Psalms of Repentance 30-32; 38-39; 51

The following material is adopted from James’s Montgomery Boice’s 3 volume commentary on Psalms. Additional material from MacArthur Bible Studies, Psalms: Hymns for God’s People. Introductory material from Psalms of Grace, Philip Webb, editor. Additional material taken from sources listed at the end

— These are penitential psalms

— A penitential psalm is one of a group of seven psalms from the Bible that express deep sorrow for sin and a desire for God's mercy and forgiveness. These psalms are often associated with repentance and are used in religious contexts, especially in Christian traditions, to reflect on sinfulness, confession, and the need for God's grace.

— Of these, Psalm 51 (the Miserere) is perhaps the most well-known and is often associated with King David's repentance after his sin with Bathsheba. These psalms are traditionally recited or sung during times of penitence, such as during Lent in the Christian liturgical calendar.

The first lesson of this study focused on the psalms centered on the theme of wisdom (1-4; 37), and the second lesson focused on the psalms rooted in the theme of compassion (16; 19-21; 23; 27). As noted previously, each of the psalms explored in lesson 2 were written by David, and we will continue to explore David’s work in this lesson as we study psalms that lift up the theme of repentance.

David’s public adultery with Bathsheba is perhaps the infamous episode in his life. David already had several wives, but he used his authority as the king of Israel to sleep with Bathsheba, who was also married. When Bathsheba conceived, David attempted to cover up his sin by sending for her husband, Uriah, who was one of his soldiers away at war for Israel. When this cover up failed, David arranged for Uriah to be killed in battle. David then took Bathsheba as another of his wives. But the Lord used Nathan the prophet to expose all of these machinations (2 Sam 11-12).

In this lesson we will export Psalm 51, which was a deeply personal and emotional confession written by King David after the Lord exposed his sin with Bathsheba. Psalm 32 is also believed to be connected with that incident. Having confessed his sin, David reflects on the joy of forgiveness. The remainder of the psalms explored in this section also touch on those critical themes.

Psalm 30

This psalm recounts how Yahweh changes sorrow into joy. He does at times require one’s health. Often there is wrong one night but in the morning, Yahweh makes one have a shout of joy. Even in times when we act proudly, God humbles us but then shows grace as He answers our supplications. He does turn mourning into dancing. These are wonderful demonstrations of His power to reverse things and transform life. This causes the saints to sing and give thanks to Yahweh forever.

A Litany of Uplifting Contrasts

— Psalm 30 is a thanksgiving psalm

— However, thanksgiving psalms are closely related to psalms of lament since thanksgiving psalms are usually an expression of praise to God for having heard a lament

— This is a psalm of thanksgiving for deliverance from a great sickness

— Having been rescued from near death, David not only praises God but calls on others to join him

Psalm 30:5 “For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning.”

— This psalm moves from the emotional crest of praying to God down into a trough of sorrow and then back upward to a crest of praise again

Serious Sickness and Renewed Health

— David talks about “the pit” mean Sheol but he does not say that he has fallen into it

— He has fallen into the depths of the grave, though he is careful not to use the word pit (Sheol), since it would imply that he has died

— What he is saying is that he was on the brink of death

— Verse 1 says “you lifted me out of the depths”

— David chooses a verb which was used of drawing a bucket up out of a well

— He is saying that it is as if God reached down and pulled him out of death’s pit when, apart from God, there was no hope for him at all

— The important point is that God healed David

— In our modern age we substitute secondary causes (science) for the first cause (God)

— When you are sick, pray

— Ask for God’s healing as David does

God’s Anger and God’s Favor

— David asks God’s people to join him in praise (vv. 4-5)

— He asks them to praise God, not merely because God has been gracious to himself but because it is God’s nature to be gracious

— God is indeed displeased with sin but for his people God’s judgments and anger are short-lived

— They pass quickly

— What remains is his favor, which lasts for our lifetimes and indeed forever

Macarthur

(30:5) His anger is but for a moment

— This stark contrast constitutes one of the most worshipful testimonies from Scriptures

— See the principle elsewhere (Is 54:7-8; Jn 16:20-22; 2 Cor 4:17)

The Psalmist’s Sin and His Repentance

— In verse 6 the psalm takes a turn for suddenly the writer is revealing a former sin of self-confidence or pride and apparently linking it to his illness

Psalm 30:6 “Now as for me, I said in my prosperity, ‘I will never be moved.’”

