David's Prayer Of Repentance

I have been meditating on sin and our reactions to sin over this last week.

What Ever Happened to Sin?

R.C. Sproul put it this way: “We are not sinners because we sin; we sin because we are sinners.” The heart or mind of a person is already polluted with something that is opposed to the authority of God or the idea of surrender – something that sets itself up against the life of purity and discipline. This what the Apostle Paul meant when he said, “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.” (Romans 8:5)

Dogs bark. Birds fly. Bees sting. Sinners sin. Each one is done for the same reason: it is their nature to do so.

King David’s Sin

2 Samuel 11:1-11

2 Samuel 12:1-9

Psalm 51 is about David’s reaction to his sin – once it was exposed.

Wrong Reactions

Humanity is the same today as it was back then

Reactions are also the same. Here are some people who sinned in the bible and had poor reactions to their sin

1. Rachael – Sin of stealing & lying

Gen 31:31-35

Reaction 1 – she hid her sin

2. Judas – sin betraying Jesus

Matt 27:3

Appears to do the right things:-

– confesses

– gives the money back

Word remorseful means that he was sorry for the consequences of the sin.

3. King Saul – sin of Disobedience

1 Sam 15:30

2 Wrong reactions:-

1. He thought he would sacrifice to make for his disobedience

2. Wrong priorities – “honour me now”

4. Cain – sin of jealousy & murder

Gen 4:8-9

Become aggressive

Guilty conscience causes people to become aggressive.

5. Adam – sin of Disobedience

Blame God – reaction

Gen 3:12

6. Aaron – sin of idolatry

Blame someone else – wrong reaction

Exodus 32:22-24

Victim mentality – you are not responsible for your actions

7. Sapphira – sin of Lying

Acts 5:8

Tell lies to cover it up.

Psalm 51 is David’s reaction to sin. (although it took a little while to get there)

Broad Divisions of the Psalm

1) First 12 verses are David’s Confessions

2) The last 7 are his anticipatory gratitude and the way in which he resolves to display it

B. The reality of sin should terrify us all!

1. Sin separates us from God

2. Sin brings judgement from THE HOLY GOD

C. Realising his sin, David seeks forgiveness FIRST

Verse 1

1 Have mercy upon me, O God,

According to Your lovingkindness;

According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,

Blot out my transgressions.

David firstly appeals to God’s mercy – even before he mentions his sin

The graduation of David’s appeal to the character of God

1) Mercy – The kind of affection which is expressed by moaning over anything that we love

2) Lovingkindness – denotes a strong proneness, a ready, large and liberal disposition to goodness and compassion powerfully prompting to all instances of Kindness and bounty. This denotes a higher degree of goodness than the first word.

3) Tender Mercies – is the most tender pity – the highest degree of compassion

This is not the blotting our of debts written against David in a book – the inference of this word is that it is the wiping or cleansing of a dish so as nothing afterwards remains in it.

The meaning of the petition is that God would entirely and absolutely forgive him so as that no part of the guilt he had contracted might remain and the punishment of it might be wholly removed.

Verse 2

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,

And cleanse me from my sin.

Literally – multiply to wash me – the dye of sin is in itself immovable, and I, the sinner, have lain long in it, till the crimson is ingrained, but, Lord wash and wash and wash again till the last stain is gone and not a trace of my defilement is left

Verse 3

3 For I acknowledge my transgressions,

And my sin is always before me.

Again here David acknowledges the plurality of his sins

He seems to be saying – I make a full confession of them

I, MY, MY – David did not think is sufficient to acknowledge the whole human race were sinners, but as if he stood alone in the world and was the only offender in it.

Verse 4

Against You, You only, have I sinned,

And done this evil in Your sight—

That You may be found just when You speak,[a]

And blameless when You judge.

David was so bent on committing this sin that the majesty and the presence of God did not persuade him to stop. – and that makes the sin all the more heinous.