Psalm 51 - A Sinner's Plea

INTRODUCTION:

Interest:

This may come as a shock to you, but over the 31 years that I have been married to my wife, there have been times when I have wronged her. I have said things that have offended her. I have done things that hurt her. I have ignored important things that should have been handled. And so forth. I have wronged her in different ways. And when I have done those various things I have had to seek her forgiveness. Thankfully, the fact that our marriage has passed the 31-year mark demonstrates that she has forgiven me many times.

Involvement:

Marriage requires the seeking of forgiveness…and the same is true to an even greater degree regarding our relationship with God. Over and over we have wronged our holy God; we need to seek His forgiveness.

Context:

Our psalm this morning is well-known, Psalm 51. The superscription over it tells us that this psalm was written by David following his sin with Bathsheba. Second Samuel chapters 11 and 12 tell us of this sordid event: David saw Bathsheba bathing, lusted after her, sent for her, committed adultery with her, and ultimately arranged for the murder of her husband, Uriah, to try to hide his sinful actions. Eventually, David was confronted by the prophet Nathan and admitted his sin. The superscription tells us that David wrote this psalm when Nathan came to him, but we should remember that the superscriptions are not part of the inspired text. Careful observation of the psalm reveals that David could not have written this psalm when Nathan confronted him, but rather at some time later when he looked back on that overall event and contemplated all that had occurred during that time. Not only did David contemplate the event for his own benefit, but under inspiration he placed this poem into the care of the sanctuary so that it would become a song that would serve the entire nation; the whole community benefited from David’s contemplation.

Preview:

Of course, most of us probably know that what David contemplates in this psalm is the complete forgiveness that he found in God. Yes, God took the life of the baby that was born through his immoral relationship with Bathsheba as a consequence of his sin, but David was forgiven. His relationship with God was restored and he was even given another son, Solomon, with Bathsheba after he legitimately took her as his wife.

The reason that this is such a well-known psalm is because we all need forgiveness at various times in our lives as well. We all sin repeatedly against our holy God. As much as we wish it were not the case, our sinful nature gets the upper hand at times and causes us to commit sins that we thought we could avoid. Such times leave us discouraged and guilt-ridden. Such times leave us needing the message of this psalm: We will find complete forgiveness when we truly seek it from God.

This psalm is so well-known because it ultimately provides the one message of hope we need when sin has us in its clutches: We will find complete forgiveness when we truly seek it from God.

This morning, as we work our way though this psalm, we are going to break it into four sections. In each section there is an important truth that we can learn along with a couple of details about that truth.

Application

Now, I will say at the outset that this psalm is written for believers. It assumes the foundation of a covenant relationship with God is already in place. For us in our NT age, that would mean that this psalm is specifically speaking to Christians, men and women who know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. I know that is not true of some of you here in this room this morning. I don’t know who is listening over the live-stream this morning, but it may be that some of you do not have a personal relationship with Jesus as well. If that is the case in your life this morning, let me note two things: 1) Remember, I said this psalm is a message of hope. It can be a message of hope for you this morning because the place you need to begin to have hope in your life is with the truth we find in the first section of this psalm. 2) I would love to talk with you directly about how the truth of the first section applies to you and how you can come to experience the truths that we will see in the other sections as well. Hope is available to you because forgiveness is available for you. Forgiveness comes through Jesus Christ. Send me an email at the address showing on the screen and I will certainly connect with you. I would love to explain how the hope offered in this psalm of David flows through the Person and work of Jesus Christ.

Transition from introduction to body:

We will find complete forgiveness when we truly seek it from God. In the first six verses of the psalm, the truth that we find is that…

BODY:

I. All we can do in sin is cry out to God, vv. 1–6

There are many things that this book teaches us that we should do before sin; things that will help us avoid falling into sin. There are also things that we should do after sin, some of which we will even see this morning. But when we are in sin, all we can do is cry out to God.

