(Psalm 51:1-6 NLT) Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night. Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just. For I was born a sinner—yes, from the moment my mother conceived me. But you desire honesty from the womb, teaching me wisdom even there.
This morning we continue our series “Grace that is Simply Amazing.” We are finding grace in the life of David and event that makes the Grace of God most evident in David’s life is his episode with Bathsheba and Uriah. By this point we know David was fasting and praying, hoping he could change God’s mind from taking the child’s life. But 2 Samuel does not capture everything that happened during David’s time of repentance. In the book of Psalms we find a psalm David wrote during this period. If your Bible has titles over the psalms you may see something like this over psalm 51: “A psalm of David, regarding the time Nathan the prophet came to him after David had committed adultery with BathSheba.” This psalm gives us insight into David’s heart during this critical time in his life. With that in mind, we will spend the week walking through the psalm.
David pleads for mercy. In no way is David attempting to justify what he did. The King knew he was wrong and his actions had no justification. He fell before the Lord as a guilty man, requesting mercy from a loving heavenly Father. David then acknowledges the Lord’s compassion. If for no other reason, David asks that the Lord operate out of His unyielding compassion in order to blot out his sins. He asks the Father to purify him and wash him clean. David knew he was wrong and he also knew he could not make himself right. He was not attempting to earn forgiveness, because he knew he could not, David was simply asking for it. David’s rebellion was haunting him day and night. He could not shake the condemnation he felt. The pain in his heart was too much to bear. Even though he knew he was born a sinner, he knew the Lord expected more of him and he felt terrible that he had sinned against the Lord who had been so kind to him. We will stop here for today.
So what does this mean to you today? I have to be careful when drawing conclusions from David’s life and applying them to ours, because David lived before Jesus and he was not under the dispensation of Grace. But as I always do, I will seek to include Jesus in our application.
1. Don’t attempt to justify wrongdoing. David did not attempt to justify his actions. Instead, the King fell on his knees before God and repented. Learn from David. If you want to recover from a major mistake in life, don’t attempt to justify what you did wrong. Acknowledge your wrong. Only those who are lost need a Savior. Only those who are wrong need to be forgiven.
2. Ask for mercy and grace. There are times when you can pray with confidence and boldness, in faith, when you know you are walking in accordance with God’s will and when know you are asking for something in accordance with His Word. But when you know you are clearly wrong, just fall before the Lord and ask for mercy (for God NOT to give you what you deserve) and for Grace (for God to give you what you DO NOT deserve).
3. We serve a God of compassion. God is motivated by the compassion He has towards us. He did not have to send Jesus to die in our place, but compassion drove Him to do it. While Jesus was operating in the earth compassion drove Him to love the unloved, touch the untouched and seek the forgotten. God is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is still operating with compassion and He WANTS to forgive you and bless you richly. Not because you are so good, but because He is.
4. You were born a sinner, but you are not to live like one. David acknowledged that he was born a sinner, but he also acknowledged the fact that God expected better from him. However, David was not filled with the Holy Spirit. As Born-Again believers, we are. Not only does God expect us to live a life that is pleasing in His sight, but He gave us His Spirit to empower us to do it. We won’t be sinless, but we ought to sin less.
5. Don’t wallow in condemnation. David said that his rebellion was haunting him day and night. Did David do wrong? You better believe it. David was clearly wrong, but that does not mean that God wanted him to live in condemnation. David repented, he received forgiveness and he was able to move on in life. The devil wants you to wallow in condemnation forever. The devil knows that while you are feeling condemned for the wrong you committed, you will never have any confidence towards God and you will never accomplish anything for God. Don’t wallow in condemnation! Receive forgiveness, forgive yourself and move on.
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for Your goodness and amazing Grace towards me. Like David, I am not perfect. And also like David, I am committed to getting up from my sin and mistakes, and continuing on in the pursuit of my purpose. I declare by faith that I am a man/woman after Your own heart. When I do wrong and sin, I am quick to repent, to receive forgiveness from You, to forgive myself and to move on. Your mercy forgives me when I am clearly wrong. Your Grace chooses to use me in spite of my imperfections. And as I am being used of You, I shall not walk around with guilt, shame or condemnation. I am righteous by faith. Not because of what I do, or because of what I fail to do, I am righteous because of what Jesus did for me. I am righteous because Jesus made me righteous. Jesus was made sin, when He had no sin in Him, so that I could be made righteous, when I had no righteousness in me. I am now in Christ, He is in me, I put on Christ and I clothe myself in His righteousness. As the righteousness of God I seek to be used of You for Your glory. Not because I am so good, but because You are. Not because I am perfect, but because Jesus was perfect for me. I am Your son/daughter, called by Your name, here to accomplish Your purpose, and by Your Grace I declare that I will. I enter this day and this week as a FORGIVEN, blood-bought, Spirit-filled, Grace-empowered believer! By faith I shall accomplish all You want me to accomplish. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
