Picking Apart Two Model Confessions

 

Psalm 51

 

Luther: In it David teaches us aright what sin is, what the origin of sin is, what harm sin does, how one may rid himself of sin. 

 

Background

For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.

 

Recall the history . . . (2 Samuel 12)

 

I.  Plea for mercy (1-2)

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

 

 

What does David plea for in vs. 1? 

Why does He plea for it  - what is the basis for this plea? 

 

Unfailing love = a person who carries out a RESPONSIBILITY he has - doing what he is bound to do (examples - Boaz with Ruth and Naomi.  The LORD bound to his NAME and PROMISE.)

Compassion = comes from the root meaning - WOMB (seat of emotion.)

What is the difference between these two? 

 

Isaiah 44:22 I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you.@

 

By praying to the LORD to blot out his transgressions, what did David realize about his ability in regards to his transgressions? 

 

II.  Confession of sin (4-8)

For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.  Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge. Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place. Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

 

Luther said that vs. 4 shows Athe difference between true saints and shame saints.@  How so?  ( the former see their transgressions and realize that they are not what they should be and want to be. Therefore they judge themselves and are not concerned about others. The others, however, do not perceive their own wickedness; they imagine they are as they should be. They always forget about themselves and sit in judgment on the wickedness of others. Volume 14)

In what way were his sins bothering him according to vs. 4? 

What did David say about God=s judgments? 

 

Luther:  It is obvious that God in Himself and in His nature is not judged or justified by anyone. He is the eternal, constant, essential, and never‑changing Justice itself and the supreme Judge of all things. But in His words and works He is constantly resisted, opposed, judged, and condemned by self‑righteous and self‑satisfied men. There is a constant legal war between Him and them over His words and works.

 

How could David say that he had only sinned against God?  What about Uriah? 

How sinful did David say he was in vs. 5? 

What is this doctrine called? 

Is this really a major thing? 

 

Romans 3:12 All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.@

Genesis 8:21 Every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood.

 

How is this an Ainner truth@ and Awisdom@? 

Luther:  Now the outward appearance of this wisdom consists in this, that man believes he serves God with many words, thoughts, and works, and measures up to God?s standard. It is all an outward show, which is apparent and possible to anyone, as there are many ways and means of doing this. In all this men seek God, but entirely in reverse and outwardly. Inwardly they know Him less than all others, because they seek themselves, and under the pretext of studying and learning about God!  The inner and hidden part of this wisdom is nothing else than knowing oneself thoroughly, and therefore hating oneself. It is seeking all righteousness not in self but in God, always dissatisfied with oneself and yearning for God, that is, humbly loving God and looking away from self.

 

Hyssop / wash me -

Numbers 19:17‑19 AFor the unclean person, put some ashes from the burned purification offering into a jar and pour fresh water over them. Then a man who is ceremonially clean is to take some hyssop, dip it in the water and sprinkle the tent and all the furnishings and the people who were there. He must also sprinkle anyone who has touched a human bone or a grave or someone who has been killed or someone who has died a natural death. The man who is clean is to sprinkle the unclean person on the third and seventh days, and on the seventh day he is to purify him. The person being cleansed must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and that evening he will be clean.  (Prayer for true inner cleansing with the blood of Christ - which this pointed forward to - fulfilled in BAPTISM for us - through faith.)

 

III.  Plea for Renewal (9-14)

Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you. Save me from bloodguilt, O God, the God who saves me, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.

 

How does David show true humility through these requests - think about who he is looking to and what he is asking him to do? 

What does his prayer recognize as a possibility in regards to what God could do? 

In this confessional prayer, David asked for a Awilling spirit@ which would Asustain@ him. 

How does forgiveness of sins and a clean heart manage to Asustain@ us and make us Awilling@?  

What did he then want to do? 

