Psalm 51 offers a powerful example of genuine repentance. profound sin.
God’s forgiveness is available and freely given to those who humbly seek Him,
regardless of the severity of your sin.
The more that we know about the author of this Psalm, David, the better we will
understand it. David, is one of the most important people of the Old Testament.
King David had a humble beginning as a shepherd boy. David is known as a great
warrior. David was also a skilled musician.
After King Saul and his son Jonathan died in battle, David became king of Israel,
first over Judah and then uniting all the tribes under his rule.
Many of the psalms are attributed to David who despite being known as “a man
after God’s own heart”, had the propensity to sin.
Psalm 51:
For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to
him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.
1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your
great compassion blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I know my
transgressions, and my sin is always before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge. 5 Surely I was sinful
at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
6 Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that
secret place. 7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be
whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. 9 Hide
your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.
This psalm highlights the importance of a heart that is deeply remorseful and
sorrowful for wrongdoing, God’s mercy, and the transformative power of
confession and forgiveness that leads to personal healing, strengthened
relationships, and spiritual growth, serving as a model for believers today.
Psalm 51 is a prayer of deep repentance. It reveals God’s great love through
several key aspects:
- God’s boundless mercy and compassion.
- God’s desire for genuine inner transformation.
- God’s power to restore and renew.
- God’s acceptance of a broken heart genuinely seeking forgiveness and
reconciliation.
Psalm 51 shows that God’s love is not limited by sin or brokenness. God offers
forgiveness and restoration to those who repent and seek His grace.
You may have unconfessed sin in your life, big or small, that you can’t seem to
let go of. You may be asking the question, “What do I do with my sin?”
Psalm 51 is God announcing from the hills, “I will make your darkest sin whiter
than snow, your greatest emptiness full of my Holy Spirit.”
It is important that you know the back story of what compelled King David to
write Psalm 51. God will take your worst sin and turn it for His best.
2 Samuel 11:1-15 tells us that it is ‘in the spring, at the time when kings go off to
war …David remained in Jerusalem when he should have been off to war.
The Bible tells us that David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of
the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. When you choose to be in
the wrong place you are likely to get into trouble.
Here are several examples of being in the wrong place at the wrong time: - For someone who is recovering from alcohol addiction, going to a bar can
be a significant temptation for you to drink. - If you are someone who is tempted to overeat, going down the snack aisle
of the grocery store makes it much harder for you to resist. - Surfing the internet and you are engaging in activities where you are likely
to be exposed to pornography in the hidden place of your home, it can be
hard to resist. - Or you are wrestling with God when He wants to be first place, and you
continue to put work over His call on your life. - And there are many other examples that could be listed.
Sin is subtle. It is very sneaky in how it gets your attention. Being in the wrong
place for King David caused him to sin.
The woman was very beautiful and David gazed upon her. King David lusted upon
Bathsheba.
David sent someone to find out about her. Then he sent messengers to get her.
She came to him, and he slept with her.
When our eyes go where they shouldn’t then you are likely to act upon it to sin.
When you act upon sin, it will only take you to more sin.
King David also sinned in that he plotted to take Bathsheba. He coveted Uriah’s
wife and suddenly he had committed the sin of adultery.
We learn that Bathsheba sends word to David, saying, “I am pregnant.”
Immediately David plots the cover up. David encourages Uriah to go home,
hoping that he will go home and be with his wife, Bathsheba, and then Uriah will
think that he got her pregnant.
Uriah felt it would be wrong to be with his wife when his men were on the
battlefield. Uriah says he can’t go home as he must go back to war.
It’s not enough that King David had violated a married woman, committed
adultery, and lied to a loyal friend, now he makes the decision to murder Uriah.
David writes a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah saying to “Put Uriah out in
front where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck
down and die.”
The next day, Uriah takes his own death to Joab. David betrays Uriah with the
sentence of death in order to cover up his sin.
Bathsheba mourns the appropriate days for Uriah’s death, then King David calls
for her, and they are married.
2 Samuel Chapter 12 informs us that the Prophet Nathan, with humility and love,
confronted David privately of his sin using a parable about a rich man who stole a
poor man’s lamb.
The story closely resembled David’s actions with Bathsheba and Uriah, which
caused David to realize the gravity of his actions and that he was dirty in the eyes
of God.
