David and Bathsheba

Open up your copy of God's Word.

The Sacred Scripture, the Holy Writ.

! Open it up to 2 Samuel chapter 11.

2 Samuel 11 · chapter mention

!

This has been a seven-part series.

But last week we looked at David the King

and how he became king over a united Israel.

And so far, David has come across like this great, invincible hero.

But as we know, he is a fallen man, he is a sinful man,

and he cannot be our Messiah.

And it's painted very, very clearly for us in 2 Samuel chapters 11 and 12,

2 Samuel 11 · chapter mention

which today we are looking at David and Bathsheba.

And so it's found in these two chapters.

But at this point, if you can remember,

David is at the apex of his military, political, and economical power.

He has been anointed king over a united Israel,

of Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Asher, Gad, Issachar, Zebulun,

Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin.

He's united all these 12 tribes into one single nation.

He's made Jerusalem the capital of the nation,

the center of the political and religious life of the nation.

And he successfully brought the ark of God into the capital.

And he has defeated all the pagan enemies that were around him.

He has conquered all the pagan, demonic deities that were worshipped by these nations

that had surrounded them for so long.

He won victories and consolidated his kingdom.

But most importantly, as we looked at last week,

God made an unconditional covenant with David to establish his house,

his dynasty, eternally, promising him an eternal throne.

We looked at the Davidic covenant,

how one day God would raise up one from David's line

who would have an eternal kingdom and would build the Lord's house.

And ultimately, we know, as we looked at last week,

that that promise was fulfilled in the person and work of Jesus Christ,

the son of David, but also the son of God and the Lord of David.

We looked at Psalm 110 a little bit last week.

And he built God's true spiritual temple.

Jesus did.

First Peter 2.5.

And Jesus will rule on the throne forever, and his rule will have no end.

So, as we looked at all this, like truly, God has given David some amazing blessings.

He's lavished so much love upon one man.

And at this point, he is probably roughly around 50 years old.

He's at the height of his power and prosperity.

It's his time of jubilee.

He's accomplished all these things.

He has trusted God and obeyed God.

And, but, even though he's at the pinnacle of his power as the king,

however, it's times like this that Scripture teaches that we must be on guard,

lest we be lulled to sleep.

Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 10.12,

Therefore, let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed, lest he fall.

Alright?

We must never grow comfortable as believers thinking that we're in such a place of maturity,

such an advance in our walk with the Lord,

that we transform from a place of humility and dependence,

to a place of pride and independence from God.

We do this often when we are doing well,

when the life seems to be going well.

David never ran from a fight while he was being chased by all his adversaries.

As long as he was being hunted like a deer in the mountains,

he was always close to God.

Right?

But, now, a stealthier foe kind of lurks in the darkness.

And, while this happens, while he's in a place of security.

Right?

So, look at 2 Samuel chapter 11.

2 Samuel 11 · chapter mention

Just look at the first verse.

First verse.

We read in 2 Samuel 11.

In the spring of the year, the time when the kings go out to battle,

David sent Joab and his servants with him in all Israel.

And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah.

But David remained at Jerusalem.

So, pause.

This one verse should make us tremble.

David was the king.

He was the commander-in-chief.

Yet, he chooses not to be with his army or his men.

And he delegates his power to Joab.

And he seeks ease.

Often,

now this is true in my own life,

and I'm sure it is in yours,

often the first step towards temptation,

and then eventually sin is not being where we are supposed to be.

It happens.

So, think on it.

David is no longer a humble shepherd sleeping out in the rain in the fields with smelly sheep.

He's no longer the chieftain of an outlaw clan like Judah.

But, to the contrary, now he's had opulence.

He's had every opportunity to indulge himself in the luxuries of life as the king.

He has had all the fat of the land brought to him on a platter.

All the delicacies were brought to him from all over the land that he had conquered.

He lived a...

Now he could have a pampered lifestyle if he choose.

Clothes and fine scarlet and linen.