Lets read the first 6 verses of our psalm…<read Ps 51:1–6>.

All we can do in sin is cry out to God. That is what David had done when his relationship with God had been damaged by the great sin that had entered his life. He gave up trying to hide it. He gave up trying to cope with it. He gave up his own efforts to deal with his sin entirely and cried out to God.

Application

We need to recognize that when we are in sin, the same is true for us: all we can do in sin is cry out to God.

Transition:

In the first two verses, a point that applies to this truth is that when we do cry out to God,…

A. We must cry for mercy, vv. 1–2

“Be gracious to me, O God,” or as most of our English versions translate it, “Be merciful to me, O God.” This is a cry that we find David using in other psalms such as ps 56, 57, and 86. The plea that he makes is for divine favor coming from one who knows that he has no claim on that favor because he deserves condemnation for his actions.

But notice, David grounds his cry in the nature of God rather than in his personal worth. God is a God of lovingkindness—that is that familiar Hebrew word hesed that speaks to God’s covenant loyalty. For all of his unworthiness, David knows that he still belongs to God because he is in a covenant relationship with God that was established by God. God will be loyal to His covenant. He also bases his cry on God’s compassion, knowing that God is a God of great compassion.

Because of who God is, David dares to ask God to “blot out” his sin...to wipe it away like scraping crud off a cloth. He asks God to “wash” him “thoroughly,” like a foul garment that needs to be washed and washed.

Illustration

David’s situation reminds me in a fashion of a time when I was a teenager. My dad allowed me to take his relatively new pickup to a youth group activity at a nearby farm so that I could haul a volleyball net system there for the evening. During the volleyball game the pickup was parked near the play area so some of kids decided to sit on the roof of the pickup to watch the game. The problem was that the roof wasn’t strong enough to hold their weight and it collapsed, denting in in several places. The roof really looked almost as if the truck had been rolled. There was nothing I could do to make it right. All I could do was to look for mercy from my dad based on the relationship that I had with him.

Transition:

All we can do in sin is cry out to God. That must begin with a cry for mercy. We must also, secondly,…

B. We must cry in confession, vv. 3–6

David clearly knows what he has done; he says that it is ever before him. Furthermore, he knows that his sin is ultimately against God. In verses 3 and 4 David uses three synonyms for sin in order to emphasis the seriousness of his actions. Think about it. He had committed adultery with Bathsheba. He had arranged for the murder of her husband, Uriah. But his sin was ultimately against God. No matter how much he has sinned against others, the reality of the situation was that he had rebelled against the righteous requirements of a holy God and that wrong far exceeded all others. So what does he do? He confesses it fully. He lays himself before God.

Now, I want to make a couple of quick clarifications about verse 5; David writes, “I was brought forth in iniquity and in sin my mother conceived me.” First of all, David is not saying anything against his mother or the process of conception which brought him into the world. Likewise, David is not excusing his guilt saying that he had no choice regarding sin because he is a sinner. Rather, he is noting that he has acted sinfully because he is a sinner which heightens the distance between himself and God. Not only has he sinned, he is a sinner. That combination creates an infinite gap between himself and a holy God. All he can do is confess that gap; he must depend on the infinite God to bridge that gap.

Application

What a joy it is to live on this side of the cross, to know that our infinite, holy God has bridged that infinite gap between us as sinful sinners and Himself as infinitely holy. God bridged that gap through the coming of His own holy Son who died for us sinful sinners. Faith in Jesus bridges this infinite gap. Faith in Jesus, though, begins with confessing our sinful state to God. Faith in Jesus continues by confessing our sinful actions to God.

Transition:

All we can do in sin is cry out to God. That is the truth of the first six verses. We must cry for mercy and in confession.

In verses 7–12, we find a second truth for when we are in sin,…

II. All we can do in sin is ask for full forgiveness, vv. 7–12

When we cry out to God in our sin, we are going to the One from Whom we can ask for full forgiveness. Let’s read the next verses together…<read Ps 51:7–12>.