— This may refer to when David counted his army and God sent a plague that killed seventy-thousand men the first day (1 Chron 21:13; cf. 2 Sam 24:14)

— David is thinking of God’s favor and disfavor

— But God is gracious in the bad times too, so that we generally experience more of the good than the bad

— For the believer, even if our miseries should be great here, for reasons known only to God, they will be more than compensated for hereafter

— This is not true of unbelievers; this “hell” will be heaven compared to the judgment yet to come

Personal Grief and Great Joy

— The last set of uplifting contrasts is found in vv. 11-12

— “wailing” versus “dancing”

— “sackcloth” versus being “clothed … with joy”

— The last important contrast is in the last verse

Psalm 30:12 “That my soul may sing praise to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.”

— It is a contrast between singing to God and being silent

— It reminds us how silent many of us are in spite of having received many abundant blessings and deliverances from God

— If we are not speaking God’s praise, it is because our hearts are not full of him

I counsel you to fill your heart and mind with God. Think about him for what he is in himself and for what he has done. And then, when your heart is overflowing with his praise, speak about him to others, as David is doing in this psalm. You will find two things. First, you will find that God delights in such praise; you will be drawn to him even more than you are now. Second, you will find that God uses your praise to attract others and win them to faith, as a result of which you will have even more cause for rejoicing than you do now.

Psalm 31

Psalm 31 reflects on how Yahweh is our refuge in every kind of trouble. This is based upon the character of God who is our refuge, protection, rock, fortress, and strength. He protects us against enemies who regard worthless idols. He is gracious to us in our personal trials, when our strength fails or when we are the object of scorn among others. No matter what the circumstances, our times are in His hand and His goodness is great. For this reason, like saints of old, we should be strong and courageous as we wait on Yahweh. Like the Lord Jesus Christ, we should commit our spirit into His hand.

Rock of Refuge

— “This is a magnificient psalm of confidence “ - has appealed to many Bible characters

— For example “terror on every side” in verse 13 seems to have appealed to Jeremiah and the description of his dangers, since he borrowed it no l ess than six times in his writings (Jer 6:25; 20:3-4, 10; 46:5; 49:29; Lam 2:22)

— In his prayer of repentance from inside the great fish, Jonah quoted the words “those who cling to worthless idols,” from verse 6 (Jonah 2:8)

— The author of psalm 71 quotes the first verses of Psalm 31 as his opening

— Most striking of all, verse 5 seems to have provided Jesus’ words for his last moving utterance from the cross: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46)

Prayer for Help in Trouble

— The first five verses are a prayer for help in trouble

— They are confident since they express a very strong trust in God

— These verses have a theme: God is a “rock of refuge”

— Unquestionably it comes from the years when he was fleeing King Saul and so often found safety in the high rocks of the Judean wilderness

Macarthur

(31:2) bow down your ear to me

— This is a bold “pay-attention-to-my-prayer” demand (cf Ps 102:2)

(31:3) For your name’s sake

— This language resembles that of Psalm 23:1-3, except it now comes packages with prayer requests

(31:5) Into your hand

— This is applied to both the lesser David and the greater David (cf. Lk 23:46)

— Here, it involves the common denominator of trust

— This is a metaphor depicting God’s power and control

An Expression of Trust

— The second section of the psalm expresses trust in God (vv. 6-8)

Psalm 31:6 “I hate those who regard vain idols, But I trust in the Lord.”

— David’s trust is based on what the Lord did in his life

God took note of his trouble and identified with it: God “knew the anguish of [his[ soul” (v. 7)

God “saw [his] affliction” (v. 7) and he came to his rescue

God did not hand him “over to [his] enemies” (v. 8)

God “set [his] feet in a spacious place,” in other words, God was faithful to deliver David from affliction (v. 8)

— The memory of past deliverance bears fruit in present confidence

A Lament

— The heart of the lament is found in verses 9-13

— The best way to understand this is to read the psalm from back to front to understand the cause and effect

— The chief problem (v. 13) is that his enemies have surrounded him

— The kingdom was surrounded by hostile enemies as it is today

— David was scorned by his neighbors and deserted by his friends (vv. 11-12)

— David’s strength failed, his bones and eyes grew weak, and his body was filled with grief

A Further Expression of Trust

— Earlier I said that this psalm moves from the emotional crest of praying to God down into a trough of sorrow and then back upward to a crest of praise again

— In the last section we are in the trough (vv. 14-18)

— Now we are moving up the other side

— David says “My times are in your hands” (v. 15)

