Thanksgiving Scripture - Nov 12

Introduction...

Day 12 Psalm 51:1-19 Give Thanks to God for His Mercy and Forgivness
（Memorization Scripture: vv. 10-12）

A Prayer of Repentance
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

1 Have mercy upon me, O God,
According to Your lovingkindness;
According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,
Blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
And cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I acknowledge my transgressions,
And my sin is always before me.
4 Against You, You only, have I sinned,
And done this evil in Your sight—
That You may be found just when You speak,
And blameless when You judge.
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother conceived me.
6 Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts,
And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Make me hear joy and gladness,
That the bones You have broken may rejoice.
9 Hide Your face from my sins,
And blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners shall be converted to You.
14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
The God of my salvation,
And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.
15 O Lord, open my lips,
And my mouth shall show forth Your praise.
16 For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;
You do not delight in burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart—
These, O God, You will not despise.
18 Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion;
Build the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness,
With burnt offering and whole burnt offering;
Then they shall offer bulls on Your altar.

This psalm is the most renowned of all prayers of repentance. When Nathan the prophet pointed out David’s sin, David the psalmist came before God with a broken and a contrite heart and confessed that he had sinned against God, and asked God for His kindness and mercy, and to cleanse his sin. The psalmist believed that if he (himself) is willing to confess to God and to repent in truth, God Himself will “Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities.” (v.9) and “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted” (2 Corinthians 7:10). Such a repentant sinner responds in thankfulness when they know the wonderful mercy that has blotted out all of the iniquities: Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods, having great mercy, passing over the transgressions and cleansing all the iniquities by which we have sinned against Him, (so) “that the bones You have broken may rejoice (vv. 7-8).

Furthermore, God not only forgives but gives us a new heart and a new spirit, that we may do His will. David said “Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me” (vv. 10-11). After offering the broken and contrite heart to God, the psalmist, with boldness and diligence, asked for an obedient spirit. He would rejoice in His salvation again, and never let sins separate him from God (v.12). If we can confess and repent in truth, it shows that we know God’s grace and aim to bear fruits worthy of repentance.

At the end of the prayer, the psalmist asked blessings for Zion and Jerusalem, that God (shall) build the walls of Jerusalem, to protect the children of God from falling into the net which enemies have laid, and they therefore would not sin against Him like the psalmist.

【簡介】...

Day 12 詩篇51:1-19 為著神的憐恤和赦免感恩
大衛與拔示巴同室以後，先知拿單來見他；他作這詩，交與伶長。
(背誦10-12節)
1 神啊，求你按你的慈愛憐恤我，
按你豐盛的慈悲塗抹我的過犯！
2 求你將我的罪孽洗除淨盡，並潔除我的罪！
3 因為我知道我的過犯，我的罪常在我面前。
4 我向你犯罪，唯獨得罪了你，在你眼前行了這惡，
以致你責備我的時候顯為公義，判斷我的時候顯為清正。
5 我是在罪孽裡生的，在我母親懷胎的時候就有了罪。
6 你所喜愛的是內裡誠實，你在我隱密處必使我得智慧。
7 求你用牛膝草潔淨我，我就乾淨；
求你洗滌我，我就比雪更白。
8 求你使我得聽歡喜快樂的聲音，使你所壓傷的骨頭可以踴躍。
9 求你掩面不看我的罪，塗抹我一切的罪孽。

10 神啊，求你為我造清潔的心，使我裡面重新有正直的靈。
11 不要丟棄我，使我離開你的面，不要從我收回你的聖靈。
12 求你使我仍得救恩之了樂，賜我樂意的靈扶持我。
13 我就把你的道指教有過犯的人，罪人必歸順你。
14 神啊，你是拯救我的神；
求你救我脫離流人血的罪！
我的舌頭就高聲歌唱你的公義。
15 主啊，求你使我嘴唇張開，
我的口便傳揚讚美你的話！

16 你本不喜愛祭物，若喜愛，我就獻上；
燔祭，你也不喜悅。
17 神所要的祭就是憂傷的靈；
神啊，憂傷痛悔的心，你必不輕看。

18 求你隨你的美意善待錫安， 建造耶路撒冷的城牆。
19 那時，你必喜愛公義的祭 和燔祭並全牲的燔祭；
那時，人必將公牛獻在你壇上。



【心得分享】
這是七篇懺悔詩裡最著名的一篇。大衛在先知拿單指出他的罪時，憂傷、痛悔地到 神面前承認自己得罪了 神，求 神賜下慈愛和憐恤，赦免、潔淨他的罪。詩人相信只要願意向 神真心認罪悔改，祂就「掩面不看我的罪，塗抹我一切的罪孽。」（9節）「依 神的意思憂愁，就生出沒有後悔的懊悔來，以致得救。」 （林後7：10）一個犯下重罪 的人（4節），在這個時刻，不僅是滿心的懊悔，也一定是充滿了感恩。有何神像我們的 神這樣有豐盛的憐憫和赦罪之恩，願意塗抹、潔淨我們一切已犯的罪，並且使我們原本因受定罪而壓傷的骨頭都可以再起來踴躍！（7-8節）
更沒想到的，是 神還要賜給我們新心和新靈，使我們可以遵行祂的旨意。大衛呼求說，「神啊，求袮為我造清潔的心，使我裡面重新有正直的靈。不要丟棄我，使我離開你的面，不要從我收回你的聖靈。」（10-11節）在獻上憂傷痛悔的心為祭物之後，詩人坦然而且迫切的祈求一個樂意順服的靈，他要重新以 神的救恩為樂，再也不讓罪使他與 神分離。（12節）一個真正憂傷痛悔的人，一定是一個認識恩典的人，也一定是曉得用實際的改變來證實他的悔改的人。（13-17節）
最後，詩人不忘記為錫安與耶路撒冷求祝福，求 神來建造耶路撒冷的城牆，保護 神的兒女不像他自己一樣陷在仇敵的網羅裡而得罪 神。