It’s incredibly hard for good people to admit to grievous sins. It’s rather easier for the ax murderer to confess than for the upstanding citizen to do so. Thankfully, King David shows us: It can be done.

By God’s own admission, David was a man after God’s own heart. Yet even David at times greatly dishonored and misrepresented God. During one season in his life, David committed grievous sins – sins that included sexual abuse and the shedding of innocent blood.

When confronted, he confessed. He confessed privately to God. More amazing, David confessed publicly. He acknowledged his bloodguilt. He allowed the story of his wrongdoing to be written, and he himself wrote several songs of confession – all of which we can still read in our Bibles today.

One of David’s songs, Psalm 51, makes clear the connection between confession and cleansing. As you read it below, you may grapple with David’s apparent failure to acknowledge: His abuse of Bathsheba and murder of Uriah profoundly hurt people, as well as God.

So go ahead. Grapple. At the same time, be aware: King David did not scrub the historical record that made its way into 2 Samuel 11-12, naming his victims and describing his crimes.

Also, as you read David’s confession, consider what usually happens when someone confronts a powerful “man of God” – or other privileged Christian person – for behaving in horrific ways.

How often does the response of the guilty sound like this?

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.

Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.

Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, you who are God my Savior, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise.

Psalm 51:1-4, 7-12, 14-15

Quoted from We Confess! The Civil War, the South, and the Church, 2011, 2020

Image by Lorenzo Corsini from Pixabay