— The times of our youth

— The times of our advanced age

— Nothing can come into our life that does not pass through the filter of his “good, pleasing and perfect will” (Rom 12:2)

— Like Paul we can also say, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances” (Phil 4:11)

Praise God for His Help

— In verses 19 and 20 we reach the crest of the wave again

— The last section is a prayer, more specifically an expression of praise to God

— It has appealed to many preachers because of the distinction between

— The goodness that God has “stored up for those who fear[him]”

— The goodness that God has bestowed “in the sight of men”

— The goodness that he has bestowed us is nothing com pared to the goodness of God that others cannot see at all

— It doesn’t compare to those moments of quiet rapture of the soul when we are conscious of the very presence of God

— Or the goodness that we experience in response to believing prayer

Part Two: The Application

— David’s application comes in the last two stanzas

— The second short stanza and the last two verses call upon these same people to love God as well as praise him

— The very last line says “be strong and take heart” which is a way of saying “trust him”

— The practical application amounts to this: Don’t ever lose faith in him

— You can never love God too much

— You can never trust God too much

— But you will do both well whenever you reflect deeply on the degree to which he loved you

Macarthur:

(31:23) Love the LORD: Biblical love includes an attitudinal response and demonstrated obedience (see Deut 6:4,5;10:12; Jn 14:15, 21; 15:10; 2 Jn 6). The assurance of both reward and retribution is a biblical maxim (e.g., Deut 7:9-10).

Psalm 32

David reminds us of the blessing of forgiveness. When sin is concealed, God’s hand of conviction is heavy upon one’s soul. Even one’s body feels the physical effects of this. But in confessing sin, God forgives, provides relief, and becomes the very protection in the time of trouble. Therefore, the saints should learn from David’s insight and repent for many are the sorrows of the wicked, but he who trusts Yahweh is surrounded by lovingkindness. The fact that God forgives and embraces sinners is a cause for rejoicing. It is the truest blessing.

Psalm 32 was classified by the early church as one of seven penitential psalms (the others are Psalm 6; 38; 51; 102; 130; 143). Among these, this psalm and Psalm 51 stand out as confessional giants.

A Great Man’s Great Testimony

— This is a penitential psalm but this might better be called “a psalm of instruction”

— This psalm should probably be interpreted in connection with Psalm 51, which is David’s great psalm of repentance

— David committed adultery with Bathsheba and manipulated the plan of battle in order to have her husband Uriah killed (2 Sam 11)

— Psalm 32 seems to have been written later than Psalm 51, after some reflection

— It may be, as Leupold suggests, the fulfillment of the vow contained in Psalm 51:13 “Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners will be converted to You.”

— The psalm certainly functioned as instruction

— Paul quotes the first two verses in Romans 4 to add to David’s testimony to his own proof that justification is by grace through faith alone (Rom 4:7-8)

A Great Beatitude

— The first stanza (vv. 1-2) expresses joy of the person whose sin has been forgiven

— These verses are another example of Hebrew poetic parallelism

— There are three side-by-side terms for sin

— And three corresponding terms for how God deals with them

— These words cover the entire spectrum of sin, and the wide scope of God’s salvation from it

Three Words for Sin

— The first word for sin is “transgression” (Hebrew, peshah)

— Literally means “a going away”

— “departure”

— or “rebellion” against God and his authority

— This is why Psalm 51 contains the words “Against you, only you, have I sinned and down what is evil in your sight” (v. 4)

— Of course David sinned against Uriah and others

— But foremost we have sinned against God

— The second word for sin is chattath (Hebrew, translated “sin” in verse 1)

— This is nearly equivalent to the Greek word hamartia

— It is an archery term and means to fall short or coming short of the mark

— The third word for sin is “iniquity” (Hebrew, hawon), which means

— “corrupt”

— “crooked”

— “twisted”

The first [word peshah] describes sin in view of our relationship with God. It pictures us as being in rebellion against him. The second word [chattath] describes sin in relation to the divine law. We fall short of it and are condemned by it. The third word [hawon] describes sin in relation to ourselves. It is a corruption or twisting of right standards as well as of our own beings., That is, to the degree that we indulge in sin we become both twisted and twisting creatures.

Three Words for What God Does with Sin

— God does three things with our sin

— He forgives it

— He covers it

— He refuses to count (impute) it against the sinful person

— The first of these words is forgiven, and it literally means to have our in “lifted off” (v. 1)

— John Bunyan captured this well in Pilgrim’s Progress

Just as Christian came up with the Cross, his Burden loosed from off his shoulders, and fell from off his back, and began to tumble, and so continued to do, till it came to the mouth of the Sepulchre, where it fell in, and I saw it no more.

