Amber Gaddis
Dr. Jordan Barrett
BIBL 3357
12 March 2017
Psalm 51
While the book of Psalms contains numerous laments Psalm 51 is distinct as it is written in response to one of the worst and most famous sins of Israel. Before approaching Psalm 51 it is important to note the specific placement and background of David’s lament. When we read Psalm 51 we find David pleading with God for forgiveness and restoration after some of the darkest days of his life. King David had fallen prey to his own lustful desires for Bathsheba and had committed adultery with her. After committing adultery with Bathsheba, she became pregnant and David orchestrated the murder of Bathsheba’s husband Uriah on the battlefield. And just as it appears as if David’s mistake
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What is interesting about this Psalm is that these introductory verses do not start with David trying to justify or reason with his sin, instead we find a penitent David. As Psalm 51 begins David has owned up to his mistakes and is strongly aware of his need for God’s mercy and forgiveness. St. Pachomius is quoted as once saying “In the mind of ascetics, strong consciousness of one’s sinfulness is a necessary antidote to pride and self-glory, which are the root causes of sin. Pachomius (Wesselschmidt, 66).” David realized the same thing that St. Pachomius, that pride was a place that he could not afford to be. So much so that these first two verses open with David immediately asking God to do three things; have mercy on him, to wash him from his iniquity and to cleanse him from his sins. Each of these requests David’s makes are centered around his need for personal restoration. David’s request in in these verses are important because it implies that he realizes that unconfessed sin is sin that is not forgiven. And that is what David wants more than anything is to be in right standing with the Lord. This presents us with a powerful discipline for when we do sin, we need to repent and for allow ourselves to be made whole
A loss of David’s innocence appears during his killing of a magpie. This “it can be done in a flick of the finger”. The particular significance about this plays an important part in his as he considers that he also is capable of committing such unfortunate yet immoral things. “Looking in the dead bird’s eye, I realised that these strange, unthought of connections - sex and death, lust and violence, desire and degradation - are there, there, deep in even a good heart’s chambers”.
...e wife all to himself. This isn’t what we call fairness in the leadership. And still God does not punish David for this wrongdoing like he (God) punishes others who offend him.
Before becoming a king, David is solely dependent on God. However, after realizing that kingship comes with many powers, David starts to rely on his will to overpower his judgment and knowledge of God and His will. Although it may seem like David’s sin begins at the moment he lays his eyes on the beautiful Bathsheba bathing on the rooftop, his sins actually begin many nights before when he makes decisions that turn his focus from the will of God to the will of self. Thus, David’s first sin of focusing on his own will, rather than God’s, leads to one sin after another which eventually causes a curse to fall upon David’s household.
This continued conflict would take off between Amnon (David’s firstborn and primary heir) and Absalom (David’s third son). 2 Samuel 13 tells the grisly tale that reads almost like a disturbed soap opera. Amnon raped Absalom’s sister, Tamar and, in revenge, Absalom kills Amnon. Once Absalom returned to Jerusalem, the ticking time bomb was set. Everything exploded when Absalom formed a coalition and turned it into a coup against King David. The Bible says, “And Absalom rose up early, and stood beside the way of the gate: and it was so, that when any man that had a controversy with the king for judgement, then Absalom called unto him… and Absalom said unto him, See, thy matters are good and right; but there is no man deputed of the king to hear thee.” Eventually, Absalom’s coalitions (forces) reached Jerusalem causing David to
Like Moses, David was not a likely choice as a leader. David was a shepherd boy but he displayed incredible courage by killing Goliath. David had been faithful and obedient to God and God saw David’s heart. "But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature: because I have refused him: for [the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7). David had opportunities to kill Saul but, never desired to do so. David later hand many transgressions during his reign. David had many flaws; he was an adulterer and murderer. He knew he was wrong and always repented and had the desire to please God. God knew none of his people were perfect but he favors those who are obedient. David’s love for God never wavered and was always spiritual and always praised the Lord. He was committed to God. Even when no one else knows if you are faithful, God knows. God has a plan for all of us and we just have to be patient. David was anointed by God. He didn’t compromise and only showed love. Therefore, David was shown favor over Saul by God.