If you don’t know you are dirty, you have no idea that you need to be cleaned.
Nathan’s parable exposed David’s abuse of power and his exploitation of those he
was meant to protect, leading to David’s confession.
It reveals the depth of David’s brokenness after his sin with Bathsheba and the
murder of her husband, Uriah, and his plea for cleansing and restoration.
God is immediately ready to forgive us when we ask, but there is the ramification
of the sin. The consequences of sin can be powerful, but, God’s forgiveness is
ever more powerful.
Psalm 51. Now I am going to unpack this prayer from King David expressing his
deep sorrow for his sin, his desire for cleansing, and his hope for a renewed
relationship with God.
For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to
him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.
Verse 1: 1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according
to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.
King David is asking God to blot out his sins, in heaven and before God, meaning
to blot them out, white them out, just like they never happened.
God’s forgiveness is not earned but freely given out of the abundance of His
lovingkindness, a love so vast it can cover even the most serious sins.
Verse 2: 2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
David knows his sin is twisted, perverted, falling short, missing the mark of God’s
loving kindness. David knows he has sinned greatly. David grieves over his sin
against God.
God’s love goes beyond merely forgiving the outward actions, seeking to
transform us from the inside out.
Verse 3: 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.
David acknowledges his sin. David realized that he had sinned, not just once, but
many times.
Verse 4: 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.
David said ‘Against you, you only, have I sinned.’ Not true. David sinned against
Bathsheba, Uriah, others, and even against himself.
David was focusing on his sin against God, because he knew the root of his actions
was his rebellion against God’s will, thus causing harm to others.
David was in a state of unconfessed sin. He never escaped this awareness. He
could always remember his sin before God.
Maybe you haven’t murdered or committed the sin of adultery, but you need the
same forgiveness.
Verses 5-6: 5 Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother
conceived me. 6 Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me
wisdom in that secret place.
David was not trying to excuse his sin. He is saying that he was born in the nature
of a stubborn attitude, with a heart bent towards sin.
All humans are born of a sinful nature. Look at precious little children as an
example.
Children as beautiful as they are; and how innocent that they are, we all know:
- They all know how to lie.
- They are selfish.
- They know how to act up, scream and cry, unless of course, they are with
their grandparents.
Verse 7: 7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be
whiter than snow.
David knows that he could be washed clean. He knew his sin was deep and that
he could be forgiven. David spoke with the voice of faith!
In the Old Testament, hyssop was used in various purification rites such as
sprinkling blood or water to cleanse individuals, particularly after sickness or sin.
While the literal use of hyssop was physical, David’s plea is for spiritual cleansing.
David is yearning for cleansing that only God can provide, foreshadowing the
ultimate cleansing that would come through the sacrifice of Jesus, whose blood is
represented by the sprinkling of the hyssop.
Verse 8: 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
David felt the conviction of the Holy Spirit crushing his soul. This statement is a
metaphor for the emotional spiritual distress he was experiencing.
He is describing the weight of his sin, to that of having his bones crushed,
symbolizing profound suffering.
It is important to take responsibility and to be honest. Stop making excuses so
even the bones that God has broken will praise the Lord.
When we experience God’s forgiveness, we experience relief from the burden of
guilt and sorrow, thus is the joy and gladness that comes from God.
God’s love has the ability to mend brokenness and restore us to fellowship with
Him, even after serious sin has damaged our relationship.
Bring your sin to the Lord.
Verse 9: 9 Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.
David is pleading with God not to look upon his sins with condemnation. This
verse uses the metaphor of erasing a record, or wiping the slate absolutely clean
to express the desire for complete forgiveness. He is asking God to remove all
traces of his wrongdoing.
God’s love embraces us in our vulnerability and brokenness, valuing genuine
remorse and repentance.
This Psalm is a plea for forgiveness and restoration, written at what was perhaps
the lowest point of David’s life.
Psalm 51 shows that God’s love is not limited by sin or brokenness. God offers
forgiveness and restoration to all who will repent and seek His grace.
I am living proof of God’s grace and forgiveness. I can relate to King David and his
plea for mercy in Psalm 51.
