The Repentant Heart

“Blessed are the poor (ptochos) in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn(pentheo), For they shall be comforted (paraklei). (Matthew 5:3-4)
The word poor (ptochos) means to be reduced to beggary.
The word mourn (pentheo) in this context means to mourn over one’s sin.
The word comforted (paraklei) is related to the word parakletos / paraclete (Counselor / Comforter)
the word used for Holy Spirit. A Helper in times of need.
‘Blessed are they whose spirit is in need of God, desperate for God that they are reduced to beggary.
For theirs is the kingdom of God. Blessed are they that mourn over their sin for they shall be
comforted by God’s Holy Spirit.’
This is a picture of what a repentant heart looks like based on Matthew 5:3-4.
In this writing we look at David ‘a man after God’s own heart’ and yet we see that he wasn’t immune
to sinning like the rest of us. David had committed adultery by sleeping with another man’s wife, had
the husband murdered and tried to keep it secret by covering it up. Psalm 51 was written as a heart
felt plea to God as it demonstrates his sorrow in confession as he repents from the sins committed.
Let’s break it down together.
1 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy
tender mercies blot out my transgressions: David asks God to show mercy to him not because he
deserves it but because it is God’s character to show mercy.
2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity and cleanse me from my sin: A humble response from
David as to say that it has to be God who can do the washing away of sins.
3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me: David acknowledged he has
rebelled and this sin is continuously on his mind
4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be
justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. David’s sin had affected many people.
He committed adultery, had a man murdered and tried to cover it all up, now that he’s been
confronted of his sin and it’s weighing heavy on him. His mind comes back to God as the first he’s
offended. He realises because of the severity of his sin, what ever judgment God gives, it is right and
fair.
5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. The realisation that it’s in
his nature to sin.
6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know
wisdom. He knows God is not concerned about the outward appearance as man is. God is concerned
about the heart. God is teaching him truth concerning his nature. That it is sinful.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. David is
asking God to cleanse him spiritually.
8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. When God
reveals our sin it is painful to us because sometimes we live by our own standard of what we think is
what’s right. David was this man living in his self-righteousness, thinking that he had covered up his sin. When God sent his friend Nathan to confront him of his wrong, David didn’t realise how far
away he was from God. Now he grieves because of this sin he cannot have joy again until he is made
right by God.
9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. He asks God look away from his sins so
that he no longer sees it and to erase all record of any sin so that no one else can see them.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. The realisation of how
wretched his heart, David realises he needs God to not just blot out his iniquities. But he needs God
to give him a clean heart and a right spirit otherwise according to his sinful nature he will go back to
his sinful ways.
11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. He is asking God not
to leave him (like a man divorcing his wife) and he remembered how God took his spirit away from
King Saul and an evil spirit from God troubled him instead. He might be referring to this situation and
is scared the same will happen to him.
12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. 13 Then will I teach
transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. Once David has been restored
with the joy of God’s salvation he will teach people about the ways of God and to show them how to
repent and turn back to God
14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness (dam), O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall
sing aloud of thy righteousness. 15 O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy
praise. David’s plea to God to deliver him from this guilt of the sins he has committed so that he can
sing and praise God aloud of God’s Righteousness.
16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.17 The
sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. The
outward acts of worship (for example the burnt offerings offered unto the Lord) will not be right
unless David gets his heart right before the Lord. He knows that the sacrificial offerings will only be
accepted from the person offering to God if it’s offered with the right spirit.
18 Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.19 Then shalt thou be
pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall
they offer bullocks upon thine altar.

So what lesson can we learn from this repentant heart through this experience.

1. It’s not easy to be confronted with sin. We can either choose to be defensive because it can hurt
   us to say we are in the wrong. Or we can choose to be like David and realise we have sinned against
   God. We can humble ourselves, repent from our sin and seek God’s mercy and forgiveness.
2. When we sin, we deserve his judgement on us who are sinners. But God is a merciful God. He is
   waiting for us to repent and turn back to him. He will show mercy not because we deserve mercy,
   but because that’s part of his character.
3. Confess your Sin (1 John 1:9) if you confess your sin before the Lord he is faithful and just to
   forgive us our sins and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness.
4. It’s by Jesus blood that we can be made right before God, as the old hymn says ‘What can wash
   away my sins, nothing but the blood of Jesus.’ trusting him with our salvation and to be redeemed back to God by his death, burial and resurrection. If we confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
5. Rejoice, Praise the Lord for his power to wash you clean from ALL YOUR SINS (PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE) and share his truth of this beautiful gospel. Tell others about what Jesus has done for you to redeem you back to a right relationship with God.