The choices so fair to eat.

And as one man said,

his soul grew lean while his flesh was pampered.

Riches of the earth are ours freely,

and God gives them to us.

Blessings of providence and his generosity.

Yet, when we grow at such ease,

we can often choose to refuse to do the Lord's work.

And like David, not go out to battle, but fall into slothfulness.

He pridefully begins to feel entitled and comfort.

And not remaining humble before God.

As we're warned in Proverbs 16, 18,

pride goes before destruction.

And a haughty spirit before the fall.

So true.

Spurgeon wrote of this case,

There is a devil.

He will take care to sing your lullaby

and rock your cradle if you want to sleep.

For he loves not to see God's warriors alert.

While they are asleep,

he knows the war will not go on very briskly.

An army that is dosed with chloroform

would be quite as useless

as if they had chained themselves to the wall.

While swords sleep in their scabbards,

no foe needs dreaded them.

But, O fellow soldiers,

this is a great artifice of Satan.

And one of his craftiest devices

is to lull us into a deep sleep.

The dog of hell is barking in our hearts

to keep us awake.

But, when he ceases his howling,

our eyelids grow heavy

unless divine grace prevents it.

So we see very carefully

that David has already put himself

in a very vulnerable position.

He's being lulled to sleep spiritually

while his flesh is being pampered.

And so here we see a story

of temptation, adultery, cover-up, and murder.

Yeah, David.

This great guy we've been reading about.

He is not the Messiah.

So, just very quickly,

if we look at these few verses,

and like temptation,

at its core,

is an enticement to sin.

Whether arising from desires within

or circumstances without.

It's important to know

that just being tempted

is not sin.

But it is the enticement to sin.

If you're a fish,

it's the bait that's coming in front of you,

the lure that's saying,

you know, bite this.

Then before you know it,

you're being hooked in,

reeled in,

and gutted on a plate.

So, it is an enticement to sin.

It's to take the things

that God has given us as His gifts

beyond their God-given limits.

Sin is the product,

and temptation is the selling of it to you.

David was not out to war as he should be.

Is it the palace?

I'm just going to summarize

a lot of this chapter,

and then we're going to spend

a lot of the time today

in Psalm 51,

which is David's response to his sin.

But he doesn't go out to war.

Instead, he's at the palace.

It says he gets off his couch.

So, he's already chilling on the couch.

He goes out into his roof

or his balcony, right?

And he sees a beautiful woman bathing,

probably on a lower rooftop.

And he lusts after her in his heart.

And he longs to lay with her.

David inquires as to who she is.

So, who is this woman?

He's informed that it was Bathsheba,

the daughter of Elam,

the wife of Uriah, the Hittite.

So, at this point,

he could have pulled back.

The Lord always says

that He gives us a way of escape.

But He kept pushing forward.

He could have fled

in the face of this temptation.

Remember Joseph in Genesis

when he was confronted

with Potiphar's wife?

He fled.

And he actually said

in Genesis 39, 9,

How can I do this great wickedness

and sin against God?

That's what Joseph said.

But he doesn't do that.

What's interesting is

Joseph didn't have

the Mosaic Law.

He didn't have it.

It was written on his heart, though.

David did.

David knew the commandment,

the seventh commandment,

to not commit adultery.

And the tenth commandment,

that you shall not cover

your neighbor's wife.

But still,

he drew closer

like a lamb

to the slaughter.

One Puritan wrote,

If you don't want to enter

the house of sin,

don't sit

at the doorway

of temptation.

Very interesting.

Bathsheba,

the name means

daughter of an oath.

So,

something that's

kind of honorable,

pure.

And shockingly,

listen to this,

Uriah.

So,

Uriah was a Hittite.

If you don't know that,

that's a Gentile people.

They were very strong

warriors in the Iron

and Bronze Age.

And,

Uriah means

Yahweh is my light.

Isn't that interesting?

