There is no better emotional release than to be truly forgiven!
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[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]The Power of Forgivness
One of my wife’s favorite Psalms is Psalm 51. She just loves the sentiment, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” Millions have read and identified with this heartfelt human need to reconnect with God after the separation induced by our sin. Yet, I’ve been told that hell will be filled with people who never got right with God because they felt their sin was too great to be forgiven. Sin can become a burden far too heavy to carry if we don’t know how loving and forgiving our God is.
In the case of Psalm 51, it might help to know the circumstances that brought the author to write these words. I find that knowing the context can deepen the impact and broaden the meaning. It helps us not only to remember the verse but to apply the message. And that principle is especially true of this Psalm.
Two Parallel Psalms
When preparing to write this blog, I discovered that Psalm 51 has a parallel in Psalm 32. Both are written by King David, and both deal with the guilt brought by a horrible sin he committed. Psalm 51 deals with the raw guilt and shame David faced before he confessed his sin to God. Psalm 32 is more joyful as David praises God for His love and forgiveness. And here’s the first thing you need to know about Psalm 51: David might never have written it if he hadn’t been confronted by his own son, Nathan, who knew one of David’s darkest secrets. For over a year, David lived with the knowledge that he had committed adultery with another man’s wife and then arranged to have her husband killed so David could marry her. Perhaps David felt (as many do) that it was too great a sin to expect any forgiveness from God. I shudder to think what would have happened if Nathan had not intervened. But thanks to Nathan’s intervention, David was able to muster the courage, sincerity, and humility to come to God and come clean with his guilt. In the opening verse of the Psalm, David pours out his anguish as he finally comes to grips with what he has done:
“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.” (Verse 1)
David’s words need to sit for a moment in our brain… He acknowledges that God’s love is steadfast, and His mercy is abundant. The supply of both is unlimited with God. Then, David’s plea for mercy is immediately followed by a plea to be washed clean of the inescapable feeling of being dirty because of what he has done:
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin!
3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
Can you relate? Sin makes us feel dirty if we have any conscience at all! And, as Psalm 32 expresses, the longer we wait to deal with it, the worse things get:
3 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
A conscience is a horrible, yet also a wonderful thing! It reminds us of when we are not right with God, and it will not rest until we “renew a right spirit within” us. Psalm 32 was written sometime after Psalm 51. By the time it was written, David could rejoice and say, “1Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” But in Psalm 51, David has to face God and deal with the agony and reality of what he has done. After he has begged for mercy and a thorough cleansing, David confesses his deep guilt, not only for his actions, but even more for his lack of respect and reverence for His God (Psalm 51):
3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight,
Although I think Uriah (the husband David had killed) might disagree, with this statement, this is where David laid it all out there – being real and transparent before God. And he relates the results in Psalm 32:
5 I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah[1] 6 Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found;
David discovered forgiveness and acceptance (both from God and of himself) as a result of his sincere confession. Both Psalms serve as a platform for David to both praise his God for His loving mercy and to share with his audience how they, too, might experience forgiveness.
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- Psalm 51:13: “Then I (David) will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you.“
- Psalm 32:8: “I (God) will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.“
So, what is David (and God) trying to teach us through these psalms about getting right with God? I think there are five lessons:
- Don’t wait: Don’t let your “bones waste away” while you wallow in your guilt. It never gets better! One year, one day, one hour is too long.
- Be Honest: Some think Psalm 51 has a contradiction in that verse 16 says, God “will not delight in sacrifice,” yet verse 19 says, God does “delight in right sacrifices!” David is teaching us that it is the attitude of our heart that matters! God knows the difference and “delight(s) in truth in the inward being!” (Verse 6)
- Make it a Heartfelt Confession: Notice that not once in either psalm does David mention specifics, yet he knows that God knows what he has done and what is on his heart. When your heart is laid bare before God, words don’t matter.
- Seek Renewal: David’s request to be cleansed contains three ways that were deeply symbolic to the Jews:
- To be “purged with hyssop” is to use the plant that was used to paint blood on the doorsteps of the Israelites during Passover.
- His request to “Create in me a pure heart…“ uses the Hebrew word bara, which means to create something out of nothing (like Genesis 1:1). David knows his heart cannot be repaired without a supernatural act of re-creation by God.
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- Finally, David’s request to “take not your Holy Spirit from me” is based on a fear that God will do to him what he did to Israel’s first king, Saul. Taking away the Holy Spirit would be the ultimate separation from God.
- Trust God: to “restore to me the joy of your salvation,” and “renew a right spirit within me.” These are outcomes that are only possible when you trust that God loves you and will forgive you.
So, my friend, is there anything holding you back from getting right with God? Trust Him and follow David’s example. You will not be disappointed!
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[1] Although the exact translation of the Hebrew word “Selah” is obscure, in this context. It most likely means something like “Amen!” or “Praise the Lord!” – an enthusiastic addition to the statement “you forgave the iniquity of my sin.”
