Create in Me a Clean Heart; Ps 51, Ps 103

May the mumbling commence!

So, David was a man after God’s heart, and he stumbled this badly.  How can this be?  How could one after God’s heart fall so fully into sin and try to hide it?  Proverbs says that a righteous man stumbles seven times but gets up (24:16).  We will find that David is still a man after God’s heart by the way he gets up.  Read a portion of David’s heartfelt prayer in Psalm 51:10-17 –

Create in me a pure heart, O God,

            and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 

Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 

Restore to me the joy of your salvation

            and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. 

Then I will teach transgressors your ways,

            and sinners will turn back to you. 

Save me from bloodguilt, O God, the God who saves me,

            and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. 

O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. 

You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;

            you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. 

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

            a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

David came before the Lord knowing that he had sinned first and foremost against God (verse 4).  David came to the Lord humble – knowing that he was in need of a pure heart and a willing spirit.  David knew that his heart had become infected with lust, coveting, deception – all of which lead to murder.  Yes, David realized that he had bloodguilt in the death of Uriah.    

With a pure heart and willing spirit, David knew that he could regain the joy that God’s salvation and presence alone could give.  And David not only wanted to learn from his mistakes but he also wanted to teach others the errors of sin.  For a time, David’s mouth had been closed in the depths of his sin.  

But David found his voice again when he humbled himself before the Lord.  He did not attempt to heal the situation through the sacrifice of lambs, rams or goats.  Instead, he came to the Lord with a broken spirit and a broken and contrite heart.  And, with his rediscovered voice, David declared the praise of the Lord.  And that praise rings clearly in Psalm 103:8-12 –

The Lord is compassionate and gracious,

            slow to anger, abounding in love. 

He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; 

he does not treat us as our sins deserve

            or repay us according to our iniquities. 

For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

            so great is his love for those who fear him; 

as far as the east is from the west,

            so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

Let us realize our need for pure hearts and willing spirits.  May we realize that we are broken and that God can heal us – if we let Him.  Let us give thanks for the compassion and grace God has shown us through Jesus Christ.  Our God still lives and continues to be slow to anger and abounding in love.  

Through Jesus’ work on the cross and his resurrection, God has removed our sins and transgressions far from us – as far as the east is from the west.  And how far that is!  If one travels east, one will always be going east.  On the other hand, if one is going north, sooner or later one will be going south.

Let us rejoice and sing praise to the Lord daily for the freedom that forgiveness brings us.  Let us use that freedom to bless the Lord in all that we do.

Enough mumbling for today…

Peace Out