Day 88: Psalm 51:1–5

Against You—You alone— I have sinned and done this evil in Your sight. So You are right when You pass sentence; You are blameless when You judge (v. 4).

Somewhere between confronting sin and restoring fellowship must come the bridge between those two vital works—contrite confession. We have the blueprint for the bridge of confession fresh from the heart of a grieving king. Psalm 51 will be a fitting addition to our study of the infamous transgressions of David. This psalm invites the vilest of sinners to drink from the fountains of forgiveness.

So great was David’s need for cleansing, so urgent his plea, that he began his prayer with no introduction and no high praises. David understood experientially the teaching of Isaiah 59:2:

Your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.

David knew his God was complex and multifaceted. In his history with God, David had called on His sovereignty, His might, His deliverance, His intervention. But at this moment, David called on the God of love and compassion. Only on the basis of covenant love could David dare ask for mercy. For those of us who have known God and experienced the presence of God, the biggest heartbreak over sin comes with the realization that we have offended Him. God takes our sin personally. When we leave sin unconfessed, we scoff at the cross.

A man who lived many centuries before David also had an opportunity to sleep with another man’s wife. In Joseph’s case the other woman was Potiphar’s wife. He responded to her with the words we should always ask ourselves in time of temptation: “How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” (Gen. 39:9).