Book 2: Psalm 42-72 God’s presence going before us
Title: To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.
I. Prayer for personal restoration (1-2)
A. David appeals to God’s mercy.
B. David appeals to God’s love.
C. David appeals for God’s forgiveness.II. Prayer of personal confession and contrition (3-6)
A. David acknowledges his sin.
B. David acknowledges God’s justice.
C. David acknowledges his sinfulness.III. Prayer of spiritual restoration (7-12)
A. David prays for God’s cleansing and healing.
B. David prays for God’s forgiveness and renewal.
C. David prays for God’s presence and fellowship.IV. Prayer of thanksgiving and worship (13-17)
A. David instructs others to repent and seek God.
B. David publicly praises God with his song.
C. David declares the need for genuine repentance.V. Prayer for national preservation (18-19)
A. David prays for Israel’s repentance before God.
B. David declares God’s desire for genuine worship.
C. David promises the worship of sacrifice. One of the most fascinating aspects of Psalm 51 is David’s open and public confession of his sin with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah (II Samuel 11:1-12:14). This public humiliation before Israel and the world is evidence of the deeply repentant heart of the king. All too often people substitute remorse or regret for genuine repentance. Remorse is best understood as being sorry for the consequences of sin, such as getting caught and having to endure a penalty. Repentance is being sorry for sinning in the first place. In Psalm 51, David teaches us how to genuinely repent.