— The second word that describes what God does with our sin is covered

— A strong term taken from the imagery of the Day of Atonement

— The high priest took the blood of the animal and went into the holy of hoes and sprinkled it on the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant

— The mercy seat was the lid or “covering” of the ark

— God dwelt between the wings of the cherubim above the ark, and the broken law of God was contained in the ark itself

— It thus covered the broken law, shielding the sinner from God’s judgment

— In Greek the word for mercy seat means “propitiation” which is the act of turning God’s wrath aside; in Hebrew the word is “covering”

— The third word for what God does with sin is negative

— It describes what God does not do

— He “does not count” the sin against

— It is a bookkeeping term

— Paul explains in Romans that God writes our sin into Christ’s ledger and punishes it in him while, at the same time, writing the righteousness of Christ into our ledger and counting us as justified because of his merit (Rom 4:7-8)

A Great Testimony

— The second stanza (vv. 3-5) is a recollection of David’s experience of unconfessed sin and of the immediate result of confessing it

— His very bones seemed to waste away

— It describes the malaise of any believer who tries to ignore his sin

— The reason of course, is that the Lord’s hand was upon him heavily in judgment

— What is striking is how God forgave him once he confessed it (v. 5)

— This verse contains all three words David used earlier (“transgressions,” “sin,” and “iniquity”)

— All of David’s sin was confessed and forgiven

—He did not hold back in confession in any area

A Great Admonition

— In Psalm 51 After David has confessed his sin and asked God to forgive him he says in verse 13

Psalm 51:13 “Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners will be converted to You.”

— We find the same thing here in v. 6

Psalm 32:6 “Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You in a time when You may be found;”

— Do as David did because today is the time when God may be found (cf.Is. 55:6-7)

— it is a great thing to be living in a time of grace when God “is not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:27)

— “Now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor 6:2)

— We should also do as David did because God will protect us from trouble

Psalm 32:7 “You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah.”

— In vv 3-4 David was hiding from God

— in v. 7 David is hiding in God and is eternally secure

A Great Promise

— David adds a fourth stanza on spiritual and moral guidance (vv. 8-10)

— v. 8 is written as if God is speaking directly to the restored individual

— He promises to “instruct,” “teach,” “counsel,” and “watch over” him

— If we listen to God, obey him, and so walk in his right way, we will be able to rejoice in God

— And we will be able to teach others

Psalm 38

This psalm is one of the penitential psalms, a reflection about one’s sin and repentance (cf. Ps 32). This passage particularly focuses upon the Lord’s discipline. God’s chastisement presses on one physically as bones and flesh are weighed down. His rebuke for sin makes one sigh as one is ostracized from friends and makes one susceptible to enemies. And all this discipline makes one confess his iniquity and wait on the Lord. While discipline is heavy, it does produce fruitfulness for those who learn by it.

Macarthur

Prayer in time of chastening: In many ways, David’s laments in Psalm 38 parallel those of Job. David’s perspective is that his painful plight is due, at least in part, to his personal sin. His prayers surround a core of intense lament.

[To bring to remembrance]: Literally, “to cause to remember” (see the title to Psalm 70). The psalmist either (1) reminds God of his plight so that He may at, or (2) reminds himself and the community of h is historic predicament so that both he and they would fervently pray in similar contexts of acute suffering.

A Sick Man’s Cry for Help

— David confesses his sin inverse 3-5 and 8

— But David does not name his sin

— Rather, he asks for mercy and help form God because of the terrible sickness, loneliness and isolation he is experiencing because of it

— He says that God sent the sickness “because of [his] sinful folly” (v. 5)

The Opening Prayer

— This psalm closely resembles Psalm 6 only longer

— This psalm describes the illness in greater length

— It elaborates on the desertion of David’s friends and scheming of his enemies

— Probably written at the same time as Psalm 6

— If a chronological order can be determined, it is probably that Psalm 38 comes first

— At the end of that psalm David is praying for God to hear him and help him

— At the end of Psalm 6 he declares that God has

— David’s specific prayer is that God will not rebuke him in anger or discipline him in wrath

— The this is not saying that David is rejecting discipline

— The emphasis is not upon the discipline, but upon the words anger and wrath

— Returning to Psalm 6 is helpful to emphasize this point

— Immediately after asking God not to rebuke him in anger or discipline in him wrath, he cries, “Be merciful to me, LORD, for I am faint” (v. 6:2)

