A Penitent’s Plea Psalm 51:1-19 - Bible Study Workshopbiblestudyworkshop.com/download/old/psalms/Psalm51.pdf · Commentary by Clyde M. Miller Text: Psalm 51:1-19, 1. Have mercy

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A Penitent’s Plea

Psalm 51:1-19

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A Penitent’s Plea

Commentary

by

Clyde M. Miller Text: Psalm 51:1-19, 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 justi-fied 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 con-trite 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. (NIV) Introduction: I. The superscription has been opposed on two counts.

A. First, it is said that David could not have written verse 4, for his adultery and murder (2 Sam. 11) were against mankind.

1. Psalm 51:4, 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. (NIV)

2. 2 Samuel 11:1-27, In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king's men and the whole Israelite army. They de-stroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem. One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, "Isn't this Bath-




sheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. (She had pu-rified herself from her uncleanness.) Then she went back home. The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, "I am pregnant." So David sent this word to Joab: "Send me Uriah the Hittite." And Joab sent him to David. When Uriah came to him, David asked him how Joab was, how the soldiers were and how the war was going. Then David said to Uriah, "Go down to your house and wash your feet." So Uriah left the palace, and a gift from the king was sent after him. But Uriah slept at the entrance to the palace with all his master's servants and did not go down to his house. When David was told, "Uriah did not go home," he asked him, "Haven't you just come from a distance? Why didn't you go home?" Uriah said to David, "The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents, and my master Joab and my lord's men are camped in the open fields. How could I go to my house to eat and drink and lie with my wife? As surely as you live, I will not do such a thing!" Then David said to him, "Stay here one more day, and to-morrow I will send you back." So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. At David's invita-tion, he ate and drank with him, and David made him drunk. But in the evening Uriah went out to sleep on his mat among his master's servants; he did not go home. In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah. In it he wrote, "Put Uriah in the front line where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down and die." So while Joab had the city under siege, he put Uriah at a place where he knew the strongest defend-ers were. When the men of the city came out and




fought against Joab, some of the men in David's army fell; moreover, Uriah the Hittite died. Joab sent David a full account of the battle. He instructed the messenger: "When you have finished giving the king this account of the battle, the king's anger may flare up, and he may ask you, 'Why did you get so close to the city to fight? Didn't you know they would shoot arrows from the wall? Who killed Abimelech son of Jerub-Besheth? Didn't a woman throw an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died in Thebez? Why did you get so close to the wall?' If he asks you this, then say to him, 'Also, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.'" The messenger set out, and when he arrived he told David everything Joab had sent him to say. The messenger said to David, "The men overpowered us and came out against us in the open, but we drove them back to the entrance to the city gate. Then the archers shot arrows at your servants from the wall, and some of the king's men died. Moreover, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead." David told the messenger, "Say this to Joab: 'Don't let this upset you; the sword devours one as well as another. Press the attack against the city and destroy it.' Say this to encourage Joab." When Uriah's wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. After the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his house, and she be-came his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done displeased the LORD. (NIV)

3. In Hebrew thought, however, all sin is foremost against God.




a. David’s confession to Nathan (2 Sam. 12:13, and Joseph’s statement to Potipher’s wife (Gen. 39:9) indicate as much.

i. 2 Samuel 12:13, Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." Nathan replied, "The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not go-ing to die. (NIV)

ii. Genesis 39:9, No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has with-held nothing from me except you, be-cause you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?" (NIV)

4. There is nothing in verse 4 to discredit the superscrip-tion.

B. Second, a greater objection is based on verses 18-19.

1. Psalm 51:18, 19, In your good pleasure make Zion prosper; build up the walls of Jerusalem. Then there will be righteous sacrifices, whole burnt offerings to delight you; then bulls will be offered on your altar. (NIV)