Bathsheba is innocent because her actions were always dictated by the outstanding amount of power David had over her and Uriah. David always had power over
Then one day when he was twenty, he suddenly felt that he had the wrath of God on him. He realized that his sin was not forgiven, he was just doing good works and religious things to make up the difference. Even though he realized this, he still thought that his good works would still account for his good. He prayed and prayed but could not get anywhere. He even set a time to fast, but still God did not seem to work. All the while God was softening David's heart, David was having a problem with self-confidence. He was confident that the works and the religious things which he did were going to help him.5
David also feels separate from Joseph, his father, and Chris, his brother, who are much different from him. David is inflicted with an emotional and physical scar which is never healed because of an incident with Chris .
It is bad enough to commit adultery in your heart, but Kings David's biggest downfall was, ignoring his convictions and acting on his sinful temptations. By prolonging his look at the beautiful Bathsheba as she bathed David became consumed with lust, so much so -- that he felt he had to have her, and fast (11 :2). His desire was so intense that when he inquired to his messenger about who she was, and was told she was married -- it was no deterrent and he had sex with her anyways(11: 3-4). The moment he gave into temptation to continue to watch her bath - he broke God's commandment, because he had already committed adultery in his heart - let alone the fulfilling the fantasy. Greed also factored in he lived an envied life as a ruler and King, and had many wives, yet he wasn't
Today’s culture is one where people like to do as little work as possible. Even when it comes to reading our own scripture, The Holy Words of God, a lot of people like to look up one verse and reference it to something without knowing what the rest of the passage says. Psalms 109 is no exception, it is one the more widely misused passages as of late. A popular verse from Psalms 109 is verse 8 which reads “Let his days be few; and let another take his office”, this is seen in reference to our current president, but what people fail to realize is what else David is actually praying. This paper is going to go through Psalms 109 and unpack it verse by verse to show the true meaning of what David was praying and to give us a new look at how to pray.
The way we have been raised and the relationships we build towards our parents and other individuals have a huge impact on our entire life. Small situations that accour in or during our childhood, can have vital effects and consequences the rest of our life's. Neglection and age differents can be one of many reasons due to an unstable development. David was confronted with some of these things along with topics as death, already at an early age. This caused a deep depression and superficial relationship with his parents and others. Life is something extremely valuable and it is extremely important how we influence and effect others. We are all on the “same” journey.
His sin not only caused his downfall but led to the divided kingdom, the kingdom that David had unified only decades ago. Solomon sinned against God by having foreign wives. In his video lesson, Hindson points out that, out of Solomon’s allegiance and love for his foreign wives, he allowed foreign gods to be worshiped in his kingdom. The worship of the false gods led to materialism, which eventually devoured the heart and soul of the people. Solomon’s sin was more grievous than David’s.
Psalm 43 is a cry to God: “Judge me O God and plead my cause against
Interestingly, this is represented when he is given an opportunity to show some type of remorse, by way of contrition of his actions, as written by Coetzee “ ‘A spirit of repentance’ “ (58). However, David cannot bring himself to do that. It is as if he is incapable of viewing his errors in this light and suggests a subtle arrogance that he doesn’t believe he has done wrong. It’s not just that he doesn’t appear able to face up to his responsibilities, but rather that he may well be emotionally incapable of doing so. Institutions, such as Apartheid in South Africa, tend to disable an individual’s sense of morality in order to satisfy one’s
David having the mind of a superior white male does not stop to remember that these men are “humans” with “weak moments” but instead distances himself from their crimes by filling himself with a pure hatred. David does not attempt to understand their reasons of why they raped his daughter even though these considerations