stephen R Harrison

“A New Mercy”

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; 

according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.”

-Psalm 51:1

Although we have previously looked at Psalm 51 on day two through the lens of repentance, we want to see it through the lens of worship for the next two days. David wrote Psalm 51 in response to being confronted by the prophet Nathan after he had committed adultery with Bathsheba. It wasn’t till he repented that he could return to worship. Psalm 32 tells us what David says when he was unrepentant, “My bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your heavy hand was on me. My strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my sin to the Lord’. And you forgave the guilt of my sin” (vv. 3-5). In Psalm 51:3, David acknowledged, “My sin is always before me.” The heaviness associated with unrepentance causes anguish, shame, and regret. Unconfessed sin is a burden that hinders our worship of the Lord. When we confess it to the Lord, he lifts the heavy burden and gives us hope, vision, and reason to worship him again.

In Psalm 51:1, David cried out for mercy from God’s unfailing love and great compassion. Mercy was the cure for David’s guilty conscience. He knew it was the antidote to reunite him with his God. David’s humble confession began with a plea for the sweet mercy of God. He understood he was guilty of sin and felt its consequences. He needed them to relent and experience the soothing presence of the Lord once again. David shows us that repentance is the beginning of worship. 

David knew God was committed to loving him even though he had sinned. God was in a covenant relationship with David. He used the Hebrew word chesed in his Psalm and description of God to describe the Lord’s steadfast and loyal love. The wayward, sinful king needed the loving, tender mercies of the one true God. David described his sin with three words: transgression (cross the line), iniquity (go astray), and sin (fall short/miss the mark). He knew he had broken God’s divine law, strayed on a crooked path, and came short of God’s holy standard. 

He also knew God could blot out or erase his sins like a debt erased from an accounting book, wash them away like a launderer who cleanses stains from clothing, and cleanse him like those purified in preparation to participate in worship at the Tabernacle. This was David’s worshipful hope. In his worship, he confessed his sins (v. 3). This began his repentance and opened the door to worshipping God again. 

David knew he had sinned against Bathsheba, Uriah, and his whole nation as king, but he realized he primarily sinned against God. He didn’t blame anyone else or make any sorry excuses. He owned up to his sin, making an onramp to receive God’s tender mercies again. He knew he had been a sinner from birth (vv. 5-6), but this wasn’t an excuse for his sin like saying “everybody sins”. His words show that he admitted he had always needed God’s forgiving mercy, not just when he had committed “big” sins. 

Lent is a time of worship. Worship begins with repentance. Asking God for mercy and acknowledging our sins go hand in hand. Lent is a time to prepare our hearts to receive God’s sweet mercy. We worship a faithful and holy God when we receive mercy instead of punishment.

Questions: 

How has God’s mercy blessed your life?

Have you acknowledged your sin as David did?

Prayer:

Jesus, thank you for your tender mercy. You are faithful in keeping your covenant even when we have broken it. We confess our sins and recognize we have always needed your mercy and grace. We worship you for not giving us what we deserve. In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.

Read: 

Psalm 51:1-6

Action Step:

Spend some time thinking about the consequences you deserve because of sin and compare them to the mercies we receive from the Lord instead. Let this draw you in to worship the Lord.