I imagine Psalm 8 overflowed from David’s heart in part as a result of his time spent as a shepherd guarding his father’s sheep. He would have seen many starry nights, and he would certainly have been in awe of God’s creation, the work of His fingers (8:3). David rightly points out how incredible it is that Almighty God, who spoke the world into existence and hung the stars in place, wants a personal relationship with man. David called Him “My Lord” and describes Him as “Majestic,” even while considering the staggering fact that God is mindful of us and cares for us.

I do not ever want to take for granted that God, Maker of Heaven and Earth and everything else, King over everything, is my Lord. He is whom I love and seek to obey, and He is over everything in my life. I do not want to go against the will of my Lord, who gave Himself for me and cares for me. My heart cries out, thank you God. My heart sings with David in joy because of the tremendous privilege God has given man above all other creation to enjoy such a unique fellowship with Him. 

I do not ever want to take for granted that God, Maker of Heaven and Earth and everything else, King over everything, is my Lord.

Psalm 51 stands in sharp contrast to Psalm 8. We move from the heights of praise to somber confession. It is a grave message of caution to me. When we praise God and we are relationship with Him, songs of praise pour forth from our hearts (51:14). But as David points out in this psalm, man is born with a sin nature, and the sins we commit as a consequence are destructive and dishonoring to God (51:5).  Though he was an extraordinary king in Israel’s history and had great power, David became ordinary when he did what is common to man. He broke God’s Law. He committed adultery, murder, and deception as he tried to cover it all up. My heart sinks when I read this account. Not David! I am warned. No one is above sinning. Even after years of steadfast faithfulness, we can act despicably.

But, praise be to God! When David was thinking clearly as he wrote this psalm, he wanted to get complete cleansing and freedom from guilt (51:7). He knew God was the only one whose forgiveness he ultimately needed, which God does because of His love and mercy (51:1). David knew he had broken God’s Law and deserved death (51:4).  David could bring his plea for forgiveness before God, because David knew God would forgive him. Why did he wait so long? Do I, too, think I can hide my sin from God?  David sinned against God by breaking His commands, but also hurt a woman and killed her husband, people made in the image of God.  We offend the majestic God of Psalm 8, and our sin deeply affects others. 

Man sins. That is the bad news. But God accepts the sacrifice of a broken spirit. “A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (51:17). The good news is that God will accept my repentance and wash me thoroughly from my sins. This cleansing is complete. God forgives it all when we admit our sin and ask Him for forgiveness. We have to be holy to have a relationship with God. I can only be holy if God forgives me, and He can only forgive me when I humble myself before Him. This account provides a stern warning, since even a man after God’s own heart can sin big. 

David points out man’s tendency to want to pay God off by giving money or service to blot out our sin (51:16). God will not accept this. It counts for nothing, because God wants our honest repentance. When we are operating in purity, our motives overflow from our thankfulness to God for His love, mercy, and forgiveness. 

When confronted by the prophet Nathan, King David immediately asks for God’s forgiveness. This makes him a man after God’s own heart. He could have killed Nathan and kept the secret. He had the power to do that, but he did not. David did not rationalize his sin, but admitted full guilt. This is unlike Adam and Eve, who shifted the blame when confronted by God. I want the Holy Spirit to convict me so that I never want to hold on to sin. I do not want to become hardened by unconfessed sin. I know we do not lose our salvation, but we can lose the joy of our salvation. I pray for a heart that loves God’s Law and longs to have communion with Him forever. I want to continually act so that I “cleanse [myself] from every defilement of body and spirit and make holiness perfect in the fear of God” (2 Cor. 7:1). I am grateful that I know God’s love for me because of salvation and His forgiveness. 

I want to sing aloud of God’s righteousness and forgiveness to a world sick with sin. Satan would discourage me, telling certain lies to make me feel inadequate or unworthy. God, give me Your words and the testimony of David to show there is victory in repentance and a right personal relationship with God. Whatever area God leads me to, I want God’s message of love, forgiveness, and eternal life to be available to anyone who has ears to hear. I want to create my written testimony to give out to anyone at every opportunity God gives me. The way I can share is limited, but in the hands of our majestic, creative God, the possibilities are limitless. Here I am God; please use me for Your glory.