Explore the Bible Lesson Preview August 6, 2017 The Confession Background: Psalm 51 Lesson: Psalm 51:1-17 Motivation: The occasion of this Psalm is found in the title When Nathan the prophet went to him after he had gone into Bathsheba (2 Sam. 12:1ff). It remains the definitive personal testimony of confession, repentance and forgiveness. Examination: I. Guilty as Charged Be gracious to me, God, according to Your faithful love; according to Your abundant compassion, blot out my rebellion. 2 Wash away my guilt and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I am conscious of my rebellion, and my sin is always before me. 4 Against You You alone I have sinned and done this evil in Your sight. So You are right when You pass sentence; You are blameless when You judge. 5 Indeed, I was guilty when I was born; I was sinful when my mother conceived me. (1-5) A. Understanding God s Place 1 / 9
1. A Plea for Grace Be gracious to me, God, according to your faithful love; (1a) David begins with a lack of defense. Nathan pointed his finger at David and said Thou art the man... (II Sam. 12:7). Consider that King David was the undisputed sovereign of all he surveyed. Although he had blatantly broken two of the commandments (adultery, murder), his conduct would have been taken for granted in every country surrounding Israel. But David was accountable, not to Israel, but to God. Look at what David didn t do: a. Deny Sin When confronted with sin, David could have said You have the wrong man; you ve got me mixed up with someone else. Instead of compounding the sin with further lies, David accepted the accusation. (Prov. 28:13) b. Deflect Sin David could have executed his accuser. J. Vernon McGee (Thru the Bible, vol. 2, p. 761): He could say, Nathan is entirely wrong and is attempting to smear me. c. Downgrade Sin When confronted by Nathan, David didn t say, Technically, I didn t kill Uriah; he just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time when that rock fell. Also, anything that happened between me and Bathsheba was consensual and really none of your business. In our culture, a popular defense is everyone s doing it or It s really not that bad. Until we understand the seriousness of sin, (Rom. 6:1-2) we can t appreciate the magnificence of grace. God s grace is not available because sin is inconsequential; in fact, grace is amazing precisely because sin is so serious. David asserts at the very beginning that his only hope is in God s faithful love, the covenant word that is replaced by grace in the New Testament. 2. A Plea for Mercy According to your abundant compassion, blot out my rebellion (1b) HCSB: p. 931: 51:1-2 Blot out wash away, and cleanse are terms for forgiveness, which is David s main plea. He relied completely on God s mercy, which is evident in the terms 2 / 9
gracious faithful, love, and abundant compassion. In David s case, his sins were severe enough that sacrifice was not acceptable (v. 16). According to God s laws, deliberate and premeditated sins such as adultery and murder were referred to as sins of the high hand ( defiantly in Nm 15:30-31). Their punishment was being cut off from the community, which in many cases meant death. 3. A Plea for Forgiveness Wash away my guilt, and cleanse me from my sin (2) In Psalm 32 David writes How joyful is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. How joyful is the man to the Lord does not charge with sin... (1-2b) (2 Cor. 5:21) David described the feelings he felt when sin was not confessed: When I kept silent, my bones became brittle from my groaning all day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy on me; my strength was drained as in the summer s heat. (3-4) Forgiveness is accomplished in fact upon the cross of Calvary (I John 2:12). However, for our fellowship to be full, we must seek forgiveness daily. (I John 1:8-10) B. Understanding My Place 1. Confession of Sin For I am conscious of my rebellion, and my sin is always before me (3) Confession involves a theoretical step: We must admit that what we have done is, in fact, abhorrent to God. Many Christians wrestle with this issue all their lives. Because a thing is pleasing to our flesh, we are reluctant to call it sin. (Heb. 11:25; Ps. 16:11) In this instance, David s conscience was eating him up. McGee comments: Now I know someone will say, But conscience is not a good guide. That s true. But let s notice that conscience has a function; the function of conscience is not to tell us what is right or what is wrong. That is not the purpose of conscience. The purpose of conscience, and the function of it, is to tell us that we are right or that we are wrong. It doesn t tell us what is right and wrong. ( Thru the Bible, Vol. 2, p. 763) Confession also involves a practical step: once we mentally acknowledge sin, we must verbally confess it as such to God. Confession should be soon and specific. 2. Ownership of Responsibility Against You-You alone- I have sinned, and done this evil in your sight (4a) David sinned against 3 / 9
Bathsheba, Uriah, his family and the Kingdom (the list goes on). However, his statement identifies the root component: his problem was a spiritual problem. It would not be solved by rationalization, reformation, or retribution. (Rom 12:2) Unless he got things right with God, he could never make things right with anyone else. In Nathan s accusation, he declared You have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme... (2 Sam. 12: 14a NKJV). And to this day, people rationalize their own sin by thinking David was a man after God s own heart, and look what he did. 3. Realization of the Depth of Sin So You are right when You pass sentence; You are blameless when You judge. Indeed, I was guilty when I was born, I was sinful when my mother conceived me (4b-5) HCSB: p. 931: 51:5 This verse has prompted a variety of interpretation. Some have interpreted it to mean that marriage and child bearing are a curse; this is untenable in light of the rest of Scripture (127:3; Heb. 13:4). Another interpretation is that this refers to a specific sin, perhaps adultery, committed by David s mother, but there is no evidence of this in the biblical texts. Others connect this verse with ceremonial uncleanness in childbirth (Lv 12:2, 5; 15:8), but this is not the same as sin. Some say David is using rhetorical over statement to describe his sinfulness. One of the most common interpretations in Christian history is that this verse teaches the doctrine of original sin. While not aiming to strictly identify the origin of human sinfulness with events at biological conception, David recognizes that sin pervades humankind as a universal condition from the very outset of our existence. Sin is everywhere and in everyone, and David confessed that it has been with him since birth. Far from forming the basis of an excuse (i.e., Why should I be blamed for my sins when I was born this way? ), David s confession contrasts the blameless (Ps 51:4) ways of God with the innately evil ways of men. II. Plea for Cleansing Surely You desire integrity in the inner self, and You teach me wisdom deep within. 