Against You Alone - January 25 Readings: Psalm 51

We are going to "enter the year with praise." Our January readings and devotionals will all focus on the goodness and grace of God. Get a journal or notebook to write down your thoughts every day. Our passages are shorter - please don't rush through them. Take time to meditate and consider why God is worthy of your praise.

Enter 2020 with the praise of God on your lips!

Today's Praise Passage:  Psalm 51

Be gracious to me, God,
according to your faithful love;
according to your abundant compassion,
blot out my rebellion.
2 Completely wash away my guilt
and cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I am conscious of my rebellion,
and my sin is always before me.
4 Against you—you alone—I have sinned
and done this evil in your sight.
So you are right when you pass sentence;
you are blameless when you judge.
5 Indeed, I was guilty when I was born;
I was sinful when my mother conceived me.
 6 Surely you desire integrity in the inner self,
and you teach me wisdom deep within.

7 Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
9 Turn your face away from my sins
and blot out all my guilt.
 10 God, create a clean heart for me
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not banish me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore the joy of your salvation to me,
and sustain me by giving me a willing spirit.
13 Then I will teach the rebellious your ways,
and sinners will return to you.
 14 Save me from the guilt of bloodshed, God—
God of my salvation—
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.

15 Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 You do not want a sacrifice, or I would give it;
you are not pleased with a burnt offering.
17 The sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit.
You will not despise a broken and humbled heart, God.
 18 In your good pleasure, cause Zion to prosper;
build the walls of Jerusalem.

19 Then you will delight in righteous sacrifices,
whole burnt offerings;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.

Through the Bible Reading: Exodus 1–2, Matthew 16, Psalm 16, Proverbs 3:21-22

Some of our readers want a little more "meaty" devotional, so I am including a link to the through Through the Bible in One Year readings we did last year. 

Devotional: Against You Alone

"You are the man."

That is what Nathan said to David when he confronted him over his adultery with Bathsheba and his arranging of her husband Uriah's death. And following all this serious sin, David even became self-righteous in his condemnation of others. Nathan told him the story about the man who, in spite of having many sheep, stole his neighbor's only sheep. David was incensed at this injustice until Nathan pointed the finger at him.

At that moment, the reality of his sin came crashing down on him and all of his arrogance and artifice were stripped away. That's when he wrote the most beautiful song of repentance ever, Psalm 51.

In Psalm 51:1, David is no longer sitting in judgment on others but is calling out for God's mercy and grace, knowing he deserves nothing from God. He calls for mercy and asks for God to blot out his transgressions.

David admits the seriousness of his own sin in verses 3-5. There is no attempt to blame his sin on anyone else, to rationalize it, or to justify it because of what someone else did. His sin is always before him. How often do you hear someone apologize and say, "That isn't who I am. I made a mistake, but it doesn't represent my character." David admitted his depravity and sin.

He committed himself to changing in God's power, to walking the holiness from which he'd departed. This is our good news and our cause for rejoicing. In this Psalm and in the rest of Scripture we have God's promise that our sin, though awful, is put under the blood of Christ and forgiven. When we confess it and forsake it, we are forgiven completely. 

One note that must be made here. David was forgiven of his sin - washed as white as snow. But the consequences of his sin remained until the day he died. God's forgiveness for sin does not guarantee that he will shield us from all of the consequences that flow from that sin. 

Father, thank you for your grace and forgiveness. I need that grace every day. Even as a pastor and a "mature" Christian, I see so much of my sin, the wickedness of my heart before you. Forgive me, Lord. 

Think and Pray:

Meditate on this passage and write down:

1. The character qualities of God for which you can praise him. 

2. The gracious acts of God for which you can give thanks to him. 

Ask the Spirit to expose the sin in your heart today. Do not deny it or hide from it. Confess it and be cleansed.
Praise God for the reality of his forgiveness.