Psa 51:1-3 | EE | STEP | This is for the music leader. It is a psalm of David. It was when the prophet Nathan came to him. It was after David had sex with Bathsheba. Give mercy to me, God, because of your kind love. Because you have so much love, forget that I did not obey you.

Psalms 51:1-3

A New Man

This is for the music leader.

It is a psalm of David.

It was when the prophet Nathan came to him.

It was after David had sex with Bathsheba.

1 Give mercy to me, God, because of your kind love.

Because you have so much love, forget that I did not obey you. ^{▼▼51:1 Verse 1: ‘Give mercy’ means ‘do not hurt me although you should hurt me.’ Another way to say this is ‘have mercy.’ The word ‘forget’ in this verse and verse 9 really means ‘blot out.’ It is like putting black paint on a picture so that you cannot see it.}

2 Wash me from the bad feeling that I have

because of the bad thing that I did.

Make me clean from all my sin. ^{▼▼51:2 Verse 2: David wants God to wash away the bad feeling – what we call the guilt – that comes when we do wrong things. Then he will feel clean.}

3 Because I know that I did not obey you

and my sin is always in front of me. ^{▼▼51:3 Verse 3: ‘Always in front of me’ means that ‘I keep on seeing it so that I know that I have done wrong.’}