7 Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones You have crushed rejoice. 9 Turn Your face away from my sins 4 / 9
and blot out all my guilt. God, create a clean heart for me and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not banish me from Your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore the joy of Your salvation to me, and give me a willing spirit. 13 Then I will teach the rebellious Your ways, and sinners will return to You. (6-13) A. Forthright You desire integrity (6) 1 John 1:9 begins If you confess your sin God knows us intimately; we confess sin, not because He is unaware of it. We confess sin to name it and claim it. HCSB: p. 931: 51:6 God desires obedience to His commands from within (with integrity ). Yahweh is the source of wisdom (Pr 2:6), but it must be communicated to a person s heart. This is similar to the idea of God s commands residing in the heart. B. Forgiven wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness (7b-8a) Isaiah wrote Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow... (1:18) David acknowledged that only God has the ability to cleanse him, cheer him, and have compassion on him. His problems are inherent, i.e. they could not be solved without God s intervention. C. Forgotten blot out all my guilt (9) God is able to cast our sin, As far as the east is from the west (Ps. 103:12). D. Favored: David enumerates the blessings available only from God: 1. Cleansing God, create a clean heart for me. (10a) Only God can make us feel 5 / 9
clean. One of the most troubling problems to the modern person is guilt. God promises that through Christ we can be cleansed of sin and guilt (I John 1:8-10) 2. Consistency and renew a steadfast spirit within me (10b) God doesn t want us on a spiritual roller coaster. Paul writes Therefore my dear brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord s work... (I Cor. 15:58) 3. Closeness Do not banish me from Your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me. (11) HCSB: p. 932: 51:11 Holy Spirit is taken by some to mean Yahweh s presence. However, in the larger context of the biblical text, it seems to refer to God Himself (Is 63:10-14) in the same way that heart and spirit can refer to people. The division among the persons of the Godhead (the Trinity) is not a concept developed in the OT, although texts such as this allows for the establishment of the doctrine as God s revelation progresses through the NT (e.g., Mt 3:16-17, where Father, Son and Spirit are all present yet distinct at Jesus baptism). 4. Cheer Restore the joy of Your salvation to me (12) Jesus said I have spoken these things to you, so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete. (John 15:11) 5. Correction Then I will teach the rebellious Your ways. (13) Preaching and teaching cannot always be aimed at the positive side of life. Paul writes that All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness. (2 Tim 3:16) III. Deliverance Through Brokenness 6 / 9
Save me from the guilt of bloodshed, God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing of Your righteousness. 15 Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise. 16 You do not want a sacrifice, or I would give it; You are not pleased with a burnt offering. 17 The sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit. God, You will not despise a broken and humbled heart. (14-17) A. Communion Save me from the guilt of bloodshed, God (14) David asked for restoration, for full fellowship with God and other believers that my tongue will sing of your righteousness. B. Confession Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise. You do not want a sacrifice or I would give it. You do not pleased with a burnt offering. (15-16) The sacrificial system was always intended to show outward obedience to an inward commitment. Obviously, the inward commitment is the priority (cf. 19). C. Contrition The sacrifices pleasing to God is a broken Spirit. God, You will not despise a broken and a humbled heart (17) God desires a relationship based on humility, confession and repentance. Religious acts are meaningless without a proper heart attitude. (Jer. 31:34; 1 Sam. 15:15-23) IV. A Pleasing Sacrifice (18-19) Once the inward commitment is correct, then God can accept the outward sacrifices In Your good pleasure (18). Eph. 1:3-14 describes God s purpose and care for the church. David affirms God s care and love for His people. Application: 7 / 9
1. God desires fellowship with His children. 2. Sin destroys fellowship with God. 3. Repentance determines fellowship after sin. Leader Pack Item 6: Poster: The Spirit in Psalms Biblical Illustrator p. 22 David s Desire - A Clean Heart Notes: **You may now access David s Lesson Preview in MP3 format at: www.hfbcbiblestud y.org ; also, the Highpoint Bible Study (Downtown) is available on MP3 at the HFBC site under the Highpoint link/downloads. Dates: 8/2 RUSH Celebration; 8/20 Back to School Sunday; 8/23 Midlink/Milestones Preview Night; 8/27 SPF Birthday Bash; 8/30 11/15 Midlink on Wednesdays; 9/4 Labor Day Church offices closed; 9/8 - Marriage Matters; 9/8-10 SPF Family Camp; 9/10 MIYCO; 9/10 Dr. Jeremiah Johnston @ Loop; 9/10-17 Museum of the Bible Exhibit; 8 / 9
9/16 Men:Serve; 9/17 Dr. Peter Williams @ Loop; 9/24 SPF Birthday Bash; 9/24 LBS Fall Luncheon; 10/15 First Camp Preschool. 10/20-21 Men s Retreat; 10/22 - Parent Commitment. 9 / 9