3/6/25 Daily Lenten Devotional

Psalm 51:1-17
¹Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy, blot out my transgressions. ²Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. ³For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. 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. ⁵Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me. ⁶You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart. ⁷Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. ⁸Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have crushed rejoice. ⁹Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. ¹⁰Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. ¹¹Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. ¹²Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit. ¹³Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. ¹⁴Deliver me from bloodshed, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance. ¹⁵O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. ¹⁶For you have no delight in sacrifice; if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased. ¹⁷The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”

Psalm 51 is said to have been written by King David. It is a story that “soap operas” are made of—adultery, deceit and murder. And lastly, of repentance. We have heard of the young boy David slaying the giant Goliath. How he became the favored one for the next king of the Israelites. As he gathered kingdoms, he added wives, eight are known with 18 children. One day he spied the lovely Bathsheba while she was bathing. He was smitten and started an adulterous relationship with her. She conceived a child and David tried to cover it up. Unable to do so, he sent Bathsheba’s husband, a general of his, off to the front lines of war where he most certainly would be killed. David was nudged by the prophet Nathan to repent and eventually was full of remorse for his deeds and writes this heartfelt psalm of confession and repentance. He writes “have mercy on me” and ” cleanse me from my sin.” He says that he was born guilty “a sinner when my mother conceived me.” Apparently, either she too conceived him from an adulterous relationship or he is referring to the “Original Sin” of Eve. Enough of the drama. This psalm tells the story of repentance, love for God and wishes for reconciliation. It is beautifully written. David says ” create in me a clean heart, Oh God, and put a right spirit within me. Restore me to the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit”. Restore me and I will teach sinners of your abundant forgiveness. What this psalm is telling us that no matter how badly we fall and we ask for God’s forgiveness , God is there to pick us up and to restore us to his Almighty love. Prayer: Heal us, Oh Lord, for we are all sinners. Give us your love to help guide us and to keep us on the righteous path. And in doing so, may we be an example to others. Amen. —Bev Viken