Psalm 51 & 52: God Of Restoration
Verse of the Day: (51:12) Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
1. God Of Rejoicing (51:1-11)
Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. (51:8)
At the highest point of the reign of King David, he basked in his glory and stayed in Jerusalem while his men went forth to battle, and that was when he committed immorality with Bathsheba, the wife of his courageous warrior, Uriah. Not only did he not repent of his sins, but he sought to cover up his sins when he commanded his general, Joab, to send Uriah to the hottest battle, so that he would be easily killed by their enemies. Uriah was eventually killed, and though no one knew the hideous crimes of David, yet God knew his sins, and He sent His prophet, Nathan, to rebuke and judge him. (2 Samuel 11) Subsequently, God restored him when he repented his sins, and he rejoiced in His mercy. Let us thus be rejoicing in hope and live in righteousness, knowing that our God truly loves us, and at the same time, He knows everything about us. (Romans 12:10-13)
2. God Of Restoration (51:12-19)
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. (51:17)
After God’s restoration of His fellowship with David, he became a humbled man realising that he could have been dead twice, because the punishment of both adultery and murder was death by stoning, and he actually committed both iniquities. (Exodus 21:12, Leviticus 20:10) Though David was the King of Israel, and he could cover up his sins, yet he could never hide from God. In fact, David as the King of Israel was supposed to teach the people the laws of God and living a holy life before the holy God. This was actually David’s turning point in life as he began to teach his people God’s laws that they would trust and obey Him. Let us therefore seek restoration with God as well as others when we have broken our fellowship with Him and others, so that we can continue to have fellowship with Him and others for His glory and honour. (Hebrews 13:18-19)
3. God Of Righteousness (52:1-9)
Thou lovest evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah. (52:3)
David learned the hard way in obedience as there is truly no short cut in God’s moulding and making of His servants, that they shall be righteous before His righteousness. Indeed, this is why God sent His only Son, Jesus, to die for our sins, so that we shall have His righteousness and be with Him forever when we believe and trust in Him. Let us thus love righteousness, and hate iniquity before our God of righteousness. (Hebrews 1:8-9)
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, thank You for loving and forgiving me and restoring my soul with joy.
