An Appeal to Mercy
Scripture: Psalm 51:1-19
Have you ever felt that you’ve gone too far? You really crossed a line this time. Deep in your heart, you know there’s no way God will let this one slide. While we need to be responsible for our actions, our scripture today asks us: How many times do you need to be reminded of God’s love?
The Psalms can be broken up into three sections. This section, David wrote during his affair with Bathsheba. It was a tragic time in his life. Through the affair, she became pregnant by David, and the child did not survive. They would later conceive again, and that child would be Soloman. God brought real restoration even during great scandal.
Before writing Psalm 51, the prophet Nathan came to see David. The king was trying to cover his actions and had hidden himself away in solitude. Nathan heard from the Lord and went to David to confront him about his sins. David wrote this chapter from a very personal place of brokenness and despair. This Psalm is about David owning his sin and taking God's hand to move forward.
Two things are happening in this passage. The brokenness of David (and the world) held in contrary to the grace/mercy of God.
Despite our brokenness, God loves us so much.
What we can gather from the text is, how many times do we need to hear that there is no distance we’ve gone and no sin we've committed that can keep us from the love and grace of Jesus Christ? Whether we've been sinned against or sinned ourselves, we often question what God can forgive.
This isn't a new struggle, though. We see in this passage that even Nathan asks David, "how many times do you need to know the sovereignty of God?"
In scripture, we learn that David was a man after God's own heart, yet David commits this horrible travesty of sin. You don't have to read deep into Psalms 51 to understand the hurt and regret in David's heart. He fears that he has finally done something that God cannot restore.
We've all been there.
Whether it is betrayal, anger, lust, deceit, hurt, or any other list of misfortunes, we have all felt that the distance from God was irreconcilable.
The glory of God is much larger than that, though. God will often use what we view as most unforgivable as the very thing that helps us share His love. For instance, many years later, we are still talking about a Hebrew king and his sin and brokenness.
God is using our genuine brokenness to remind us of his restoration. He will not let you waste away in your sin or your guilt. Satan's favorite tool against us is shame. We're all likely dealing with that right this second. Whether we are experiencing shame due to our actions or someone else's deeds, Satan will use shame to make you forgetful of how much God loves you.
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity?
and cleanse me from my sin.
(Psalms 51:1-2)
The first thing David is reminding us is that repentance and restoration always begin with an appeal to God's mercy. Still, after Nathan comes to David, reminding the king of God’s love, the thing he cries out is, "God have mercy on me." You have to wonder how many times David prayed that same prayer over and over in this situation.
Have you ever gone to ask forgiveness from someone you've wrong? It's painful. You're living in the brokenness of your shame. Yet, even in seeking forgiveness, we repeatedly plead with God to have mercy on us.
This repeated asking is indicative of either two scenarios. 1) We don't feel we're worthy of forgiveness. 2) We don't believe God's capable of forgiving us.
Both of those feelings are very wrong.
There is nothing in your life that you've done or left undone that God cannot bring restoration to you. But it begins with an appeal to His love and mercy.
The Lord loves to hear from you, and He wants to respond to you. God desperately wants you to know His love and mercy.
For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
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.
Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
you taught me wisdom in that secret place.
(Psalms 51:3-6)
This passage perfectly encapsulates our thought process. "We've been wretched since birth." We claim that there is no way God can love us.
The reality is, we don't need to get it right or even be the best examples for Christ in the world. We need to be available for Him to use us. David teaches us in Psalm 51 to express an honest confession. Talk to God about what we are feeling. We don't have to posture or compose ourselves in ways we think will foster holiness. Just be real with God.
Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.
Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
(Psalms 51:7-12)
We see David asking for God's intervention in this passage. He’s reached his breaking point. The king is saying, "I need you, Lord," and begging for God to do something in him that he knows he can't do on his own. Despite repeatedly trying to correct a bad situation on his own, he only made it worse.
Have you ever tried to fix something and only made it worse? The reality of our involvement is that the more you're involved, the less you can witness God's grace.
What does God want to do for you? First, Nathan tells him that he wants him to stop being more competent and approach God as a child.
Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
so that sinners will turn back to you.
Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
you who are God my Savior,
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
Open my lips, Lord,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
(Psalms 51:13-15)
The main takeaway from this passage is that if you ask for intervention, you have to obey. The act of intervention is asking God to step from the heavens and into our lives for course correction. This is simultaneously a simple and complex ask. It is easy to ask of God, but we have to acknowledge that our ways are fruitless and surrender that God’s way is perfect. It is no easy task to set aside our own pride and allow God to correct our failed wanderings.
You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise.May it please you to prosper Zion,
to build up the walls of Jerusalem.
Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous,
in burnt offerings offered whole;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.
(Psalms 51:16-19)
Don't look to the world to find where the heart of your grace is. God reminds us that He doesn't heal us when we have our hearts altogether. He heals us best when we have a broken and contrite heart.
The more authentic we are, the more God's love makes itself apparent. Much like David sharing his brokenness, we see that God will not despise it. Instead, he will draw into us.
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About Christ Church Memphis
Christ Church Memphis is church in East Memphis, Tennessee. For more than 65 years, Christ Church has served the Memphis community. Every weekend, there are multiple worship opportunities including traditional, contemporary and blended services.
