Evening, April 7
Go To Morning Reading
“Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation;
and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.”
Psalm 51:14
In this solemn confession , it is pleasing to observe that David plainly names his sin. He does
not call it manslaughter, nor speak of it as an imprudence by which
an unfortunate accident occurred to a worthy man, but he calls it
by its true name, bloodguiltiness. He did not actually kill the husband
of Bathsheba; but still it was planned in David’s heart that Uriah should be slain, and he was before the Lord his
murderer. Learn in confession to be honest with God. Do not give fair
names to foul sins; call them what you will, they will smell no sweeter.
What God sees them to be, that do you labour to feel them to be; and
with all openness of heart acknowledge their real character. Observe,
that David was evidently oppressed with the heinousness of his sin.
It is easy to use words, but it is difficult to feel their meaning.
The fifty-first Psalm is the photograph of a contrite spirit. Let
us seek after the like brokenness of heart; for however excellent
our words may be, if our heart is not conscious of the hell-deservingness
of sin, we cannot expect to find forgiveness.
Our text has in it an earnest prayer —it is addressed to the God of salvation . It is his prerogative to forgive; it is his very name and office
to save those who seek his face. Better still, the text calls him
the God of my salvation. Yes, blessed be his name, while I am yet going to him
through Jesus’ blood, I can rejoice in the God of my salvation.
The psalmist ends with a commendable vow : if God will deliver him he will sing —nay, more, he will “ sing aloud .” Who can sing in any other style of such a mercy as this! But note
the subject of the song—“ Thy righteousness .” We must sing of the finished work of a precious Saviour; and he who
knows most of forgiving love will sing the loudest.