In Psalms, chapter fifty-one, this title ascribes this psalm of confession of David, when Nathan the prophet disclosed his sins of Adultery and murder, as in Second Samuel twelve, verses one through thirteen. Note that this psalm was written after David had deliberately sinned against God. He feared that God’s presence and Spirit would depart from him, leaving him spiritually destitute, as in verse eleven. After Nathan’s prophetic disclosure of David’s twin sins, David’s repentance, and Nathan’s declaration of God’s forgiveness, as in Second Samuel twelve, verse thirteen, David pleaded earnestly with God to restore fully the joy of His salvation, a pure heart, a spirit of persevering faith and obedience and a testimony of praise, as in verses seven through thirteen. Sin opens the door for Satan to steal, kill, and destroy what is most precious to us in life.
In the first part of John ten, verse ten, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.
This Psalm of David is one of the famous chapters in the Book of Psalms. Chapter fifty-one is under The Penitent’s Psalm when Nathan the prophet came unto him after he had gone into Bathsheba. However, this psalm is the forgiveness chapter that reminds us to ask God daily for mercy and grace. We must confess our sins and any unknowing sin that we, as believers, may have encountered without understanding. Most of this psalm reflects what he did and sincerely has in the first twelve verses of removing this transgression and restoring him before committing the wrongdoing. The first two to four words of each of the twelve verses are as follows:
Have mercy upon me,
Wash me thoroughly from,
For I acknowledge my,
Against thee, thee only,
Behold, I was shapen,
Behold thou desirest truth,
Purge me with,
Make me to hear,
Hide thy face from,
Create in me,
Cast me not away,
Restore unto me.
All these first few beginnings for each verse from the Psalm of David indicate a change from missing the mark to getting back on track with God. However, again, the Lord knows the heart of every person. Therefore, He determines if each sinner is seriously sorry for their sin. This Psalm of David is a model prayer for everyone to humbly repent for the wrongful actions they did not plan or expect to encounter.