Psalm 51
David wrote Psalm 51 after a moment of weakness lead to an affair with a married woman, he then had her husband killed so he could keep her for himself. Many have called David a man after God’s own heart, but this story of his failure proves his humanness and makes his story more relatable. The story in 2 Samuel 11-12 explains David’s mistakes, God’s unhappiness with him and the consequences that David suffered for his misdeeds. The story ends with what should be tragedy in the death of David’s son, but David instead goes to God in worship. “Then David got up from the ground. After he had washed, put on lotions and changed his clothes, he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped” (2 Samuel 12:20, New International Version). I imagine Psalm 51 was David’s prayer when he went to the Lord. I wonder where we would be if in our times of tragedy, we went to the Lord in praise instead of complaint?
Kidner describes the revelations behind Psalm 51, “It comes from David’s blackest moment of self-knowledge, yet it explores not only the depths of his guilt but some of the farthest reaches of salvation” (Kidner, 2008, p 206). David cries out, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love, according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions” (Psalm 51:1). David recognized his …show more content…
I think we can all relate to a psalm for sinners because by nature we are all sinners. How blessed are we for verses 3-4, “If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared” (Psalm 130:3-4). This Psalm points us to the ways of our redemption, “what is clear in all such passages is that self-help is no answer to the depths of distress, however useful it may be in the shallows of self-pity” (Kidner, 2012, p
David wrote Psalm 51 after a moment of weakness lead to an affair with a married woman, he then had her husband killed so he could keep her for himself. Many have called David a man after God’s own heart, but this story of his failure proves his humanness and makes his story more relatable. The story in 2 Samuel 11-12 explains David’s mistakes, God’s unhappiness with him and the consequences that David suffered for his misdeeds. The story ends with what should be tragedy in the death of David’s son, but David instead goes to God in worship. “Then David got up from the ground. After he had washed, put on lotions and changed his clothes, he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped” (2 Samuel 12:20, New International Version). I imagine Psalm 51 was David’s prayer when he went to the Lord. I wonder where we would be if in our times of tragedy, we went to the Lord in praise instead of complaint?
Kidner describes the revelations behind Psalm 51, “It comes from David’s blackest moment of self-knowledge, yet it explores not only the depths of his guilt but some of the farthest reaches of salvation” (Kidner, 2008, p 206). David cries out, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love, according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions” (Psalm 51:1). David recognized his …show more content…
I think we can all relate to a psalm for sinners because by nature we are all sinners. How blessed are we for verses 3-4, “If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared” (Psalm 130:3-4). This Psalm points us to the ways of our redemption, “what is clear in all such passages is that self-help is no answer to the depths of distress, however useful it may be in the shallows of self-pity” (Kidner, 2012, p