2. Some insist that these verses focus on postexilic times when the walls of Jerusalem needed rebuilding.

3. Furthermore, these verses turn a personal lament into a communal lament. 4. In the third place, these verses seem to contradict verses 16-17.




a. Psalm 51:16, 17, 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 bro-ken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. (NIV)

II. These objections, however, are not insurmountable.

A. Verses 18-19 could be using metaphorical language refer-ring to the strengthening of Zion’s fortifications.

1. Personal psalms of lament and petition can certainly include communal language (Ps. 42:5c; 43:5c).

a. Psalm 42:5, Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Sav-ior and (NIV)

b. Psalm 43:5, Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Sav-ior and my God. (NIV)

2. Sacrifices must always be offered out of a deep need of God and in thanksgiving for his mercy and grace to be acceptable to God.

3. There is nothing in the superscription to deny Davidic authorship and the historical notation included in the su-perscription.

B. There is every reason to accept it as trustworthy.




III. Chapter topics, outline:

A. His opening cry for mercy (1-2) is followed by a description of his deep sense of guilt (3-5).

1. Psalm 51:1, 2, Have mercy on me, O God, accord-ing to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. (NIV)

2. Psalm 51:3-6, 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 justi-fied when you judge. Surely I was sinful at birth, sin-ful from the time my mother conceived me. Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wis-dom in the inmost place. (NIV)

B. Verses 6-12 open with a topic statement indicating that God wants inner purity (6). This is followed by a renewal of the plea that God bring about a new birth within him (7-12).

1. Psalm 51:6-12, 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 stead-fast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your pres-ence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. (NIV)




C. Verses 13-17 anticipate deliverance and contain a promise to teach others the lesson learned through his personal experience.

1. Psalm 51:13-17, 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 sac-rifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and con-trite heart, O God, you will not despise. (NIV)

D. Verses 18-19 are a petition for the prosperity of Zion and the offering of acceptable sacrifices.

Commentary:

His Cry for Mercy Psalm 51:1-2, Have mercy on me, O God, according to your un-failing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. (NIV) I. Verses 1 and 2 employ common expressions used by penitents—calls for God’s grace, mercy and love.

A. “Have mercy” is literally “be gracious”.

B. “Compassion” is literally “mercy”. II. Three metaphors of forgiveness are employed.




A. “Blot out” refers to canceling a debt as a creditor would blot out the entry from his register.

B. “Wash away”, kabas, refers to washing clothes, which was often considered as an extension of the person wearing the clothes.

C. “Cleanse”, means to purify, and is here used as a metaphor for moral and spiritual cleansing.

III. The three most common terms for wrongdoing are also employed.

A. “Transgression” refers to that which goes beyond the boundary, “iniquity” refers to a turning out of the way, and “sin” refers to missing the mark.

B. These terms reveal that God has a standard of conduct, and any breach of covenant obligations makes one guilty before God.

His Deep Sense of Guilt

Psalm 51:3-5, 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. (NIV) Note: Synonymous parallelisms repeat the thought in succeeding lines for emphasis. Psalm 51:3, For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. (NIV) I. Verse 3 employs a synonymous couplet.




A. “Transgressions” and “sin” are synonyms, as “know” and “always before me” are synonymous expressions.

B. Both of these last two expressions indicate painful aware-ness of guilt.

Psalm 51:4, 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. (NIV) I. Verse 4 employs external parallelism, the second couplet stating the consequence for the statement in the first couplet.

A. Each couplet is internally synonymous.

1. The first couplet indicates that David understood that sin is always primarily against God.

2. He is not denying his culpability against Bathsheba and Uriah.

3. The second couplet acknowledges that God would be justified if He exacted the full penalty of his sins against Him.

Psalm 51:5, Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. (NIV) I. Verse 5 employs a synonymous couplet.

A. “At birth” and “the time my mother conceived me” are syn-onymous expressions.




1. David is not teaching the doctrine of hereditary de-pravity.

2. He is simply expressing his awareness of sin in his life from his earliest understanding of guilt.

3. He, like all the rest of us, was born into a sinful envi-ronment that makes it difficult to always resist tempta-tion.