Anybody ever looked up

his name before?

So,

obviously,

he was a convert.

He was a Gentile

who had become a convert

of the true God.

Uriah.

So,

very clearly,

this guy says,

look,

yeah,

she's got a father,

this is his name,

and she's married

to a noble warrior,

Uriah the Hittite.

But that would have been

like enough,

you'd think,

to kind of like,

okay,

never mind.

But he doesn't.

He moves forward.

In verse 4

of this chapter,

chapter 11,

that information

didn't stop him,

so he knew

this was evil

and he did it anyway.

He abused his position

of authority

and took advantage

of this young woman.

He had her brought

to his chamber.

He slept with her,

took his pleasure,

and then sent her home.

But then,

in verse 5

through 13,

we see that his sin

is revealed.

She later came back

to him,

and it says,

and the woman conceived,

and she sent

and told David,

I am pregnant,

or I am with child.

So,

obviously,

he panics.

He's found out.

This act of adultery

with Bathsheba,

she becomes pregnant,

and this threatens

David's reputation

as the king of Israel

and all that God

had done.

So,

he attempts

to cover it up.

Instead of coming clean

and repenting,

he attempts

a cover-up.

You ever seen

your kids do something

they shouldn't be doing

and they,

you know,

they know that you're

watching them,

but they try to kind of

cover it up anyway.

You're like,

I see you.

I see you.

I know what you're doing.

It's as if David

just cuts that off

and in panic,

he focuses here

and not here.

And so,

at first,

he calls Uriah

back from the battlefield.

Uriah,

come back.

And so,

Uriah comes back

and he attempts to,

he says,

look,

man,

you've been working

hard out there.

You've been doing

the job.

You've been fighting.

So,

why don't you

just have a night off?

Go and lay

with your wife tonight.

But it doesn't work

because Uriah

is such a noble warrior.

He has this honor

where he's like,

I can't do that.

Like,

how can I do that

when all the other soldiers

are still out there fighting?

It's just,

I can't,

my conscience

won't allow me.

So then David goes

to plan B

and he says,

all right,

well,

maybe if I get him hammered,

he'll sleep with his wife.

Like,

and maybe,

and then after that,

they'll be able to say,

look,

you know,

congratulations,

you had a baby.

But Uriah also refuses

to go back

even as he's drunk.

So that fails.

So then,

in verses 14

through 27,

in growing frustration

and fear

of being found out,

David results

to the great evil

of having Uriah

sent back to war

with orders to Joab

to have him

kind of put out

in the front line

and then to have

the other men

pull back

where he's almost

just to face

certain death.

And,

and he does.

He's killed,

but really,

murdered.

So now,

with Uriah

out of the way,

David then takes

Bathsheba

as his wife,

his temptation,

excuse me,

his reputation

he thinks is saved

and the ordeal

is survived

or so he thinks.

Proverbs 15,

3,

like,

remember this one.

The eyes of the Lord

are in every place

watching over the evil

and the good.

So,

the chapter ends,

the very last two verses

of this chapter,

listen to this.

Verse 26,

when the wife of Uriah

heard that Uriah,

her husband,

was dead,

listen to this,

she lamented

over her husband

or she mourned

greatly over her husband.

So,

clearly,

she loved Uriah.

Then,

when her mourning

was over,

David sent

and brought her

to his house

and she became

his wife

and bore him

a son.

But,

the thing

that David

had done

displeased

the Lord.

Scary.

So,

David's finally going,

God,

okay,

it worked out.

Like,

I'm good.

But,

God is not pleased

and he sees it.

So then,

in verse,

chapter 12,

1 through 12,

I'm trying to summarize

the best I can.

David is

clearly living

an ongoing,

unrepentant sin

and God

starts to deal

with him.

David would have

read from the

scripture,

Numbers 32,

23,

Behold,

you have sinned

against the Lord

and be sure

your sin

will find you out.

