Psalms 51 Study Notes: David's Prayer of Repentance
David pleads for mercy after the prophet Nathan confronts him over his sin with Bathsheba. He confesses his guilt before God and his sinfulness from birth, asks God to wash him and renew his heart, offers a humble, repentant spirit, and prays for Jerusalem to be built up so right offerings may follow.
General
In 51:4, against whom does David say his sin was ultimately committed?
Answer: Against God, whose judgment is always right
David had wronged Bathsheba and Uriah terribly, yet he confesses that his sin was ultimately against God, done in God's sight (51:4). All sin is first of all rebellion against God. He adds that God is right in His verdict and blameless in His judgment. David admitted to Nathan that his sin was against the LORD (2 Samuel 12:13), and Joseph refused Potiphar's wife because it would be a great evil against God (Genesis 39:9). Paul quotes 51:4 in Romans 3:4 to show that God remains true and just even when every person is shown to be false.
- Psalm 51:4 (BSB)“Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You may be proved right when You speak and blameless when You judge.”David confesses that his sin was against God and that God's judgment is right.
- 2 Samuel 12:13 (BSB)“Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” “The LORD has taken away your sin,” Nathan replied. “You will not die.”David's confession to Nathan names his sin as against the LORD.
- Genesis 39:9 (BSB)“No one in this house is greater than I am. He has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. So how could I do such a great evil and sin against God?””Joseph likewise sees adultery as sin against God Himself.
- Romans 3:4 (BSB)“Certainly not! Let God be true and every man a liar. As it is written: “So that You may be proved right when You speak and victorious when You judge.””Paul quotes 51:4 to show that God is proved right in His judgments.
Theological
In 51:4, against whom does David confess his sin was ultimately directed?
Answer: Against God, whose judgment is always right
51:4 identifies the essence of David's sin as an offense against God, committed in His sight, so that God is justified in His sentence and blameless in His judgment. Sin against a neighbor is always, and primarily, sin against God. David's confession to Nathan uses the same terms (2 Samuel 12:13), as does Joseph's refusal to commit such evil against God (Genesis 39:9). Paul cites 51:4 in Romans 3:4 to vindicate God's truthfulness and justice over against human unfaithfulness.
- Psalm 51:4 (BSB)“Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You may be proved right when You speak and blameless when You judge.”David confesses that his sin was against God and that God's judgment is right.
- 2 Samuel 12:13 (BSB)“Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” “The LORD has taken away your sin,” Nathan replied. “You will not die.”David's confession to Nathan names his sin as against the LORD.
- Genesis 39:9 (BSB)“No one in this house is greater than I am. He has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. So how could I do such a great evil and sin against God?””Joseph likewise sees adultery as sin against God Himself.
- Romans 3:4 (BSB)“Certainly not! Let God be true and every man a liar. As it is written: “So that You may be proved right when You speak and victorious when You judge.””Paul quotes 51:4 to show that God is proved right in His judgments.
General
On what basis does David ask God to wipe away his sins in 51:1-2?
Answer: God's loving devotion and great compassion
David brings nothing of his own to God. He asks for mercy according to God's loving devotion, and for his rebellions to be wiped away according to God's great compassion (51:1). Loving devotion means God's loyal, covenant-keeping love. David asks to be washed and cleansed from his guilt and sin (51:2). He appeals to the very character God declared to Moses: compassionate and gracious, rich in loving devotion, forgiving iniquity (Exodus 34:6-7). In the same way, God saves sinners on the basis of His mercy and not because of any righteous deeds of theirs (Titus 3:5), and the tax collector who begged God for mercy went home right with God (Luke 18:13-14).
- Psalm 51:1-2 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. When Nathan the prophet came to him after his adultery with Bathsheba. Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your loving devotion; according to Your great compassion, blot out my transgressions. Wash me clean of my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.”David appeals to God's loving devotion and compassion to cleanse his sin.
- Exodus 34:6-7 (BSB)“Then the LORD passed in front of Moses and called out: “The LORD, the LORD God, is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness, maintaining loving devotion to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin. Yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished; He will visit the iniquity of the fathers on their children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.””God revealed Himself as compassionate and forgiving, the character David pleads.
- Titus 3:5 (BSB)“He saved us, not by the righteous deeds we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”God saves according to His mercy, not on the basis of human righteousness.
