Psalms, chapters 46-60 focus on finding refuge, forgiveness and restoration in times of turmoil, which is sometimes self-induced. This is where we find David as he writes Psalms 51.
This Psalm was written by David when the Prophet Nathan came to him after he had committed adultery with Bathsheba. He then murdered her husband, Uriah, to cover it up. 2 Samuel 11
Somehow David, in his sin, did all this damage and was just moving forward taking Bathsheba as his wife. Nathan comes to him and addresses these issues. Suddenly David repents.
It wasn’t that David couldn’t see his sin. He simply couldn’t see it alone. We need each other! Once a trusted friend came to David, he was able to see the terrible sins he’d committed.
Psalms 51:1-4 Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my wickedness and guilt and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I am conscious of my transgressions, and I acknowledge them; My sin is always before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned And done that which is evil in Your sight... (AMP)
We really need to understand that sin is wrong, sin is bad, sin is damaging and ultimately sin is destructive. First we must all understand that everyone needs to repent and be saved from the sin of Adam. You don’t have to do anything to get your daddy’s last name who got his last name from his daddy and so on.
Adam is your great, great, great, great…grandfather. Not only do you carry his name but you also carry his nature until you die in Christ.
This is where many Christians miss it. Only death is powerful enough to conquer your sin. Death! Not determination, not discipline, not denial. Only death. “I’m going to change my attitude”, “I’m going to speak better to my wife and kids”, “I’m going to start doing or stop doing…” How many times have we been determined to discipline ourselves or deny ourselves only to fail another time.
Freedom isn’t found in our determination. Freedom is found in our death in Christ. Jesus gives the church only two ordinances: communion and baptism. Both remind us over and over again our life is found in His death.
A conscience that is burdened with the guilt and shame of sin leaves you in a state of turmoil and impacts others more than you realize. We find this in Psalms 51 as well.
Psalms 51:5 I was brought forth in wickedness; In sin my mother conceived me. (AMP)
This verse makes room for theological speculation about David being an illegitimate child of Jesse. It’s interesting that the day David was anointed to be King, he was out in the field tending the sheep. He hadn’t even been invited with all of his brothers to welcome the Prophet Samuel into town. This was a huge event taking place! Perhaps only the “legitimate sons” of Jesse were there for Samuel to select from as Israel’s King. Surely not David!
Last week I heard the testimony of Brittni who, at the age of 18, became a stripper. After quickly becoming well known in this field she was invited to begin making adult movies. She became a porn star in more than 300 adult films over a ten-year period. She described making more money than she’d ever imagined. But her burdened conscience was so tormenting she spent all that money using drugs. She was searching for relief from all the guilt and shame she felt until she met Jesus truly finding freedom.
When you buy what the world is selling in any area of your life, it will always take you further than you want to go, cost you more than you want to pay and keep you longer than you want to stay.
If the Bible says something is wrong, it doesn’t matter how you feel about it. You can put sand in a gas tank for a little while before seeing the damage it has done. You may believe you’re getting away with it but problems are in the works in ways beyond your wildest imagination. Only when we turn to face God’s grace can we find restoration and relief as David did.
Psalms 51:10-13 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right and 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 sustain me with a willing spirit. 13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted and return to You. (AMP)
I love this because God is restoring his joy as he uses his past as a weapon against the enemy. The very thing the enemy used against David was now in the hands of God as a weapon teaching others about grace and freedom from the devil’s kingdom of accusation, guilt and shame.
The porn star who came to Christ not only became a Christian. She married another Christian and together they now lead a church in San Diego helping others find their way.
It’s sometimes difficult to compute that God can use our complicated past. When you use a calculator and add the wrong value or hit the wrong button it messes up the result. There is this button that clears all mistakes and makes the screen brand new. Even when we have deeply complicated circumstances God is there to clear all our mistakes and help us start anew.
Jesus died to clear your record and cleanse your conscience.
Acts 3:19-20 So repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord [restoring you like a cool wind on a hot day].... (AMP)
GP2RL: Make room to sit with God asking him to show you things in your heart he wants to address. Tell a trusted friend.
PSALMS: Create In Me A Clean Heart
DISCUSSION GUIDE
UNDERSTANDING THE SEASON: Psalms unveils the authenticity of humanity in the, sometimes painful, but always beautiful pursuit of God. The beauty is that God never wastes a single hurt if we are willing to give it to Him.
We can judge God according to our circumstances or we can judge our circumstances according to our God. God is good even in our times of pain and desperation. We live in a fallen world, but we look to a Risen King.
Two thirds of the Psalms are what scholars call lament. So often, our greatest purpose is born from our deepest pain. May we press in and go deeper in our authentic pursuit of the heart of God as we explore the treasures of Psalms.
It is a good thing to hear what God is revealing in the hearts of those around us. Feel free to use this question however you feel it fits in your time together as a group.
DISCUSSION QUESTION:
1. Where are you reading in your Bible and what are you sensing from God?
David is writing Psalms 51 repenting for sinning against God by having adultery with Bathsheba and killing her husband, Uriah, to cover it up.
Psalms 51:1-4 Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my wickedness and guilt and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I am conscious of my transgressions, and I acknowledge them; My sin is always before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned And done that which is evil in Your sight, So that You are justified when you speak And faultless in Your judgment. (AMP)
2. What stands out to you about these verses?
3. What would you say are consequences of our unwillingness to repent for sin?
Psalms 51:10-13 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right and 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 sustain me with a willing spirit. 13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted and return to You. (AMP)
4. What stands out to you about these verses?
5. Part of the joy of God restoring our lives is the power of our story and how our mistakes can be used to help others on their journey. Can you think of a time someone shared their mistake and it helped you personally? Please explain if so.
May we have the courage to admit our mistakes before God to be restored and the willingness to share our mistakes as ministry to others.
Everywhere we go, we bring...
GP2RL: Make room to sit with God asking Him to show you things in your heart He wants you to see.