So,

it's important here

that those who

carry out evil

and sin,

they cannot

evade God

forever.

Like,

they will be brought

into the light.

So,

God sends later

Nathan,

the prophet,

to confront David

and he tells him

a parable

of a man

who had little

and a man

who had much.

And the man

who had much

abused his power

over the one

who had little

and took what he had

and killed it.

And then,

so he's telling

this parable

but David doesn't

know it's a parable.

He thinks it's

a real thing.

And then David

reacts to this

and declares

the man who

acted unjustly,

he deserves to die.

Surely,

he must die.

Little did he know

that he is pronouncing

judgment on himself.

And Nathan says,

you are that man.

So,

he melts.

Right?

So,

he's caught.

If you can remember

like Saul,

when Samuel

confronted Saul,

what does Saul do?

I meant well.

It's,

you know,

pray for me.

Just to,

just has to be

between us.

Don't let anybody

else know.

Walk with me

so that people

will know

that we're good.

That was Saul's

response

to being called

out on his sin.

To make excuses

and to cover it up.

But,

chapter 12,

verse 13,

check this out.

From David's mouth

comes true repentance.

sins.

David said to Nathan,

I have sinned

against the Lord.

And Nathan said

to David,

the Lord

also

has put away

your sin

and you shall

not die.

Wow.

Later on,

at some point

after this,

David

grabs a pen

and

papyrus.

I'd like to imagine

he just got alone

somewhere

and just poured out

his heart

to God.

And he wrote

Psalm 51.

And,

just briefly,

he repents.

The word repent

means to change,

in the most simple

way to say it,

it means to change

one's mind

for the better.

Sin is a turning

away from,

or excuse me,

repentance is a turning

away from sin,

hating it,

and resolving

by God's grace

to never go back

to it as we turn

to Him in faith.

It's a change

of mind

that leads

to a change

in direction.

So it's not just

behavior modification

on the outside,

it's thinking

differently

and seeing your sin

differently

where you hate it

and you want

to honor God

instead

as you turn

to faith

in Christ.

So,

we get to

Psalm 51.

This is David's

response

to the evil

that has been

committed,

that he has

committed.

Genuine repentance.

So if there's

sin in your life

and you're struggling

to know what to do,

like God has

given you

a road map

here in Psalm 51

to face

those things.

Alright?

So let's just

take it apart

a few verses

at a time.

Alright?

So we have

some questions

here.

Question number

one,

if you're

note-taking,

question number

one,

how does

David

approach God

for mercy

and forgiveness?

So how does

David actually

come to God?

What is the

manner in which

he does it?

You see this

in verses

one and two.

David

prays,

have mercy

on me,

O God,

according to

your steadfast

love,

according to

your abundant

mercy,

blot out

my transgressions.

Wash me

thoroughly

from my

iniquity

and cleanse

me of

my sin.

So,

so why?

He's trying

to plead a

case before

God,

right?

He pleads

with God

to show

him mercy

and forgiveness,

pardon for

the evil

that he's

done.

So mercy

is this

undeserved

thing.

You don't

merit

God's

mercy.

If you

merit it,

it's not

mercy.

David has

no hope

that God

will forgive

him and

pardon him

according to

his own

goodness,

according to

his righteousness

because he

doesn't have

any.

Look what he

just did.

The sin

itself proves

that David

has no

character to

argue here,

not in his

own worth

or merit,

but God's.

You see

that?

According to

your steadfast

love,

according to

your abundant

mercies,

it actually

means the

multitude of

your tender

mercies,

compassion.

So David

recognizes he

has no

entitlement to

God's favor.

He doesn't

deserve life.

He doesn't

deserve blessing

and forgiveness.

So also,

we must be

sensible that

God does not

owe us

forgiveness.

He doesn't

owe us

mercy.

He doesn't.

In fact,

David then

appeals,

therefore,

to God's

character.

He appears

to the very

nature of

God because

he knows

it's within

God's character,

within God's

nature to

be merciful.