His Plea for a New Birth

Psalm 51:6-12, 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. (NIV) Psalm 51:6, Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place. (NIV) I. David states what God wants (6a), and then pleads for God to strengthen him to accomplish the task. II. “You teach” is literally an imperative, “teach me”. III. Synonymous parallelisms in verses 7, 9, 10, and 11 reveal his points of emphasis.

A. Psalm 51:7, 9, 10, 11, Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. 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. (NIV)

Psalm 51:7, Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. (NIV) I. “Hyssop” was a plant used to sprinkle blood in ritual cleansing (Lev. 14:1-9; Num. 19:1-10).

A. Leviticus 14:1-9, The LORD said to Moses, "These are the regulations for the diseased person at the time of his ceremonial cleansing, when he is brought to the priest: The priest is to go outside the camp and examine him. If the per-son has been healed of his infectious skin disease, the priest shall order that two live clean birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop be brought for the one to be cleansed. Then the priest shall order that one of the birds be killed over fresh water in a clay pot. He is then to take the live bird and dip it, together with the cedar wood, the scar-let yarn and the hyssop, into the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water. Seven times he shall sprinkle the one to be cleansed of the infectious disease and pronounce him clean. Then he is to release the live bird in the open fields. "The person to be cleansed must wash his clothes, shave off all his hair and bathe with water; then he will be ceremonially clean. After this he may come into the camp, but he must stay outside his tent for seven days. On the sev-enth day he must shave off all his hair; he must shave his head, his beard, his eyebrows and the rest of his hair. He must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water, and he will be clean. (NIV)




B. Numbers 19:1-10, The LORD said to Moses and Aaron: "This is a requirement of the law that the LORD has com-manded: Tell the Israelites to bring you a red heifer without defect or blemish and that has never been under a yoke. Give it to Eleazar the priest; it is to be taken outside the camp and slaughtered in his presence. Then Eleazar the priest is to take some of its blood on his finger and sprinkle it seven times toward the front of the Tent of Meeting. While he watches, the heifer is to be burned—its hide, flesh, blood and offal. The priest is to take some cedar wood, hys-sop and scarlet wool and throw them onto the burning heifer. After that, the priest must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water. He may then come into the camp, but he will be ceremonially unclean till evening. The man who burns it must also wash his clothes and bathe with wa-ter, and he too will be unclean till evening. "A man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer and put them in a ceremonially clean place outside the camp. They shall be kept by the Israelite community for use in the water of cleansing; it is for purification from sin. The man who gath-ers up the ashes of the heifer must also wash his clothes, and he too will be unclean till evening. This will be a lasting or-dinance both for the Israelites and for the aliens living among them. (NIV)

C. Here it is a metaphor for moral and spiritual cleansing.

II. “Whiter than snow” was a familiar metaphor of thorough cleansing (Isa. 1:18).

A. Isaiah 1:18, "Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. (NIV)




Psalm 51:8, Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. (NIV) I. Verse 8 is a progressive couplet, the second line adding to the thought of the first. II. “Let the bones…rejoice” employs personification in which “bones” are treated as a person.

A. The reference to broken bones metaphorically refers to bro-ken fellowship.

Psalm 51:9, Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniq-uity. (NIV) I. “Hide” and “blot out” are synonymous expressions, as are “sins” and “iniquity”. Psalm 51:10, Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. (NIV) I. “Create” and “renew” are synonyms, and “pure heart” and “stead-fast spirit” are synonymous expressions.

A. We sometimes use the expressions, “heart and soul” or “mind and spirit” in the same way.

II. It is significant that David recognizes his inability to renew himself without God’s help. Psalm 51:11, Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. (NIV)




I. “Cast…from” and “take…from” are synonymous expressions, and “presence” and “Holy Spirit” are synonymous expressions of the simi-lar type.

