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Repentance And Reconnection
This is a wonderful, powerful and perplexing psalm. The back story is that King David has been confronted by Nathan the prophet and exposed as a delusional sinner who misused his kingship to eliminate one of Israel’s most loyal military commanders, Uriah, just to cover David’s adultery with Uriah’s wife (2 Samuel 11 – 12:24). David’s actions are horrendous. His behaviour is atrocious, but his repentance is real and deep. By penning this psalm, David goes public with his confession of sin and his plea to God for restoration. He is not hiding his actions or his guilt. He cries out to God to cleanse him, wash him, and create a new heart within him.
The perplexing part of the psalm centres around the words at the top of the devotion. On the one hand, this seems blatantly untrue. David has seduced Bathsheba, killed Uriah, compromised the nation, and brought untold trouble to his family for generations. On the other hand, David owns his guilt towards God, first and foremost, not because he has been found out or because of the consequences. This owning up to and coming to God defines David’s heart. David reconnects to God, His love, and His mercy and says, ‘My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart.’ God, who ‘desires truth in the inward parts’ (v6 NKJV), loves David’s repentant attitude and restores him to begin to walk a different path. And yes, there were consequences.
As you read this psalm in the light of your journey, what do you think you could do to please the heart of God?
Written by JOHN SCOTT
Want more? Check out the Real Hope Conversations Podcast and delve deeper into our conversation about The Psalms of David. Available wherever you listen to podcasts.
About this Plan
King David truly was a ‘hero of the faith’ – the only person mentioned more in scripture than him was Jesus Himself. He was, however, far from perfect. In his life, he was confronted by many challenges, some of his own making, some through no fault of his own, but despite all this, he stayed faithful till the end. In this plan, we’ll explore together five of the psalms David wrote throughout his life. How did King David navigate the seasons of joy, trouble, and the immense difficulty he came across? What insights can we draw from David’s life that could impact our own?
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