IV.  Promises of Results (15-21)

 

O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. In your good pleasure make Zion prosper; build up the walls of Jerusalem. Then there will be righteous sacrifices, whole burnt offerings to delight you; then bulls will be offered on your altar.

 

How does this show how important true confessions are?  

 

Psalm 32

 

Whereas Psalm 51 was the immediate response to David=s forgiveness, Psalm 32 sounds like it was probably written after more consideration. 

 

Part One: The blessings of forgiveness

Of David. A maskil.              

 1 Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.

 2 Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.

 

How does he describe forgiveness? 

What does he associate with forgiveness in the last part of vs. 2? 

What kind of blessings come with being forgiven? 

 

Note: the word Ablessed@ assumes the POWER and MERCY of the LORD.  (He has the power and will to give blessings from above - things that we need and expect - MOST IMPORTANT - HIS APPROVAL!)

Luther: (Here) we have the clear and plain words that all saints are sinners, live and continue as sinners.  But they are holy because God in His grace does not want to have such sin seen or imputed, but rather forgotten, foriven and covered up.  As a result there is no difference between saints and sinners.  They are all sinners in like manner and all sin daily.  Only that the sin of the saints is not imputed but is covered up.  The sin of the sinners is imputed and is exposed.  The wounds of the former have been dressed and are bandages.  But the wounds of the latter are open and not bandaged.  Yet in both instances they are real wounds, real sinners. 

 

This is reflected in Romans 4:1‑8 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter? If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast aboutCbut not before God. What does the Scripture say? AAbraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.@ Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness. David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: ABlessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.@

 

This shows us that the doctrine of salvation is the same in both the OLD and NEW Testament.

 

Part Two: The curses of denial

 3 When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.

 4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.

What did David Akeep silent@ about? 

What happened to David as the result of keeping silent?

How often did this go about? 

What does Ayour hand was heavy upon me@ mean? 

What relationship does this show us between the physical and the spiritual? 

Jeremiah 5:3 O LORD, do not your eyes look for truth? You struck them, but they felt no pain; you crushed them, but they refused correction. They made their faces harder than stone and refused to repent.

 

Part Three: The Confession

 5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity.

       I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD "C

       and you forgave the guilt of my sin.

 

How could you say this is an ironic way to receive the blessing of vs. 1?   

 

Luther:  Here three distinct terms for sin are used in the Hebrew. In the translation of John Reuchlin the passage reads: ABlessed is he who is made free in regard to his offense, who is covered in regard to his sin. Blessed is the man, the Lord will not impute iniquity to him@ (Ps. 32:1B2). I do not know the difference between these Asins.@ The first, that is, crimen, which is interpreted in various ways, is called 5MG: H3 in Hebrew. I would understand this as the work of sin. The second, peccatum, which is ;C/I!I% in Hebrew and is almost always translated by Asin,@ I would understand as the root sin or the lust toward evil which is in us. The third, iniquitas, which is 3I&J0 in Hebrew and is always translated by iniquitas, I would understand as hypocrisy, if it weren=t for the clash with the words AWash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin@ (Ps. 51:2). Here it seems to apply to the same thing that a person is iniquitous (iniquus) because of a turning away and a sinner (peccator) because of a turning toward; in the first case, away from the good, in the second, toward the evil; defiled in the first instance because of an omission and in the second because of a commission, if it is indeed iniquitous (iniquum) to place God below the creature, and evil (malum), or sinful (peccatum), to cling to the creature, where the good is not found which there has iniquitously been underrated.

 

Transgression - idea of REBELLION

Sin - miss the mark - expands the idea of sin to ALL sin

Iniquity - the guilt or debt you have because you sinned

 

Why is the object of confession so important? 

Proverbs 28:13 He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

 

Part Four: David=s Advice

 6 Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found;

       surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him.

 7 You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble

       and surround me with songs of deliverance.  Selah

 

Isaiah 55:6 Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.

Proverbs 28:9 If anyone turns a deaf ear to the law, even his prayers are detestable.