Psa 51:12-13 | KingComments | STEP | After his profound confession, David asks God to purify him with hyssop ( ). Hyssop is like a biological brush, used to smear liquid on a solid surface. Typologically, it speaks of applying the work of Christ to man. Hyssop is used, among other things, in the applying of the blood of the Paschal lamb to the lintel and the doorposts ( ). The application of the blood, or accepting its value in faith, is that it covers sins before the eyes of God, works cleansing and forgiveness ( ; ; ). The blood cleanses us in the eyes of God. David also asks that God washes him. This refers to the Word of God being compared to water ( ; ). We see here the application of the leper’s cleansing sacrifice in Leviticus 14 ( ). The people as a whole, that is, the believing remnant in the end time, will also be cleansed by this sacrifice, restoring them to their fellowship with God. The application for us is that by reading God’s Word we come to recognize our sins. If there are sins, we confess them and they are forgiven ( ). David looks forward to God’s response to his confession ( ). He asks for the proof that God has accepted his confession. That proof is God’s joy and gladness over his confession. When God makes him know that, that joy will flow into his bones and he will leap for joy. Now he still feels shattered and powerless because the law condemns him and his conscience accuses him. He asks God to hide His face from his sins ( ). By this he asks that God forgives his sins and remember them no more. He is now no longer asking for forgiveness for a particular sin but for the blotting out of “all” his iniquities. In a thorough confession of a sin, we become aware that we have not done just one particular wrong act, but that we have often fallen into error. In God’s presence we see our entire lost condition. This confession awakens the desire for something totally new, a new creation of God, the creation of a clean heart ( ). No human being can work this out for himself; God must do it. It must be a creative act of God, in the same sense that we are “a new creation” in Christ ( ; ; ). The verb “create” here is the same as in Genesis 1 ( ). It is creating something totally new that was not already there. God cannot fix us, He must start something new. A clean heart is a heart that is not defiled by sins. That heart has an aversion to sin, and what comes out of it is clean. Someone with a clean heart has no impediments to draw near to God. He lives in fellowship with God. He sees God because he is pure in heart ( ). The New Testament believer knows that by faith he has a clean heart ( ). However, it is important to live in accordance with that. In addition to a clean heart, David asks for the renewal within him of “a steadfast spirit”. He used to have this steadfast spirit and remained in the way of God. Now that he has fallen into sin because he did not remain steadfastly focused on God, he asks for its renewal. He does not want to fall so deeply again. Because of his deep fall, he is all the more convinced that God must provide him with that spirit so that he remains in fellowship with God. As a result, he will not be easily tempted to commit sin again. We also need ”a steadfast spirit” so that we focus only on Christ and expect everything from Him. Then we will be kept from the temptation to sin that leads to new defilements and, what is worst, to the breaking of our fellowship with God. We still have the sinful nature within us. Therefore, this question also applies to us. The important thing for us is that we remain true to the Lord with resolute heart ( ). Then we will flee sin when it wants to tempt us (cf. ). Sin causes a deep break with God. The fellowship with Him is broken as a result. When the awareness of sin dawns, the sinner also realizes that God must rightfully cast him away ( ). After all, God can do nothing else with sin but reject it. At the same time, uttering that question implies that David trusts that God does not cast him, the sinner, away, because God always answers an upright confession with grace. Asking God not to take His Holy Spirit away from him is appropriate in David’s mouth being an Old Testament believer (cf. ). In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit does not dwell in the believer. Yet He does work in him. We see the Spirit at work at creation ( ). An Old Testament believer can only do something that is pleasing to God through the Holy Spirit. Everything that is good with him comes from God’s Spirit. David is aware of this ( ). The Holy Spirit comes to dwell on earth only after the glorification of the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus leaves no doubt about this ( ). Since the day of Pentecost, the Spirit dwells in the church ( ; ) and in the believer ( ). Those who know this will never ask God to take His Spirit away from them ( ; ; ). Of course, it is important that we do not grieve the Spirit ( ), but let ourselves be led by the Spirit and walk by the Spirit ( ). Therefore, what David is asking here does have great practical significance for us. It is about the need for spiritual renewal that we too need on a regular basis. Hopefully we agree with that. David has often known and enjoyed the joy of God’s salvation. Every time God gave Him salvation, there was that joy. All the time he kept silent about his sins, that joy was absent. He had no fellowship with God. Now that he has confessed his sins, he expresses a deep desire for the return of that joy of God’s salvation ( ). The Spirit Who is on him now – for his confession is the work of the Spirit – could never be on him when he was silent about his sins. What he still desires now is the joy of God’s salvation. This joy he wants to experience continually in God’s presence. For that, he asks God to sustain him “with a willing spirit”. He asks for inner boldness to live in fellowship with God again by keeping His commandments and not breaking them again.

