Psalm 51:17 Komentář

Though David penned this psalm upon a very particular occasion, yet, it is of as general use as any of David's psalms; it is the most eminent of the penitential psalms, and most expressive of the cares and desires of a repenting sinner. It is a pity indeed that in our devout addresses to God we should have any thing else to do than to praise God, for that is the work of heaven; but we make other work for ourselves by our own sins and follies: we must come to the throne of grace in the posture of penitents, to confess our sins and sue for the grace of God; and, if therein we would take with us words, we can nowhere find any more apposite than in this psalm, which is the record of David's repentance for his sin in the matter of Uriah, which was the greatest blemish upon his character: all the rest of his faults were nothing to this; it is said of him (Kg1 15:5), That "he turned not aside from the commandment of the Lord all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite." In this psalm, I. He confesses his sin (Psa 51:3-6). II. He prays earnestly for the pardon of his sin (Psa 51:1, Psa 51:2, Psa 51:7, Psa 51:9). III. For peace of conscience (Psa 51:8, Psa 51:12). IV. For grace to go and sin no more (Psa 51:10, Psa 51:11, Psa 51:14). V. For liberty of access to God (Psa 51:15). IV. He promises to do what he could for the good of the souls of others (Psa 51:13) and for the glory of God (Psa 51:16, Psa 51:17, Psa 51:19). And, lastly, concludes with a prayer for Zion and Jerusalem (Psa 51:18). Those whose consciences charge them with any gross sin should, with a believing regard to Jesus Christ, the Mediator, again and again pray over this psalm; nay, though we have not been guilty of adultery and murder, or any the like enormous crime, yet in singing it, and praying over it, we may very sensibly apply it all to ourselves, which if we do with suitable affections we shall, through Christ, find mercy to pardon and grace for seasonable help. To the chief musician. A psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bath-sheba.

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 51 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. The occasion of this psalm was the sin of David with Bathsheba, signified by "going in to her"; an euphemism for "lying with her"; which sin was a very aggravated one, she being another man's wife, and the wife of a servant and soldier of his, who was at the same time exposing his life for his king and country's good; and David besides had many wives, and was also king of Israel, and should have set a better example to his subjects; and it was followed with other sins, as the murder of Uriah, and the death of several others; with scandal to religion, and with security and impenitence in him for a long time, until Nathan the prophet was sent to him of God, to awaken him to a sense of his sin; which he immediately acknowledged, and showed true repentance for it: upon which, either while Nathan was present, or after he was gone, he penned this psalm; that it might remain on record, as a testification of his repentance, and for the instruction of such as should fall into sin, how to behave, where to apply, and for their comfort. The history of all this may be seen in the eleventh and twelfth chapters of the second book of Samuel.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,.... That is humbled under a sense of sin; has true repentance for it; is smitten, wounded, and broken with it, by the word of God in the hand of the Spirit, which is a hammer to break the rock in pieces; and that not merely in a legal, but in an evangelical way; grieving for sin as committed against a God of love; broken and melted down under a sense of it, in a view of pardoning grace; and mourning for it, while beholding a pierced and wounded Saviour: the sacrifices of such a broken heart and contrite spirit are the sacrifices God desires, approves, accepts of, and delights in; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise; but regard, and receive with pleasure; see Psa 102:17; the Lord binds up and heals such broken hearts and spirits, Psa 147:3; he is nigh to such persons, looks upon them, has respect unto them, and comes and dwells among them, Psa 34:18.

To us, then, He declares, "A sacrifice [pleasing] to God is a broken spirit; a smell of sweet savour to the Lord is a heart that glorifieth Him that made it." We ought therefore, brethren, carefully to inquire concerning our salvation, lest the wicked one, having made his entrance by deceit, should hurl us forth from our [true] life.

I have not yet alluded to the true and first wisdom, for which our wonderful husbandman and shepherd is conspicuous. The first wisdom is a life worthy of praise, in which a person keeps himself pure for God or is purified for him who is all-pure and all-luminous. God demands of us, as his only sacrifice, purification—that is, a contrite heart, the sacrifice of praise, a new creation in Christ, the new man, and the like, as the Scripture loves to call it.

Other things too must be added to humbleness of mind if it is such as the blessed David knew, when he said, “A broken and a contrite heart God will not despise.” For that which is broken does not rise up, does not strike, but is ready to be ill-treated and itself does not rise up. Such is contrition of heart: though it is insulted, though it is enticed by evil, it is quiet and is not eager for vengeance.

But how shall a person find grace with God? How else, except by lowliness of mind? For “God,” James says, “resists the proud but gives grace to the humble”; and “the sacrifice of God is a broken spirit, and a heart that is brought low God will not despise.” For if humility is so lovely to human beings, it is much more so with God. Thus both the Gentiles found grace and the Jews did not fall from grace in any other way, “for they were not subject to the righteousness of God.” The lowly person of whom I am speaking is pleasing and delightful to all people, and dwells in continual peace and has in him no ground for contentions. For even if you insult him, even if you abuse him, whatever you say, he will be silent and will bear it meekly; he will have so great a peace toward all people that one cannot even describe it. Yes, and with God also. For the commandments of God are to be at peace with human beings: and thus our whole life is made prosperous, through peace one with another.

