Heart of a Psalmist - Worshipping Christ Through The Psalms

PSALM 51: CREATE IN ME A CLEAN HEART Forgiveness and New Birth

This psalm is the grandest in the personal prayers of David as he openly confesses his guilt in com- mitting adultery with Bathsheba and murdering Uriah, her husband. David falls upon the mercy of God and relies completely on the Lord to not only forgive and remove his sin but to give him a new nature. It is the most revealing confession of sin in the Bible; we see the man after God’s own heart as he is to- tally broken by the weight of his transgressions and we experience the depth of God’s tenderness as he forgives, cleanses and restores. The New Testament process of being born again is displayed in the most intimate of terms. It is the first of the ‘Elohimic’ psalms of David as this exalted name for God is mentioned 5 times in the song. Its three main divisions are often divided in further measure:

I REPENTANCE- 1-6 II RENEWAL- 7-15 III RESTORATION- 16-19

INTRODUCTION:

“For the choir director: A psalm of David, regarding the time Nathan the prophet came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.”

The arrival of the newest ‘Psalm of David’ was probably a much-anticipated event in the nation of Israel. Imagine the effect this ‘new release’ must have had upon the adoring nation, their beloved king had just confessed to a scandalous affair and the crime of murder. The mistakes he made and the process of his sin are recorded in 2 Samuel 11-12. David let down his guard and did not go with his troops to war. “But David stayed behind in Jerusalem. Late one afternoon David got out of bed after taking a nap and went for a stroll on the roof of the palace. (1 Sam. 11:1,2) “…he noticed a woman of unusual beauty taking a bath.” ( 11:2) The sin was not in seeing her but in continuing his lustful observation. He inquired further when he should have avoided any contact. “He sent someone to find out who she was…” ( 11:3) He verbalized his interior sin by propositioning her. “Then David sent for her; and when she came to the palace, he slept with her.” ( 11:4) The process of sin documented in James came to pass: “Temptation comes from the lure of our own evil desires. These evil desires lead to evil actions, and evil actions lead to death.” (Jms. 1:14) When David learned that she was pregnant with his child he tried to arrange a marital visit be- tween Uriah and Bathsheba. Uriah would not sleep with her as long as his soldiers were at war in the land of Ammon. David instructed his general Joab to arrange a battlefield murder: “Station Uriah on the front lines where the battle is fiercest. Then pull back so that he will be killed.”(1 Sam. 11:15) Though no one except Joab knew what had happened the Bible says: “But the Lord was very dis- pleased with what David had done.” God sent Nathan the prophet to confront David with his guilt and he prophesied to the King: “Because of what you have done, I,… will cause your own household to rebel against you. I will give your wives to another man, and he will go to bed with them in public view…Then David confessed to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the Lord.’”(1 Sam. 12:11-13) Nathan assured David that God had forgiven him and that he would not die for this sin but his child conceived by Bathsheba would die. So now the great psalmist of Israel tunes his harp to the deepest recesses of his sinful heart; the pen of his soul touches his darkened conscience, the broken man cries to a holy God.

I REPENTANCE - 1-6

David approaches God appealing to three great attributes: • Mercy- “Have mercy on me, O God,” (v.1) This precious characteristic is the only access to a perfectly holy God. “All praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Father of every mercy…”(2 Cor. 1:3)

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