There was a time in my life when I was walking in rebellion to God and I was
absolutely miserable, to the point that I didn’t want to live anymore. I was
depressed and hopeless.
In my mind, “My sins were unforgivable” and “I could never stop sinning”, lies
that I had convinced myself of as I continued to walk in rebellion to God.
I was destined to keep on sinning. I had tried to change over and over, only to fall
backwards. It seemed that I just couldn’t change.
I remember the day when I publicly confessed and repented of my sin,
acknowledging my need for God’s mercy. I remember going forward to pray at
the altar. I like to say “If there was a way to see what God cleaned out of me that
day; that the altar would have been completely full of my sin.”
My past behaviors had had a negative impact on my life; and my choices had
affected others around me including my relationships with them.
On May 23, 1993, I prayed for God’s mercy and forgiveness and instantly God
restored my joy, and His transforming power changed my heart, mind, and soul.
That day God gave me victory over my past. He allowed me to experience
freedom from my bad habits that I had lived with from the age of 13 years old to
If you would like to hear more of the details of my salvation story, I am always
willing to share. I am not proud of my past, but I must never forget who I once
was before Jesus. I live with a grateful heart with every breath that I take. I know
IF God could rescue me, then there is absolutely no one outside of His reach.
The Bible defines sin as the transgression or violation of God’s law.
Sin is stepping outside the boundaries defined by God’s Word, and missing the
mark.
There are two types of sin:
- Sins of commission
- Sins of omission
Sins of commission, are actively doing something God forbids such as lying,
stealing, gossip, and pride. Sins of commission include any action, thought, or
attitude that is contrary to God’s law.
The book of James, says the sin of omission happens when someone knows what
they should do, but they don’t do it, there is a lack of action, a neglect of duty, or
a failure to fulfill your responsibility.
Today, the Holy Spirit is speaking to your heart, about your small hidden sin, or
your big public sin, just as the Prophet Nathan spoke to King David.
Let me tell you something, there is no sin hidden from God’s eyes.
The difference between a thriving Christian and an apathetic Christian is true
repentance.
If you mess up, say something that you shouldn’t say, or do something that you
shouldn’t do, be fast to repent. I promise you, your Father is fast to forgive.
Psalm 51 reminds us God’s grace is sufficient to cover even the most grievous
sins. By faith in Jesus, you can be confident that God will forgive and restore you.
It doesn’t matter what you’ve done, and it never will. Bring it to Jesus. God’s
amazing love and forgiveness is available to all.
Psalm 51 points us to Jesus.
- Jesus is the one that cleanses His church, you and me.
- Jesus is the one that was never born with sin.
- Through Christ’s sacrifice, the forgiveness and restoration sought in Psalm
51 are made possible.
Today we are going to participate in Holy Communion. We will wait to take the
elements together at the very end of this explanation.
God’s grace is freely given through Christ, despite our sinfulness.
In the Church of the Nazarene you do not have to be a member of the church to
take communion.
Everyone is invited to take communion, with the understanding that this is an
invitation for you to examine yourself before the Lord.
Are you in a right relationship with Christ? Are you coming to the Lord with a
“broken and contrite heart”? If so, please come now with true humility and faith
as we partake of this holy sacrament.
Perhaps today, you are wondering if you can come because of a sin that is in your
life. You just heard the message of God’s forgiveness of King David because he
chose to ask God for His forgiveness.
God knows your heart. If you desire to repent of your sin, and to ask Jesus to
come live in your heart, to transform your heart, please come forward now, and
participate by partaking in this holy sacrament of the Lord’s Supper.
The body of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was broken for you, preserve you
blameless, unto everlasting life. Take and eat this, in remembrance that Christ
died for you.
The blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was shed for you, preserve you
blameless unto everlasting life. Drink this, in remembrance that Christ’s blood
was shed for you, and be thankful.
Let us pray:
“Dear God, we thank You for Holy Communion, the Lord’s Supper, in which we
have received the body and blood of your Son, Jesus. We thank You for the
forgiveness of our sins. Please strengthen our faith. We ask that You will fill us
with Your Holy Spirit, empowering us to be faithful in sharing the Good News of
Jesus Christ. Guide us each day, help us with our words and actions so that we
bring glory to You always. We love Your Lord. In Jesus Name we pray, Amen.”