The Penitential Psalms (Psalm 51)

The Penitential Psalms (Psalm 51)

• Summary: A penitential psalm is one in which we confess sin, seek forgiveness, and promise repentance. Traditionally Psalms 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, and 143 bear this designation. In Psalm 51, David asks for mercy and promises repentance, providing us with a model for approaching God when we sin.

Notes:

• HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

  • The superscription connects this psalm to the prophet Nathan’s confrontation with David about his adultery with Bathsheba and murder of Uriah. The narrative in 2 Samuel 11-12 is linked by these three two-word phrases in Hebrew: “I’m pregnant”, “You are the man” and “I have sinned against the LORD.”

• PRAYER FOR REMOVAL

  • Request (1-2)
    • Four asks: Have mercy, blot out, wash me, cleanse me
    • Transgressions (law breaking), iniquity (internal disharmony), sin (failure of purpose)
    • Basis: God’s steadfast love (hesed) and abundant mercy (compassion, feeling for us)
  • Confession (3-6)
    • Confession is “to say the same,” to speak the truth. David cannot escape his guilt
    • His sin is “against you God, and you only” (ultimately), it is deep and broad in its effects
  • Request (7-9)
    • Metaphors: Hyssop, snow, broken bones, wash me, hide your face, blot out

• PRAYER FOR REPLACEMENT - Request (10-12) - Create in me a clean heart (the same word in Genesis 1:1 of God creating the cosmos) - The word “spirit” occurs in all three verses. Repentance is the work of the Spirit. - Removal of the Spirit (1 Samuel 16:14), Replacement with a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 11:19) - Promise (13-17) - I will teach others as they learn from my mistakes. Redeem this mess I’ve made. - I will worship. “Bloodguilt” is retribution from Uriah’s family. David’s worship resumes. - I will surrender. To obey is better than sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22) - Request (18-19) - Zion is the community of God, made vulnerable by David’s sin, sin always impacts others

• THE ANSWER TO DAVID’S PRAYER

  • 1,000 years after this psalm was penned, Jesus stood before Pontius Pilate who uttered these two words in Latin, Ecce Homo, “Behold the man.” David was “the man who had sinned against the LORD”, but on that day another stood in his place. Jesus is the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world. (1 John 2:2).

Discussion:

1. If you have time, read 2 Samuel 11-12 and try to put yourself in David’s sandals and think about what he is feeling when writing this psalm. What emotions, fears, and anxieties has his moral failure and attempted cover-up created? Is this always the inevitable consequence of sin?
2. What are some of the ways that we deal with guilt in modern times? (Good and bad)
3. Does verse 5 support the doctrine of “original sin” or is David suggesting something else here?
4. “Sin is always communal.” How did David’s sin affect others -- his family, his fellow soldiers, the nation, other nations? Have you ever justified your sin by insisting that no one else is affected?
5. In what sense is David’s prayer for forgiveness and repentance ultimately answered by Jesus?