“Unfailing Love & Great Compassion” - Psalm 51 (Day 1)
Good morning, and welcome back to our Summer Sabbath devotionals. With a new week comes a new Psalm to sit with, meditate on, and soak up its goodness. As we turn the page to David's desperate pleas for mercy, forgiveness, and cleansing found in Psalm 51, it seems fitting that we find ourselves in the middle of summer. There's no escaping the overwhelming heat - if you dare step outside, the humidity hits you, zapping every ounce of energy and taking a toll on one's body. So to avoid it, we retreat behind closed doors.
The hidden sin David carried with him had a similar effect; it made him miserable, weighed him down, and consumed him. No matter how hard he tried to pretend it didn't exist and move on with his life, his sin was always before him. Perhaps, that describes some of the emotions you're experiencing right now. Your efforts to avoid, justify, or alleviate guilt haven't shaken those feelings. This week, using the words of David, we want to experience the freedom and restoration only Christ's forgiveness provides. So, before we begin, I want to provide space for you to consider and pray for the hidden sin and struggles that weigh you down. Ask God for the courage to be honest with the mess you've attempted to manage on your own.
Many of us know David as the small shepherd boy with immense confidence in God, so much so that he took down that giant Goliath with the aid of his slingshot. Likewise, we remember Bible stories about David's courage while being chased and pursued by the evil and jealous king Saul. Perhaps we've even heard David referred to as a man "after God's own heart," a king who led Israel with bold faith. Yet, no matter the greatness inside of a man, each of us is vulnerable to temptation and giving in to struggles, especially those we think we can keep under wraps.
Other parts of David's story, like 2 Samuel 11 and 12, read like a script torn from a scandalous soap opera - David lusted, then utilized his position as king to commit adultery with a married woman named Bathsheba while her husband was fighting on the battlefield. Then, when she became pregnant, David attempted to cover up the affair by having Uriah, her husband, killed. Finally, it appeared David took care of his sin; his indiscretion was hidden from others but not from God, and that's why the Lord sent the prophet Nathan to David with a message. Through telling a story, Nathan boldly yet graciously confronts David, leading to his confession and this week’s passage.
With this in mind, I invite you to read Psalm 51. As you do, pay attention and make note of any words, phrases, or themes that stand out to you.
Psalm 51 says this:
1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.
5 Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
6 Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place.
7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you.
14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, you who are God my Savior, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
15 Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
17 My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.
18 May it please you to prosper Zion, to build up the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous, in burnt offerings offered whole; then bulls will be offered on your altar.
That’s a lot to unpack and an impossible task to do in a single devotional - but that’s the beauty of sitting with Psalm 51 for an entire week. It enables us to take our time, slow down, and chew on all its wisdom. So, read Psalm 51 once again, but this time, center your attention on the first two verses.
Psalm 51:1-2 says this:
1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
Take a moment to reflect on what you just read:
When it comes to God’s character, what did David lean on in hopes of experiencing mercy and encountering forgiveness?
Psalm 51 opens up with an anguished plea, "Have mercy on me, O God." Gone are the justifications and denials, replaced by an apologetic and remorseful spirit. David's once hardened heart has not only softened; its contriteness is on full display, laid bare before God. The boldness of Nathan's confrontation created space for David to be bold before God, pleading for mercy and asking for undeserved forgiveness. Nathan challenged David with a story, but in a way, Nathan provided David with a mirror that opened David's eyes to the depths of his sin and its ramifications. Hidden sin and unconfessed struggles often act as blinders that distort our perspective of ourselves, our circumstances, and even our need for God. For David, those scales had fallen off, and yes, he indeed saw the depth of his struggles, but David caught a glimpse of the depth of God's unfailing love and great compassion.
Take a moment and consider… How is remaining silent about your struggles distorting your perspective of yourself, your circumstances, and God?
Read today’s passage slowly one more time.
Psalm 51:1-2 says this:
1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
It's summer, and I get that none of us want to think about school, but for a moment, let's go back and pull from those grammar lessons when we were young. Adjectives are words that describe, providing insight into the attributes of a noun. So why do I bring this up? David pleads for mercy on behalf of love and compassion. But, it's not just any love and compassion; it's God's. Yet, David goes even further and utilizes some adjectives - He implores God to extend him mercy based on God's UNFAILING love and GREAT compassion. Descriptors like that raise the stakes and impact the expected response to our sin and struggles. Other translations use steadfast, faithful, merciful, constant, and gracious to convey God's love. Not only that, but when translators look at David's original words, they say God's compassion is abundant, tender, unlimited, and a multitude. Recognizing the disparity between the weight of our wrongdoing and the depth of God's love and compassion invites us not to hide our struggles or remain silent about our sins. We can offer up the same prayer as David, fully confident that forgiveness and grace will not only cover it but lead us toward restoration and wholeness.
So, as we begin to wrap up our time together, we want to provide you some space to respond to what we read and maybe to what God is trying to say to you through Psalm 51. First, take a moment to process this question… Where do your hidden struggles and unconfessed sin need to encounter God’s unfailing love and great compassion?
Another question to consider is this… How can a willingness to be transparent and open before God about the condition of your heart enable you to experience God’s forgiveness, mercy, and love?
PRAYER
Father God,
When I consider the depth of my sin, the enemy wants me to despair; instead, I’ll be determined and bring my struggles before You.
I don’t deserve mercy and forgiveness; yet, You graciously give it to me - beyond everything I could ever ask for, hope, or imagine.
May I not cheapen your grace by asking for forgiveness and returning to normal.
Instead, may my encounter with Your mercy shape my dependency and trust in You and open my eyes to how it transforms my heart. Amen.