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Morning and Evening

April 7, Evening

C. H. Spurgeon · Modern retelling

"Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, Thou God of my salvation; and my tongue shall sing aloud of Thy righteousness." — Psalm 51:14 · KJV

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 befell 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 before the Lord he was 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 labor to feel them to be, and with all openness of heart acknowledge their real character. Observe that David was evidently weighed down by the heinousness of his sin. It is easy to use words, but hard to feel their meaning. The fifty-first Psalm is the photograph of a contrite spirit. Let us seek the like brokenness of heart; for however excellent our words, if our heart is not conscious of the hell-deserving nature of sin, we cannot expect to find forgiveness. Our text has in it an earnest prayer, 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 still 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 — no, more, he will "sing aloud." Who could 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 Savior; and he who knows most of forgiving love will sing the loudest.