Slices
Prepare
‘Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,/ Who like thee his praise should sing?’*
*‘Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven’, Henry Francis Lyte, 1793–1847
Bible passage
For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.
1 Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
and justified when you judge.
5 Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
6 Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
you taught me wisdom in that secret place.
7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
so that sinners will turn back to you.
14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
you who are God my Saviour,
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
15 Open my lips, Lord,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
17 My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise.
18 May it please you to prosper Zion,
to build up the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous,
in burnt offerings offered whole;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.
Explore
David knows he has messed up. Probably not surprising, as a prophet has told him a story about a rich man robbing a poor man of his lamb, and when David becomes angry at the rich man’s behaviour hits him with, ‘You are the man!’ (2 Samuel 12:7). Harder for us in a world of compromised standards where knowing right and wrong can be difficult and where we can be subtly affected by the worldview and moral standards of those around. It’s worth making a regular practice of asking God to show you where you have gone wrong, and perhaps find a ‘prophet’, a trusted friend to whom you can be accountable.
Overwhelmed by the enormity of his failure, David turns to God, confesses his sin and pleads for forgiveness and restoration (vs 7–12). He knows he deserves nothing, but that God is gracious – something which we can see even more clearly as a result of Jesus’ death. This is where we often leave this psalm, but there is more. David promises, once forgiven and restored, to praise God (v 14) and tell others how good God is (vs 13,15). That’s an important part of his story and of ours. Forgiveness is not just for our personal benefit, something to keep to ourselves; it is good news to tell.
Respond
Think about the way that God has forgiven you and praise him. Who could you tell about it this week?
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Proverbs 19,20; 1 Thessalonians 2
Pray for Scripture Union
Pray for churches to be ready for these ‘turner uppers’.Pray that the SU centenary celebrations in Switzerland, both German-speaking and French-speaking, will not only be filled with gratitude but will also ignite a renewed passion for the Bible among Christians in Switzerland and draw more children and young people to Jesus.
