Prayers of Repentance and Confession
Psalm 51:1-4, 10-12, 15-17
SS Lesson for 10/06/2024
Devotional Scripture: 2 Cor 7:5-11
Today’s lesson comes from Psalm 51, a lament psalm. This type of psalm focuses on the psalmist’s remorse, confession of sin, and request for forgiveness (compare Psalms 6; 32; 38, etc.). The psalm’s superscription attributes authorship to King David. Psalm 51 was composed after a particularly heinous and tragic series of events in his life, as the superscription notes. The psalm endures as a model for confession, restoration, and praise. These events are recounted in 2 Samuel 11-12 and occurred while David was king (1010-970 BC). While David stood on the roof of his palace, he saw a woman bathing (2 Samuel 11:2-3). This woman was Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, one of David’s fighting men. David sent for her, slept with her, and made her pregnant (11:4-5). To conceal his actions, David tried to convince Uriah to sleep with her so that Uriah would think he caused his wife’s pregnancy (11:6-13). However, David’s schemes failed, and Uriah refused to sleep with his wife. As a result, the king resorted to having Uriah killed in battle (11:7) and marrying the now-widowed woman (11:27a). David’s sinful actions “displeased the Lord” (11:27b). Therefore, the Lord sent the prophet Nathan to convict David of his sin. Rather than blatantly expose the king’s sin, Nathan used a parable—a short story—to uncover it. This parable presented two characters: a poor man who owned a beloved lamb and a rich man who owned many flocks of sheep. The parable described how the rich man took the poor man’s precious lamb, killed it, and prepared it as a meal for the traveler (2 Samuel 12:1-4). The rich man’s unjust treatment of the poor man infuriated David (12:5-6). Nathan then revealed the parable’s point: King David was like that rich man (2 Samuel 12:7). Although the king was exceedingly wealthy and powerful, he took that which was not his to take; he “struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be [his] own” (12:9). Upon hearing Nathan’s words and being convicted of his sin, David confessed of his wrongdoing and proclaimed, “I have sinned against the Lord” (12:13).
O Lord, open my lips, And my mouth shall show forth Your praise
(Scriptural Text from the New King James Version; cross-references from the NIV)
1 Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; 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.
21 They made me jealous by what is no god and angered me with their worthless idols. I will make them envious by those who are not a people; I will make them angry by a nation that has no understanding. 22 For a fire has been kindled by my wrath, one that burns to the realm of death below. It will devour the earth and its harvests and set afire the foundations of the mountains. 23 "I will heap calamities upon them and spend my arrows against them.
7 The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord; they forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs. 8 The anger of the Lord burned against Israel so that he sold them into the hands of Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram Naharaim, to whom the Israelites were subject for eight years.
19 Joshua said to the people, "You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. 20 If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you." 21 But the people said to Joshua, "No! We will serve the Lord." 22 Then Joshua said, "You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the Lord." "Yes, we are witnesses," they replied.
25 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. 27 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
8 God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. 9 He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith.
1 Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.
22 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
13 Only acknowledge your guilt — you have rebelled against the Lord your God, you have scattered your favors to foreign gods under every spreading tree, and have not obeyed me,'" declares the Lord. 14 "Return, faithless people," declares the Lord, "for I am your husband. I will choose you — one from a town and two from a clan — and bring you to Zion. 15 Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding.
4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Selah 5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord" — and you forgave the guilt of my sin.
5 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.
27 Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,
9 if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the Day of Judgment, while continuing their punishment.
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.
12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
17 I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things have I given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you.
2 He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart
6 Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.
7 Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.
9 Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them. 10 Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, when he said to me, "Assemble the people before me to hear my words so that they may learn to revere me as long as they live in the land and may teach them to their children." 11 You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain while it blazed with fire to the very heavens, with black clouds and deep darkness.
10 Then Moses commanded them: "At the end of every seven years, in the year for canceling debts, during the Feast of Tabernacles, 11 when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God at the place he will choose, you shall read this law before them in their hearing. 12 Assemble the people — men, women and children, and the aliens living in your towns — so they can listen and learn to fear the Lord your God and follow carefully all the words of this law.
15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly. 16 Gather the people, consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather the children, those nursing at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber.
19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,
19 The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.
1 Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. 2 The Lord has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations. 3 He has remembered his love and his faithfulness to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Your praise.
16 For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite hear, these, O God, You will not despise.
17 I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.
7 I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.
6 Praise be to the Lord, for he has heard my cry for mercy.
1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship.
12 When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, "Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus." 14 When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, "The Lord's will be done.
3 For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4 they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. 5 And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will.
18 Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. 19 Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud.
