PSALM 51

Introduction:

King James Version Psalm 51

To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bath-sheba.

Type: Lament, which means to mourn, express sorrow, or to regret.

Sub-type: Penitential, which could mean contrite, remorseful, repentant, ashamed, guilty, or blamable.

Book 2 Author: David

Themes: Confession, repentance, mercy, and holiness.

Historical context: In the springtime, when kings went to battle, David sent his army under the command of Joab out to battle. One night, while on the roof, David sees Bathsheba-lust of the eyes and the pride of life take over. He seduces her, have an affair, she gets pregnant.

David arranges for her husband, Uriah to come home on leave, knowing she and her husband would have a few romantic nights together, then they could claim Uriah would be the father, and David would be in the clear.

Uriah refused, citing the difficulties of his men in battle. As Uriah returns to the battle, carrying a note from David stating: 1) put Uriah in the forefront, the heat of the battle; and 2) when enemy attacks withdraw the flanks from both sides; ensuring Uriah’s death.

Later, unknown how long, Nathan, David’s prophet tells the parable of a rich man with his own flock of sheep, and a poor man with a pet lamb. Travelers came to the rich man and instead of the rich man killing a sheep out of his flock to feed his guest, he steals the poor man’s pet. David becomes outraged, calls down curses on the rich man. Then Nathan points his bony finger at David and says “Thou art the man.”

King James Version Chapter 12

15 And Nathan departed unto his house. And the LORD struck the child that Uriah’s wife bare unto David, and it was very sick. 16 David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth. 17 And the elders of his house arose, and went to him, to raise him up from the earth: but he would not, neither did he eat bread with them. 18 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that the child died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead: for they said, Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spake unto him, and he would not hearken unto our voice: how will he then vex himself, if we tell him that the child is dead? 19 But when David saw that his servants whispered, David perceived that the child was dead: therefore David said unto his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead. 20 Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the LORD, and worshipped: then he came to his own house; and when he required, they set bread before him, and he did eat. 21 Then said his servants unto him, What thing is this that thou hast done? thou didst fast and weep for the child, while it was alive; but when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat bread. 22 And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether GOD will be gracious to me, that the child may live? 23 But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me

Two thoughts: 1) “I shall go to him.” Doctrine of child going to heaven. 2) Psalm 51 is part of David’s prayer.

Confession Vs. 4

King James Version Psalm 51

Against thee, thee only, have I sinned,

And done this evil in thy sight:

Our first thought is why does David say against you and you only? What about Bathsheba, Uriah, the child, the others killed with Uriah? Shouldn’t he mention them? Maybe, but all sin is directed against God. There are 3 words used for sin in this Psalm:

Transgressions: acts of rebellion

Iniquity: inward crookedness, perversity

Sin: missing the mark

Vs. 1 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness:

According unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

Before David even mentions His sin(s), he cries out for mercy, lovingkindness, and for God’s tender mercies. How does this apply to us? Mercy refers to mourning over an object or person we love. Loving kindness speaks of an eagerness to demonstrate goodness and compassion. While the last phrase, tender mercies , refers to the highest degree of compassion one can imagine (Double blessing).

Could it be that David was calling out for a multitude of God’s forgiveness because he had a multitude of sins? We may have multitude of sins but God has a multitude of mercy.

He ask for God to blot out my transgressions. The Jewish people believed God kept a ledger book, debit & credit. David was asking for all his debits to be erased. that is God would completely, unequivocally, forget his sins.

King James Version Psalm 51

2  Wash me throughly from mine iniquity,

And cleanse me from my sin.

Not only forget about my sin but wash and cleanse.

Wash and cleanse, is there a difference?

The Treasury of David, Volume 2: Psalms 27–57 Explanatory Notes and Quaint Sayings

David had great reason for using both words; for he requires not that God would cleanse him by miracle, but by the ordinary way of cleansing, and this was washing; he names therefore washing as the means, and cleansing as the end: he names washing as the work a-doing, and cleansing as the work done; he names washing as considering the agent, and cleansing as applying it to the patient

King James Version Psalm 51

3  For I acknowledge my transgressions:

And my sin is ever before me.

For I acknowledge = confession

Ever before me = Convinced and convicted of sin, troubled by it; guilty conscience never letting him rest. Constantly reminding him, eating away at him. Pointing him to reconciliation with God.

Character of Sin

King James Version Psalm 51

5  Behold, I was shapen in iniquity;

And in sin did my mother conceive me.

6  Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts:

And in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom

In these first six verses, we have discovered a ever present, listening God (vs. 4 in thy sight), and a convicted sinner. Notice the personal pronouns in the Psalm. David consistently uses first person personal pronouns point to himself. He is taking total responsibility for the sin. He is doing a Flip Wilson “the devil made me do it.”

I believe vs 5-6 demonstrate David’s ability to look inwardly; God has blessed him with power, prestige, and possessions; yet he realizes deep down he has a sin nature, one that he was born with.

The word behold in verse 5 & 6 could be translated: indeed. It is almost like David has surprised himself, coming to the realization that he is capable of following his sin nature or his hidden part.

I also think David came upon the realization that just one little look, one little misstep is all it took for him to fall so far. According to vs. 8, he hurts all the way to the marrow of his bones.

Heb 4:12

King James Version Chapter 4

12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

King James Version Chapter 1

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness

Cleansing Sin

King James Version Psalm 51

7  Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean:

Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

8  Make me to hear joy and gladness;

That the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.

Hyssop:

In biblical usage a plant of uncertain identity. The easiest way to picture it is a plant that looked like a brush.

The Israelites used hyssop to daub blood on their door posts for the Passover (Exod. 12:22). Other passages associate hyssop with cleansing (e.g., Lev. 14:4, 6, 49–52; Num. 19:6; Ps. 51:7 [MT 9]). John notes that Jesus, while on the cross, sipped sour wine from a sponge raised on a branch of hyssop (John 19:29), but Matthew and Mark describe it as a reed (Gk. kálamos; Matt. 27:48; Mark 15:36).

I believe David is doing what modern day Christians refer to as “pleading the blood.” Not that he is looking forward to the cross, but he is looking back at the first passover.

The word clean is the same word translated cleanse as we saw earlier. In the Hebrew language there are two words to express the different kinds of washing, and they are always used with the strictest propriety; the one, to signify that kind of washing which pervades the substance of the thing washed, and cleanses it thoroughly; and the other to express that kind of washing which only cleanses the surface of a substance which the water cannot penetrate. The former is applied to the washing of clothes; the latter is used for washing some part of the body. By a beautiful and strong metaphor, David uses the former word in this and the second verse: “Wash me throughly from mine iniquity and cleanse me from my sin;” “Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” So in Jer. 4:14, the same word is applied to the heart.

Another verse really depicts this:

King James Version Chapter 1

18  Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD:

Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;

Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Then and only then will I have joy. Joy cometh only from God; it is he who is the fountain of joy and all pleasure, for “all good things come from above

The bones; my conscience, which has been crush will be restored, The crushing weight of sin will be lifted and my bones , conscience, will be restored.

One instrument of torture used in the middle ages was the rack, a device used to pull apart your bones, inflicting extreme pain; I think David was experiencing similar pain because of the sin breaking his fellowship with God.

Consequences of sin

King James Version Psalm 51

9  Hide thy face from my sins,

And blot out all mine iniquities.

10  Create in me a clean heart, O God;

And renew a right spirit within me.

11  Cast me not away from thy presence;

And take not thy holy spirit from me.

12  Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation;

And uphold me with thy free spirit.