Forgive Me, Lord - Part 3

Forgive Me, Lord - Part 3

In one of the most spectacular lessons about guilt and accountability, King David makes a startling statement in Psalms 51. Praying a prayer of repentance, he asks for forgiveness from God with this heartfelt cry:

Psalms 51:3-4

“For I know my transgressions and my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight...”

This prayer of forgiveness is one of the most famous of David’s Psalms. We know that this particular Psalm was offered by David after his sin with Bathsheba. But, there is a problem here. David clearly states this in his prayer: “Against You, You only, I have sinned...”

Does that sound right to you? I mean, have you read the story? (2 Samual 11:1-12:23)

Let me summarize it for you: David sinned against almost everyone! He stayed home while his army went out to battle, he was unfaithful to his family, he betrayed his duty to his people, he committed adultery with a married woman, had her husband killed to cover his actions and he made accomplices of his generals and staff by forcing them to carry out his plans and cover for him.

Do you see where this is going? David sinned against many, many people yet his claim is that he sinned against God, and Him alone. How can that be?

Here is what’s going on: yes, David wronged many people and committed despicable acts against them but, ultimately, we are all accountable to God for our sin. David is not denying that he wronged others. He’s acknowledging that, at the deepest level, all sin is rebellion against God’s authority and holiness. It is God’s law that we violate, His order that we disrupt and His world that is broken by our disobedience.

Bathsheba, Uriah, Joab and the others were all wronged, but a heart that doesn’t first acknowledge its offense toward God can’t truly repent or seek restoration. It is only from that point that David can begin to make things right with all the others.

Tomorrow: what happens to sin when it is forgiven?