Psalm 51:1-10 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 51:1-10 on biblegateway.com
Verse 1Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
Verse 2Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
Verse 3For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
Verse 4Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgment.
Verse 5Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me.
Verse 6You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
Verse 7Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Verse 8Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.
Verse 9Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.
Verse 10Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.
Devotion
This portion of Psalm 51 is also assigned in the lectionary as a reading for Ash Wednesday and the fifth Sunday in Lent (year B). The Lutheran Study Bible footnote states, "The Psalmist or writer uses three different words for the same thing, ‘my transgressions,... my iniquity,... my sin,... emphasizing the magnitude of personal sin.'" Magnitude of personal sin—that is a lot of sin. This psalm is traditionally understood as King David's awareness of his behavior with Bathsheba and his part in the death of Uriah. But given that this psalm is included in the lectionary three times would also suggest that this cry of confession in the psalm is not just David's confession but ours, too. God's people are called to confess over and over again, called to an awareness of the magnitude of their sin so that an awareness of God's forgiveness might also be comprehended.
Prayer
God of grace, with David we confess the magnitude of our sin and pray for your forgiveness. Give us confidence and trust that our sins are wiped away and that we are cleansed and set free. Amen.