- Luke 18:13-14 (BSB)“But the tax collector stood at a distance, unwilling even to lift up his eyes to heaven. Instead, he beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man, rather than the Pharisee, went home justified. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.””The tax collector who asked only for mercy was justified.
Theological
What is the ground of David's plea for pardon in 51:1-2?
Answer: God's loving devotion and great compassion
David's plea rests entirely on God's character: mercy according to His loving devotion and the blotting out of transgressions according to His abundant compassion (51:1), with washing and cleansing from iniquity and sin (51:2). He pleads the attributes God proclaimed at Sinai, including His readiness to forgive every kind of wrongdoing (Exodus 34:6-7). This is the logic of grace: salvation according to mercy, not works (Titus 3:5), as in the tax collector who pleaded for mercy and was declared righteous (Luke 18:13-14).
- Psalm 51:1-2 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. When Nathan the prophet came to him after his adultery with Bathsheba. Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your loving devotion; according to Your great compassion, blot out my transgressions. Wash me clean of my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.”David appeals to God's loving devotion and compassion to cleanse his sin.
- Exodus 34:6-7 (BSB)“Then the LORD passed in front of Moses and called out: “The LORD, the LORD God, is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness, maintaining loving devotion to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin. Yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished; He will visit the iniquity of the fathers on their children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.””God revealed Himself as compassionate and forgiving, the character David pleads.
- Titus 3:5 (BSB)“He saved us, not by the righteous deeds we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”God saves according to His mercy, not on the basis of human righteousness.
- Luke 18:13-14 (BSB)“But the tax collector stood at a distance, unwilling even to lift up his eyes to heaven. Instead, he beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man, rather than the Pharisee, went home justified. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.””The tax collector who asked only for mercy was justified.
General
True or False: In 51:16-19, David teaches that God rejects all sacrifices and that offerings should never again be made on His altar.
Answer: False
This is false. David says God takes no delight in animal sacrifice by itself, or he would bring it, and burnt offerings alone do not please Him (51:16). What God wants is a broken spirit, and He will not despise a crushed and repentant heart (51:17). But this is not a rejection of the sacrifices God commanded. The psalm closes by asking God to build up Jerusalem and looks forward to a day when God will again delight in right sacrifices offered on His altar (51:18-19). The point is the heart behind the offering. Isaiah records that God dwells with the contrite and lowly (Isaiah 57:15) and values the humble one who trembles at His word (Isaiah 66:2).
- Psalm 51:16-17 (BSB)“For You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; You take no pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.”God desires a broken and contrite heart more than sacrifice alone.
- Psalm 51:18-19 (BSB)“In Your good pleasure, cause Zion to prosper; build up the walls of Jerusalem. Then You will delight in righteous sacrifices, in whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on Your altar.”The psalm looks forward to righteous sacrifices on God's altar.
- Isaiah 57:15 (BSB)“For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in a high and holy place, and with the oppressed and humble in spirit, to restore the spirit of the lowly and revive the heart of the contrite.”God dwells with the contrite and lowly in spirit.
- Isaiah 66:2 (BSB)“Has not My hand made all these things? And so they came into being,” declares the LORD. “This is the one I will esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, who trembles at My word.”God esteems the humble and contrite who tremble at His word.
Theological
True or False: Psalm 51:16-19 teaches that God permanently rejects sacrifices and that the altar should no longer be used.
Answer: False
This is false. 51:16-17 says God takes no delight in sacrifice as such, but in a spirit and heart broken and contrite before Him. Yet 51:18-19 looks ahead to God again delighting in right sacrifices and whole burnt offerings on His altar once Zion is built up. The contrast concerns the heart behind worship, not the abolition of the sacrificial system. Isaiah voices the same truth: God dwells with the contrite and lowly (Isaiah 57:15) and esteems the humble who tremble at His word (Isaiah 66:2).
- Psalm 51:16-17 (BSB)“For You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; You take no pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.”God desires a broken and contrite heart more than sacrifice alone.
- Psalm 51:18-19 (BSB)“In Your good pleasure, cause Zion to prosper; build up the walls of Jerusalem. Then You will delight in righteous sacrifices, in whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on Your altar.”The psalm looks forward to righteous sacrifices on God's altar.