— And later he adds, “The LORD has heard my cry for mercy” (v. 6:9)

— David deserves anger but is asking for mercy instead

— This is always the proper way to appeal to God

— We cannot demand it and we have no claim on it, but God is a merciful God, and no one who has cried to God for mercy has ever gone away empty-handed

A Sickness Described

— The next section (vv. 2-8) describes the psalmist’s physical and mental anguish

— David was suffering for

— But not all sickness is punishment

— We need to remember Job, who was a righteous man and yet suffered

— And the man who was blind from birth recorded in John 9 (vv. 2-3)

A Second Prayer

— Whenever David turns his eyes away from his suffering and towards God he grows spiritually

— He experiences a calmer frame of mind, which we see here in the second prayer

— David has described his sickness

— He has not health in his body (v. 3)

— His bones are affected (v. 3)

— Loathsome wounds cover his body (v. 5)

— His back is filled with searing pain (v. 7)

— He is overwhelmed with guilt (v. 4)

— His spirit is crushed and he groans in anguish (v. 8)

— Nothing comes into our lives that escapes God’s watchful eye

Psalm 38:9 “Lord, all my desire is before You; And my sighing is not hidden from You.”

— Others may not know about us or care but God does

All Alone

— This section describes David’s sense of isolation (vv. 10-14)

— The neglect of his friends and companions left David speechless

— He could not defend himself

— Who can?

— All he could do was leave his case with God

— As Christians we should act the opposite of the world

— Instead of avoiding those who are suffering we should go to them — to help them, serve them, comfort them

— Jesus said that this was a mark of a Christian using the sheep and the goat parable (Matthew 25)

— Among other things, the sheep looked after the sick and were rewarded for it

A Third Prayer

— David says that he will patiently wait on the Lord for deliverance

Psalm 38:15 “For I hope in You, O Lord; You will answer, O Lord my God.”

— We may wonder why one psalm follows another

— Why didn’t this psalm come before psalm Psalm 6?

Verse 15 may give us the answer

— Psalm 37 is to trust in God and wait for his deliverance, even though the wicked seem to prosper for a time

— In Psalm 37:34 “wait for the LORD” is the advice given

— In Psalm 38:15 waiting is practiced, and by the very person who gave the advice in the previous psalm

— David was a model for us to be patient and wait on the Lord

— When Samuel first approached David he was just a youth

— He was told he would be king of Israel

— This did not happen for decades

— David was a fugitive and hunted by King Saul

— Even after Saul’s death David waited in Hebron for 7 years before being asked to be King of the entire nation

— Later Absalom revolted against

— He was content to wait for God to rescue and vindicate him

A Good Man Badly Treated

— This section concerns David’s unjust treatment by his enemies (vv 16-20)

— David moves from his wretched physical condition (1)

— To his abandonment by his friends (2)

— To his treatment by his enemies (3)

— David gives 5 reasons why God should hear his prayer and covers the same ground

It is not right that his enemies should be allowed to gloat over his misfortune or boast when his foot slips (v. 16)

His condition is desperate. He has already slipped and now he is about to fall (v. 17)

He has confessed (and is confessing) his sin. He is troubled by it (v. 18)

His enemies are numerous, and his is just one person (v. 19)

He has been good to his enemies, even though they are now doing evil to him. Therefore, their words about him are slanderous (v. 20)

A Closing Petition

— David makes his final prayer (v. 21-22)

— He prays that God will not abandon him or be far from him in his sickness as his friends have been

— Like David, confess your sins and wait upon the Lord for his sure help and deliverance

Exploring the Meaning

Repentance requires humility

In Psalm 38, David felt crushed by the weight of calamity — a situation he believed to be at least in part due to his personal sin. “I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly,” he wrote. “I go mourning all the day long” (v 6). His response was to cry out to God in humility and grief: “Do not forsake me, O LORD; O my God, be not far from me! Make hast to help me, O LORD, my salvation!” (vv. 21-22). Similarly, Psalm 39 expresses David’s awareness of his own smallness in comparison with God. David concluded that psalm with a poignant plea: “Remove Your gaze from me, that I may regain strength, before I go away and am no more” (39:13). Repentance is a key element in our spiritual lives that constantly realigns our mind, affections, and will with God’s. This requires humility because you must first recognize that you have violated His law, confess that sin, and renounced it by turning to Him. Beyond that, repentance requires humility because it is a gift from God, and in order to recognize that and praise Him for it, you must humble yourself.

