Brokenness of heart

• Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. – Psalm 51:14

In this solemn confession, it is helpful to observe that David plainly names his sin. He does not call it manslaughter or speak of it as an imprudence by which an unfortunate accident occurred to a worthy man, but he calls it by its true name, “bloodguiltiness.” He did not actually kill the husband of Bathsheba; but still it was planned in David’s heart that Uriah should die, and David was before the Lord responsible for his murder. Learn in confession to be honest with God. Do not give fair names to foul sins; call them what you will, they will smell no sweeter. What God sees them to be, that you should work to feel them to be; and with an honest, open heart acknowledge their real character. Observe that David was evidently oppressed with the heinousness of his sin. It is easy to use words, but it is difficult to feel their meaning. The fifty-first Psalm is the photograph of a contrite spirit. Let us seek to display the same brokenness of heart; because no matter how excellent our words may be, if our heart is not conscious of the hell-deservingness of sin, we cannot expect to find forgiveness.

Our text has in it an earnest prayer—it is addressed to the God of salvation. It is His prerogative to forgive; it is His very name and office to save those who seek His face. Better still, the text calls Him the God of my salvation. We bless His name, in that while we are still going to Him through Jesus’ blood, we may rejoice in the God of our salvation.

The psalmist ends with a commendable vow: If God will deliver him he will sing—actually, he will “sing aloud.” Who can mute their praise in light of such a mercy as this! But note the subject of the song —”your righteousness.” We must sing of the finished work of a precious Savior; and the one who knows this forgiving love the best will sing the loudest of us all.