“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” (Ps 50:1-2)
A broken and contrite heart is the key to true repentance and restoration.
David wrote psalm 51 after he had sinned with Bathsheba. When Potiphar’s wife wanted to lie with Joseph, Joseph refused. He feared God and answered her, “How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” (v. 9)
David, however, fell for this temptation. When he repented from his adultery he said, “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight.” (Ps 51:4) David realized that he had foremost sinned against God. Both Joseph and David feared God most of all.
Confessing our sin and realizing that we have foremost sinned against God and failed him, is the first step in repentance. People who are only focused on themselves and feel sorry for what their sin has cost them have not truly repented.
David had to pay dearly for his sin with Bathsheba. To whom much is given, much shall be required and David had a very high calling. The prophet Nathan told him, “Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.” (2 Sa 12:10) And Nathan also added, “because by this deed you have utterly scorned the LORD, the child who is born to you shall die.” (v. 14) When we sin it is because we despise God and scorn His Word. That is why David confessed, “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight.” (v. 4)
God forgave David. Centuries later God confirmed his testimony about David, “I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart” (Ac 13:22). This shows us the awesome power of repentance when it is genuine from a broken and contrite heart!
This is the place that God wants to bring all of us before Him. Psalm 51 finally ends with a prayer for God’s purposes to be accomplished:
“Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; build up the walls of Jerusalem; then will you delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar.” (v. 18-19)
Ultimately it is not about us, but all about God purposes and glory. David, who was a man after God’s heart, realized that. His focus was on God, not on himself. Yeshua sharply rebuked Peter by saying: “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” (Mk 8:33) The self-centered focus in so much of today’s Christianity truly is a work of Satan. In essence it is idolatry.
The main purpose for these daily commentaries on the Scripture portions from Daily Bread is to encourage you in your own daily reading of the Scriptures. I hope that the commentaries have helped to serve that purpose. Due to other commitments I will now be forced to take a break from posting them. May God bless all of you as you faithfully study His Word! It is our foremost responsibility in loving God even before prayer because true prayer must be based on His Word.
“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.” (De 6:5-6)
