"For I acknowledge my
transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
Against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Thy sight:
that Thou mightest be justified when Thou speakest, and be clear when Thou
judgest. Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Behold, Thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part Thou
shalt make me to know wisdom" (Psalm 51:3-6)
David
was known as the "man after God's own heart" (1 Samuel 13:14), he
wrote many of the psalms, which are the hymnbook of the Bible, and he was the
anointed king of Israel. Though he understood the need of purity of heart, he
soon revealed how easy it was to play the hypocrite.
Psalm
51 is the best known of the penitential psalms. It describes David's repentance
over his sin with Bathsheba.
There
is no doubting David's love for God, for his songs are expressions of devotion
and adoration. He proved that he could walk in holiness and righteousness, but
his hypocrisy exposes that sin was still lurking in his heart. There was a vast
ravine between his declaration of faith and the condition of his soul. Like all
hypocrites David tried to hide his sin, forgetting that the sin is compounded in
doing so.
Despite
the obvious love he had for the Lord, he had to see the evil of the inner man.
David had to acknowledge that he was capable of committing the worst of all
sins.
David's
sins of adultery and murder were bad enough, but the hypocrisy in his "inward"
and "hidden"
parts was worse (Psalm 51:3-6). The Lord will not stop the work of
sanctification until the hypocritical centre of man is eradicated. Others may
not see it in us, for it deceitfully adorns itself with piety, but God sees it!
Until our hearts are truly cleansed we will continue playing the hypocrite, "Wash
me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin ... Create in me a
clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me"
(Psalm 51:2, 10). "Thou
hast set our iniquities before Thee, our secret sins in the light of Thy
countenance" (Psalm 90:8). God will not
tolerate this hidden sin. He will expose it if we persist in hiding behind it.
"Cast
me not away from thy presence; and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me"
(Psalm 51:11)
David
was conscious of two things, both of which were breaking his heart. Yes, he had
sinned against Bathsheba and Uriah, but his sin was really against the Lord, "Against
thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy
sight"
(Psalm 51:4). Added to this was his great fear of becoming like king Saul, that
is, having God's Holy Spirit taken from him and thus losing his soul, "But
the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD
troubled him"
(1 Samuel16:14). Was he going to be totally forsaken and rejected by God?
The
Lord does not cast away anyone who truly repents, "The
sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God,
Thou wilt not despise"
(Psalm 51:17). "All
that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in
no wise cast out"
(John 6:37). There are those who feign repentance and promise to do better if
God will forgive them, but they never do (Psalm 51:16). David agonized over his
sin once God exposed his hypocrisy. His sin was great, but God's mercy was
greater still,
"Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Thy lovingkindness:
according unto the multitude of Thy tender mercies blot out my
transgressions"
(Psalm 51:1). Romans 5:20 says, "But
where sin abounded, grace did much more abound."
How
deeply does God's word penetrate our hearts? How far are we willing for Him to
sanctify us? We can only be transformed to the level of our submission to the
Lord. He of course is not satisfied until He cleanses us at the very centre of
our being, for sanctification is not just being cleansed from actual sin, its
deepest work is effected in the inner man.
If
we do not permit God to cleanse the inner man from all its filth, then we are no
different from the Scribes and Pharisees of Jesus' day, that is, sanctimonious
hypocrites (Matthew 6:2, 23:13.)
The
desire to be holy will put the spotlight on our sin and hypocrisy. It is how we
deal with this that matters. David wisely chose to submit to God; we ought to
make the same choice. We all need to conform to God's perfect will, but it is
only possible if we acknowledge our sin, "But we are all as an unclean
thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a
leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away"
(Isaiah 64:6). "Even
the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all
them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come
short of the glory of God" (Romans
3:25). Then, and only, then can the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ make us
acceptable in God's sight, "But
now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit
unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans
6:22-23). The more we submit to God, the stronger we will be in the faith, "That
He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened
with might by His Spirit in the inner man" (Ephesians
3:16).
Page created 28 March 2006