The psalms are a beautiful collection of rich and meaningful prayers. Many of them are charged with raw emotion and honest expression. In a church culture where many are tempted to hide their true feelings—afraid to express what is really going on inside—it is refreshing to read the psalms of David as he openly calls out to the Lord in a variety of life-situations.

Some of David’s psalms provide background information about the event that inspired it. Psalm 51 is titled this way:

This introductory statement is written matter-of-factly, but the historical context is loaded with emotion and controversy. Those unfamiliar with David’s life would miss much of the beauty of the psalm that follows it. Without going into too much detail (You can read the whole account in 2 Samuel 11 and 12), Bathsheba is a woman with whom David had an affair before having her husband, Uriah, killed in battle. He then goes on for some time living in the dark about what had happened until God sent the prophet Nathan to confront him about his sin.

When Nathan brought this word from God to King David, his reaction could have gone either way. David could have hardened his heart in pride and had Nathan thrown out of his presence or even executed. After all, he had already shown his capacity for murder in the way he dealt with Uriah. But the Bible tells us that his word shoots an arrow of conviction into the heart of this king, and he is broken before the Lord in repentance.

David pens this amazing psalm to express what is going on in his heart at that time. I believe Psalm 51 is a gift to all believers to teach us what true repentance looks like. I want to examine the first seventeen verses in this passage to learn what we can about the prayer of repentance.

Have mercy upon me, O God,
According to Your lovingkindness;
According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,
Blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
And cleanse me from my sin. (vss. 1-2)

The horrible sin that David had committed, included breaking at least three of the Ten Commandments. (“Do not covet,” “Do not commit adultery,” and “Do not murder”). In light of this, David positions himself as a sinner calling out to God for His mercy. He acknowledges that the only hope He has is if the Lord will cleanse Him. He is not making excuses or trying to justify his behavior. Nor is he minimizing his need for God’s mercy. He simply cries out to the Lord for His forgiveness.

For I acknowledge my transgressions,
And my sin is always before me.
Against You, You only, have I sinned,
And done this evil in Your sight—
That You may be found just when You speak,
And blameless when You judge.
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother conceived me. (vss. 3-5)

David continues his prayer by openly recognizing that he has an issue with the Lord. He is not pointing the finger at anyone else. He never even brings Bathsheba up in this prayer, although she certainly had a part to play in his sin. But David understands that his sin is ultimately breaking the commands of God, and therefore he needs to “do business” with His Lord. He knows that God is his Judge, and that he is guilty as charged in the Lord’s courtroom.

Being a parent, I know what it is like to confront children who are not truly sorry for something they did. One of my kids comes to me with an accusation against the other. So, I listen to the story and then call the accused child into the room. Sometimes, the conversation goes like this.

“Did you hit your sister?”

“Yes, but she called me a name.”

“But, is it ever okay to hit your sister?”

“Well, I wouldn’t have done it if she would just leave me alone.”

Any parent can relate to this scenario. You can easily tell from a child’s attitude that there is no remorse in his or her heart. They feel justified in their actions and are convinced that their sin is someone else’s fault. But David did not do any of this. Instead, he prays, “Lord, you are right in your estimation of my sin. Your judgment is correct.”

Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts,
And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Make me hear joy and gladness,
That the bones You have broken may rejoice.
Hide Your face from my sins,
And blot out all my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. (vss. 6-12)

In light of the fact that God wants His people to walk in the truth, David again cries out for cleansing. He has been living a lie. And because of that, joy and gladness have left him. Perhaps he is thinking back to his time in the fields as a shepherd boy, when he enjoyed sweet intimacy with the Lord. A time before all the fame and fortune, when life was not so complicated. And he knows that it is only through repentance and cleansing that he can experience this once again, since God is the source of true joy and gladness.

David asks the Lord for His presence and for the joy of salvation to be restored to Him. This is the cry of a heart that understands the value of the presence of God. David is not asking God to make him look better before the nation. He is not asking for the consequences of his sin to be erased. He understands that the most important thing in life is the presence of God and that his sin is a barrier between him and the God that he has known for so long.

Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners shall be converted to You.
Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
The God of my salvation,
And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.
O Lord, open my lips,
And my mouth shall show forth Your praise. (vss. 13-15)

Having confessed and asked for God’s forgiveness, David can now look forward with hope in his heart. He can see himself cleansed and free, worshiping the Lord and sharing hope with others who need to find repentance as well. Praise and testimony are the by-products of true brokenness before the Lord.

God does not want us to confess our sin to Him so that we can “get what is coming to us.” He wants us to repent so that our “sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” (Acts 3:19) King David understood that there is fruit that comes from repentance. And he looks forward to enjoying his restored relationship with God.

For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;
You do not delight in burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart—
These, O God, You will not despise. (vss. 16-17)

Although this king was well aware of the Old Covenant sacrificial system, he is able to see that beyond the outward observance of the Law, what God was really looking for is a humble seeker of God. He is looking for people who come to Him in brokenness and contrition. This is the real sacrifice. God is not looking for dead animals, He is looking for humble people. And David sees past the command and into the heart of God. Essentially, David is laying himself on the altar, and saying, “Lord, I will be the sacrifice. My heart is broken before you and I’m crying out for your mercy.”

Throughout this beautiful prayer of repentance, David reveals that his highest priority was re-establishing his relationship with God. It is a no-nonsense prayer. He is not coming to the Lord to sound impressive or play spiritual games. Rather, he is coming to beg for the mercy of God and restoration with Him.

This is what true repentance looks like. It is when we see sin in our lives, acknowledge our need for forgiveness and come before the God of mercy without pretense or justification. We are not manipulating Him or blaming other people. We are saying, “Lord, in this area I have sinned against you. And I don’t want anything to come between us. Please forgive me and wash me clean and let my relationship with you flourish.” I am so grateful that David’s repentance prayer was preserved for us, so that we can also learn how to come to the Lord in humility and brokenness, and receive His mercy and forgiveness and enjoy the restored communion that comes as a result.

The Lord will always respond to a truly repentant heart. If there are areas in your life that you need to repent of, Jesus is just waiting for you to do it. It is His desire that your relationship with Him be restored. So, why not take some time and pray through Psalm 51, asking the Holy Spirit to reveal anything in your life that needs His forgiveness?