REPENTANCE RELEASES RESTORATION

SCRIPTURE:  Psalm 51:1-17 (New International Version) For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.  Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.  For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.  Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.

Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.  Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.  Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;  wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.  Let me hear joy and gladness;  let the bones you have crushed rejoice.  Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.

Create in me a pure heart, O God,  and renew a steadfast spirit within me.  Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.  Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.  Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you.

 

Save me from bloodguilt, O God, the God who saves me, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.  O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.

You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”

OBSERVATION:

David was God’s anointed one, the man of God’s choosing, to lead lead Israel.  He replaced Saul as King because God saw him fit.  While fulfilling his God given role he fell into sin - every man’s battle, LUST!  He noticed a woman bathing (not a sin), but he set his mind on her beauty and had an idea (the sin begins in his mind and heart).  He sends a servant to invite her over (the sin of the heart and mind takes flight in action).  He sleeps with her knowing she is married to another man (the sin in all its fullness).  He has her husband killed to hide his sin (sin multiplies for lack of repentance).

God sent Nathan, a prophet, to assure David that while his sin was hidden from men, it wasn’t hidden from God.  Nathan let David know that God would take all that He had given David away because David wasn’t fulfilled with God’s provision - He fulfilled himself with another man’s wife.  In fact God said to David, “If you wanted more, all you had to do was ask, and I would have given you more.  But you wen your own way and took for yourself from someone who had less.”  So God ultimately said “Since I am not enough, I will give all that I have given to you to somebody else.”  It was at this point in David’s life that he wrote this song, this plea for forgiveness.  This cry for redemption and restoration.

The crazy thing is that God actually listened to David.  He entertained His prayer and negotiated with David.  He heard David’s cry, forgave Him, and restored His calling on David’s life. Though He did take away the blessing that came from David’s sin - the son that Bathseba birthed.  However, in God’s mercy and restorative power, He gave David and Bathsheba a son named Solomon.  God loved Solomon and Solomon became heir to the throne of David and the greatest, wisest, and wealthiest king in Israel’s history.

APPLICATION:

God loves to bring people into right relationship with Him and into their original purpose/plan for their lives.  Everyone starts where David was - outside of God’s plan and outside of God’s favor.  In fact everyone of us end up their from time to time.  Maybe not as dramatically as David’s story nor as crucial of circumstances, but in some way we find ourselves in sin.  We notice something, we let it grab the attention of our mind, then we let it become the desire of our heart, then we give it the energy of our efforts.  The next thing you know we are trying to find fulfillment outside of God.  If not ultimate fulfillment, at least temporary/circumstancial fulfillment.

We find ourselves out of God’s favor and the words that He spoke to David thru the prophet Nathan ring in our ears, “I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.  I gave your master's house to you, and your master's wives into your arms. I gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more.  Why did you despise the word of the LORD by doing what is evil in his eyes?”   Maybe for us it sounds like "I have anointed you as husband and father - as priest and prophet of your home.  I have provided a job, home, and a wonderful family.  If all this had been too little I would have given you even more.  Why did you despise the word of the LORD by doing what is evil in his eyes?” 

At this point we have two options PRIDE & DEFENSIVENESS or HUMILITY & REPENTANCE.  Choose the latter.  Make David’s song your prayer.  God is good and delights in restoring people to Himself and His perfect plan for your life.

A second, and better application, is to anchor yourself in this truth - GOD IS ENOUGH.  I don’t have to find pleasure outside of God.  If what we have is not enough God will give us more.

PRAYER:

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.  Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.  For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.  Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.

Create in me a pure heart, O God,  and renew a steadfast spirit within me.  Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.  Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.  Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you.”  In Jesus’ strong name - AMEN!