With Spring a few weeks off, there is still always a chance for more snow. Though I really don’t like snow, it can look nice right after a snowfall, very clean and white, covering up any spots of dirt we might have in our yards. When we have dirt and spots on our clothes, we throw them in the wash, and use a good detergent and maybe even stain removers. The sooner we get them washed the better, before the stain sets in. We like clean clothes, dishes, and yard, but how about our soul? What can clean that? Our psalm today speaks of the time when King David needed to come to the Lord for a special cleansing.
We don’t know the specific background of many of the psalms, however that is not the case with Psalm 51. As the heading clearly states this psalm was David’s confession of his sin of adultery with Bathsheba (II Samuel 11-12:14). King David had taken and slept with Bathsheba, the wife of one of his chief military officers. When Bathsheba found out that she was pregnant, David had Uriah deliberately killed in battle, and he took her as one of his wives. This was a major, serious sin, and for over a year David tried to ignore it, yet God didn’t. Finally, the Lord sent His prophet Nathan to confront David, and he does genuinely repent of his sins, which this psalm gives evidence of.
In addition to this psalm being a confession of David’s sins, there are several things we can learn from God’s Word here. Let’s look at them. First, we see that David showed repentance from his sins (vs. 3). Repentance includes taking full responsibility for our sin. When we blame someone else for our sin, our repentance is incomplete. We are ultimately the one who chose to sin. Another thing to consider is, are we really asking for forgiveness, or are we just asking to be excused, claiming it wasn’t our fault, that we couldn’t help it, and we aren’t to blame? God’s Word urges us to admit our sin in all of its wretchedness.
As David prayed, he spoke how this sin was against the Lord God (vs. 4). All of our sins are against God. Though others may be involved and certainly affected, like they were with this sin, our sins are against God. All sin is a departure from God’s ways to man’s ways. As such, He is always justified in any actions that He takes, and His judgment is always perfect.
Could David find forgiveness? Though his sin made his spiritual life look hopeless at the time, he turned to God in hope. David brought his sin and pain to the Lord. He asked the Lord to purge him with hyssop (vs. 7). The hyssop of the Bible was a small herbal plant with many small, little branches. It was used by the priests to dip in and sprinkle the blood of sacrifices. If one was sprinkled with the hyssop, it symbolized that one’s sins were cleansed. In the same verse David asked to be washed clean from his sin, washed whiter than snow. That snow I mentioned at the opening can look so white and clean. It can be so bright that if one steps outside and looks at a large expanse of snow in the sunlight, it can be so bright it almost hurts one's eyes! David asked to be cleansed that clean.
Another thing we learn in this psalm is that God is pleased if we come to Him with a contrite heart and broken spirit (vs. 17). That is the sacrifice He wants. We can never please God by outward actions, no matter how good, if our inward heart attitude is not right. Psalm 34:18 says that He is close to the brokenhearted. When we feel the farthest away from God, He is the closest. He does not abandon us at our lowest point if we turn to Him in repentance. One thing we need to remember, though, is that though God can and will forgive us of any sin, He does not always erase the consequences of them. David’s family suffered tremendously because of this sin he committed.
Two more important things we learn in this psalm. One is that when we sin, no matter how grievous it may be, if we are already saved, we do not lose our salvation. David didn’t pray for God to restore his salvation. He prayed for God to restore the joy of his salvation (vs. 12). We do not lose our salvation when we sin, but we can, and often do, lose our joy.
The other thing that we can learn here that we clearly see in verse 13 is that those who have failed God may be restored to the service of the Lord. Many churches will take the genuinely repentant sinner and relegate them to the sidelines, saying they can never serve the Lord again. God did not do that with David, nor did He do that with Peter or many others. Truly repentant sinners who return to the Lord should not be pushed aside for the remainder of their lives, branded a sinner. God still has use for each of His children.
In closing, is there some unconfessed sin in your life that is blocking your fellowship with the Lord? Don’t let it continue. Come to the Lord in repentance, just like David did, and be washed clean, whiter than snow.
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