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Psalms 51:1

King James Version (KJV)

“In our prayers we talk to God, in our Bible study God talks to us, and we had better let God do most of the talking.”
— D.L. Moody

Scripture focus

To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

Psalms 51:1 — KJV

Commentary

Commentary on Psalms 51:1

Theological / Devotional

Have mercy. Heartbroken from a consciousness of his great sin against Uriah and Bath-sheba, crushed under the weight of guilt, David cries to God for mercy. There is in this cry no excuse, no apology, no attempt to vindicate, no complaint against the justice of the law that condemned him. In true humility David blames no one but himself.

Lovingkindness. See Additional Note on Ps. 36. When we have no sense of sin, we talk of justice; when we sense the need of a Saviour, we talk of love.

Multitude. In the vastness of God’s mercy David could safely trust.

Blot out. Erase from the book in which the record of man’s actions is kept (see Ex. 32:32, 33; Isa. 43:25; 44:22; Acts 3:19).

By SdaBc