Psalm 39

In this psalm, David recounts his failure in his struggle against sin. This failure causes him to recall his frailty and how all men are but vanity. Thus, his only hope is in Yahweh and not in himself or any other thing. The psalmist pleads for God’s deliverance, acknowledges God’s sovereignty in his chastisement, and asks for Yahweh to hear his prayer.

Creature of a Day

— This psalm asks us to think of the brevity of life

— People don’t want to think about death and that we must spend eternity with God in heaven or without him in hell

— The world, the flesh and the devil conspire to keep us amused or entertained

— That is what the word amusement means, of course

— muse to think, meditate, ponder

— the prefix “a” not to

A Preface: Compelled to Speak

— David is troubled by the brevity and corresponding vanity of life

— He expresses his anguish directly to God not to others

— He seeks wisdom

— We can learn some things from David’s conduct

(1) What we say is vitally important; we can sin with out mouths as well as with other parts of our bodies

(2) It is better to be silent than to say things that can be used against God by wicked persons

(3) We should not be anxious to share such grief even with godly people

(4) We should bring our troubles to God (cf. Phil 4:6-7)

Macarthur

Lest I sin with my tongue: This sinning could have been in one or both of two ways: (1) directly, by criticizing God for not bringing retribution on the wicked, and/or (2) indirectly, by complaining in the hearing of the wicked.

(39:2) My sorrow was stirred up: David’s silence did not ease his pain; it seemed to make it all the worse.

(39:3) My heart was hot within me: See Jeremiah’s predicament in Jer 20:9.

Then I spoke with my tongue: Contrast the silence of verse 1. Yet David did not violate the conditions of his original commitment, since he did not vent before people, but unloaded his burdens before God (see verses 4ff.).

(39:4) The measure of my days: For similar prayers about the brevity and burdens of life, see Job 6:11; 7:7; 14:13; 16:21-22; Ps 90:12; Ecclesiastes 2:3).

Out, Out, Brief Candle!

— The problem bothering David is developed in the opening stanza (vv. 4-6)

— It is the brevity of life and the emptiness or meaninglessness of human existence

— The key words are “breath” (vv 5, 11) and “in vain” (v. 6)

— This sentiment is echoed in the opening verses of Ecclesiastes (Eccles 1:2)

— James tells us how to handle this problem (James 4:13-16)

— David learns two things

— First, he learns that as puzzling as the brevity of life is, it is willed by God

Psalm 39:5 “Behold, You have made my days as handbreadths, And my lifetime as nothing in Your sight; Surely every man at his best is a mere breath. Selah.”

— The psalmist measures the length of his life with the smallest popular measuring unit of ancient times (1 Ki 7:26)

— See also “four fingers” (i.e., about 2.9 inches) in Jer 52:21.

— Second, since life is short, the only real meaning of our existence is to be in a relationship with God who is eternal

—David therefore turns to God

— Verse 7 expresses that determination

Psalm 39:7 “And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in You.”

Disciplined for Sin

— The third stanza (vv 7-11) also introduces a second problem which builds on the first

— If life is so short, why is God so heavy handed in his treatment of so insubstantial and fleeting creature

— Why does he bother to discipline men and women

— This was also Job’s question (Job 7:17-21)

— Verse 7 is the turning point of the psalm

— it does not mean “you are my last hope”

— Rather, “You are the one who gives meaning to life. Nothing else does because everything else is passing. You alone are eternal, and you have made for me lasting fellowship with yourself. I am restless until I find my rest in you.”

This World is Not My Home

— The fourth stanza (vv. 12-13) contains the final petition

— Life does have meaning but it is not about gathering wealth (39:6)

— The last request is not particularly edifying

Psalm 39:13 “Turn Your gaze away from me, that I may smile again Before I depart and am no more.”