- Isaiah 57:15 (BSB)“For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in a high and holy place, and with the oppressed and humble in spirit, to restore the spirit of the lowly and revive the heart of the contrite.”God dwells with the contrite and lowly in spirit.
- Isaiah 66:2 (BSB)“Has not My hand made all these things? And so they came into being,” declares the LORD. “This is the one I will esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, who trembles at My word.”God esteems the humble and contrite who tremble at His word.
General
What does David's request in 51:10 show about how his heart could be changed?
Answer: It must be made new by God's own creative work
David does not merely ask for forgiveness. He asks God to create a clean heart in him and to renew his spirit and make it right (51:10). To create is something God alone does, bringing something new into being. David knew he could not fix his own heart. God later promised through Ezekiel to give His people a fresh heart and spirit and to put His own Spirit within them (Ezekiel 36:25-27). This is regeneration, God's work of making a sinner new, and Paul says anyone in Christ has been made a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17).
- Psalm 51:10 (BSB)“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”David asks God to create a clean heart and renew his spirit.
- Ezekiel 36:25-27 (BSB)“I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and to carefully observe My ordinances.”God promises to cleanse His people and give them a new heart and His Spirit.
- 2 Corinthians 5:17 (BSB)“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!”Anyone in Christ is made new by God's creative work.
Theological
What does the verb of David's petition in 51:10 imply about the renewal he needs?
Answer: It must be made new by God's own creative work
In 51:10 David asks God to create a clean heart in him and to make his spirit new and right. The request for a creative act, not mere improvement, confesses that inward renewal is God's sovereign work. Ezekiel 36:25-27 promises exactly this: cleansing, a renewed heart, and God's own Spirit causing His people to walk in His statutes. The New Testament identifies this regenerating work as new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).
- Psalm 51:10 (BSB)“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”David asks God to create a clean heart and renew his spirit.
- Ezekiel 36:25-27 (BSB)“I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and to carefully observe My ordinances.”God promises to cleanse His people and give them a new heart and His Spirit.
- 2 Corinthians 5:17 (BSB)“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!”Anyone in Christ is made new by God's creative work.
General
What does David ask God to do for him with hyssop in 51:7?
Answer: Purify him so that he becomes clean and white
Hyssop was a small plant used in Israel's cleansing rituals to sprinkle water or blood, for instance in cleansing someone who had touched a dead body (Numbers 19:18) or who had been healed of a skin disease (Leviticus 14:6-7). David asks God Himself to purify him with hyssop so that he will be clean, and to wash him so that he becomes whiter than snow (51:7). Only God can remove guilt that deep. Isaiah records God's promise that sins red as scarlet can be made snow-white (Isaiah 1:18), and John writes that Jesus' blood cleanses believers from every sin (1 John 1:7).
- Psalm 51:7 (BSB)“Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.”David asks God to cleanse him with hyssop and make him whiter than snow.
- Numbers 19:18 (BSB)“Then a man who is ceremonially clean is to take some hyssop, dip it in the water, and sprinkle the tent, all the furnishings, and the people who were there. He is also to sprinkle the one who touched a bone, a grave, or a person who has died or been slain.”Hyssop was used to sprinkle cleansing water on the unclean.
- Leviticus 14:6-7 (BSB)“And he is to take the live bird together with the cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop, and dip them into the blood of the bird that was slaughtered over the fresh water. Seven times he shall sprinkle the one to be cleansed of the skin disease. Then he shall pronounce him clean and release the live bird into the open field.”Hyssop was used in the ritual that declared a person clean.
- Isaiah 1:18 (BSB)““Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are as red as crimson, they will become like wool.”God promises to make scarlet sins white, the cleansing David asks for.
- 1 John 1:7 (BSB)“But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”Jesus' blood cleanses believers from all sin, the reality David longed for.
Theological
What does David's petition involving hyssop in 51:7 request?
Answer: Purify him so that he becomes clean and white
Hyssop was the instrument of ceremonial cleansing, used for sprinkling in purification from corpse defilement (Numbers 19:18) and in the cleansing of one healed of a skin disease (Leviticus 14:6-7). In 51:7 David asks God Himself to perform the cleansing: purified with hyssop he will be clean, and washed he will be made whiter than snow. What the rituals signified, God alone can accomplish. Isaiah 1:18 promises that scarlet sins can be made white, and 1 John 1:7 locates the reality in the cleansing blood of Christ.
