Psalm 51

1 Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.

2 Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.

4 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.

5 Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

6 Surely you desire truth in the inner parts;
you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.

7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

9 Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.

10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

11 Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will turn back to you.

14 Save me from bloodguilt, O God,
the God who saves me,
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.

15 O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.

16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.

17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart,
O God, you will not despise.

18 In your good pleasure make Zion prosper;
build up the walls of Jerusalem.

19 Then there will be righteous sacrifices,
whole burnt offerings to delight you;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.

Imagine you have just committed a terrible sin. Then someone (like your cell leader) came up to you and pointed out your sin. Would your reaction be one of denial or would it be one of repentence & humility? I suspect many of us will deny.

The context of this psalm is that David had just sinned against the Lord by committng adultery & murder (read 2 Samuel 11-12). Prophet Nathan rebuked David sharply. Despite being the king of Israel, David didn't give any excuse for his sin. Neither did he blame anyone else but himself.

Looking at Psalm 51, we could see David's acknowledgement of his sin & his desperate plea for God's forgiveness. He came before the Lord, utterly broken.


I remembered the times that when my cell leader pointed out the sins in my life. There were a few occassions whereby I was pretty defensive and tried to deny them. My prayer is that when I do sin against the Lord, my heart will always be tender and I will cry out to Him just like David did in Psalm 51.


Things to ponder
1. What is your usual reaction when your cell leader points out the sins and mistakes in your life?
2. Why do you think you reacted that way?
3. Pray for yourself to have a heart just like David's - a heart after God's own heart.

Click here for Pastor YC's reflection on Psalm 51