Psalm 51, pt 3

It took two blog posts to get thru verse 1? hmmm. Let's see if I can pick up the pace.

Unlike Pilate, who symbolically washed his hands after turning Christ over for crucifixion, David knew that the source for true and total cleansing was God Himself, and so he had hope of being fully cleansed. Do you feel you can never be clean because of the stain of sin on your life? Cry out to God, and know that He will hear you, and He is both willing and able to wash you completely clean.

In vs. 3 David says, "For my sin is ever before me...."  "For" is a reference to what precedes it. It is because he cannot shake the awareness of his sin that David cried out in the opening verses for cleansing. Is your sin "ever before you?" What does that mean? I think in part it is a reference to the difficulty we have forgetting our failures and letting them go, and forgiving ourselves. Even long after a failure, a casual word, a scene from a TV show or movie, the words to a song, can spark a memory. Beyond that, just the idea of spending time in the presence of Holy God, at some point has to make you realize you're not worthy to be there. Awareness of sin should cause us to run to God, not hide from Him. Nothing's hidden from Him anyway.

Okay, David took another man's wife to bed. We don't know how willing she was in this, whether she was longing to be with the king, or if she was too intimidated to say no. Then he had Uriah killed, involving his army commander in the crime. Together, David and Bathsheba suffered the death of the child conceived through their union. Nathan said David had shamed God before the enemies of Israel. It wasn't a secret sin at any level. Yet, David says, "Against You, You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight...." All sin, ultimately, is against God. No matter who else is involved or affected by it, it is against God. He alone is perfect and sets the standard for holiness and righteousness. It is when we let other things take the place in our lives that belongs to Him alone that we wind up doing things that are evil. It's letting other things take His place that constitutes sin in the first place and results in the actions we recognize as "sins." The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not lack. My God shall supply all my need.... If I truly believe that, I will act on the basis of that truth and not seek to meet my needs in any shallow thing the world offers. Whatever the outward expression of sin may be, it comes down to this - putting something or someone in the place that belongs to God alone.

"...what is evil in Your sight" is another phrase that can be taken a couple of different ways: It could be the things God "sees as" evil. I think it also recognizes that God "sees" everything we do, and nothing is hidden from Him. We all come into this world subject to sin. It's pretty much guaranteed, that at some point, we're going to (verse 5). But in direct contrast to the condition of fallen man, verse 6 declares that God desires truth in our innermost being and in the hidden part He will make us know wisdom. Isn't that awesome? What hope it brings. What He wills, He does. His command is His promise. The fact that He desires truth in our innermost being is His promise that He will endeavor to put that truth there. This is the God that spoke and the "bang" of His voice was so "big" that the universe came into being. I think He can handle putting His truth in your heart and mine. There is the basis for peace, hope, forgiveness, cleansing. God wills it.