Throughout the year, I will be posting Scriptural Reminders once a week. The format will look like:
The Passage: What does the text say?
The Purpose: What does the text mean?
The Prescription: What is our response to the text?
The Prayer: Praying that God will help me apply it.
Every Wednesday, I will post a new Weekly Reminder of Scripture.
8.05.26
The Passage:
Psalm 51:1
1 Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy;
blot out my transgressions.
The Purpose
To understand the purpose, we need to understand the context. 2 Samuel 11-12 is the story of David and Bathsheba. After David kills Uriah, he tries to cover it up. However, we all know that you can’t hide from God (look at Jonah). God sends Nathan the prophet to rebuke David. The child of David and Bathsheba is condemned to die. David cries this Psalm.
Have mercy on me. David is acknowledging God as being merciful (vs 1). How often do we ask for mercy?
David lists two attributes of God in the following lines:
steadfast love and abundant mercy. Steadfast love, or some translations say “unfailing love,” is something that we need to remember. God loves us no matter what; however, he will hold us accountable. Psalm 40 tells us that the Lord wants a broken and contrite heart.
You can be sorry for your sins, and God will forgive you, but there are still consequences.
Abundant mercy. He abounds in mercy. Some pastors say that he never runs out of it. His mercies are new every morning, as Lamentations 3:22-23 says.
Blot out my transgressions. NASB says, “Wipe out my wrongdoings,” but I like what the ESV says. David is asking God to wipe out his sins.
The Prescription
How do we respond to the text?
Sin separates us from God. Sin has consequences. Sin only leaves you empty.
God wants us to call on him. God will forgive us; that doesn’t mean there won’t be consequences for our actions. God will fill us up again.
We can respond by: Crying out to God to have mercy on such a sinner as I. Ask God to fulfill his attributes: that he is a loving God and is abundant in mercy.
Memorize 1 John 1:9 this week. Meditate on it as you go about. Apply it.
The Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, have mercy on a sinner such as I. I know that I am wretched and you are holy. Keep me in your presence according to your steadfast love and your abundant mercy. Cast me not away from your presence. Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me. Hide your face from my sins because I am ashamed of them. Lead me in the way everlasting.
In your Son’s Name, Amen.