Broken Offering

My superduper OT teacher mentioned Psalm 51 very briefly last Monday. We were discussing 2 Samuel 12 , the story of David's "fall" -- although not quite sure this is a right way to put it but for lack of a better word! Psalm 51 is where David confesses of and repents from his sinful behaviour.

"I'm sure you've all come across this psalm."

*hmmm*

Nodding faces.

"Great, so let's move on."

Dang. I felt a bit ignorant at that point and thought I'd better check it out after I get home.

:)

So David screwed up alright. With the whole Bethsheba and Uriah adultery, murder and lies story. Yet he was willing to acknowledge his sin and, I believe, wholeheartedly confessed it to God.

2 Samuel 12:13a "Then David said to Nathan: 'I have sinned against the LORD.'"

David recognised that his sin was not just against Uriah or against Bethsheba (was she in a position to say no to the king? did he not take advantage of her? question mark) but firstly his sin was against God.

I wonder how many times I've said to God, "forgive me for I have sinned against you" and not just "ah I'm sorry for the bad thing I did. Help me be good. Thanks."

I prayed this morning "Show me, remind me pf how holy You are" because I forget. How holy God is. I understand this isn't an easy prayer to pray as it will ultimately show me how UN-holy I am and it can get ugly. Thank God his grace covers me : )

Yet sometimes I take that grace for granted. God becomes somewhat distant, some kind of force I have to listen to and obey and not the living spirit and loving Person he is. He stops to be my first audience. I lose that sense of "shock and awe" for him and I stop to think that maybe, maybe, my actions and thoughts and words are not pleasing to him.

Where is the fear of the LORD?

OF course he forgives me, "a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise," but before that happens and I suffer the consequences I need to recapture this sense of awe and reverence for him.

I suspect David needed to recover that, too. And God sent him Nathan. And God does send me little nathans or messengers now and again to speak His words of life to me and encourage me to repentance (they're not always pretty words to hear by the way little prophets but God bless you!).

How MERCIFUL is He, and so patient. I think David knew he would find forgiveness at the altar. So there he brought his very broken heart and *surprise* it was accepted. He needed to surrender once again and recapture his first love.

Psalm 51

~

Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.

Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.

For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.

Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
and justified when you judge.

~

Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.

~

Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will turn back to you.

~

Deliver me from bloodguilt, O God,
you who are God my Savior,
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.

Open my lips, Lord,
and my mouth will declare your praise.

You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.

My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise.

~

May it please you to prosper Zion,
to build up the walls of Jerusalem.

Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous,
in burnt offerings offered whole;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.

~

I pray that I may pray with the same sincerity of heart each time the Lord sifts sin in my life and will let Him deal with me and transform me from the inside out.

In Christ I am sure to find forgiveness (I am already forgiven!).

Amen.

(personal note: could it be that psalm 51 was written perhaps somewhere between verse 2 samuel 12:13a and 13b? just wondering.)