Have mercy upon me, O God,
According to Your loving-kindness;
According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,
Blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
And cleanse me from my sin.

vs. 1,2

David is known as a man after God’s heart. He was blessed with being filled with the Holy Spirit in a time when that was not common. Yet he was a sinner, just as we are. And like us, sometimes he tried to hide his sin.

This Psalm was written after he was confronted about his sin with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah. To his credit at least he didn’t deny it. How many times have we denied our guilt to others and even to ourselves?

For I acknowledge my transgressions,
And my sin is always before me.
Against You, You only, have I sinned,
And done this evil in Your sight—

vs. 3, 4a

When I read this Psalm, I can immediately feel the conviction and the sorrow that this sin has caused in David’s spirit. I can sense the anguish he feels at the thought of losing the fellowship of God through His Holy Spirit.

Today believers, who have accepted God’s gift of salvation through Jesus, have the Holy Spirit inside us. He stays with us forever; not like it was in the Old Testament when He fell upon and filled specific people for a specific purpose and time.

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.

vs. 10, 11

Think of how it would feel to worry about losing the presence of the Holy Spirit because of our sin. The Holy Spirit is so important to our walk with God. David knew this importance and also the intimacy the Holy Spirit brought to his relationship with God.

Over and over in this Psalm Davis uses phrases such as wash me, cleanse me and purge me. He shows his sorrow over his sin, not just because he was confronted with it; but true repentance. He wants to be made pure, to be brought back to a right standing with God. He wants this transgression blotted out, forgotten forever.

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Hide Your face from my sins,
And blot out all my iniquities.

vs. 7, 9

Do we confess our own sins with such conviction? With such sorrow? I’m sad to say that I always don’t. Not at this level and that’s wrong. Every time I sin I should be brought to my knees in sorrow and anguish of what I have done against God. Every. Single. Time. No matter what the sin is.

David seeks the mercy of God and His willingness to forgive him. We have such a loving God. He abhors sin, yet He shows compassion on us, time, and time again.

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners shall be converted to You.

O Lord, open my lips,
And my mouth shall show forth Your praise.

vs. 12-13, 15

God desires us to come to Him with an open heart. One that is willing to be used by Him. He wants us to love Him and be obedient. When we fall, He hopes we’ll feel sorry for what we did and confess it rather than try to hide it.

It takes diligence to stay by His side, to go where He leads. We need to stay in His word, pray on a daily basis, and listen to His voice. When we do this, it helps us stand stronger against temptation because we have His strength to lean on.

For You do not desire sacrifice,

or else I would give it;
You do not delight in burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart—
These, O God, You will not despise.

vs. 16, 17

Until next time, God bless.

~Brenda

Photo credit:  pexels.com/@candis-hidalgo-23771