- Psalm 51:7 (BSB)“Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.”David asks God to cleanse him with hyssop and make him whiter than snow.
- Numbers 19:18 (BSB)“Then a man who is ceremonially clean is to take some hyssop, dip it in the water, and sprinkle the tent, all the furnishings, and the people who were there. He is also to sprinkle the one who touched a bone, a grave, or a person who has died or been slain.”Hyssop was used to sprinkle cleansing water on the unclean.
- Leviticus 14:6-7 (BSB)“And he is to take the live bird together with the cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop, and dip them into the blood of the bird that was slaughtered over the fresh water. Seven times he shall sprinkle the one to be cleansed of the skin disease. Then he shall pronounce him clean and release the live bird into the open field.”Hyssop was used in the ritual that declared a person clean.
- Isaiah 1:18 (BSB)““Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are as red as crimson, they will become like wool.”God promises to make scarlet sins white, the cleansing David asks for.
- 1 John 1:7 (BSB)“But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”Jesus' blood cleanses believers from all sin, the reality David longed for.
General
According to its heading, when did David write Psalm 51?
Answer: After the prophet Nathan confronted him over Bathsheba
The heading of Psalm 51, which is part of verse 1, says David wrote it after the prophet Nathan confronted him following David's adultery with Bathsheba (51:1). Second Samuel tells the story. David saw Bathsheba, who was married to Uriah, and slept with her (2 Samuel 11:2-4). The LORD then sent Nathan, who told David a parable and then declared that David himself was the guilty man (2 Samuel 12:7). David confessed his sin to Nathan, and Nathan told him the LORD had taken his sin away (2 Samuel 12:13). Psalm 51 is David's prayer of repentance from that moment.
- Psalm 51:1 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. When Nathan the prophet came to him after his adultery with Bathsheba. Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your loving devotion; according to Your great compassion, blot out my transgressions.”The heading sets the psalm after Nathan came to David about Bathsheba.
- 2 Samuel 11:2-4 (BSB)“One evening David got up from his bed and strolled around on the roof of the palace. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing—a very beautiful woman. So David sent and inquired about the woman, and he was told, “This is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” Then David sent messengers to get her, and when she came to him, he slept with her. (Now she had just purified herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned home.”The narrative of David's sin with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah.
- 2 Samuel 12:7 (BSB)“Then Nathan said to David, “You are that man! This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.”Nathan confronts David directly as the guilty man in his parable.
- 2 Samuel 12:13 (BSB)“Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” “The LORD has taken away your sin,” Nathan replied. “You will not die.”David confesses to Nathan, and Nathan announces God's forgiveness.
Theological
According to the superscription of Psalm 51, when did David compose it?
Answer: After the prophet Nathan confronted him over Bathsheba
The superscription (51:1) locates the psalm after Nathan's confrontation of David over the sin with Bathsheba. The narrative background is 2 Samuel 11-12: David's taking of Uriah's wife (2 Samuel 11:2-4), Nathan's parable and verdict that David is the man (2 Samuel 12:7), and David's confession followed by Nathan's word that the LORD had put away his sin (2 Samuel 12:13). The psalm gives the inner prayer of that repentance.
- Psalm 51:1 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. When Nathan the prophet came to him after his adultery with Bathsheba. Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your loving devotion; according to Your great compassion, blot out my transgressions.”The heading sets the psalm after Nathan came to David about Bathsheba.
- 2 Samuel 11:2-4 (BSB)“One evening David got up from his bed and strolled around on the roof of the palace. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing—a very beautiful woman. So David sent and inquired about the woman, and he was told, “This is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” Then David sent messengers to get her, and when she came to him, he slept with her. (Now she had just purified herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned home.”The narrative of David's sin with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah.
- 2 Samuel 12:7 (BSB)“Then Nathan said to David, “You are that man! This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.”Nathan confronts David directly as the guilty man in his parable.
- 2 Samuel 12:13 (BSB)“Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” “The LORD has taken away your sin,” Nathan replied. “You will not die.”David confesses to Nathan, and Nathan announces God's forgiveness.
General
What does David confess about himself in 51:5?
