Psalm 51

Tonight I read Psalm 51, which is at the bottom for convenience. In this Psalms David is lamenting about his adulterous affair with Bathsheba. The affair between David and Bathsheba leads to Bathsheba’s husband being killed in battle, in a plan that was conceived by David. David the King of Israel, a great leader who had endured pain and turmoil, is not perfect. The illustration of David and the affair along with other biblical characters demonstrates that God does not call the perfect or the righteous to do his works. I am certainly not perfect in any way, shape or form of the word, yet I am active in the Church. There are a couple of areas in which I am in a leadership role, a role that I feel completely inept to fulfill. Yet, I continue to work at the role, some times with great fervor, and other times with great reluctance. I sometimes want to pull a Moses. (I am not taking about leading 600,000 men and their families across the Red Sea.) I am taking about how he told God, that we could not go back to Egypt and give the Lords message to Pharos. I will praise God for the gifts that he has given me, and press onward towards the goal, and be ever thankful that I have these opportunities.

On another note, we talked about the bible today at youth. (While I still attend it is not because I am that age, but because I am a so called sponsor.) The two things that did allowed the English and Anglo-Saxon’s read the bible were the invention of the printing press. This is often accredited to Johannes Gutenberg. The other major accomplishment was the translation into English. The King James version is accredited to William Tyndale. However, other groups of individuals had begun to translate the bible before Mr. Tyndale. John Wyclif translated the bible in the 1300’s, well before William Tyndale. It is through these to events that we had the protestant reformation. I heard an athesit taking this morning on the raido about the protestant reformation and all the blood shed. I think she had this confused with the crusades.

Psalm 51

Psa 51:1 For the choir director: A psalm of David, regarding the time Nathan the prophet came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba. Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins.
Psa 51:2 Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin.
Psa 51:3 For I recognize my shameful deeds- they haunt me day and night.
Psa 51:4 Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just.
Psa 51:5 For I was born a sinner- yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.
Psa 51:6 But you desire honesty from the heart, so you can teach me to be wise in my inmost being.
Psa 51:7 Purify me from my sins,* and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Psa 51:8 Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me- now let me rejoice.
Psa 51:9 Don't keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt.
Psa 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me.
Psa 51:11 Do not banish me from your presence, and don't take your Holy Spirit from me.
Psa 51:12 Restore to me again the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you.
Psa 51:13 Then I will teach your ways to sinners, and they will return to you.
Psa 51:14 Forgive me for shedding blood, O God who saves; then I will joyfully sing of your forgiveness.
Psa 51:15 Unseal my lips, O Lord, that I may praise you.
Psa 51:16 You would not be pleased with sacrifices, or I would bring them. If I brought you a burnt offering, you would not accept it.
Psa 51:17 The sacrifice you want is a broken spirit. A broken and repentant heart, O God, you will not despise.
Psa 51:18 Look with favor on Zion and help her; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
Psa 51:19 Then you will be pleased with worthy sacrifices and with our whole burnt offerings; and bulls will again be sacrificed on your altar.