“The sacrifices of God area broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Psalm 51:17; all Scripture quotations are from the English Standard Version).

Psalm 51 is one of the great penitential psalms of Scripture. Many have used it in their prayers when they sinned and want to make a confession and express repentance to God. (If this happened today, it would be the only thing anyone would talk about on 24-hour news channels for days!)

King David wrote this psalm in the aftermath of his greatest moral failure. You can read the entire sordid story in 2 Samuel, chapters 11 and 12. David had stayed home in Jerusalem while his army was out fighting battles. During this time, he saw a beautiful woman taking a bath and asked someone to find out who she was. It turned out that her name was Bathsheba, and she was married to one of David’s chief military officers, Uriah the Hittite (see 2 Samuel 23:39). So, Bathsheba’s husband was out of town, David was the king, nobody was around to reprimand him, and he took advantage of the situation. David—elsewhere described as a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14)—had a fling with the wife of one of his friends.

David thought he was safe and nobody would know: until Bathsheba informed him that she was pregnant. Well, now Uriah’s going to know something was up. How did she get pregnant while he was besieging the Ammonite city of Rabbah (modern-day Amman, Jordan)?

David had a plan: he called for Uriah to return home with an update about the army’s activities. Surely Uriah would use the opportunity to spend some time with his wife.

That did not work. Uriah was faithful to his military responsibilities. His army buddies were camping in tents outside Rabbah; he was not going to enjoy domestic comfort and sexual pleasure. Instead, he stayed outside David’s house with the rest of his guards.

So, David could not hide his secret from Uriah, so he sent him back to Rabbah with a letter that instructed his commanding officer, Joab, to put him in a vulnerable location where he was likely to be killed. That plot succeeded: Uriah died, David married Bathsheba, and he was now safe.

David was only half-right about his situation. He did not have to explain things to Uriah. Only he and Bathsheba knew the truth, or so he thought. Joab knew David had some reason for wanting to get rid of Uriah, but he did not know what that reason was. David thought his secret was safe.

However, God knew. God spoke to the prophet Nathan. The man of God, who not long before (2 Samuel 7:4-17) had told David that God would give him an everlasting dynasty (one that would culminate in the birth of the Savior) called out his guilt. By comparing David’s adultery with the heartlessness of a rich man stealing a poor man’s beloved ewe lamb, he appealed to David’s emotions (2 Samuel 12:1-6). David was once a young shepherd. Nathan’s parable probably made David think back to a particular favorite lamb that he cared for many years earlier. The prophecy really addressed only the adultery. That left David to figure out the horror of his other sins.

That lengthy introduction should help us understand why David wrote Psalm 51. In the Old Testament, animals were sacrificed to atone for people’s sins. A priest would sacrifice a lamb for the sins of the people every year on the Day of Atonement. However, premeditated murder (Exodus 21:12) and intentional adultery (Leviticus 20:10) were both punishable by death. However, God forgave David; neither he nor Bathsheba would die, but their baby would die instead (2 Samuel 12:13-14). Centuries later, another “son of David,” Jesus, would die in the place of all mankind for our sins.

In lieu of animal sacrifice, King David realized that a different sacrifice was needed: the sacrifice of a broken heart. God wanted David to offer up a broken and contrite heart. Sincere repentance was the sacrifice God wanted from David. He expects it from us as well.

Hence, we now have David’s great prayer of confession and repentance in Psalm 51. He wrote, “Against you, you only, have I sinned and one what is evil in your sight” (Psalm 51:4). That might seem like an exaggeration or falsehood; after all, he cheated against a friend of his, and then had the guy killed. Surely, David sinned against Uriah. However, his sin also reflected an offense against God. It was as if David was saying, “God, You have not done enough for me. I’ll take care of myself in this area. Just mind Your own business!”

Confession and repentance brought forgiveness to David. I am sure God answered the most famous petition in David’s prayer:

“Create in me a clean heart, O God,
 and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence,
 and take not your Holy Spirit from me” (Psalm 51:10-11).

However, forgiveness does not always mean that the consequences of sin are removed. David had to live with the consequences of his actions. God forgave him, but his terrible example inspired others. His oldest son Amnon raped his half-sister Tamar, so Absalom (Tamar’s brother, Amnon’s half-brother) murdered him in revenge. Absalom spent years in exile, then tried to usurp the throne, and was eventually killed by David’s general, Joab. David’s story inspires us to ask, “Was it really worth it?”

When temptation comes our way, we should ask ourselves, “Is it really worth it?” Consider the risks. Try to get God’s perspective before you act—not after you are confronted, as David did. Do you want to face the consequences? As pastor William Culbertson said, “How sad it is to live with the consequences of forgiven sin.”

Jesus has already died for our sins. We can rest in God’s forgiveness. Let us accept His forgiveness by faith and walk in the power of the Holy Spirit. Let us enjoy the new life He offers, rejoicing in forgiveness and seeking His strength to turn us from temptation.

Are there any sins you have been trying to keep hidden—even from God? Spend some time searching your heart and examining your life, and bring your sins to God in confession and repentance.

Copyright © 2026 Michael E. Lynch. All rights reserved.