Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin! - Psalm 51:1-2
As we enter into a season of preparation for the remembrance of the crucifixion of our Savior and the celebration of His resurrection, I want to spend the next several weeks considering Psalm 51. This psalm is penitential or repentance focused. The introductory note tells us that it was written in light of a particular historical event. Specifically, it is David’s response to the words of the prophet Nathan which expose David’s sins of adultery and murder. It has long stood as a model of repentance for God’s people.
One of the first emphases of these opening two verses is that true repentance flows from a real acknowledgement of sin. This is not merely a recognition of its existence (“Nobody’s perfect”) but an owning of it as something particular to us. It is my transgressions, my iniquity, my sin. It is not an attempt to justify our wrongdoing. Instead, like the tax collector in the parable, we cry out, Have mercy on me, a sinner.
Second, notice the two sets of triples. There are three different words for our wrongdoing: transgressions, iniquity, sin. Each of these have a degree of nuance to what is wrong with us. They speak of rebellion, failure, waywardness, law-breaking. As an old prayer states, we have not only sinned in what we have done but also in what we have not done. In admitting our sin, we should not be seeking to make generic proclamations but must confess the depth and broadness of our sin.
That triple is matched by the triple action words. What does the psalmist (and what do we) want God to do? We want him to blot out. We want him to wash thoroughly. We want him to cleanse. Sin has made us dirty inside and out. We want to be clean, with clear hearts and clear consciences. And the language boldly asks that it not be a partial job but a complete one.
Third, the psalmist knows that his hope for this cleansing lies outside himself. Notice, he does not try to bargain to get this washing. He knows there is nothing that he can say or do that will warrant forgiveness. Instead, he pleads the character of God. He cries for the Lord to do this based on the Lord’s mercy, the Lord’s steadfast love, and the Lord’s abundant mercy. His hope (and ours) must rest on the Lord doing something and that hope is based on what we know of the type of God we serve.
And, finally, the grand point of this psalm of repentance is its pointing us to the only one who can do what is necessary for our forgiveness and restoration. The psalmist doesn’t look to the other gods, the Baals and the Asherahs. He won’t find it in another man. And he certainly can’t obtain it by looking to himself. His only hope to be clean is to be found in God.
And, saints, it is our only hope as well. The only one who can truly unburden us from our sin is God Himself. Let us bring our repentance to Him, knowing He has declared Himself to be merciful and loving. Any other way will not and cannot do for us what we so desperately need to be done. But thanks be to God, He has made a way in the life, death, and resurrection of His Son. This is our great and only hope.
