King David has always been a favorite character for me. In David’s life I see my own desire to be obedient and follow God’s call on my life, while there are times I fail miserably because I become selfish, entitled, or outright disobedient.
Psalm 51 is one of my favorites because it is written out of the depth of David’s heart after the discovery of his sin with Bathsheba and his ordering of the death of Uriah. In 2 Samuel 11-12, we read the account of David’s apathy and moral failure. David is confronted by Nathan, and his sin is brought to light through a parable. David admits his wrongdoing when Nathan calls him out for his previous actions. “David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the Lord’” (2 Samuel 12:13a).
In Psalm 51:3-4, King David writes, “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against 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.” King David admits his sin and seeks reconciliation and forgiveness when he writes, “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow” (verse 7).
The verse I absolutely love in this passage is the request, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me” (verse 10). King David’s desire for transformation after he has sinned against God is a desire for something more than cleansing from the past; it is a desire for a new heart that is passionately seeking after the Lord. It is to overcome the apathy and disobedient heart. It is like the Lord’s promise in Ezekiel 36:26, “A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”
The heart is the seat of our passion and our commitments. When our focus is taken off God and the Lord is no longer in charge of our hearts, we tend to fall into sin and disobedience just like King David. Though our sin may not be made public in the way David’s sin was made public, the Holy Spirit seeks to draw our attention to this sin in our lives through the conviction of the Holy Spirit. This conviction is not condemnation, but an invitation for us to confess our sin and receive forgiveness. We then need to cry out to God for the Lord to create a new heart and a new spirit in us. This is an act of surrender where we seek the Lord and focus our lives on the Lord once again. God is the one who does the transforming as we turn back to Him.
Are there places in your life where you have become apathetic and lost focus on the Lord as the leader of your life? Are there places where you have fallen into sin and need to confess sin and be cleansed? Do you need to seek the Lord in this prayer, “Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit in me”? God is faithful to forgive us and to create a clean heart and a new spirit within us.
Prayer: Forgive me when I sin, O Lord. When I lose focus on you and fall into apathy and disobedience, draw me back to you. Create in me a clean heart and put a new and right spirit within me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.