Psalm 51 Prayer of Repentance

PROPHECY:

Thus Says The LORD,

I am not angry with anyone. I do not desire sacrifices or other offerings that are absent of humility. I Am the LORD who loves all people. I desire a broken and contrite heart, for it is within this brokenness, I am found.

All people will be judged, though My forgiveness is given to forgive all sin. Never to remember any sin throughout eternity. Only in humility will you find peace, for it is My peace I give to those who desire Me. It is pride that keeps you from repenting. Pride keeps you from acknowledging your sin. Pride will keep you from Me. For it is pride that says you do not need Me.

If you will seek Me, desire Me, trust that I will fulfill My promise and forgive all sin. You will experience Me, My Holy Spirit. I have promised to be close to those who desire Me. Humility keeps Me in a place of authority. The place of LORD in your life. Humility expresses that you trust Me to forgive you and make Me your God.

If you will maintain a lifestyle of humility. You will live in My presence. You will experience My Holy Spirit and know that I am close to you. I desired you from the time I created you in the womb. I wanted you before you were thought of. I formed you and made you a beautiful masterpiece.

Forgiveness is always available and will always be offered, for I love you. You do not need to feel ashamed. You do not need to think that I will hold anything against you. There is nothing you can do that will keep Me from loving you.

When I the LORD speak, I do not lie. I have spoken in My Word of My love for you. Call to Me and I will answer you, I will look upon you and be merciful to you.

Says The LORD.

MESSAGE:

God is willing to forgive every sin that we could commit. In Psalm 51 we hear David’s cry for mercy. He was known to be a man after God’s own heart, yet, he made mistakes. Psalm 51 is about repentance and the willingness to admit sin to receive God’s forgiveness.

Psalms 51 (NKJV)

A Prayer of Repentance

[1] Have mercy upon me, O God,

According to Your lovingkindness;

According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,

Blot out my transgressions.

[2] Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,

And cleanse me from my sin.

[3] For I acknowledge my transgressions,

And my sin is always before me.

[4] Against You, You only, have I sinned,

And done this evil in Your sight—

That You may be found just when You speak,

And blameless when You judge.

[5] Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,

And in sin my mother conceived me.

[6] Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts,

And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.

[7] Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;

Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

[8] Make me hear joy and gladness,

That the bones You have broken may rejoice.

[9] Hide Your face from my sins,

And blot out all my iniquities.

[10] Create in me a clean heart, O God,

And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

[11] Do not cast me away from Your presence,

And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

[12] Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,

And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.

[13] Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,

And sinners shall be converted to You.

[14] Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,

The God of my salvation,

And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.

[15] O Lord, open my lips,

And my mouth shall show forth Your praise.

[16] For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;

You do not delight in burnt offering.

[17] The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,

A broken and a contrite heart—

These, O God, You will not despise.

[18] Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion;

Build the walls of Jerusalem.

[19] Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness,

With burnt offering and whole burnt offering;

Then they shall offer bulls on Your altar.

In verse 1, the word mercy; Strong’s #2603. חָנַן ḥānan, khaw-nan'; means to bend or stoop in kindness to an inferior; to favor, bestow; causatively to implore (that is, move to favor by petition). The word means to beseech, show favor, be gracious, be merciful, show mercy, have pity, make supplication.

David is imploring God to show mercy based on His lovingkindness. God desires to forgive sin and make us righteous. God, by His Holy Spirit, led the Apostle John to communicate Gods love and willingness to forgive us.

1 John 1:9 (NKJV)

[9] If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Verse 2, is a cry for forgiveness, which only God can give. This is a confession so God can grant His forgiveness. Only God can grant forgiveness, as it is God who established what sin is, based on His Word. The Law was given by God to establish a standard for people to live by. When a person rebels against the Word of God, they are sinning against God. This then makes it a requirement for people to repent. Without the law that God gave sin would not be known.

Romans 7:7-8 (NKJV)

[7] What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.” [8] But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead.

