Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Psalms 51:1-12 (ESV)
It was not just the sins with Bathsheba and ‘Uriah that, David felt. He confesses: “Behold, I was brought forth” in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.” True confession of sin does not look just at outward sins, but feels the heart’s deep corruption and there finds a terribly poisonous fountain from which all sinful deeds spring. There is lying and hatred and unchastity and greed, as the plant is already determined in the seed. This poison has penetrated the heart, so that it is wicked from youth on. Jesus says: “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries,’ fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies” [Mt 15:19].
The Lord allowed David to see Bathsheba, but. He prevented David from hiding his sin with Uriah’s visit at home. If the Spirit cannot show us our sin in any other way, God allows the wicked, hidden desire of the heart to break out on us so that we see the sin for what it is and humble ourselves and pray for grace. He does this because where our sinful desires have taken us is away from our Lord and Savior, only by seeing our sin and where we have followed it, are we able to call upon Him and receive His blessed forgiveness and right relationship with Him. But let no one trifle with sin and do evil in order to learn contrition and to prove the truth of the Lord’s Word! Extinguish the spark so that it doesn’t become a flame! Pray God to spare you from David’s terrible way, and beware of that which lies at the door to ensnare you. God still will not let you taste the bitterness of sin if you are upright (seeking Him and His forgiveness) and want to ‘be obedient toward His Spirit. And such a feeling of sin is always necessary; whoever does not recognize his sin with sorrow and recognize the justice of God’s judgment, also does not know the sweet and blessed peace of His mercy.
Take note of David’s prayer and confession:•these are not the words of a cold heart, but the strong piercing cry for mercy from an eager spirit. It is not an apathetic admission that he is a weak person like everybody else, but the deep and true confession of a wounded soul, that he is an evildoer from birth on. He is not done putting• forth his confession and his prayer, but it is unspeakably important to him to be shown mercy and to be cleansed by the Lord. “Wash me thoroughly,” he says: “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.’’
Do you have the same prayer within you, my soul?
Are you bringing the proper sacrifices of God: a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart?
Humbly pray that God will give you the true spirit of contrition (sorrow over doing wrong rather sorrow over being caught), and say with the prophet: You have fed them with the bread of tears, And given them tears to drink in great measure” [Ps 80:5]
Lord God, we do not have David’s deep humility, but still we feel our corruption and our sinful guilt with remorse and pain. Yes, I am poor and wicked; cleanse me and heal me, O God, for Jesus’ sake. Amen
Bishop Nils Jakob Laache
330. Trinity 11 – I
BOOK OF FAMILY PRAYER
Slight editing – pmwl
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