David Cries Out For Mercy.

Commentary

David begins this psalm by rehearsing the sad condition in which he found himself. We don’t know the cause of David’s pain but whatever the cause, he sought God for the remedy. Here was “a man after God’s own heart” who had not only fallen but who persisted in pretending publicly that nothing was wrong. Any Spirit­ual man who is out of touch with God, because of unconfessed sin, knows what it is like when prayer becomes a mere mouthing of words. There can be little doubt from the first few verses of this psalm that David is suffering from the way he has been living. David’s sin with Bathsheba was a terrible thing. She was the wife of one of his great military men who had stood faithfully on David’s behalf. David seduced her and arranged with Joab for Uriah’s murder. Then David married Bathsheba to try to cover up the whole thing.

David’s agony is expressed in several ways in this psalm: 

      1.   Through a gnawing of conscience (vv. 1-5) (spiritually).

      2.   Through physical problems (vv. 6-7) (physically).

      3.   Through embarrassment of moral failure (vv. 8-10) (morally)

He pleads with God for mercy in many a sleepless night as he fills his bed with tears which Spurgeon referred to as “liquid prayers.” It had become increasingly clear to David that he wasn’t fooling anyone as he was “waxing old in his grief” and his sorrow was evident on his face. 

Application

I need to ask myself if I am carrying the weight of any past sins that needs to be turned over to God? This is why the Lord has put I John 1:9 in the Bible. As a child of God, I need to claim this truth. This is a wonderful promise that if I confessmy sins, He will be quick to forgive me of my sins and cleanse me of all my wrongdoing. This is not just a one-time deal but as many times as I sin, He will be faithful to fulfill His promise.