A. Old Testament persons knew little if anything about a trin-ity.

B. Isaiah 63:10-11 is the only other Old Testament passage that uses the expression with “holy” and spirit” joined as a phrase. (NIV)

1. Isaiah 63:10, 11, Yet they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit. So he turned and became their enemy and he himself fought against them. Then his people recalled the days of old, the days of Moses and his people— where is he who brought them through the sea, with the shepherd of his flock? Where is he who set his Holy Spirit among them, (NIV)

II. David pleads for God not to forsake him.

A. It is questionable whether “holy” and “spirit” should be capitalized (cf. KJV, ASV, RSV, NRSV).

Psalm 51:12, Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. (NIV) I. Verse 12 employs a progressive couplet in which line 2 adds some-thing to the thought of line 1.

A. This couplet extends the thought of verse 11.

B. Verse 11 pleads for God not to forsake him, and verse 12 pleads for God’s help in his restoration.




C. The divine side (12a) and the human side (12b) of “salva-tion” are here conjoined.

II. Man’s willingness is a prerequisite to divine work in salvation (Phil. 2:12-13).

A. Philippians 2:12, 13, Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your sal-vation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. (NIV)

His Promise to Teach Others

Psalm 51:13-17, 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 righteous-ness. 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. (NIV) Note: Promise (13a,b, 14c, 15b), petition (14a,b, 15a) and declaration (16, 17) intermingle. Psalm 51:13, Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sin-ners will turn back to you. (NIV) I. Verse 13 contains a promise.

A. Psalms 51 and 32 reveal the truthfulness of this promise.

1. Psalm 32:1-11, Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the




man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of sum-mer. Selah Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD "— and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him. You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you. Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bri-dle or they will not come to you. Many are the woes of the wicked, but the LORD's unfailing love sur-rounds the man who trusts in him. Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart! (NIV)

B. They also show his willingness to share his experience with all who have needs like his.

1. His hope is that other sinners will return to God as he has.

Psalm 51:14, Save me from bloodguilt, O God, the God who saves me, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. (NIV) I. “Bloodguilt” is literally “bloods”, which could refer to death, mur-der, or metaphorically to great oppression.




II. David may be recalling his sin of having Uriah slain on the battle-field (2 Sam. 11). III. “The God who saves me” is literally “the God of my salvation”.

A. This expression shows that David has confidence in God as his savior.

B. David promises to “sing of God’s righteousness”, and this will be a vital part of his teaching transgressors.

1. “Righteousness” here is used in the sense of justifica-tion (v. 4).

a. Psalm 51:4, 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. (NIV)

Psalm 51:15, O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. (NIV) I. “Open my lips” simply means “give me the power and wisdom to speak properly”.

A. David promises to use his power of speech to praise God.

B. The context shows that his praise will be centered on God’s grace manifested in forgiveness of sins.

C. “Lips” and “mouth” are synonymous.

1. The organs of speech are the point of emphasis.




Psalm 51:16,17, 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. (NIV) I. Verses 16 and 17 are not against sacrifices as such.

A. David, however, knew that sacrifices could not atone for murder (Num. 35:31).

1. Numbers 35:31, "'Do not accept a ransom for the life of a murderer, who deserves to die. He must surely be put to death. (NIV)

2. Only God’s grace could forgive such a sin.

3. Without a contrite heart, no sacrifice could atone for any sin.

His Petition for the Prosperity of Zion

Psalm 51:18-19, In your good pleasure make Zion prosper; build up the walls of Jerusalem. Then there will be righteous sacrifices, whole burnt offerings to delight you; then bulls will be offered on your altar. (NIV) I. In verses 18 and 19, David moves from personal to community con-siderations.

