Purge Me and I Shall Be Clean – Psalm 51

This is what is called a penitential psalm.  It is akin to Psalm 32.  This psalm gives us the historical background to David’s penitence (repentance), and Psalm 32 may have come out of this same background.  The psalm is the universal heart cry of the repentant.

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.  Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!

For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.  Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.  Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.  Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.  Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice.  Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.  Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.  Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.  Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.

Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.  Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.  O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.  For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

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.  (Psalm 51 ESV)

David committed adultery and murder.  Nathan exposed his sin and David repented.  This became the basis of this psalm and an encouragement to others to confess their sins to God. 

David first appeals for cleansing, acknowledging that his sin has greatly offended God above all others and that he has been a sinner from conception.  He knows that God has been the one who brought him to repentance.  He has been miserable but longs for the joy of restoration.  He asks God to let him keep his rulership (the Holy Spirit was given to kings, but taken if they turned from Yahweh), and though we might not have that same consequence, we can see that our sin might mean we are removed from our place of responsibility. 

So we too long for the restoration of the joy of God’s salvation when we have fallen into sin.  Then, like David, when we are forgiven and restored, we vow to teach others from our failure and admit that unless our heart is sincere all rituals we engage in are meaningless.  With our restoration should come blessing to the whole community and an acceptance by God of our rituals because now they fit our heart attitudes.