Ash Wednesday 2017

Psalm 51:1–19

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

¹Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.

²Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!

³For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.

⁴Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words

and blameless in your judgment.

⁵Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.

⁶Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

⁷Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

⁸Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice.

⁹Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.

¹⁰Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

¹¹Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.

¹²Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.

¹³Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.

¹⁴Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.

¹⁵O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.

¹⁶For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.

¹⁷The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

¹⁸Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; build up the walls of Jerusalem;

¹⁹then will you delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar.

It’s Lent. The bead necklaces have been tossed out at the Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans and the Paczki have been consumed in Michigan (and perhaps elsewhere). Ash Wednesday is upon us and a season of repentance and meditation settles over the church for the next 40 days. At the end of this reflective time, we will celebrate the resurrection of Jesus from the grave – but I get ahead of myself. Beginning this season with Psalm 51 seems fitting. Those who recognize and participate in a Lenten experience will not be able to get through the season without reading Psalm 51 at least once. So perhaps it is where we need to begin.

These words were penned by King David after the lowest point in his spiritual life. He had spent the year before writing this prayer participating in covetousness, adultery, deceit, and murder. When he is finally called out on his sin by the prophet Nathan, he immediately falls before the Lord in repentance. His words to Nathan say it all.

2 Samuel 12:1–13

¹And the Lord sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. ² The rich man had very many flocks and herds, ³ but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him. ⁴ Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.” ⁵ Then David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, ⁶ and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.” ⁷ Nathan said to David, “You are the man! ¹³ David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”

After David’s confession to his priest / prophet, he writes this psalm. Knowing that story helps us understand the depth to which David had fallen and how keenly he felt the power of his sin. His first word in the psalm is חָנַן (chanan)—Mercy. And really it goes beyond simple “mercy” for also involved here is a sense of begging for mercy. Suddenly David is desperate for forgiveness. Suddenly the enormity of a yearlong sin-bender is upon him and he falls before God, begging for mercy. He is right to fall before God, for God alone has the power to extend that grace and forgiveness.

The rest of this psalm carries just as much impact as the first word. In a blatantly penitential prayer we find reference to our need for a Savior mentioned repeatedly. Words like “wash”, “cleanse”, blot out”, and “purge”, smack us right in the heart with our own guilt and sin. But David doesn’t leave us there. Those words are followed by “create”, “renew”, “restore”, “uphold”, and “deliver”! Yes, the Lord God hates sin. But He does not hate sinners. He always holds out hope to the repentant heart.

May the Lord Jesus walk with you through each moment of the next 40 days as together we prepare to walk with Him through the Passion of His suffering, death, crucifixion, and triumphant resurrection. Mindful participation in this process will bring the victory of Jesus’ work for us to an even sweeter celebration on Easter morning. May the presence and power of the Holy Spirit speak into Your hearts and minds throughout these 40 days.