A. These two verses are connected by the word “then” (19a).

B. God must be the ultimate source of Zion’s prosperity (Ps. 127:1).




1. Psalm 127:1, Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. (NIV)

2. It would be God’s “good pleasure” to secure Zion when its people submit to His will.

C. When the contrite heart of verse 17 is present, “righteous sacrifices” pleasing to God will be offered.

Application: I. This most beautiful of the penitential psalms reveals the intensity and sincerity that must attend every petition for forgiveness. II. It also reminds us of God’s willingness to forgive and strengthen the sinner.

A. God is willing and able to forgive great as well as small sins. III. Meditation on this psalm will elevate the student’s thoughts about God, and help him to rely on God as did David.




Questions

Psalm 51:1-19

(Questions based on NIV text.) 1. “Have ______________ on ______________, O ______________, according to your _________________ _________________; accord-ing to your _______________ _______________ ________________ ______________ _____________ _____________. ______________ away _____________ ____________________ ______________ and __________________ ______________ from my.” 2. “For ______________ know _______________ _______________, and ________________ _________________ is _________________ before _________________. 3. What was the particular sin in view in verses 1-4? _____________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 4. How can it be said that the sin had been committed only against God when terrible wrong had also been committed against other hu-mans? __________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 5. How did sinning only against God prove God to be right when he spoke and justified when he judged? __________________________




________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 6. Explain how the author of Psalm 51 was sinful at birth and sinful from the time his mother conceived him. Does this mean the author was a sinner when he was born? _____________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 7. What is hereditary total depravity? Is this a biblical teaching? Ex-plain. ___________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 8. How could hyssop cleanse from sin? What is hyssop? __________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 9. Do we ever hold old sins against people whom God has washed and made whiter than snow? If so, what does God think about this unfor-giving attitude? ___________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 10. “_______________ in _______________ a _________________ ______________, O _____________, and renew a _______________ ________________ within _______________. _________________ to ______________ the _______________ of your _______________ and ________________ _________________ a _________________ _________________, to _________________ _________________.” 11. Does God ever temporarily forgive a sin? Does God ever forgive sins of which we do not forgive ourselves? Is it appropriate to ask God over and over to forgive us of the same sin? ____________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 12. When forgiven what did the author of Psalm 51 promise to do? See verses 13-15. _____________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 13. In what does God not take pleasure, delight? What will God not despise? _________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 14. The Psalmist prayed for the security and prosperity of Jerusalem. What would result from this prosperity and security? _____________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 15. Who wrote Psalm 51? __________________ Give information to support and in opposition to this answer. _______________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 16. Outline Psalm 51. What topics are addressed in this psalm? ____ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 17. The Psalmist pled for the Lord to _____________________ _______________ his sins, ________________ _________________ his transgressions, ________________; that is, _________________ him from his filthiness. 18. List synonymous parallelisms to be found in verses 7, 9, 10 and 11. _____________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 19. What does the Old Testament tell us about the Trinity, the triune nature of God in the persons of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit? ____ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 20. The Psalmist said, when he had been forgiven, he would teach transgressors God’s ways. Would you be more influenced by a re-pentant adulterous murderer turned preacher or a minister whose life had always been exemplary? Explain your answer. Don’t forget Saul of Tarsus. _______________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 21. When should we pray, “Open my lips”; that is, “Give me the power and wisdom to speak properly”? ________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 22. This most _________________ of the _________________ psalms reveals the _________________ and _________________ that must attend every _________________ for _________________.




23. God is _____________________ and ____________________ to ______________ ________________ as well as _________________ _________________. 24. In what kinds of works/ sacrifices does God delight and in what kinds does God not delight? _________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 25. What was the Psalmist’s past and what was God’s part in the granting of pardon and forgiveness of sins? _____________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



Documents

A Penitent’s Plea Psalm 51:1-19 - Bible Study Workshopbiblestudyworkshop.com/download/old/psalms/Psalm51.pdf · Commentary by Clyde M. Miller Text: Psalm 51:1-19, 1. Have mercy