Psalm Study: Psalm 51 This
reflection is a reprint of two reflections that were posted back in February,
where I commented on the same passage from Psalm 51.
Create in me a clean heart, O God.
and renew in me a
steadfast spirit. (51:12)
Sometimes when we look back over
the past with the sensitivities and conscience of the present, we realize that
we had done something perhaps years ago that now fills us with guilt and
contrition. “If only I knew then what I know now!” we might cry. Times like
that are times to turn to Psalm 51, which is David’s Psalm of repentance after
the prophet Nathan had opened his eyes to see what sins he had committed:
fornication, adultery and murder. (You can read the entire story in II Samuel,
chapters 11 and 12.) And David’s psalm of repentance and contrition is asking
not only for forgiveness of sin, but also a healing of the emotional, physical
and social consequences of his sin. (And of our sins as well.)
Create in me a clean heart: This is asking for a lot. It’s not only
a question of forgiveness or cleansing; it is begging for something completely
new by an act of God’s creative power. We might pray, “Create in me a new
clean heart.”
And God promises to do this.
Ezekiel 36: 25-27: I will sprinkle clean water upon you to cleanse you from all your
impurities, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. I will give you a new
heart and place a new spirit within you, taking from your bodies your stony
hearts and giving you natural hearts.
Psalm 51 is a Psalm of David. Remember
that David was chosen by God, a fearless warrior, a great and powerful king and
a virtuous one at that. His prayer was sublime and eloquent. He was the
composer of most of the 150 psalms we have; in fact, this particular psalm was
his psalm of repentance when he realized what wrong he had done.
And the great and almighty are
fallen. David reached the heights of human perfection, but was brought down low
by temptation to the point where he was guilty of adultery and indirect murder.
(See II Samuel 11 and 12.)
If such a thing could happen to
David, what might happen to us. Every single day, it is God’s grace that keeps
us from falling into decadence and depravity, and we must always remember that,
especially when we are tempted to judge people who have fallen prey to what is
the worst in human nature. “There but for the grace of God go I” must be our constant
prayer.
Notice in these verses that the
first one speaks of the “heart” while the second one speaks of the “spirit.”
These two words are used interchangeably in the scriptures. “Heart” generally
refers to what is particular to the body while “spirit” refers to the
supernatural part of our being. What David prays for in this verse, and we as
well, one commentator says, is a “total renovation of his entire mental
and moral nature, which he recognizes as corrupt and depraved.” (See www.biblehub.com/commentaries
for excellent information about any passage of Scripture).
Do we sometimes perceive our
natures as corrupt and depraved? If not, we still must recognize that no matter
how “well-off” we think we may be in the spiritual life, it is possible for us
to fall as David had fallen. And at that time, we need not lose hope, for God’s
love is greatest for those who are most in need of his mercy. “Lord
Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” We can pray
no more honest prayer than that. It also helps to consider Saint Peter, who
also fell in a horrible way, but yet was restored by his Lord who asked him,
despite everything, “Do you love me?”
One final observation: David
prays for a “steadfast” spirit. The Hebrew word used here means “firm, constant
or steadfast.” What David is praying for is a spirit so fixed and unmovable
that it will not easily be shaken in time of even the most powerful
temptations. Something for us to pray for as well, is it not?
God bless you!
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