Psalm 51 is the song that David wrote when he repented of his sin with Bathsheba. It says in verses 1-2:
“Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!”
Man’s greatest need is for forgiveness. Here in Psalm 51, David was sincerely seeking God’s forgiveness. The penalty for the crime he committed could have been serious, but that’s not why David was sorry. He was not merely interested in avoiding the consequences, although David the fruit of this sin for the rest of his life.
David hated the sin far more than he hated the consequences. Verse 2 says, “2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!” It is as if David is saying, “Lord, if washing isn’t enough to take away the love for this sin in my heart, then try some other technique. If water doesn’t cleanse me then use fire to burn it out instead. I want to be purified, no matter what that requires. Lord, leave no guilt remaining in my soul.”
David was not crying out against the punishment of sin, he was sick over the sin itself. He was mourning over sin.
- A murderer may be more upset about the final lethal injection than he is by the fact that he was capable of the act of murder itself.
- A thief may love the things he has stolen, but is sorry because he fears the punishment for stealing those goods.
- An adulterer may be excited by the affair, but fearful of the ravages of divorce if someone ever found out.
This was not the case with David. He was sickened by his sin. His loudest outcries were against the transgression itself. He hated that sin had found a home in his heart and he grieved about what that implied in his relationship with God. David hated the evil in his heart and asked for the Lord’s mercy in dealing with him and cleansing his heart.
David dealt seriously with his sin and God was merciful. When we hate the same things the Lord hates, He will help us root those things out of our lives so that we can have a better pursuit – God’s desire for us is to find all satisfying joy in the pursuit of Christ and His righteousness, not for us to be bound up with the joy-depleting desires of our flesh.
In David’s eyes, sin was a burden to be removed, a pollution to be washed out, and a bondage to be cut and thrown away. It was a fatal disease that needed a cure, a criminal record that needed to be erased, and a filthy shirt that needed to be washed clean. God alone can work these miracles in the spiritual life of a humble person who is willing to seek the Lord’s intervention.
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