Transition:

All we can do in sin is ask for full forgiveness. That is the main truth expressed in these verses that we just read, but again, this idea can be clarified by two points. First of all, asking for full forgiveness requires that…

A. We must ask for cleansing, vv. 7–9

In verses 7 and 9, David repeats the request to “wash” and “blot out” that he lodged in the first two verses. Add in the idea of being purified with hyssop and we see that he is praying that the Lord will cleanse him from his defilement, much like the OT priest provided cleansing through the sacrificial system.

You may recall from our series through Leviticus that the OT system was designed by God to teach the nation about certain distinctions about what was required to enter the presence of God. Only that which had been declared holy could be brought before God, but to be declared holy required a process of cleansing and sacrifice. The system taught that sin defiled and had to be removed through sacrifice. The problem for David, though, was that this system only handled inadvertent sins; not what were considered high-handed sins. Sins such as David had committed that required premeditation, adultery and murder, did not have an offering that could be offered to remove their guilt. All David could do was ask God for direct intervention on his behalf. There was nothing that he could do through his own efforts.

Application

It is so important that we remember this when we bring our sin before God. The cross, even more than that the OT sacrificial system, has demonstrated that there is nothing that we can do to remove the guilt of our sin. We need direct divine intervention. At the same time, we need to remember that direct divine intervention has already occurred; Christ has died for our sins. We can throw ourselves before God asking for cleansing because the process required to provide that cleansing is complete. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” That is the message of the cross that allows us to ask for cleansing as part of full forgiveness!

Transition:

We must ask for cleansing as part of asking for full forgiveness. That request must be coupled with a request that also includes renewal;…

B. We must ask for renewal, vv. 10–12

David has so eloquently expressed the crushing effect of sin in this psalm. But he also recognizes that full forgiveness brings renewal, so he asks for such. He asks God to do another creative act—to create a clean heart within him. He asks God to restore his joy, joy in his salvation. He asks God to allow him to again hear joy and gladness as part of his daily life. He is asking God to give him the experience of a complete emotional change, a completely different outlook on life, that comes as a result of knowing he is forgiven.

Application

Folks, if we do not experience renewed joy and gladness in our lives, then we have not experienced full forgiveness. If we truly ask God for forgiveness in Christ we will be forgiven; that is guaranteed by the promise of God. But we should not be content with the objective fact of forgiveness; we should desire the subjective experience of forgiveness—the joy that comes from really understanding that everything it right with the holy God of the universe.

Illustration

I don’t know if you have had this experience, but there have been occasions in which I have wronged Grace when I have asked her to forgive me and she has told me that she has while things have still felt tense. I don’t doubt that she has forgiven me, but my actions have hurt her and I know that she is still feeling the pain of that hurt. What a difference in my emotional experience when she comes over and wraps her arms around me, holds me tight and says again that she forgives me. At that moment I know that our relationship is fully renewed.

That is what we must ask for from God, a renewal of our joy when He gives us the experience of full forgiveness.

Transition:

All we can do in sin is ask for full forgiveness. We ask for cleansing and we ask for renewal as part of full forgiveness.

We have now seen two truths of what we can do when we are in sin. These truths result because we know that We will find complete forgiveness when we truly seek it from God. Having experienced full forgiveness after his great sin, David also contemplates what happened after he was forgiven. In verses 13 and 14 we learn that…

III. All we can do after sin is share God, vv. 13–14

Read with me…<read Ps 51:13–14>.

Transition:

Having experienced the forgiveness of God, all we can do after sin is share God. David makes that point with two quick verses. In verse 13 we see that…

A. We must share forgiveness, v. 13

Illustration

FaceBook tells us every day which of our friends are having birthdays. This week both Pastor Aaron and Liz posted on FaceBook that they were celebrating their 10-year wedding anniversary…congratulations, by the way. Why do we put these kinds of things on FaceBook? Because we want others to share the joy that we are experiencing.