Answer: That his sinfulness reached back to the very start of his life
David traces his sin beyond this one act to its root. He says he was born in a state of guilt and was sinful from the moment his life began in his mother's womb (51:5). He is not saying that his mother sinned or that conception itself is sinful. He is confessing that he had a sinful nature from the very beginning of his life. Christians call this original sin: because of Adam's first sin, every person is born with a nature bent toward sin. Paul teaches that sin entered through one man, bringing death that spread to all (Romans 5:12), that the disobedience of one man made the many sinners (Romans 5:19), and that all of us were children of wrath by nature (Ephesians 2:3). Psalm 58 likewise says the wicked wander off from birth (Psalm 58:3).
- Psalm 51:5 (BSB)“Surely I was brought forth in iniquity; I was sinful when my mother conceived me.”David confesses sinfulness reaching back to his conception and birth.
- Romans 5:12 (BSB)“Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so also death was passed on to all men, because all sinned.”Sin entered through one man and death spread to all, the root David confesses.
- Romans 5:19 (BSB)“For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.”Adam's disobedience made the many sinners.
- Ephesians 2:3 (BSB)“All of us also lived among them at one time, fulfilling the cravings of our flesh and indulging its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature children of wrath.”Paul says all people are by nature under God's wrath.
- Psalm 58:3 (BSB)“The wicked are estranged from the womb; the liars go astray from birth.”Another psalm traces the wickedness of the wicked back to birth.
Theological
What does 51:5 teach about the origin of David's sinfulness?
Answer: That his sinfulness reached back to the very start of his life
In 51:5 David confesses a sinfulness that goes back to the very beginning of his existence, from birth and even from conception. The point is not that his mother's act or conception itself was sinful, but that David's own nature was corrupt from the start. This is the Reformed doctrine of original sin: through Adam's transgression sin and death passed to all (Romans 5:12), the many were constituted sinners by one man's disobedience (Romans 5:19), and all are children of wrath by nature (Ephesians 2:3). Psalm 58:3 likewise traces the estrangement of the wicked back to birth.
- Psalm 51:5 (BSB)“Surely I was brought forth in iniquity; I was sinful when my mother conceived me.”David confesses sinfulness reaching back to his conception and birth.
- Romans 5:12 (BSB)“Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so also death was passed on to all men, because all sinned.”Sin entered through one man and death spread to all, the root David confesses.
- Romans 5:19 (BSB)“For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.”Adam's disobedience made the many sinners.
- Ephesians 2:3 (BSB)“All of us also lived among them at one time, fulfilling the cravings of our flesh and indulging its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature children of wrath.”Paul says all people are by nature under God's wrath.
- Psalm 58:3 (BSB)“The wicked are estranged from the womb; the liars go astray from birth.”Another psalm traces the wickedness of the wicked back to birth.
General
What does David's plea in 51:11, asking God not to remove His presence and Holy Spirit, show about him?
Answer: He knew he depended completely on God's presence
David pleads with God not to cast him away from His presence and not to take His Holy Spirit from him (51:11). David had seen what happened to Saul. When Samuel anointed David, the Spirit came powerfully on David, and the Spirit departed from Saul (1 Samuel 16:13-14). David's earnest plea shows that he knew he depended wholly on God's presence and could not go on without it. Jesus later promised His followers that the Father would give them the Spirit to remain with them forever (John 14:16-17), and Paul says believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit whom God promised, as the pledge of their inheritance (Ephesians 1:13-14).
- Psalm 51:11 (BSB)“Cast me not away from Your presence; take not Your Holy Spirit from me.”David pleads not to be cast from God's presence or lose His Holy Spirit.
- 1 Samuel 16:13-14 (BSB)“So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. Then Samuel set out and went to Ramah. Now the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and a spirit of distress from the LORD began to torment him.”The Spirit came upon David at his anointing and departed from Saul.
- John 14:16-17 (BSB)“And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you do know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you.”Jesus promises the Spirit will be with His people forever.
- Ephesians 1:13-14 (BSB)“And in Him, having heard and believed the word of truth—the gospel of your salvation—you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the pledge of our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession, to the praise of His glory.”Believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit as a pledge of their inheritance.
Theological
Given what had happened to Saul, what does David's petition in 51:11 reveal about him?
