A Prayer For General Prosperity

Commentary

The sin question needs to be dealt with on spiritual and not ceremonial terms. With his sin confessed and forgiven, David is ready to live a changed life for his Lord. His first responsibility is to teach transgressors the ways of God so as to prevent their making the same mistakes (v. 13). It is a great help when counseling others if we can say, “I know what you’re going through, I have been there myself.”

David’s lips, by his own stubbornness, had been sealed for a year as he refused to admit he had done anything wrong. He was a king and thought he could do as he pleased. David had committed adultery and murder and the Mosaic law allows no reconciliation for these sins. No lamb, no ox, no sin offering, no trespass offering or no burnt offering could take care of this sin. God does not want a show of ceremony when we sin. Rather He delights in a broken heart and a personal confession of sin (v. 17). “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13).

David knew that he must get right with God if Israel was to be blessed. As he continued to keep his mouth shut his wickedness pressed down upon him and he knew that if he spoke about the things of God people would call him a hypocrite. With this in mind he concludes his personal prayer of repentance with a prayer for God’s blessing on his nation (vv. 18-19).

Application

One of the best ways for me to understand repentance is by reading the prayers of those who did repent in Scripture. One such prayer is Psalm 51.