Psalm 51

Tonight we are going to talk about the Psalms of Lament.

Specifically Psalm 51.

Now what is a Lament Psalm? A Lament Psalm usually lays out a troubled situation to the Lord asking him for help. When the read the Psalms this comes in a variety of different ways. Most of us can relate to the these Psalms because we have experienced them in our own lives.

Psalm 51 comes after an event in Davids life.

2 Samuel 12:1–14 ESV

1 And the Lord sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had very many flocks and herds, 3 but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him. 4 Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.” 5 Then David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, 6 and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.” 7 Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. 8 And I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more. 9 Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. 10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ 11 Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. 12 For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.’ ” 13 David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. 14 Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the Lord, the child who is born to you shall die.”

Really this prayer can be broken down to two parts…

A prayer for cleansing from sin. AND a prayer for restoration.

The Psalm starts out with a powerful statement.

Have mercy on me, O God. David is crying out for the Mercy of God, and he does this in such a way where he is petitioning to God based on God’s character.

He is saying have mercy on me O God according to your steadfast love, according to your abundant mercy.

With him saying those things he’s asks blot out my transgressions. In our context we can think about Colossians 2:14.

Colossians 2:14 ESV

14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

And in this Psalm he asks him to go beyond that blotting out. He says wash me throughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin!

This washing and cleansing comes from the ceremonial system…

Exodus 19:10 ESV

10 the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments

Numbers 19:19 ESV

19 And the clean person shall sprinkle it on the unclean on the third day and on the seventh day. Thus on the seventh day he shall cleanse him, and he shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and at evening he shall be clean.

And this washing would be needed to come into God’s presence.

So this Psalm begins to shift in Verse 3 Where David owns up to his sin.

Psalm 51:3 ESV

3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.

He recognizes his sin. ( When the people sang this Psalm they could relate to David because of their own sin )

And David says..

Psalm 51:4 ESV

4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.

This does not mean David has not sinned against others because he has, but the one who we ultimately sin against when we sin is God as we saw back in 2 Sam 12:13.

2 sam 12:13

2 Samuel 12:13 ESV

13 David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die.

He goes on to say this in verse 5.

Psalm 51:5 ESV

5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.

There is debate on what that means, such as did’s David mom commit sin in his conception, and I do not believe that is what he is saying, rather sin has been an issue from the beginning because he has a sinful nature.

Genesis 8:21 ESV

21 And when the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, the Lord said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done.

After he confesses his own sin he moves back to God.

Verse 6.

Psalm 51:6 ESV

6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

David is getting to the heart of matter. That God has taught him all he knows, and he knows God can do this work in him.

So he says in verse 7.

Psalm 51:7 ESV

7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Hyssop is a plant of hairy leaves and branches used in the ceremonial cleansing.

and David says Wash me whiter than snow.. Thats a pure washing.

Look at verses 8 and 9.

Psalm 51:8–9 ESV

8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. 9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.

David is turning this moment of sin into restoration which is what the rest of the Psalm is eluding to.

Verse 10

Psalm 51:10 ESV

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

Notice the first words… Create. ( make a new beginning )

in David. What does David want a clean heart.. And a renewed spirit. ( That is what restoration looks like. ) Clean heart renewed spirit.

v11

Psalm 51:11 ESV

11 Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.

( David was definitely led by the Spirit, but did not have the indwelling of the Spirit like believers today )

v12

Psalm 51:12 ESV

12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.

Remember part of this Psalm is about restoration.

( The importance of continued joy in our salvation )

v 13 is another turn in this Psalm. This restoration leads to some things…

Psalm 51:13 ESV

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.

Restoration to teach others about God. Forgiven people love to teach about how to be forgiven.

v 14

Psalm 51:14 ESV

14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.

2 Samuel 12:9 ESV

9 Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites.

Forgiven people sing!

v 15..

Psalm 51:15 ESV

15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.

Forgiven people praise God.

v16 and 17.

Psalm 51:16–17 ESV

16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

This is more of a matter of the heart than anything else. In Gods way of sacrifice one must sacrifice animals to God, however one was to do it with the right heart.

David had his share of all that he wanted, and he knew that his heart is what God truly wanted.

v18-19

Psalm 51:18–19 ESV

18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; build up the walls of Jerusalem; 19 then will you delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar.

Psalms, Volume 1 Plea for Restoration of Zion (51:18–19)

MAKE ZION PROSPER. For the first time in this psalm the theme of Zion enters the picture (51:18). The picture presented here—of the broken walls of Jerusalem being rebuilt like the broken and contrite heart of the psalmist—is one that stands contrary to the Davidic context presumed in the heading. The concern expressed for the rebuilding of Jerusalem has the effect of adapting this individual plea for deliverance to the circumstance of the exilic Jewish community, while the mention of Zion links Psalm 51 back to 50:2 and 48:2, 11–12. As the psalmist seeks through confession and contrition to stimulate the restoration of right relationship with God, so the exilic community sought through the words of this psalm to confess their sin and to lay the groundwork for the restoration of the sacrificial system, through which they had known continued forgiveness, renewal, and communion with their covenant God, Yahweh.

Righteous sacrifices. While the emphasis of the original psalm is on the transparent congruity of an inward relationship to God that validates one’s outward acts, it may well be that the exilic community read those verses about the spiritualizing of sacrifice as indicative of their own situation, where temple ritual was precluded because of its destruction. The hope expressed at the end of the psalm, then, is that with the restoration of the walls of Jerusalem and the temple itself, “righteous sacrifices”—sacrifice consistent with the picture presented in Psalms 50 and 51—will once again be offered and be acceptable to Yahweh.

Note how these final verses respond to the earlier statements of 51:16–17 by utilizing the same terminology in the context of restoration. In 51:16, Yahweh does “not delight in sacrifice,” nor does he “take pleasure in burnt offerings.” By contrast, however, in 51:18–19 it is Yahweh’s “good pleasure” that will lead to the restoration of Jerusalem and his “delight” in “righteous sacrifices” and “burnt offerings.” In this way the exilic community reaffirms their understanding that it is the inner attitude of sin that invalidated the sacrificial system of Israel and led to the demise of the kingdom in exile. It will be renewal of the inward life of repentance and faith that will restore the covenant community in its relationship with God.

What can we learn from this Psalm?

Several things.

The importance of correcting sin.. Look at what Nathan did…

Sin is to be confessed before others.

we all have a sin nature.

God is a God of grace.

We need forgiveness of sin.

Not repenting damages are walk with God.

The worst thing about sinning is you are sinning against God.

Wisdom comes from God.

We need atonement.

10. Forgiven people lead others to Christ.

11. This Psalm shows us repentance.