A Broken and Humbled Heart
When I ask myself who I relate to most in the bible, I always think of David. In no way am I calling myself a king. I actually think I mainly relate to how many mistakes that he makes. I also like how real and honest his thoughts are in all the psalms. Specifically, Psalms 51. In my bible, the title of this psalm is A Prayer for Restoration. This psalm is brutally honest. David writes this psalm after committing adultery, killing someone, and then living in this unconfessed sin for months. He’s messy. I think this is what draws me to him if I’m being completely honest. So let me talk about this psalm for a second.
In this psalm, David is crushed by his sin. He was not able to live with a clear conscience and in turn wasn’t able to properly worship the Lord during this time. David doesn’t blame anyone else for his sin, but takes full responsibility. He recognizes the punishment for his sin and that the Lord is righteous to pass judgment. He also recognizes what the Lord’s desires are for him. The Lord desires integrity in the inner self and to teach David deep wisdom within. Nothing is surface level with the Lord. David asks the Lord to wash him whiter than snow. To purify him inside out. Spurgeon says, “God could make him as if he had never sinned at all. Such is the power of the cleansing work of God upon the heart that he can restore innocence to us, and make us as if we had never been stained with transgression at all.” Like what??
Another thing. The conviction from the Holy Spirit that David was feeling was so severe that he felt like bones were broken. However, David knows that out of this brokenness, he would rejoice. “...let the bones you have crushed rejoice” (v. 8). Another Spurgeon quote, “He is requesting a great thing; he seeks joy for a sinful heart, music for crushed bones. Preposterous prayer anywhere but at the throne of God!” So true, Charles.
David also asks the Lord to create for him a clean heart. The word create in this passage of scripture is the Hebrew verb bara, which is used in Genesis 1 for the creation of the heavens and the earth by God. Meaning God had to create this heart out of nothing. Something only He could do. Along with this heart, he also asks for a steadfast spirit that would help him continue to live in the ways that the Lord desired for him. For change to happen, David needed to completely and 100% depend on God. David very humbly comes to God in this psalm.
Possibly one of my favorite verses of this psalm is verse 17. “The sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit. You will not despise a broken and humbled heart, God.” In a time before the new covenant, when everyone was sacrificing animals, David knew the Lord’s heart. No animal sacrifice was close to the value of a person’s broken spirit. Also in this time, I am sure other kings around David committed adultery and bloodshed often. What David did was probably expected of a king compared to other nations' standards. I am sure if the kings from other nations heard that David was feeling this kind of guilt for his actions, they would probably be so confused. “Like get over it dude?? I do that all the time. It’s not that bad.” But, the Lord in no way despised his broken and humbled heart. In fact, a broken and humbled heart is a space that the Lord is pleased in. In these spaces, the Lord restores the joy of our salvation.
Child of God, don’t let the world make you feel bad for a humbled and broken heart over your sin. Though the current temptation is to toss blame for your sin, justify it, or believe that your sin isn’t actually sin at all. These are all just cheap ways to live your life compared to what the Lord has to offer you. A clean heart? A steadfast spirit?? Restored joy of salvation??? I think I will take that instead. Don’t let others or yourself deprive you of the joy that the Lord has for you when you come to him with crushed bones. I promise that a broken spirit over sin preludes the abundant life that the Lord has waiting for you.
P.S. sorry for talking about sin so much on here. I just do it sometimes.
