A Truly Repentant Heart: How David Dealt With Sin (Part 3)
For I was born a sinner -- yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.
But you desire honesty from the womb, teaching me wisdom even there.
Purify me from my sins and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me -- now let me rejoice.
Don't keep looking at my sins.
Remove the stain of my guilt.
Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Psalm 51:5-10 (NLT)
David, "the man after God's own heart" struggles for the restoration of his relationship with God.
The relationship has been tarnished by his sins and his spiritual life is a wreck. The spiritual wreck is affecting his entire being. He is troubled and sleepless.
There are some valuable lessons to note:
First: As David pleads his case with God, he traces his sin to the very source: "For I was born a sinner -- yes, from the moment my mother conceived me." It is almost as if David is reminding God that he has been helpless from the womb. David admits that he has absolutely no claim to righteousness on his own. Even as a newborn baby, he was thrust into the world as a sinner! He wanted God to remember that and show him mercy.
It is important to remember as we deal with our sinfulness, that the original sin of Adam and Eve awaits us in this fallen world. We were born in sin and delivered into a sin-infected world. Without the grace of God, sin will always continue its stifling hold on us. The words of Paul are instructive here: "For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do -- this I keep on doing.
. . . Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Romans 7:18-25). We must remind ourselves that we were born in sin and that we need the grace of God continually.
Second: David pleads with God: "Purify me from my sins . . . wash me . . . Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me -- now let me rejoice. Don’t keep looking at my sins; remove the stain of my guilt." This is a reminder that the momentary pleasures of sin compare in no way to the pain and lack of joy that is the aftermath of sin. We must desire the pure joy that comes from an untainted relationship with God over and above everything else.
Third: David pleads with God to cleanse his heart of every filth and create a clean heart in him. He is asking God to create a loyal spirit within him -- a spirit that will yearn to honor and please God; not gravitate toward self-satisfaction.
The reality of sin cannot be treated lightly. It takes away our joy; tarnishes our relationship with God and our fellow humans. We must do everything we can to appropriate the grace of God to keep us in steadfast righteousness so as to avoid the agony of sin's consequences.
The relationship has been tarnished by his sins and his spiritual life is a wreck. The spiritual wreck is affecting his entire being. He is troubled and sleepless.
There are some valuable lessons to note:
First: As David pleads his case with God, he traces his sin to the very source: "For I was born a sinner -- yes, from the moment my mother conceived me." It is almost as if David is reminding God that he has been helpless from the womb. David admits that he has absolutely no claim to righteousness on his own. Even as a newborn baby, he was thrust into the world as a sinner! He wanted God to remember that and show him mercy.
It is important to remember as we deal with our sinfulness, that the original sin of Adam and Eve awaits us in this fallen world. We were born in sin and delivered into a sin-infected world. Without the grace of God, sin will always continue its stifling hold on us. The words of Paul are instructive here: "For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do -- this I keep on doing.
. . . Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Romans 7:18-25). We must remind ourselves that we were born in sin and that we need the grace of God continually.
Second: David pleads with God: "Purify me from my sins . . . wash me . . . Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me -- now let me rejoice. Don’t keep looking at my sins; remove the stain of my guilt." This is a reminder that the momentary pleasures of sin compare in no way to the pain and lack of joy that is the aftermath of sin. We must desire the pure joy that comes from an untainted relationship with God over and above everything else.
Third: David pleads with God to cleanse his heart of every filth and create a clean heart in him. He is asking God to create a loyal spirit within him -- a spirit that will yearn to honor and please God; not gravitate toward self-satisfaction.
The reality of sin cannot be treated lightly. It takes away our joy; tarnishes our relationship with God and our fellow humans. We must do everything we can to appropriate the grace of God to keep us in steadfast righteousness so as to avoid the agony of sin's consequences.
Prayer: Lord, I thank you that in the life of David, I see my own depravity. Thank you that I am able to learn from him the path to genuine restoration of my relationship with you when I fall in sin. Please help me to steadfastly pursue righteousness at all times. Amen.