In verses 3 – 4, we see the acknowledgement of sin and how it is laid before God. These verses start with acknowledgement, then confession of the sin being against God.

When we sin, it needs to be confessed in away of remorse, more importantly, rooted in Godly sorrow. Godly sorrow will lead us to not sin the same way. True repentance allows the Holy Spirit to lead us away from sin and into a mature walk with God. This is also known as a lifestyle of humility. A proud person will not be able to live righteously, for they will not be able to acknowledge their sin. True repentance is only achieved with humility.

Also, verse 4 does not communicate an offense was not made toward another. Sin does hurt other people, though this verse reveals the willingness to be accountable to God. Sin must be seen as being first and foremost against God. Even if we choose to rationalize sin against another person. There is never a right to sin against God.

Verses 6 – 7 exposes God’s desire for us to be holy inwardly. Not just show an outward expression of righteousness. Rather live a life that proves we are forgiven and living for Jesus. Religious people, such as the pharisees were rebuked for being whitewashed walls. Outwardly they looked righteous, but inwardly they were evil.

Matthew 23:27-28 (NKJV)

[27] “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. [28] “Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

Verse 8 reveals the power of conviction. Only the Holy Spirit convicts’ people of sin. This verse reveals how conviction can feel like a heavy weight is pressing down upon us. Conviction is not the same as condemnation, as condemnation is judgement. Conviction is used to lead us away from sin and into righteousness by leading us to repentance.

John 16:8 (NKJV)

[8] “And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

Verse 9 shows us that God does see everything. This request is from a position of mercy. Not wanting God to hold onto any sin. This reflects true humility from a person who realizes they have sinned, while at the same time trusting in God’s mercy. In Jeremiah 16:17 we see God prophecy through Jeremiah about seeing all sin.

Jeremiah 16:17 (NKJV)

[17] “For My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, nor is their iniquity hidden from My eyes.

Verse 9 also shows us that God can forgive all sin, by not continually looking at it. This is only possible due to forgiveness. God will never hold sin against any person and has promised to never remember any transgression.

Hebrews 8:12 (NKJV)

[12] “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”

Verse 10 then shows a complete act of repentance by requesting a new heart. What is being spoken here is a means to allow God to do the miraculous. Only God can change a person’s heart. It is not possible to live righteous and change our wicked ways without God’s intervention. This verse is a request to fulfill what God prophesied in Ezekiel 36:26-27.

Ezekiel 36:26 (NKJV)

[26] “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. [27] “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.

Then we see in verse 11 a request to maintain relationship with God. The absence of God's presence is the same as not having His Spirit. David can recall what happens when a person does not repent, as he witnessed this first hand with his predecessor Saul who refused to repent from sinfulness. 1 Samuel 16:14.

1 Samuel 16:14 (NKJV)

A Distressing Spirit Troubles Saul

[14] But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the LORD troubled him.

This verse shows us that the lack of repentance can yield to the departing of the Holy Spirit.

Verses 12 – 15 shows a complete turnaround from willful sin to the desire to express gratitude through teaching and praise for God’s mercy. These verses help us see that God’s forgiveness will instill a grateful heart, where a testimony can be given to reflect God’s lovingkindness. A person who understands  they are forgiven much, will always love more and express it openly.

Luke 7:47 (NKJV)

[47] “Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”

In verses 16 – 19 we see the desire to give sacrificially. We should never stop communicating our gratefulness. We should be willing to offer a sacrifice that will cost us something. The sacrifice that God truly wants is humility. These verses express that God is desiring true humility. God wants people to look to Him for love and forgiveness. It is only in humility that we can be in fellowship with God. This humility of brokenness is what moves God. True humility of brokenness costs us a lot, as it is a direct attack against our pride. Ego is one thing that will always keep God distant. Which in turn keeps us from receiving His mercies.

Having any type of ritualistic sacrifice or outward expression of religiosity, without a change of heart or attitude within our spirit, will always fall short of true repentance.