So he just

knows that

about God.

So he appeals

to that.

I've got no

case to plea.

I'm guilty.

I'm terrible.

But I know

you are a

gracious and

forgiving member

in your Bible

reading,

in your daily

life.

He gives you

several different

terms to

describe the

sin or the

crime that he

had committed

versus

transgression.

transgression.

See that?

Transgression,

as we know,

is a deliberate

premeditated

crossing of the

line.

You know that

you shouldn't

do it and

you do it

anyway.

No

trespassing.

I hate that

when you're deer

hunting.

You're like,

shoot,

can't go on

there.

So it is a

deliberate

crossing of

the line.

You know it.

Iniquity.

He also

mentions iniquity.

That is a

perverting or

a twisting of

what God has

said.

A corruption

of goodness.

And then

sin, as we

know, is

missing the

mark that God

has purpose

intended.

Like, this

is God's

purpose.

He has

intention for

you and

you've fallen

short of

that.

And then

he uses the

word unholy.

Mark,

terrible,

worse than

all,

great wrong,

unholy.

So he's not

holding back.

He's calling it

what it is.

So whenever

you sin,

please don't

do the,

well, I

just fell.

It just

got me.

Like a

victim mentality.

David owns

it completely.

I committed

transgression,

iniquity,

sin, and

evil.

He calls it

what it is.

But then,

notice how he

corresponds to

those things.

He uses the

words blot,

wash,

and cleanse.

Those are

all words of

deep spiritual

restoration

that only

God can

do.

Blot means

to wipe

out,

to

obliterate,

exterminate.

And remember,

I've said this

before,

but when they

used to

write on

papyrus,

papyri,

if I

pronounce it

rightly,

that they

would often

reuse it

by wiping

it,

wiping old

ink off of

it,

and then

writing

something else.

so he's

saying the

crime that

I committed,

blot it

out,

erase it.

Then he

used the

term wash,

to be

washed by

treading

out,

not just

being washed

physically,

but being

washed

inwardly.

To

cleanse means

to purify

and make

whole.

So all

according to

God's loving

kindness,

all according

to his

abundant

mercy.

Those are

all words

that our

souls long

to hear

when we

are confronted

with sin.

You want

to hear

that.

These are

words of

justification,

to be

cleaned,

to be

made

right.

So make

me right

in your

sight,

is really

what he's

praying.

So that's

question number

one,

how does

David approach

God for

mercy and

forgiveness?

This

verse is

one and

two.

Question

number

two,

how does

David offer

true

confession

to God?

How does

David offer

true confession

to God?

See this in

verses three

through five.

David says,

for I know

my transgressions

and my sin

is ever before

me.

Against you

and 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.

Behold,

I was brought

forth in

iniquity and

sinned and

my mother

conceived

me.

One man

that I

respect a

lot said

about Psalm

51,

David's

sin made

him feel

dirty and

he desires

to be

clean.

David's

guilt made

him feel

sick and

he desires

to be

well.

His

disobedience

made him

feel lonely

and he

desires

relational

reconciliation.

His

rebellion

made him

fearful of

God,

but now

he desires

to be

pardoned.

It's a

summary of

a lot

of this.

But we

see that

he truly

confesses

his sin.

He says,

I know

my

transgressions

and my

sin is

ever before

me.

I

humbly

fully

acknowledge

what I've

done.

The evil

that I've

committed

is present

with me

wherever I

go.

You ever

notice that?

Like if

you've

committed

great sin

and evil

that you

can't just

sort of brush

it away,

that it

just kind

of is on

your mind

or your

conscience

constantly.

He's like,

it's always

in my

faith

staring at

me.

When we

sin against

the Lord,

our souls

are troubled

and in

turmoil

and it

stays with

us.

So not

just a

mere

acknowledgement

of the

offense

you've

committed,

like,

yeah,

yeah,

I know

I've

sinned.

