Psalm 51:1–12 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 51:1–12 on biblegateway.com
Verse 1Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
Verse 2Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
Verse 3For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
Verse 4Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgment.
Verse 5Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me.
Verse 6You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
Verse 7Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Verse 8Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.
Verse 9Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.
Verse 10Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.
Verse 11Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me.
Verse 12Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.
Devotion
Luther, Melanchthon, and the early reformers were pastorally very concerned about the hearts of Christians when it came to sin. Of primary concern in Article XX of the Augsburg Confession is the consolation and encouragement of “anxious consciences” and “terrified minds” that were “vexed by the doctrine of works” but hearing no “consolation from the gospel.” You can hear the “anxious conscience” and “terrified mind” of the psalmist. The writer pines over iniquity, transgressions, and sin. “I was born guilty!”
But read the psalm’s first line again. This quintessential psalm of confession, prayed the world over by those beset by failures and shortcomings, begins with trust in the love and mercy of God. In your journey through this season of repentance, make time to unburden your heart in confession. But do so with the consolation of God’s mercy and love as your opening refrain, and the joy of salvation your “Amen.”
Interested in digging deeper into today’s text? Read more here with Enter the Bible.
Prayer
Merciful and loving God, who desires for me truth and wisdom, joy and gladness, create in me a clean heart, a renewed and willing spirit, and restore to me the joy of your salvation. Amen.