Answer: He knew he depended completely on God's presence
51:11 is David's plea under the old covenant not to be cast from God's presence or deprived of His Holy Spirit. The background is Saul: when David was anointed, the Spirit came upon David and departed from Saul (1 Samuel 16:13-14). The petition is an earnest confession of total dependence on God's presence. Under the new covenant, Christ promises the Spirit as an Advocate who abides with His people forever (John 14:16-17), and Paul describes believers as sealed with the Spirit God promised, the pledge of their inheritance until final redemption (Ephesians 1:13-14).
- Psalm 51:11 (BSB)“Cast me not away from Your presence; take not Your Holy Spirit from me.”David pleads not to be cast from God's presence or lose His Holy Spirit.
- 1 Samuel 16:13-14 (BSB)“So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. Then Samuel set out and went to Ramah. Now the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and a spirit of distress from the LORD began to torment him.”The Spirit came upon David at his anointing and departed from Saul.
- John 14:16-17 (BSB)“And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you do know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you.”Jesus promises the Spirit will be with His people forever.
- Ephesians 1:13-14 (BSB)“And in Him, having heard and believed the word of truth—the gospel of your salvation—you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the pledge of our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession, to the praise of His glory.”Believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit as a pledge of their inheritance.
General
What does David say he will do once God restores to him the joy of salvation (51:12-13)?
Answer: Teach sinners God's ways so they turn back to Him
David asks God to restore the gladness of being saved and to uphold him by giving him a willing spirit (51:12). Then, he says, he will teach rebels the ways of God, and sinners will turn back to God (51:13). A forgiven sinner becomes a witness to others. He also asks to be delivered from bloodguilt, the guilt of shedding blood. Read in the setting the heading gives, this fits Nathan's charge that David had Uriah killed (2 Samuel 12:9), and he asks the Lord to open his lips so he can declare God's praise (51:14-15). Jesus told Peter that after he had turned back he should strengthen his brothers (Luke 22:32), and Psalm 32 shows David telling others the blessing of forgiveness (Psalm 32:1-2).
- Psalm 51:12-15 (BSB)“Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and sustain me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will return to You. Deliver me from bloodguilt, O God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing of Your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise.”David prays for restored joy and vows to teach sinners and praise God.
- 2 Samuel 12:9 (BSB)“Why then have you despised the command of the LORD by doing evil in His sight? You put Uriah the Hittite to the sword and took his wife as your own. You have slain him with the sword of the Ammonites.”In the setting the heading names, Nathan charges David with having Uriah killed.
- Luke 22:32 (BSB)“But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith will not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.””Jesus tells Peter that, once restored, he is to strengthen others.
- Psalm 32:1-2 (BSB)“Of David. A Maskil. Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose iniquity the LORD does not count against him, in whose spirit there is no deceit.”David proclaims to others the blessedness of forgiven sin.
Theological
According to 51:12-13, what does David vow to do once God restores him?
Answer: Teach sinners God's ways so they turn back to Him
Restoration issues in witness. David prays for the restored joy of salvation and a willing spirit (51:12), then vows to teach transgressors God's ways so that sinners return (51:13). He asks deliverance from bloodguilt, a plea that fits the heading's setting, since Nathan's indictment charged David with Uriah's death (2 Samuel 12:9), and for opened lips to declare God's praise (51:14-15). Jesus gives Peter the same pattern of restoration leading to the strengthening of others (Luke 22:32), and Psalm 32:1-2 is David proclaiming the blessedness of forgiveness.
- Psalm 51:12-15 (BSB)“Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and sustain me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will return to You. Deliver me from bloodguilt, O God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing of Your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise.”David prays for restored joy and vows to teach sinners and praise God.
- 2 Samuel 12:9 (BSB)“Why then have you despised the command of the LORD by doing evil in His sight? You put Uriah the Hittite to the sword and took his wife as your own. You have slain him with the sword of the Ammonites.”In the setting the heading names, Nathan charges David with having Uriah killed.
- Luke 22:32 (BSB)“But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith will not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.””Jesus tells Peter that, once restored, he is to strengthen others.
- Psalm 32:1-2 (BSB)“Of David. A Maskil. Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose iniquity the LORD does not count against him, in whose spirit there is no deceit.”David proclaims to others the blessedness of forgiven sin.