The True Heart of Repentance
Psalm 51:10-13 (ESV): Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.
Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.
How far can your sin take you? Psalm 51 is David’s response to a bad decision that later became a domino effect of many bad decisions.
2 Samuel chapter 11 and beings in verse 1.
In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.
During the winter, hostilities between the warring nations ceased due to the cold and poor conditions. However, as the winter season ended and conditions for travel improved, conflicts resumed. Israel had been at war with the Ammonites because of the humiliation that Hanun, king of the Ammonites, had inflicted on an envoy of David. Now that winter was over, it was the time when kings used to go into battle, but David stayed in Jerusalem. This detail suggests something unusual, for although it was not unusual for a king to stay away from war, the way in which his absence is mentioned suggests that he was not acting properly, compared to neighboring kings who risked their lives.
2 Samuel 11:2 (ESV) It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful.
It was most likely no accident: the King strolling on the roof of his house, flirting with temptation. Before sinning, Adam and Eve also flirted with temptation: the tree seemed good to eat, pleasing to the eye and desirable to become wise. The Lord’s prayer says, “Lead me not into temptation.”
Paul told Timothy to flee from youthful desires: one must run, not stand still or converse with temptation. The best way to avoid sin is to avoid flirting with temptation. Don’t put yourself in places where you are likely to fall into temptation.
David might be struggling with thoughts like “I know this isn’t right, but it feels so good” or “it looks so good.” On the roof of his house, David breaks the 10th commandment by coveting what is not his.
2 Samuel 11:3–5 (ESV) And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?”
David sent messengers to bring Bathsheba and slept with her. After her purification, Bathsheba returned home and then informed David that she was pregnant. The messenger revealed that Bathsheba was the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite, a soldier of honor and a close member of David’s circle.
Despite these ties, David disregarded loyalty and piety, letting his carnal desires prevail. By sleeping with Bathsheba, he not only broke the tenth commandment by coveting another’s wife, but he also broke the seventh commandment by committing adultery.
There are many incorrect ways of looking at sin:
- Justify the action
- Deny that they have done it.
- Cast the blame on someone or something else
- Try to cover it up completely
This is exactly what David did, trying to cover it up.
2 Samuel 11:6–8 (ESV) So David sent word to Joab, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent Uriah to David. When Uriah came to him, David asked how Joab was doing and how the people were doing and how the war was going. Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” And Uriah went out of the king’s house, and there followed him a present from the king.
The rest of the chapter focuses on David’s failed attempts to cover up his sin. He sends Uriah home in the hope that he will spend the night with his wife, but high-principled Uriah refuses to do so while the ark and the army are in precarious condition. David then gets him drunk, but Uriah still does not sleep with his wife.
David’s lack of success is due to Uriah’s uncooperativeness. Shame and guilt lead to hiding our sins, making us feel inadequate and negatively judged. James advises us to confess our sins in order to face our weaknesses with courage.
Being honest with our temptations is crucial; if David had spoken to Nathan the prophet from the beginning, he might not have committed adultery. We must confess and confront our weaknesses in the Christian community, instead of hiding our good works. David, in trying to cover up his sin, goes even deeper into his error.
So he sends Uriah back into battle – with a sealed letter, which becomes his death sentence.
David sends Uriah to the front to fight, and sends him straight into harm’s way, and David has Uriah killed.
David breaks the 6th commandment – in one chapter David breaks 30% of the ten commandments.
The dominoes have fallen, one by one, a series of terrible choices and the chapter ends with – what David had done, displeased the Lord.
You can hide your sin from people, but you cannot hide it from God.
Confrontation with sin and repentance
In chapter 12, the prophet Nathan confronts David and reveals his sin. This judgment of God also shows his mercy by addressing the situation quickly, which is crucial for David, who could have followed a destructive path if he had not confronted his mistakes.
The exposure of his sin gives David the opportunity to repent and change. Although the consequences of sin are severe, the possibility of restoration is real. True restoration requires personal responsibility; when someone accepts his mistakes, he can correct his ways, but resistance only prolongs the process.
David, in Psalm 51, takes full responsibility for his actions, demonstrating that proper shame can lead to spiritual freedom and righteousness. This shame does not blame others or circumstances, but seeks God’s mercy and presence for restoration.