Does
David declare that God had revealed secret mysteries to him -- things hidden
from the human understanding, when he writes, “… you teach me wisdom in the
secret heart.” (Psalm 51:6, ESV)?
Charles Spurgeon who produced a great commentary on the psalms in his
lifetime wrote about Psalm 51, "There are seven penitential Psalms, but this seems to be
the chief one of the seven. The language of David is as suitable to us today as
it was to him, and though much was lost to the cause of righteousness by
David's sin, yet the Church is enriched for all ages by the possession of such
a Psalm as this. It is a marvelous recompense. Surely here the Lord reigns,
bringing good out of evil, blessing generation after generation through that
which in itself was a great evil."[1]
It
is accepted that the psalm was written by David
"when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone
in to Bathsheba."[2] It is a psalm of anguish as
David prays for forgiveness and restoration.
The psalm seems to break into the following structure:
A. David petitions God for
mercy and cleansing (vv. 1–2),
B. Then acknowledges his sin
(vv. 3–6).
C. He asks God to purify and
restore him (vv. 7–12), d
D. Describing how he will
respond to God’s forgiveness (vv. 13–15).
E. After stating that God
prefers a contrite heart over sacrifice (vv. 16–17),
In the second part (B), David writes these words, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my
mother conceive me. Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you
teach me wisdom in the secret heart” (Psalm 51:5–6, ESV). There is an accepted opinion that within
David's acknowledgement of sin he recognizes original sin. He is fully aware that even in conception the
sin nature of Adam was imputed
to him. " The Bible clearly teaches that children are sinners. They are not
born innocent and only later become sinners. Children, too, need God’s
salvation."[4]
Verse 6 comes to us with an amazing
variance among English translations:
|
Psalm 51:6 (AV)
|
Psalm 51:6 (NIV)
|
Psalm 51:8 (Tanakh)
|
Psalm 51:6 (NLT)
|
|
6 Behold, thou
desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt
make me to know wisdom.
|
6 Yet you desired
faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place.
|
8 Indeed You desire
truth about that which is hidden; teach me wisdom about secret things.
|
6 But you desire
honesty from the womb, teaching me wisdom even there.
|
The pronouncement of verse 5 that teaches us that all people come into
this world with a sin nature, provides no excuse to any of us. The psalmist, by the use of the word, Behold, (or Look) creates a juxtaposition. He draws to ideas closely together for
contrast and comparison. The combination
in these two verses describes the horrible scenario that apart from anything we
have done, God has imputed the sin of Adam upon every person born into this
world. This results of a sin nature is
total guilt before God. And there is no
excusing us!
But in contrast to that scenario, one might
assume that God's standards are less demanding.
Not so, says David. In spite of
the fact that we are born in sin through no fault of our own, God anticipates a
high standard from all of us. That is
clear: "Behold Thou desirest . .
.."
The question is, "What does God
desire?" First of all the evidence
indicates that God desires integrity from the time of conception (in the womb,
cf: NLT) and even in the inner depths of our heart. "God wants more than improved outward
performance."[5]
We can conclude that David is saying that in spite of being born with a
sin nature, God expects integrity, truthfulness, faithfulness to Him – IN THE
HEART of a person – from the time of conception. That's a high standard!
David has just affirmed his desire for complete and utter cleansing (vv
1-4). He has affirmed that this can only
occur based upon God's great mercy and steadfast love. The Hebrew word for delight is חָ פַ צְ ת.
The word for teach is ת דִ יעֵנִ י, meaning "you are causing me to know". " The verbs "desire" and
"teach," not being synonymous, suggest intensification of the second
bicolon."[6] The translation of the
Hebrew is:
"Behold truth
you-delight in the veneered parts and in part-being-obstructed wisdom you are
causing me to know."
Why does David employ the word,
"wisdom"? What is this wisdom
that God teaches us in the heart? Calvin writes, "The one member of the verse responds to the other. He acknowledges that
it was not a mere superficial acquaintance with divine truth which he had
enjoyed, but that it had been closely brought home to his heart. This rendered
his offense the more inexcusable."[7] It would seem to me that the truth, the
wisdom that God causes people to know in the secret chasms of their hearts, is
that they are guilty before God. Paul gives
an example of this in Romans
2:15–16. That guilty conscience in
the heart is the wisdom of God revealed to the heart of man. And someday if men do not respond in
repentance that secret will be revealed and judged.
Thomas Goodwin writes, "David should bless
God for having made him to know this special wisdom in this hidden thing or
matter, and had brought the knowledge thereof home, as a point of saving
wisdom, to the hidden man of his heart, so as to see fully and clearly this
native corruption as the cause of all sin, and on that account to cause him to
lay it to heart."[8] [Emphasis mine]
Thank God
for the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Come, ye sinners, lost and
hopeless,
Jesus’ blood can make you free;
For He saved the worst among you,
When He saved a wretch like me.
Jesus’ blood can make you free;
For He saved the worst among you,
When He saved a wretch like me.
Refrain
And I know, yes, I know
Jesus’ blood can make the vilest sinner clean,
And I know, yes, I know
Jesus’ blood can make the vilest sinner clean
Jesus’ blood can make the vilest sinner clean,
And I know, yes, I know
Jesus’ blood can make the vilest sinner clean
Apart from the Gospel there is no excuse. Each man and woman knows they stand guilty before God. They know that in the secret chasms of their hearts. Oh, if that is you, you will not suppress this truth, but instead run the the Savior.
[2] The
Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2001). (Ps 51:title). Wheaton:
Standard Bible Society.
[3] Barry, J. D., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M.,
Mangum, D., & Whitehead, M. M. (2012). Faithlife
Study Bible (Ps 51:title–19). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
[4] Whitlock, L. G., Sproul, R. C., Waltke, B.
K., & Silva, M. (1995). The
Reformation study Bible: bringing the light of the Reformation to Scripture:
New King James Version (Ps 51:5). Nashville: T. Nelson.
[5] Brug, J. F. (1989). Psalms 1–72 (2nd ed., p. 212). Milwaukee, WI: Northwestern Pub.
House.
[6] Expositor's
Bible Commentary, The, Pradis
CD-ROM:Psalms/Exposition of Psalms/BOOK II: Psalms 42-72/Psalm 51: Forgiveness
and the Community/II. Confession and Contrition (51:3-6), Book Version: 4.0.
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