12 Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
8 He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
Verse 1
David appealed to God (Elohim) to cleanse him because of His loyal love and compassion. This is the first of David’s psalms in which he addressed the Lord as Elohim, possibly reflecting the distance he felt from God as Yahweh. [Note: Merrill, "Psalms," p. 433.] He knew he did not deserve the Lord’s forgiveness nor could he earn it. Divine pardon comes to sinners by His grace alone. He asked God to blot out the record of his transgressions, namely, sins that go beyond the limits that God has established for conduct.
In this penitential individual lament psalm (cf. Psalms 6, 32, 38, 102, 130, , 143) David confessed the sins he committed against Bathsheba and Uriah. It is a model of confession that has become popular with God’s people. Since we all sin so often and need to confess frequently, this psalm is a help and comfort to us all.
Psalms 32 proposed the need to confess sin, and Psalms 51:5 of that poem is a brief statement of confession. But Psalms 51 moves closer to "the center of the crisis of alienation" [Note: Brueggemann, p. 98.] and gives us a model of confession. In it, David did not utter one word of excuse for the sins he had committed, nor did he seek to tone down the gravity of his offenses or blame others for what he had done. [Note: Armerding, p. 96.]
The title explains the situation out of which this psalm arose (2 Samuel 11).
Verse 2
The biblical writers often compared a person’s deeds to the clothing he wears because that is what other people see when they look at us. David asked God to wash away his iniquity (moral evil) like dirt that was on his garment (behavior). Cleansing is a term that comes from the tabernacle ritual. Those who came into God’s presence to worship and serve Him had to be clean. David correctly viewed his sin (falling short of what God requires) as making the worship and service of a holy God impossible.
"In the Jewish society of that day, to wash and change clothes marked a new beginning in life (Genesis 35:1; Genesis 41:14; Genesis 45:22; Exodus 19:10; Exodus 19:14), and David made such a new start (2 Samuel 12:20)." [Note: Wiersbe, The . . . Wisdom . . ., p. 191.]
Verse 3
About a year had passed between David’s sin of adultery and the time when he acknowledged his guilt. We know this because Bathsheba had given birth to the child she had conceived illegitimately when David confessed his sin (cf. 2 Samuel 12:13-18). David’s sin had been on his mind for many months. Evidently he had hardened his heart and refused to admit that what he had done was sinful. Perhaps he had tried to rationalize it somehow.
Verse 4
David had finally come to the place where he was willing, not only to call his sin what it was, but to admit that it was sin against God primarily. Obviously he had sinned against Bathsheba and her husband, but David rightfully admitted that the worst thing he had done was offending God. He made no attempt to blame God for what had happened but took full responsibility himself. He acknowledged that his Judge was guiltless and that he was guilty. Taking personal responsibility for our sins is an important part of true confession.
"To say ’Against thee, thee only, have I sinned’ may invite the quibble that adultery and murder are hardly private wrongs. But it is a typically biblical way of going to the heart of the matter. Sin can be against oneself (1 Corinthians 6:18) and against one’s neighbour; but the flouting of God is always the length and breadth of it, as Joseph saw long before (Genesis 39:9)." [Note: Kidner, p. 190.]
"Once we understand that no sin is against a fellow human being alone and that all sin is transgression against God, we will no longer treat it so lightly." [Note: Merrill, "Psalms," p. 433.]
Verse 5
The king went on to confess the depth of his sinfulness. He had been a sinner from the time he came into existence as a human being, namely, at his conception. This is one of the strongest indications in the Bible that human life begins at conception rather than at birth (cf. Psalms 139:13-16). He viewed sinful acts as the fruit of a sinful nature, not as the product of his environment or the situation that had triggered his acts. This verse does not mean David felt free of personal responsibility for his actions. He felt responsible, as is clear from his statements in the context.
Verse 6
David also realized that God wanted him to be completely honest, not just to offer a sacrifice. He needed to get his heart right with God. His confession had to be genuine rather than the superficial repetition of some words. Wisdom in the Old Testament refers to living life in the light of God’s presence and revelation. God wants people to be completely honest with Him and to deal with reality. David acknowledged this.
Verse 7
Again David pleaded for purification and cleansing (Psalms 51:1-2). In Israel, the priest sprinkled animal blood on the altar with a hyssop branch. This ritual symbolized cleansing by sacrificial death (cf. Hebrews 9:22). If God would wash David morally, he would be thoroughly clean.
