"What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus!"
Sometimes it takes an accusation to move us to repentance. Sometimes it is the troubles that assault us that bring us to examine our lives. This is human nature, this was also the nature of King David. In Psalms 32: 3-4 David tells us, "When I declared not my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer" David knew the gravity of his deeds, the depth of his sin. He could feel it in his soul, he experienced a wasting away, a void in his life. Yet! Yet, he did not come to Lord and confess his sins UNTIL Nathan came to deliver the message of wrath from the Lord. We know the background story with Nathan's parable and the proclamation of David's sin to his face. Nathan confronts David and asks, "Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight?" - II Samuel 12:9. Finally, the push and the prod has come, and David is ready to confess. Coming back to Psalms 51, we see David owns his sins. It is a very hard thing for us to own up to our sins. We always try to push the blame on to someone else. In just the first three verses of this chapter we see David using the word 'my' five times.
- blot out my transgressions. vs. 1
- wash away all my iniquity vs. 2
- cleanse me from my sin vs. 2
- I know my transgressions vs. 3
- my sin is always before me vs. 3
Isn't it a common terminology for us, when we pray to utter, "Lord, IF I have sinned, IF I have done anything that is not pleasing..."? Come now, there is no more a reason to doubt, for it is you who has sinned, therefore, YOU very well know that YOU have sinned. So lets loose that mask of IF's and start owning up to our sin. David knew that his conduct, his sin has separated him from God's side. Yet David knows of the unfailing love his Father has for him and grasps on to that. He cries out, "
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love" When we realize that it is by our fault and transgression that we do not feel the presence of God; we should accept and submit. We NEED to confess and repent. Acknowledging our sin and professing it to God is the first step into restoration.When we commit sin, we must realize that we are committing treason against God and betraying the love and law of our Father. David proclaims, "Against thee, thee only, have I sinned." When this realization overcomes our very being, when this realization agonizes our very being; that is where the Lord will begin to work - In our brokenness, in our humbling. David pleads for a 'thorough washing'. When the guilt has surfaced and we are on our knees, we must ask God for a thorough wash. When we go to a Drive through car wash, we are often presented with many options of different levels of wash. In our lives, the sin we commit against our Lord, whether we think it to be small or large, always requires the ultimate car wash. The "Father I'm Sorry. Amen" washes will not blot out your sins. David realizing his fault and complete with guilt, comes to God for a full and thorough wash. He pleads:
- Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean vs. 7
- Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow vs. 7
- Blot out all my iniquities vs. 9
- Create in me a clean heart vs. 10
Once David is sure that his sins are forgiven, he wants the closeness he had with God, before his transgressions. He wants God's approval of him. In vs. 8 he asks back for his Joy and gladness which was lost due to his sins. vs. 12 asks God to "Restore to me of your salvation, and uphold me with your generous Spirit"
2 Corinthians 3:18 says, "Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty(freedom)" Without God's restoration of our salvation in our lives, we are forever bound in the revelation of our betrayal and treason against our King.
