Making Up

Read Psalms 50:1–53:6

7. Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8. Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me—now let me rejoice.
9. Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt.
10. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.
11. Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.
12. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you.
13. Then I will teach your ways to rebels, and they will return to you. . . .
16. You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering.
17. The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God. Psalm 51:7-13, Psalm 51:16-17

Psalm 51 is the result of a tough—but right—decision. Here, David confesses his sins in order to restore his broken relationship with God. The other psalms in this reading also involve tough decisions about how we live and relate to God. The relationship we have with God can suffer ups and downs just as our human relationships can, and this involves confession and reconciliation.

Other lessons in this section of Scripture include being sincere (Psalm 50); having confidence that God will defeat all evil in his own time (Psalm 52); and admitting our need for God to save us from sin (Psalm 53).

Has sin ever driven a wedge between you and God, making him seem distant? David’s sins destroyed his ability to enjoy anything, even God’s salvation (Psalm 51:3-17). David was confronted with his adultery with Bathsheba, could not deny it, and sought to repent. In his prayer he confessed his sin and cried, “Restore to me the joy of your salvation” (Psalm 51:12).

God wants us to be obedient to his Word so that we can have a close relationship with him. But when we disobey God and try to cover up our sin rather than confess it, we hurt our relationship with him, driving the wedge between us and God even further. Confess any sin that stands between you and God. You may still have to face the consequences, as David did, but God will give back the joy of your relationship with him.