That's

what Saul

did,

right?

But he

owns it.

He takes

full

responsibility

bearing the

consequences

of that

sin.

It's not

anyone else's

fault.

He's

recognizing

that,

God,

it's not

your fault.

It's not

Bathsheba's

fault.

I alone

am guilty

for this

sin.

So he

doesn't play

the victim

mentality

of culture.

This just

happened to

me,

right?

It's

because,

not just

because of

my bad

upbringing,

right?

It's,

he's saying

like,

I'm guilty.

I own

it.

I own

all of

it.

And he

also mentions

here,

this is

very key,

against you

and you

alone,

have I

sinned

against,

and

don't

want

to

have

sinned

against,

God,

I've

sinned

against

Bathsheba.

I've

mistreated

her.

I dishonored

her house.

I dishonored

her husband.

He also

could have

said,

I sinned

against

Uriah.

I had a

loyal soldier

killed.

He also

could have

said,

I've sinned

against the

nation,

as the

king of

Israel.

all of

that would

have been

true.

But why

does he

say,

you and

you alone

have I

sinned

against?

It's

because,

supremely,

all sin

is an

affront

to God.

It opposes

God and

all he

stands for.

He intrinsically

!

He intrinsically

hates sin

and has

vowed to

destroy it.

So,

though sin

does do

harm to

ourselves,

right,

it does,

and others,

it's ultimately

against our

loving creator.

That's what

he said in

verse 13

of 2 Samuel.

I've sinned

against the

Lord.

That was his

first knee

jerk.

I've sinned

against the

Lord.

So,

sin involves

a turning

from God

and unbelief

and turning

to idolatry,

thinking that

we're going

to get

something

from an

idol that

we refuse

to think

that we

can get

from God,

to get

joy,

get comfort,

get security,

when only

God himself

can offer

it.

So,

when we

sin against

God,

we're saying,

I don't

trust you

in this

moment,

I do not

believe that

your way

is the

best,

and I do

not believe

that your

way is the

wisest.

When we

sin,

those moments

are turning

from God.

This is

important too.

Repentance

is not just

feeling bad

about what

you've done.

It's not just

feeling shame

and guilt.

Unbelievers

who don't know

Christ feel

shame and guilt.

You know that?

They feel bad

about what they

did.

But typically,

it's always

tied to the

consequences that

they're facing.

Not that they've

sinned against

God.

They hate that

they've been

caught.

They hate that

it's causing

their life

misery.

Paul writes

about this in

2 Corinthians 7,

9 and 10.

He talks about

a godly sorrow

and a worldly

sorrow.

Paul says,

as it is,

I rejoice,

not because

you were

grieved,

but because

you were

grieved into

repenting.

For you

felt a

godly sorrow

so that you

suffered no

loss through

us.

For godly

grief produces

a repentance

that leads to

salvation

without regret,

whereas a

worldly grief

produces

death.

And so you

have to examine

yourself.

When I sin,

when I do

something and

I'm caught,

am I mainly

upset because

of the

consequences?

Is it a

worldly grief

or is it a

godly sorrow,

a godly grief

that leads to

salvation because

you've sinned

against God?

Very important.

Not just to

acknowledge that

we've done it.

We've sinned

against the

Lord God

Almighty

Himself.

Alright,

so then we

see next this

spiritual condition

of sin.

David says in

verse 5,

I was brought

forth in

our iniquity

and sin

to my

mother conceived

me.

The reality

is that sin

is this dire

condition,

not just an

action.

We have to

teach our

kids this,

that sin

is not just

an action.

It's a

condition.

It's a

fallen

spiritual

problem.

And so

these are

symptoms of

the bigger

problem.

They come

from within

us.

Man is born

in a state

of sin.

We are

born

spiritually

dead.

Ephesians 2.

Our

understanding

is darkened

and our

hearts are

corrupted

by evil.

We are

enslaved

to sin

without

Christ.

So,

he's not

making an

excuse.

