The Gift of Guilt (Psalm 51)

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Psalm 51 (ESV)

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

¹  Have mercy on me, O God,

according to your steadfast love;

according to your abundant mercy

blot out my transgressions.

²  Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,

and cleanse me from my sin!

³  For I know my transgressions,

and my sin is ever before me.

⁴  Against 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.

⁵  Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,

and in sin did my mother conceive me.

⁶  Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,

and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

⁷  Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;

wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

⁸  Let me hear joy and gladness;

let the bones that you have broken rejoice.

⁹  Hide your face from my sins,

and blot out all my iniquities.

¹⁰  Create in me a clean heart, O God,

and renew a right spirit within me.

¹¹  Cast me not away from your presence,

and take not your Holy Spirit from me.

¹²  Restore to me the joy of your salvation,

and uphold me with a willing spirit.

¹³  Then I will teach transgressors your ways,

and sinners will return to you.

¹⁴  Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,

O God of my salvation,

and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.

¹⁵  O Lord, open my lips,

and my mouth will declare your praise.

¹⁶  For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;

you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.

¹⁷  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

¹⁸  Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;

build up the walls of Jerusalem;

¹⁹  then will you delight in right sacrifices,

in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;

then bulls will be offered on your altar.

• In Guilt I Turn to God –
In Shame I Hide from God
• In Guilt I pray for cleansing –
In Shame my stench will cling to me and disqualify me.
• In Guilt I Confront the Seriousness of My Sin –
In Shame I Cannot Bare to Look at My Sin
• In Guilt I Want More Than Forgiveness, I Want to Be Changed –
In Shame I Want Forgive and Forget