After David committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband, Uriah, murdered as a cover-up (see 2 Samuel 11), his sin made God seem distant. It took a confrontation by Nathan the prophet (2 Samuel 12:1-25) to shake David out of his grim denial. Now truly sorry for his sin, David wrote this psalm, appealing to God for mercy, forgiveness, cleansing from the "stain of guilt," and restoration of the "joy of [His] salvation." It is a case study in that "honesty from the heart" (v. 6) that made David, although flawed, a man after God's own heart.

1. You began life as a loveable little guy, but were you free from sin (v. 5)?



2. What did David say (vv. 3, 8-9, 11) were the effects for him of unresolved sin?



3. What essential element of confession is voiced in verse 4?



4. Since David had wronged others, how could he say that his sin was against God?



5. What was David confident that God had done (vv. 1-2, 7, 9) when he repented?



6. What were the results of repenting (vv. 8, 10, 12) in David's life?

Ask God to help you keep short accounts with Him, recognizing and confessing your sins as soon as you are made aware of them.

¹Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. ²Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. ³For I recognize my shameful deeds—they haunt me day and night.

⁴Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just. ⁵For I was born a sinner—yes, from the moment my mother conceived me. ⁶But you desire honesty from the heart, so you can teach me to be wise in my inmost being.

⁷Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. ⁸Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me—now let me rejoice. ⁹Don't keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt.

¹⁰Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me. ¹¹Do not banish me from your presence, and don't take your Holy Spirit from me. ¹²Restore to me again the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you.

Prayer for the Week

Help me, Lord, to identify and confess my sins so You can offer forgiveness and bring healing.

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