Psalm 51:1–2: Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
Experiencing Jesus in the Psalms
The three verbs David employed here are figurative. Blot out implies a comparison with human records that can be erased; wash away compares forgiveness with washing clothing (often viewed as an extension of a person), and cleanse is drawn from the liturgical ceremonial law in which one might be purified for temple participation. These requests stressed David’s desire for God’s total forgiveness of his transgressions … iniquity, and sin. 1
Living the Transformed Life
And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Cor 6:11
- Will you praise Him for blotting out all the evidence of your sinful past?
- Will you praise Him for washing away all the charges that could have condemned you for eternity?
- Will you praise Him for cleansing your heart from all the sinful pollution that would have destroyed your future?
Only He can give you a new start with a clean heart.
Praise and Prayer
Thank You, Father, for removing my sins, as far as the east is from the west. Dear Jesus, lead me daily to the fountain of Your cleaning blood, and to the streams of Your living water.
1. Ross, A. P. (1985). Psalms. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 832). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