— Lift your heavy hand of judgment so that I can be happy once more before I die

— It is what Job meant when he said, “Will you never look away from me, or let me along even for an instant?” (Job 17:19)

— Or, “Turn away from me so I can have a moment’s joy before I go to the place of no return, to the land of gloom and deep shadow” (Job 10:20-21)

Most of us have probably had times when we have thought along these lines. But there is a better way. Instead of worrying about where God has fixed his eyes, we should be concerned about where our eyes are fixed and should fix them on God himself, on the Lord Jesus Christ, and on that eternal city yet to come (Heb 11:10). That is what it means rightly to number our days and apply our hearts to true wisdom

Exploring the Meaning

Repentance is an intentional act

Repentance is a familiar theme within the church, yet many Christians misunderstand what it is and what it requires. Specifically, many believe that repenting of sin is primarily “feeling sorry” for that sin — “feeling bad about it” and wanting to do better. This is not the case. Repentance is an intentional act that generally begins with an acknowledgment of the sinfulness of your sin, followed by a verbal confession of that sin and a renunciation of that sinful action. “I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,’ and You forgave the iniquity of my sin” (32:5). “For I will declare my iniquity; I will be in anguish over my sin” (38:18). “Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear to my cry” (39:12). To repent means to acknowledge, confess, and renounce your sin before God. In addition, and what is often overlooked, is the fact that repentance involves a turning away from sin — an intentional choice to end your rebellion against God and obey His commandments.

Psalm 51

Psalm 51 tells of David’s repentance, after he was confronted by Nathan for committing adultery with Bathsheba. The king calls on God to have mercy, because of his steadfast love, and to wash David clean from his sins. He confesses the evil nature of his heart, and God’s desire for righteousness. The king then acknowledges God’s ability to restore him, to joy and gladness. In response to such forgiveness, David will instruct Israel concerning their sin. He will lead them in proper worship of their God.

Cleansed by the Blood

— Someone who does not have much experience with the bible must think that it is easy elaborate on

— The Christmas Story

— John 3:16

— Psalm 23

— Actually, the opposite is the case. The well-known passages are the hardest, and some seem almost impossible to expound. This is true of Psalm 51.

— The background of the psalm is David committing adultery with Bathsheba and later, after discovering the she was pregnant, arranging to have her husband Uriah killed in battle

— David committed two sins for which the Mosaic law provided no forgiveness

— The first was deliberate murder

— The second was adultery

The Psalmist’s Cry for Help

— David begins by approaching God and asking God to help him in his sinful state (vv. 1-2)

— David approaches God solely on the basis of his mercy

Q: Where do we learn that God is merciful?

— God himself revealed it to us

— After Israel’s national disaster in worshipping the golden calf, God said

“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion” (Ex 33:19)

— The very essence of God and the most important thing that sinners can ever know about him is that he is merciful

— David begins this way

Psalm 51:1 “Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions.”

— Two other words also elaborate on God’s character

— Unfailing Love point to the continuing operation of this mercy

— Compassion teaches that God feel for our infirmities

— This psalm, like Psalm 32 all begin with the same three words for sin

— Transgression (Hebrew pesha) - refers to crossing a forbidden boundary with the though of rebellion

— Iniquity (Hebrew awon) - Perversion, depravity

— Sin (Hebrew chattath) - falling short

— All three words refer to personal failure, which David emphasizes by speaking of “my transgressions, my iniquity, and my sins” (vv. 1-2)

Confession of Sin

— In this section where David confesses his sin, we find three strong statements (vv. 3-6)

1. I am aware of my sin (v. 3)

— David was aware of his sin

— But our problem is that we don’t confess our sins because we don’t believe we are sinners

— This is because we don’t recognize what we do is sin

2. I know that it is sin (v. 4)

Psalm 51:4 “Against You, You only, I have sinned And done what is evil in Your sight, So that You are justified when You speak And blameless when You judge.”

— Some would argue that David sinned against Uriah and Bathsheba and the nation of Israel

— Commentators usually answer that the offense against God was so great in David’s mind that these lesser things took a back seat

— J.J. Stewart Perowne is on the right track when he says

— First, sin by its very definition is against God, since it is only by God’s law that sin is defined as sin

— A crime against our neighbor is a crime against humanity

— But in the eyes of the state, which measures wrongs by its own laws, the that wrong may be a crime

— Only before God is it a sin

— Second, it is only because God is in the picture that a wrong against our neighbor is wrong

— It is because our neighbor is made in the image of God

— All wounding of another person is against the goodness of God

— This is what David says later in v. 4 and which is quoted by Paul (Rom 3:4; cf. 2 Sam 12:13)

“So that You are justified when You speak And blameless when You judge.”

3. I confess that sin springs from my thoroughly evil nature (v. 5)

Psalm 51:5 “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.”

