Thanksgiving Scripture - Nov 12

Introduction...

Day 12 Psalm 51:1-19 Give Thanks to God for His Mercy and Forgivness
（Memorization Scripture: vv. 10-12）

A Prayer of Repentance
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

1 Have mercy upon me, O God,
According to Your lovingkindness;
According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,
Blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
And cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I acknowledge my transgressions,
And my sin is always before me.
4 Against You, You only, have I sinned,
And done this evil in Your sight—
That You may be found just when You speak,
And blameless when You judge.
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother conceived me.
6 Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts,
And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Make me hear joy and gladness,
That the bones You have broken may rejoice.
9 Hide Your face from my sins,
And blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners shall be converted to You.
14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
The God of my salvation,
And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.
15 O Lord, open my lips,
And my mouth shall show forth Your praise.
16 For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;
You do not delight in burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart—
These, O God, You will not despise.
18 Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion;
Build the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness,
With burnt offering and whole burnt offering;
Then they shall offer bulls on Your altar.

This psalm is the most renowned of all prayers of repentance. When Nathan the prophet pointed out David’s sin, David the psalmist came before God with a broken and a contrite heart and confessed that he had sinned against God, and asked God for His kindness and mercy, and to cleanse his sin. The psalmist believed that if he (himself) is willing to confess to God and to repent in truth, God Himself will “Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities.” (v.9) and “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted” (2 Corinthians 7:10). Such a repentant sinner responds in thankfulness when they know the wonderful mercy that has blotted out all of the iniquities: Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods, having great mercy, passing over the transgressions and cleansing all the iniquities by which we have sinned against Him, (so) “that the bones You have broken may rejoice (vv. 7-8).

Furthermore, God not only forgives but gives us a new heart and a new spirit, that we may do His will. David said “Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me” (vv. 10-11). After offering the broken and contrite heart to God, the psalmist, with boldness and diligence, asked for an obedient spirit. He would rejoice in His salvation again, and never let sins separate him from God (v.12). If we can confess and repent in truth, it shows that we know God’s grace and aim to bear fruits worthy of repentance.

At the end of the prayer, the psalmist asked blessings for Zion and Jerusalem, that God (shall) build the walls of Jerusalem, to protect the children of God from falling into the net which enemies have laid, and they therefore would not sin against Him like the psalmist.