PSALM 51 – A PRAYER OF REPENTANCE AND SPIRITUAL RESET

Psalm 51 is one of the most beautiful Psalms in the Bible. It speaks honestly about sin, realisation of sin, repentance of sin, and the restoration of the sinner. Every Christian should read Psalm 51 from time to time along with other Psalms like Psalm 1, 23, 91, 100, 103, 121…and some more according to our personal taste. These Psalms help us gain a deep and a clear understanding about the human heart, its workings, wise instructions for a righteous life, reasons to praise God, to trust God and not be afraid. Above all, it brings out with clarity, the image of the One true God, whose character is revealed unlike in any other scripture portions.

David wrote Psalm 51 at a time when he was going through one of the most darkest of times in his life. He committed the sin of coveting when he sinfully desired Bathsheba, who was not his wife; he committed the sin of adultery with Bathsheba, when he acted upon his unlawful, immoral and sinful desire; then he committed the sin of lying, when he sent Bathsheba away, and was living in his palace, as if nothing had happened; lastly, probably because his guilt was catching up with him, David ultimately committed the sin of murder, when he ordered Uriah the Hittite, the righteous husband of Bathsheba, to be killed in the war, as if he had died a natural death of an honourable, duty bound soldier, faithful to his king and his kingdom.

What David did is one of the most abominable and disgusting thing for anyone to do. God abhors such sinfulness, for it displayed the wickedness and evilness of a human heart in its full ugliness and evilness. With all the knowledge that David possessed; and with all the faith David had in YAHWEH, his God, yet he committed such detestable and heinous sin. This speaks to us the ugliness and the evilness that resides in every human heart. It is good for us to realise this. The earlier the better. For it helps us gain a proper and deeper understanding of our heart, and its evil capacity to sin against the very God whom we worship.
– “The confession of David in Psalm 51 is so deeply personal that reading it can feel like eavesdropping.  One must either join in contrition or stop reading.  The weightiness of David’s confession is partly due to the egregiousness of the sin and partly due to the position of the sinner.  Not only was the affair with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah a grotesque abuse of power, but David was God’s anointed king over His people!  He was supposed to be a man “after God’s own heart.”  It is tragic to see one fall from such heights to such depths. This passage provides a unique look behind the curtain into the broken heart of mighty David, king, a man of God, conqueror, psalmist, adulterer, murderer.” – Charles H. Spurgeon

Let us read some portions from Psalm 51 which is David’s “Prayer of Repentance” and “A Cry for Restoration” when Nathan the prophet confronted him about David’s sin with Bathsheba. This will help us in our own lives.
– “​1 Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin.” – Psalm 51:1-2
– “3 For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me. 4 Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight – That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge.” – Psalm 51:3-4
– *”6 Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom. 7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” – Psalm 51:6-7
– ’10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.” – Psalm 51:10-12
– “16 For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart – These, O God, You will not despise.” – Psalm 51:16-17

PSALM 51 is David’s earnest, sincere and transparent prayer – A PRAYER OF REPENTANCE AND SPIRITUAL RESET. David showed us the path to true and sincere repentance, and the path to spiritual reset and restoration. May the LORD Jesus Christ always find us to be a “good and faithful servant” – walking with God and living for Him. Even so, the LORD help us.