‏ Psalms 51:12-13

Prayer for Restoration

After his profound confession, David asks God to purify him with hyssop (Psa 51:7). Hyssop is like a biological brush, used to smear liquid on a solid surface. Typologically, it speaks of applying the work of Christ to man. Hyssop is used, among other things, in the applying of the blood of the Paschal lamb to the lintel and the doorposts (Exo 12:22). The application of the blood, or accepting its value in faith, is that it covers sins before the eyes of God, works cleansing and forgiveness (1Jn 1:7b; Rev 1:5; Heb 9:22). The blood cleanses us in the eyes of God.

David also asks that God washes him. This refers to the Word of God being compared to water (Eph 5:26; Jn 15:3). We see here the application of the leper’s cleansing sacrifice in Leviticus 14 (Lev 14:1-20). The people as a whole, that is, the believing remnant in the end time, will also be cleansed by this sacrifice, restoring them to their fellowship with God. The application for us is that by reading God’s Word we come to recognize our sins. If there are sins, we confess them and they are forgiven (1Jn 1:9).

David looks forward to God’s response to his confession (Psa 51:8). He asks for the proof that God has accepted his confession. That proof is God’s joy and gladness over his confession. When God makes him know that, that joy will flow into his bones and he will leap for joy. Now he still feels shattered and powerless because the law condemns him and his conscience accuses him.

He asks God to hide His face from his sins (Psa 51:9). By this he asks that God forgives his sins and remember them no more. He is now no longer asking for forgiveness for a particular sin but for the blotting out of “all” his iniquities. In a thorough confession of a sin, we become aware that we have not done just one particular wrong act, but that we have often fallen into error. In God’s presence we see our entire lost condition.

This confession awakens the desire for something totally new, a new creation of God, the creation of a clean heart (Psa 51:10). No human being can work this out for himself; God must do it. It must be a creative act of God, in the same sense that we are “a new creation” in Christ (2Cor 5:17; Gal 6:15; Eph 2:10). The verb “create” here is the same as in Genesis 1 (Gen 1:1). It is creating something totally new that was not already there. God cannot fix us, He must start something new.

A clean heart is a heart that is not defiled by sins. That heart has an aversion to sin, and what comes out of it is clean. Someone with a clean heart has no impediments to draw near to God. He lives in fellowship with God. He sees God because he is pure in heart (Mt 5:8). The New Testament believer knows that by faith he has a clean heart (Acts 15:9). However, it is important to live in accordance with that.

In addition to a clean heart, David asks for the renewal within him of “a steadfast spirit”. He used to have this steadfast spirit and remained in the way of God. Now that he has fallen into sin because he did not remain steadfastly focused on God, he asks for its renewal. He does not want to fall so deeply again. Because of his deep fall, he is all the more convinced that God must provide him with that spirit so that he remains in fellowship with God. As a result, he will not be easily tempted to commit sin again.

We also need ”a steadfast spirit” so that we focus only on Christ and expect everything from Him. Then we will be kept from the temptation to sin that leads to new defilements and, what is worst, to the breaking of our fellowship with God. We still have the sinful nature within us. Therefore, this question also applies to us. The important thing for us is that we remain true to the Lord with resolute heart (Acts 11:23). Then we will flee sin when it wants to tempt us (cf. Gen 39:10-12).

Sin causes a deep break with God. The fellowship with Him is broken as a result. When the awareness of sin dawns, the sinner also realizes that God must rightfully cast him away (Psa 51:11). After all, God can do nothing else with sin but reject it. At the same time, uttering that question implies that David trusts that God does not cast him, the sinner, away, because God always answers an upright confession with grace.

Asking God not to take His Holy Spirit away from him is appropriate in David’s mouth being an Old Testament believer (cf. 1Sam 16:14). In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit does not dwell in the believer. Yet He does work in him. We see the Spirit at work at creation (Gen 1:2). An Old Testament believer can only do something that is pleasing to God through the Holy Spirit. Everything that is good with him comes from God’s Spirit. David is aware of this (2Sam 23:2).