He's not

doing like,

well,

I was just

born this

way.

He's

saying this

as a

means to

implore

God's

pity on

him.

Like,

God,

I am

so weak.

I'm so

helpless.

There's

nothing I

can do to

save myself

or change

myself.

Please,

I beg

you,

forgive me,

have mercy.

I've always

been this

way,

always sinful.

This goes

into question

number three.

What is the

evidence of

true repentance

in David?

What is the

evidence of

true repentance

in David?

And we

see three

things

underneath

this,

but let's

read it.

Verses

6-12.

David says,

Behold,

you delight

in truth

and the

inward being,

and you

teach me

wisdom

and the

secret

heart.

Purge

me with

hyssop

and I

shall be

clean.

Wash

me,

I shall

be whiter

than

snow.

Let

my heart,

let me

hear joy

and gladness.

Let the

bones that

you have

broken

rejoice.

Hide

your face

from my

sins

and blot

out all

my

iniquities.

Create

in me

a clean

heart,

O God,

and renew

a right

spirit

within me.

Cast

me not

away

from

your

presence.

Do

not

take

your

Holy

Spirit

from

me.

Restore

to me

the joy

of your

salvation.

Withhold

me

with a

willing

spirit.

So we

see three

things that

give evidence

that his

repentance

is real

here.

The first

one is

he has

a longing

to be

right

with

God.

He

has a

longing

to be

right

with

God.

This

inward

renewal.

Verse

7,

the literal

says,

it is

truth

that gives

you

pleasure.

God

desires

not just

that we

change our

actions on

the outside,

but from

the inside.

So he

recognizes

that,

that God

loves

truth.

He loves

righteousness

in the

deepest

places

of our

hearts.

So he's

asking God

to go

door-to-door

in his

heart,

to clean

it out,

and to

make it

holy and

pure.

True

repentance

brings a

desire to

change.

It

isn't just

God

forgive me,

but God

change me

in a way

that honors

you,

starting in

my heart.

Truth

gives you

pleasure.

I don't

want to

stay like

this.

I want

to honor

you.

Then

secondly,

we see

in verse

7,

there's a

condition here

that sin

defiles us.

Sin

defiles us.

Ezekiel

Ezekiel 20:43

20,

verse 43,

listen to

this,

and there

you shall

remember

your ways

and all

your deeds

in which

you have

defiled

yourselves,

and you

shall loathe

yourselves

for all

the evils

that you

have committed.

So sin

causes us

to feel

defiled,

that we

loathe

ourselves

for all

the evil

we have

committed.

So he

says,

purify me,

wash me,

me.

He

mentions

hyssop,

that's

a plant

that's

in the

mint

family,

a cluster

of flowers,

it was

used to

sprinkle the

blood over

the doors,

the Israelites

when they

were in

Egypt,

the angel

of death

would pass

over them.

Then he

says,

so he's

saying

symbolically,

cleanse me,

symbolically,

wash me,

I'll be

whiter than

snow,

clean,

pure,

unadulterated,

beautiful,

whiter than

snow.

Repentance

is the

desire to

be clean

from sin

and made

right.

Look at

verse 8,

he says,

let me

hear.

Alright?

He wanted

God to

allow him

to hear joy

and gladness

once again,

instead of

just hearing

condemnation,

instead of

just hearing

gloom

over his

sin.

Sin only

leads to

voices,

y'all know

this,

sin leads

to

voices

of guilt,

shame,

and

condemnation,

anxiety.

Repentance

is a

longing to

hear God's

voice again

as your

father,

loving his

word,

loving the

sound of

his voice.

And then we

see in

verse 9

that sin

can separate

us.

He says,

hide your

face from

my sin.

It's important

to see this.

Notice that

David doesn't

want God to

hide his

face from

him.

He says,

hide your

faith from

my sin.

Again,

to the

Jews,

the Hebrews,

the greatest

blessing was

to see