Minister of education and outreach
Central Park Baptist Church, Decatur
As great a man as King David was, he was also a sinful man. He stood one night on his roof and before him saw a lovely woman bathing in what she would have thought was a private moment. David sent for the woman, Bathsheba the wife of Uriah, and essentially committed sexual assault.
Not only did he commit this sexual sin, he tried to cover it up, eventually by having Uriah killed at the battle front. One sin had led to another. David probably thought he had gotten away with it, but God sent Nathan to confront David with his sin (2 Sam. 11–12). David knew he was guilty of a travesty and his heart was overwhelmed with guilt for his actions. Psalm 51 is David’s appeal to God for forgiveness of his sins. He acknowledges that his sin is against God, and only He could remove the stain of David’s actions — “Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow” (v. 7b). His plea to the Lord includes a great statement of desire for restoration that many today still pray to the Lord when they acknowledge their sin before Him.
“Create in me a clean heart, O God. And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation” (vv. 10–12a).
Sin results in guilt, not because God likes making us feel dirty, but because His love compels Him to do that which will lead us to desire restoration in our relationship with Him. Many times I have called out to the Lord to cleanse my heart from the sin and guilt burdening me. The Lord’s promise is that He will create in us a new heart, that is, He will forgive us and rebuild our lives.
If you don’t know Jesus as your Savior, you have sin you need to confess. You can’t have a right relationship with God through any means other than confessing from a heart broken for what you have done and accepting Jesus’ gift of forgiveness. David knew he could offer God nothing other than this: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart — these, O God, You will not despise” (Ps. 51:17).
Share with others: