Living FaithfullyMostră

Repentant Faith  

After God made David king and established a covenant with him (2 Sam. 7), David fell into sin. He failed to go out and fight as a king should. Instead he committed adultery with Bathsheba. To cover his sin, David had Bathsheba’s husband killed (2 Sam. 11). Several months later, Nathan the prophet confronted David with his sin, and David was smitten at the core of his being. He poured out his heart in a prayer of repentance, recorded for all of us to use—Psalm 51. 

He begins by crying out to God for mercy, asking that his transgressions be blotted out and his iniquity be washed away. David says that his sin is always hanging before him. One of the things we notice about ourselves as Christians is that our sins come back to haunt us. If only we could forget some of the deeds we have done. Perhaps it was impossible for David to walk on top of his palace without being reminded that it was there he decided to take Bathsheba. How could he ever write another military order without remembering how he ordered Uriah to be placed in the front lines and be slain? 

David then says that his sin was against God alone (Psalm 51:4). He had sinned against Bathsheba, against Uriah, and against the nation. But ultimately it is true that all our sins are primarily against God. David wandered from God; everything else was simply a consequence. 

David’s sin shows that God is right about human nature. God had judged humanity guilty of sin, and had stated that human beings are sinful when they are born (Lev. 12), even when they are conceived (Lev. 15:18). His sin as proof, David says to God “you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge” (Psalm 51:4). David knows sin not just theologically but experientially. He knows that sin is powerful and destructive. 

David asks for restoration. In his sin, he knows that he cannot draw near to worship God. “If You will take away my sin,” he pleads, “then I can offer bulls on Your altar” (Psalm 51:7–19). David doesn’t just want personal relief from guilt. He also wants and needs a renewed spirit and the joy of salvation.

Coram Deo  

When we sin, sometimes we sink into self-hatred and despair. This is not faith. Psalm 51 tells us to cry out to God when we sin, clinging to Him and asking Him for forgiveness and restoration. The remedy for sin is not despair but faith. Seek renewal in personal worship today.