At the time David spoke in this way: "Since if you had wanted a sacrifice I would certainly have given one; in burnt offerings you will not delight." [However,] those sacrifices that were still offered to God are no longer offered now. He was prophesying, therefore, when he said this: he was rejecting current customs and foreseeing future ones. "In burnt offerings," he says, "you will not delight. When you [the congregation] stop delighting in burnt offerings, will you be left without any sacrifice? Certainly not." "A sacrifice to God is a contrite spirit: a contrite and humbled heart God does not despise." Therefore you do have something to offer. Don't look around the flock, don't fit out ships and travel to far distant regions to bring back incense. Look in your own heart for what may be acceptable to God. The heart has to be crushed. Why be afraid it will be destroyed if you crush it? There you have the answer: "Create a clean heart in me, O God." For a clean heart to be created, let the unclean heart be crushed.

So this lad had already crushed his heart in a region afflicted with famine; I mean, he had returned to his heart to pound his heart; he had previously left his heart in pride; he had now returned to his heart in anger. He was angry with himself, ready to punish not himself but his wrongdoing; he had returned, ready to earn his father's right response. He spoke in anger, according to the text, "Be angry, and do not sin." Repentance, you see, always means being angry with yourself, seeing that because you are angry, you punish yourself. That is the source of all those gestures in penitents who are truly repentant, truly sorry; the source of tearing the hair, of wrapping oneself in sackcloth, of beating the breast. Surely these are all indications of being savage with oneself, being angry with oneself. What the hand does outwardly, the conscience does inwardly; it lashes itself in its thoughts, it beats itself, indeed, to speak more truly, it slays itself. It is by slaying itself, you see, that it offers itself "a sacrifice to God, a crushed spirit; a contrite and humbled heart God does not reject." Just so, then, this lad by pounding, humbling, beating his heart, slew his heart.

No matter how great our crimes, forgiveness of them should never be despised in the holy church for those who truly repent, each according to the measure of his sin. And, in the act of repentance, where a crime has been committed of such gravity as also to cut off the sinner from the body of Christ, we should not consider the amount of time as much as the degree of sorrow. For "a contrite and humbled heart God will not despise."

"Because if You had willed sacrifice, I would have given it surely" [Psalm 51:16]. David was living at that time when sacrifices of victim animals were offered to God, and he saw these times that were to be. Do we not perceive ourselves in these words? Those sacrifices were figurative, foretelling the One Saving Sacrifice. Not even we have been left without a Sacrifice to offer to God. For hear what he says, having a concern for his sin, and wishing the evil thing which he has done to be forgiven him: "If You had willed," he says, "sacrifice, I would have given it surely. With holocausts You will not be delighted." Nothing shall we therefore offer? So shall we come to God? And whence shall we propitiate Him? Offer; certainly in yourself you have what you may offer. Do not from without fetch frankincense, but say, "In me are, O God, Your vows, which I will render of praise to You." Do not from without seek cattle to slay, you have in yourself what you may kill. "Sacrifice to God is a spirit troubled, a heart contrite and humbled God despises not" [Psalm 51:17]. Utterly he despises bull, he-goat, ram: now is not the time that these should be offered. They were offered when they indicated something, when they promised something; when the things promised come, the promises are taken away. "A heart contrite and humbled God despises not." You know that God is high: if you shall have made yourself high, He will be from you; if you shall have humbled yourself, He will draw near to you.

Hence he adds, "A sacrifice to God," namely one that is acceptable, "is a contrite spirit." Augustine, in City of God 10: Every sacrifice that is offered externally is a sign of an interior sacrifice, in which one offers one's soul to God. But it should be known that the soul of a person is led into sin first through vain joy. Eccl. 2: "Laughter I considered an error, and to joy I said: Why are you vainly deceived?" that is, led into sin. Second, it is hardened against spiritual things through sin. Sir. 3: "A hard heart shall fare ill at the last." Rom. 2: "According to your hardness and impenitent heart." Third, because it is self-sufficient in bodily things and does not care about spiritual things, then it becomes proud, which is the beginning of all sin, Sir. 10. It is necessary, therefore, that the penitent who offers his heart as a sacrifice to God do the opposite of all these things. And first, against vain joy, he must take on the sorrow of penance; and therefore he adds, "A sacrifice to God is a contrite spirit," that is, one who is sorrowful about all his sins together, not just about one. 2 Cor. 7: "The sorrow that is according to God works repentance unto steadfast salvation." Bar. 2: "The soul that is sorrowful over the greatness of evil and walks bowed down." And below: "gives you glory and sorrow to the Lord." Against the second is opposed contrition; hence he says, "a contrite heart." And note the difference between "broken" and "contrite": for "broken" things are divided into large parts; "contrite" things are divided into very small parts. Therefore, as long as someone has a hard heart, his heart is, as it were, intact in malice; but when he totally abandons sin, giving himself over to spiritual things, then he is said to be contrite. Job 16: "I, once prosperous" -- namely in temporal things -- "was suddenly crushed." Against the third is opposed humility; and therefore he says, "and a humbled heart, O God, you will not despise," because God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble, Jas. 4. And it should be known that he mentions heart and spirit, and spirit pertains to courage, and thus pertains to the irascible power. Is. 25: "The spirit of the strong, like a whirlwind driving against a wall." Heart pertains to the concupiscible power; and so through this it is given to understand that whatever is in the appetitive power must be offered to God in sacrifice.

On the occasion, compare Sa2 11:12. The Psalm illustrates true repentance, in which are comprised conviction, confession, sorrow, prayer for mercy, and purposes of amendment, and it is accompanied by a lively faith. (Psa. 51:1-19) A plea for mercy is a confession of guilt. blot out--as from a register. transgressions--literally, "rebellions" (Psa 19:13; Psa 32:1).