking just patches of maintenance of his heart; he wants a new heart, a clean heart full of the presence of God.

Apostle Paul says: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Cor. 5:17).

I look at my life and I see how many times God recreated in me new heart. How many times I was fallen and He created a new beginning for me.

D. His joy is contagious

Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.

Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.(12-13)

He repeats the idea of restoring the joy that once he had. It is not any joy; it is the joy of SALVATION. He finds that without that joy and peace, he cannot teach, he cannot witness to others, he cannot be a king. He cannot be the missionary in the world helping the sinner to find God.

Again, think of your life. How can you be a testimony to others when your life is devastated and not restored? Therefore every day, you can ask God to restore the joy, so you can be filled with His presence.

4. A revolutionary approach to Sacrifice. (14-17)

For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.(16-17)

Normally, the completion of the thanksgiving vow consisted of two parts: a poetry and then animal sacrifice. The animal sacrifice used to have an important role for cleansing, forgiveness and restoration.

Here is another bomb that is dropped. David cannot live in hypocrisy. He is wondering what is the use of doing ritual sacrifices without a broken heart. Animal sacrifice was the center of their worship. David is not against it, yet he challenges the ritual when the sacrifice is not done with a proper heart. For him the proper way starts by sacrificing one’s heart first.

Christ, the final and only sacrifice did it all for us. He was the last sacrifice for humanity. He became the sacrifice, so we can participate in this by surrendering to Him with broken and contrite hearts. Only then, he will recreate in us a new heart and spirit.

I don’t know where you stand this morning?

Maybe you have not committed the same sins David did.

Yet, we all sinned, and fell.

Without a broken spirit, there will not be recreation, restoring the joy of salvation through Jesus Christ. Without broken spirit there will no place for the Holy Spirit to transform our lives.

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.  (Gal 2:20)

amen