Everyone loves the story of a great comeback, like an injured athlete who competes again, or a celebrity who overcomes an addiction. In life, we all fail at times – morally, relationally, and spiritually. We hurt others and offend God. When that happens, how can we recover? In Psalm 51, David shows us by writing about his own failure.
One day King David saw an attractive woman named Bathsheba and wanted her. Her husband Uriah was away with the army, so David summoned Bathsheba to his palace and slept with her. After she became pregnant, David tried to cover it up. He called Uriah home, hoping he would sleep with his wife. But Uriah refused to enjoy the comforts of home, so David arranged to have him killed in battle. David then took Bathsheba as one of his wives. About a year later – after their child was born – David still had not acknowledged his adultery and murder. So God sent a prophet to confront him with the terrible consequences of his actions. He finally confessed, writing Psalm 51 as a reflection of his repentance.
This psalm reveals not only the nature of our sin but three important elements of making a comeback with God and others.
Confess Your Mess
First, David got painfully honest about what he had done.
Psalm 51:2-4 Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night. 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.
David talks frankly about his guilt, sin, rebellion, and evil. None of us likes to admit it when we have failed. We often blame others or minimize our responsibility. But David recognized that God’s judgment was just. God’s heart is not to crush us over our sins, but to forgive and restore. But to make a comeback, we have to humble ourselves and own up to our sins.
Cry Out to God for Help
To relieve the painful weight of their failures, many people turn to denial, therapy, philanthropy, drugs, and more. David learned that the only answer is to turn to God.
Psalm 51:7-10 Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me – now let me rejoice. Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.
God is able to cleanse us from our deepest guilty stains. He can change our wayward hearts. David pleads for forgiveness in confidence that God can and does forgive. We should be even more confident in Jesus, who died on the cross to pay for our sins, and call out for his help.
Commit to Honoring God
Some people confess their sins repeatedly but don’t change. Real confession propels us in the right direction again. David wanted forgiveness, but he also wanted to live a different way.
Psalm 51:11-15 Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. Then I will teach your ways to rebels, and they will return to you. Forgive me for shedding blood, O God who saves; then I will joyfully sing of your forgiveness. Unseal my lips, O Lord, that my mouth may praise you.
This is the comeback David envisions: the Holy Spirit rules, joy and worship are restored, he wants to be obedient, and he hopes to make a difference for others. His gratitude over God’s forgiveness turns into action that honors God.
It’s better not to sin in the first place. But when you do mess up, you can make a comeback. You can live with a conscience free of guilt and shame. You can walk in God’s presence and power again. Your life can make a difference. Don’t wait as David did. Whenever you stumble, confess it right away.