"Cleansing in Scripture is twofold: (1) of a sinner from the guilt of sin-the blood (hyssop) aspect; and (2) of a saint from the defilement of sin-the water (wash) aspect. Under grace the sinner is purged by blood when he believes (Matthew 26:28; Hebrews 1:3; Hebrews 9:12; Hebrews 10:14). Both aspects of cleansing, by blood and by water, are brought out in John 13:10; Ephesians 5:25-26 . . ." [Note: The New Scofield . . ., pp. 624-25.]
David’s prayer for restoration included requests for God’s forgiveness (Psalms 51:7; Psalms 51:9), a renewal of his joy (Psalms 51:8), and a heart of wisdom and full restoration to divine favor (Psalms 51:10-12).
Verse 8
This verse is a request for renewed joy. "Joy and gladness" indicates deep joy. David’s fractured relationship with God pained him as much as a broken bone (cf. Psalms 6:2).
Verse 9
The expressions in this verse picture God as a judge removing David’s sins. The psalmist wanted God to put his sins in a place where He would not see them, and to blot out any record of them from His record books.
Verse 10
The psalmist’s petition now turned to thoughts of spiritual renewal. In contrast to his natural sinful heart (Psalms 51:5), David sensed the need for a clean heart. He requested a spirit more faithful to the Lord than his natural spirit (inclination) to depart from the Lord.
Verse 11
Casting away from God’s presence implies a rejection as God’s servant. Saul had suffered such a fate for his continuing rebellion against Yahweh. In Old Testament times God gave His Holy Spirit selectively (to empower only some believers) and temporarily (primarily to empower them for special acts of service). Since the Day of Pentecost all believers enjoy the permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the Church Age (John 14:17; Romans 8:9). Consequently the possibility of God withdrawing His Spirit from David was a real one for him, but it is not for us. [Note: For further study of the ministry of the Holy Spirit in Old Testament times, see Walvoord, pp. 71-73; L. S. Chafer, Systematic Theology, 6:66-79; or Leon Wood, The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament.] It is possible that a Christian may lose his or her opportunities to serve the Lord, however (1 Corinthians 9:27). For example, a Christian who gets involved in gross sin will not lose his or her salvation (John 10:28-29), but he or she may lose the opportunity to serve God in a leadership capacity (cf. 1 Corinthians 9:27).
Verse 12
Again David asked for renewed joy (cf. Psalms 51:8). He had not lost his salvation as a result of his sin, but he had lost the joy of it. The Lord was apparently not delivering him from his present distresses as He had done previously. He also requested a cooperative spirit, one that would cooperate with God and thereby sustain him.
Verse 13
The promises David made in this section of verses gave God reasons to grant forgiveness, so they were indirect requests for pardon. If forgiven, David would show others how God deals with penitent sinners. He would do this as an example, as well as verbally. Then sinners would turn to the Lord for deliverance.
David’s confession of his sins and prayer for inner renewal formed a basis for him to instruct sinners (Psalms 51:13), praise Yahweh (Psalms 51:14-15), and deepen his own commitment to the Lord (Psalms 51:16-17).
Verses 14-15
"Bloodguilt" refers to guilt as a result of killing someone without divine authorization. When God saved him from this guilt and opened his lips by forgiving him, David would joyfully praise the Lord.
Verses 16-17
Third, David promised to sacrifice to Yahweh if God would forgive him. He would offer sacrifices of worship, but he acknowledged that what God really wanted, and what he would also offer, was a different attitude (cf. Psalms 50:7-15; Psalms 50:23). In David’s case, there was no sin or trespass offering that he could present that God would accept. Since he had sinned with a high hand, in rebellious defiance of Yahweh and in repudiation of the terms of His covenant, his sentence was death (Numbers 15:30-31; cf. 2 Samuel 12:9). The only reason he did not suffer this fate was that God pardoned him. The prophet Nathan brought the news of God’s special pardon to David (2 Samuel 12:13). God has already given His promise to pardon the guilt of any New Testament believer for any sin we may commit (1 John 1:9). The basis of this gracious pardon is the work of Jesus Christ on Calvary (1 John 1:7).
(Adapted from URL:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/dcc/psalms-51.html)
Regardless of the sins we may commit, David’s words in Psalm 51 provide us with a model of acknowledgment, confession, repentance, and praise. We first acknowledge our sins and take ownership of our actions. Second, we confess our wrongdoing and repent. Repentance is a crucial and necessary aspect of the Christian life (Luke 5:32), and it pleases God (see Ezekiel 18:23; Romans 2:4; etc.). Through our confession, we are “healed” from the power of sin (James 5:16) and receive forgiveness from God: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Finally, because of our confidence in God’s promises, we praise him for his mercy toward us, demonstrated through forgiveness. When wayward Christians follow this model, they can experience the joy of living in relationship with God, a joy to be shared with others.