— This is what what we would call today the doctrine of original sin

— He is taking full responsibility for his sin and says that he has always been a sinner

— The sinner has two needs

— Pardon from sin

— A pure hear

Cleanse me with Hyssop

— David wants God to do three things (vv. 7-9)

— Cleanse me with hyssop (v. 7) - literally “de-sin” me

— wash me (v. 7) — refers to the illustrations of the law (cf. Is 1:18)

— blot out all my iniquity (v. 9) — removing writing from a book, the exact opposite of what Pilate’s words at the trial of Jesus

John 19:22 “Pilate answered, ‘What I have written I have written.’”

— David sinned because he is a sinner and he knows that he will sin again unless God helps him

New Creation

— He is not content with merely forgiveness

— David prays for inward renewal (vv. 10-12)

1. Create a pure heart

— The word that begins this section is the Hebrew word bara, which is used in Gen 1 for the creation of the heavens and the earth

— Strictly used, this word describes what only God can do

— As God’s image bearers we can create but not in the same way, ex nihilo

— He is asking for a miracle, what only God can do

2. Do not cast me away

— Even is God changes his heart, he is worried that he will sin again

— He uses the word sustain (v. 12)

— The positive is also expressed by the negative in the prior verse

Psalm 51:11 “Do not cast me away from Your presence And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.”

— This verse has been a problem to commentators

But what did David mean by such a prayer? Did he mean that it is possible to be born again, which is the work of the Holy Spirit, and then to be unborn? Did he mean that it is possible to be saved and then lose your salvation because of sin? Or is he referring only to God’s continued blessing of God on our lives because of sin, but if that is all David means, why does he refer to God casting him away or taking away his Holy Spirit?

— John Calvin taught the eternal security of the believer

— Speaking on this verse, Calvin argued that David’s prayer that God not take away the Holy Spirit showed that he still possessed the Holy Spirit

— Fundamentalist greatly influenced by dispensation distinguished between the OT and NT working of the Holy Spirit

— In the OT the spirit would “come upon” a person for a certain time

— In the NT since Pentecost the Holy Spirit was “within all believers”

— David’s response was appropriate for the OT but not for the NT

— Today most commentators recognize that David is not talking about a fear of losing his salvation

— He is only acknowledging that he is unable to live a holy life without God

Restore the joy of your salvation

— David’s third request is that God would restore the job of his salvation

— David is not asking the Lord restore his salvation as if it had been lost

— He has lost his joy

— As long as he was living in sin there was no joy

— Now that he has repented, found cleansing, and is seeking a renewed spirit, he wants to have that joy again

— How different is this from the world?

— Many think that the way to joy is sinning

Sinners Then Shall Learn from Me

— David has a duty to those around him

— He vows to teach what he has learned about sin and forgiveness to other sinners

— He will teach the “ways” of God (v. 13)

—And “your righteousness” (v. 14)

Blessings for Zion

— This last two verses are a prayer for God’s blessing on Zion

— Asking that God would prosper the city

— Build up the walls

— Make it a place where godly people woudl continue to present their sacrifices

Exploring the Meaning

True repentance leads to forgiveness

Why should Christians repent of their sin? First, because sin disrupts our communion with God and is harmful in our lives. Second, because God actively desires to forgive His children and sanctify them. True and genuine repentance is the door we walk through in order to receive that forgiveness, and by God’s grace, He convicts us to repent of our sin. Psalm 51 is David’s public confession after his sinful choices with Bathsheba and Uriah. Notably, he began that repentance by acknowledging God’s forgiving character: “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions” (v. 1). In Psalm 32, David offered a timeline of sorts regarding confession, repentance, and forgiveness. His initial attempts to hid his sin caused a rift in his relationship with God and growing burden within his heart. Then, David made the choice to repent (32:5), and that repentance led to God’s forgiveness: “I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,’ and You forgave the iniquity of my sin” (32:5).

Additional Resources

Boice, J. M. (n.d.). Psalms. Vol 1: Psalms 1-41. Baker Books.

MacArthur, J. (2023). Psalms. Hymns for God’s People. Harper Christian Resources.

C. H. Spurgeon. The Treasury of David, Vol 1a, Psalms 1-26.

Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy: The Inferno, trans. Dorothy L. Sayers (Harmondsworth, England: Penguin, 195).

H. C. Leupold, Exposition of the Psalms (Grand Rapids:Baker, 1969).

John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress (The Banner of Truth Trust), original edition 1678.

Webb, P. (Ed.). (2022). Psalms of grace. The Master's Seminary Press.

Murdoch Campbell. From Grace to Glory: Meditations on the book of Psalms (Carlisle, Pa: The Banner of Truth, 1970)