The Holy Spirit comes to dwell on earth only after the glorification of the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus leaves no doubt about this (Jn 7:39). Since the day of Pentecost, the Spirit dwells in the church (Acts 2:1-4; Eph 2:21-22) and in the believer (1Cor 6:19). Those who know this will never ask God to take His Spirit away from them (Jn 14:16-17; Gal 4:1-7; 1Cor 12:13).

Of course, it is important that we do not grieve the Spirit (Eph 4:30), but let ourselves be led by the Spirit and walk by the Spirit (Gal 5:16 ; 18 ; 25). Therefore, what David is asking here does have great practical significance for us. It is about the need for spiritual renewal that we too need on a regular basis. Hopefully we agree with that.

David has often known and enjoyed the joy of God’s salvation. Every time God gave Him salvation, there was that joy. All the time he kept silent about his sins, that joy was absent. He had no fellowship with God. Now that he has confessed his sins, he expresses a deep desire for the return of that joy of God’s salvation (Psa 51:12).

The Spirit Who is on him now – for his confession is the work of the Spirit – could never be on him when he was silent about his sins. What he still desires now is the joy of God’s salvation. This joy he wants to experience continually in God’s presence. For that, he asks God to sustain him “with a willing spirit”. He asks for inner boldness to live in fellowship with God again by keeping His commandments and not breaking them again.

The Sacrifices God Will Not Despise

David has prayed for forgiveness and for restoration; now he prays if the LORD can still use him in His service. He wants to go and share his experiences as a transgressor with other transgressors (Psa 51:13; cf. Lk 22:32; Psa 34:11). Those who have a deep awareness of their own sinfulness and likewise of God’s forgiveness and restored joy will show concern for others. David wants to teach others, who have broken God’s commandments, God’s ways by speaking to them about confession to God and repentance to Him. He is eager to bring sinners back from a path of error and thereby cover a multitude of sins (Jam 5:19-20).

When he thinks about teaching others God’s ways, the weight of his sins again overwhelms him (Psa 51:14). Now he thinks of his blood guilt. After all, he killed Uriah to cover up his sin with Bathsheba. As a result, he has brought blood guilt upon himself (2Sam 11:14-17). David has already spoken of the joy of God’s salvation (Psa 51:12), now he speaks of “the God of my salvation”. When that God saves him from his bloodguiltiness, delivers him from it, his tongue will sing joyfully. Then he will sing – not of God’s love and mercy, which we might expect, but – of God’s “righteousness”. God has a righteous basis for this salvation: the work of His Son on the cross.

This confession has a prophetic application. The believing remnant will acknowledge in the future that they are guilty as a people of the Messiah’s death, through which they have incurred bloodguiltiness. For them, too, salvation from their bloodguiltiness lies in the work of Christ on the cross. The remnant will also confess the people’s sin of adultery because they have accepted the antichrist.

David asks the “Lord”, Adonai, the sovereign God and Ruler of the universe, to open his lips (Psa 51:15). Then he will declare God’s praise with his mouth. No praise has come on his lips or out of his mouth during the time he has kept silent about his sins. Now that he has realized and confessed his sins, David does not burst out in sudden jubilation. There is no posturing with him. His closed mouth and lips are the result of the sins he committed. The opening of them must be done by God. He humbly asks if God will work it out with him. He desires it and therefore God will do it.

God does “not delight in sacrifices” as such (Psa 51:16), for the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away any sin (Heb 10:4). David knows this, is deeply aware of this. He already expressed that by the Spirit as well (Psa 40:6). If God did find joy in that, he would have gladly brought it. Also in burnt offerings God takes no pleasure. David knows that too.

The only sacrifices in which God finds joy are “a broken spirit” and “a broken and a contrite heart” (Psa 51:17; cf. Isa 57:15 ; Isa 66:2b). There is nothing of pride and self-justification in those sacrifices, but there is a mind present that is precious to God. This also applies to us. One who offers such sacrifices is truly “a poor in spirit” (Mt 5:3). Such a person does not boast, but is humble before God.

David does not speak of the joy God finds in such a mind, but says that God will “not despise” it. In doing so, he addresses God emphatically: “O God.” People often do despise such a mind, but “O God, You” certainly will not. By saying “will not despise”, David emphasizes that there is no glory attached to these sacrifices.