LEARNING DAILY

Psalm 51 :1-2, Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from sin.

Lead Pastor Jonathon Moore at NorthRock spoke about Psalm 51:1-12 this weekend. He is in a series that gives the background to the Psalm and then gives application from the Psalm to our lives. This Psalm explains the reaction of King David when confronted by the prophet Nathan, about his relationship to Bathsheba. “David had remained at home after sending his army to war; David was in a place he was not supposed to be and saw what he was not supposed to see.” (Pastor Moore). He continued quoting some pastor(s) he has known, “Sin will take you further than you ever intended to go, will keep you longer than you ever intended to stay, and will cost you more than you ever intended to spend.”

In Psalm 51, King David is confessing to the sins of adultery and murder. He is admitting to and taking responsibility for what had transpired with Bathsheba and her husband. What can believers today learn about repentance from this Psalm? Pastor’s first point was, “Real repentance realizes that I’m the only one to blame and that Christ alone is able to save me.” Repentance is an on-going process that changes one from the inside out. Yes, Jesus Christ forgave every sin committed and will be committed by the Believer. The Believer must confess sinful behavior after they have been saved, thanking Him for the forgiveness He gave when the person was saved. Pastor said, “One cannot move forward with their relationship with God until the mistake is embraced. Don’t make excuses for your behavior. Recognize it, confess, it and move on.” In my opinion, to not do so enables the Believer to think they can do anything he/she wants to do. As David saw, unconfessed sin has consequences. Be careful about “placing personal pleasure, idolatry, before God; that is doing what you want instead of doing what God wants”. That is sinful behavior that needs to be recognized and confessed.

The second point, he made was, “The more aware of the ability to sin, the less likely you are to sin.” Genesis 4:7 states, “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it”. 1 Corinthians 10:12 states, “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall”. Pastor used these two verses to remind each Believer that he/she must be watchful, be careful about how they think, live, and talk. “There are certain triggers that cause each of us to be tempted. Know your surroundings, recognize those things, those places that cause you difficulties” (Pastor Moore). It is not the temptation that is the sin; it is giving into the temptation that is the sin.

David prayed God would create in him a new heart (v. 10) and restore him to the joy of his salvation. “Repentance begins when one wants to be right [with God] and not just look right. David looked right on the outside, but God knew there was darkness on the inside.” (Pastor Moore). He said, “Some repent so God will fix the consequences, not because they want to change. The purpose of repentance is to bring one up, not take him down.” Read the words written by Paul in 1 Corinthians 2:4, “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?” Read the rest of the Psalm and you will see that David knew the kindness and the grace of God brings one to repent. David knew God still believed in him and would restore him in order to continue serving Him.