The same thing is true of forgiveness. Having experienced how wonderful it is, David wants to let others have similar experiences as well. For that reason, he wants to “teach transgressors God’s way” after he is forgiven. He wants to see sinners converted into forgiven believers.

Application

As one commentator expressed it, one who has experienced a deep sense of his own sinfulness, the forgiveness of God, and the restored joy of communion with God shows concern for others. Do you have that concern for others? An experience of God’s redeeming grace creates an urge to tell others where they can find it themselves. We want to teach others what they need to do to be right with God. In NT language, a deep sense of what Christ has done for us should naturally cause us to share Christ with others. If you don’t have that concern for others, then you really have not experienced the fullness of forgiveness yourself; you do not comprehend the depths of your own corruption from which Christ has redeemed you.

Transition:

All we can do after sin is share God. We must share forgiveness—Christ—with others. Secondly,…

B. We must share joy, v. 14

For David, forgiveness of his bloodguiltiness—a term that describes the guilt that comes through the shedding of innocent blood; David is not sugarcoating what he did at all—forgiveness of such sin has resulted in joyful praise flowing from him. Praise is the appropriate response to divine deliverance.

Application

Analyze yourself. If you know Jesus as your Savior and you are still a Gloomy Gus or a Melancholy Mary, then there is something wrong. Having experienced forgiveness, our normal disposition should be joy. Joy that we cannot help but share with others.

Transition:

All we can do after sin is share God. That means that we must share both forgiveness and joy.

In the final verses, we find one more truth of what happens after we are forgiven,…

IV. All we can do after sin is worship God, vv. 15–19

Let’s pick up once more in verse 15 and read the rest of our psalm…<read Ps 51:15–19>.

Not only will we share the joy of our forgiveness with others, we will also share the joy of our forgiveness with God; we will worship God.

Transition:

In verses 15 through 17 we see that…

A. We must worship personally, vv. 15–17

David commits himself to praising God with his lips. He commits himself to worshipping God with a devoted heart, one that is broken and contrite, humble rather than proud. Now, just to be clear, David is not indicating that he will not offer sacrifices in verse 16, it is clear from verse 19 that he will still engage in sacrifices. What he is indicating in verse 16 is that he knows that outward actions such as offering sacrifices without the right inward heart disposition are meaningless. Worship must begin with a personal heart of humility and praise.

Application

Is that your heart this morning? Recognizing the death of Christ as the basis of our forgiveness should produce great humility in our hearts and praise from our lips. Does that describe you this morning?

Transition:

All we can do after sin is worship God. That begins as at a personal level. We must worship God personally. But it must continue to a corporate level;…

B. We must worship corporately, vv. 18–19

As the king, David recognized that his sin affected the entire nation. In a similar fashion he realized that his forgiveness affected the entire nation. Beyond that, though, he understood that the entire nation could learn from his experience; the nation could learn to emulate his penitence that culminated in his worship. He could lead the nation to worship God corporately by reflecting on God’s gracious forgiveness.

Application

And we should have a similar goal ourselves. We gather every Sunday to celebrate God’s forgiveness in Jesus Christ. We gather every Sunday to worship God for the renewed relationships we have with Him through Christ. We gather every Sunday to joyfully proclaim our shared union with Christ. And the key point is, we gather for these things. Corporate worship is the joining of our hearts and voices in praise to our God for the forgiveness we have experienced in Jesus Christ and the joy that comes as a result. Forgiven sinners must worship corporately.

Transition from body to conclusion:

All we can do after sin is worship God. This is done both personally and corporately.

CONCLUSION

What a wonderful psalm. It expresses so clearly that We will find complete forgiveness when we truly seek it from God.

Even more than wronging our spouse damages our relationship as husband and wife, sin affects our relationship with our holy God. Yet as we have seen this morning, we need not despair. We will find complete forgiveness when we truly seek it from God.