Lesson 2: Confession 27
The psalmist does not blame God for his tendency toward sinfulness.
The tone of the prayer turns upward as an appeal is made to the appro-
priate One who can make life right. The psalmist directs our attention to
the One of final appeal, judgment, and redemption—God: “Against you,
and you alone, have I sinned.”
Making Things Right, Good, and Joyful (Psalm 51:6–12)
51:6. The values we hold shape our attitudes, and attitudes shape our
actions. The psalmist appeals to the Creator, whose character is the ulti-
mate benchmark when it comes to values. “Integrity” is the holistic term
used to describe all those values of the right, good, and joyful. God,
the epitome of integrity, calls for truth from our inner being—honesty,
authenticity, courage, congruency, and simplicity are a few synonyms for
integrity. The psalmist articulates humility—submission to God’s ways
and means—in asking for God to teach him wisdom.
51:7. Hyssop is still used today in herbal pharmaceuticals. It is antisep-
tic in nature and promotes the healing of external and internal tissues.
Hyssop is also a metaphor for the psalmist who appeals for God’s
redemptive, cleansing action in his life.
51:8. The Scriptures promote hearing as an active rather than a pas-
sive practice. The prayer for hearing joy and gladness is one of asking
for selective hearing! We must be deliberate in picking out from our
daily cacophony those sounds that give rise to or are products of joy and
gladness.
The gospel has been announced as “Good News.” Good news
encourages us, stiffens our resolve to do good and be well, and presses
us to be involved in actions which proclaim peace and joy.
51:9. The psalmist’s prayer has pleaded for God’s attention. But now
comes “Turn your face away and by doing so demonstrate that my sin no
longer requires your attention; you have removed the effects of my sin.”