Psalms 51:1

 Psalms 51:1 says,To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.  After a long introduction, where David said this was written after Nathan pointed out David's sin with Bathsheba, verse one says, Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.  David asked God to have mercy on him and according to God's great mercy to blot out his transgressions.  Faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, made possible by the great mercy of God is the only way to salvation, and we must ask for Him to blot out our transgressions by putting our faith in Jesus Christ.  There is no other way to salvation, and it is because of God's mercy in spite of our transgressions.  We never merit or earn salvation.  Verse two adds, Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.  David asked God to throughly wash him and cleanse him from his sin with Bathsheba.  As Christians, God has thoroughly washed us clean of all our sins by His blood shed on the cross, but if we give in to sin once more we still need to acknowledge it and ask God's forgiveness.  Verse three declares, For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.  David acknowledged his sins and transgressions before God, and so must we if we are to be forgiven for them.  We can never just ignore our sins and believe that God has to forgive them whether we acknowledge them or not.  Salvation is not a license to sin because we know that God has already forgiven us.  Verse four adds, Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.  David said that it was against God alone that he had sinned, and that God was justified in His judgment of David.  Even if we are just angry at our neighbor as followers of Christ, or whatever the thought or action may be that is not in accordance with God's word, our ultimate sin is against God because we have not obeyed Him.  Verse five continues, Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.  David said he was born in iniquity.  I believe that more accurate statement would be that he was born with free will that could lead him to sin.  David was not guilty of sin because of his birth, but because of the choices he knowingly made, and so is every person ever born.  Verse six states, Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.  David said God wanted truth in the hidden parts of man, in their heart and mind.  If we have not accepted God's truth in our heart and mind, it is impossible to truly follow His will for our life.  Verse seven adds, Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.  David said that when God washed him that he would be whiter than snow.  When we are washed in the blood of Christ, we are made spiritually clean, without any mark of sin left on us.  Verse eight declares, Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.  David asked that God would make him hear joy and gladness.  We need that same joy and gladness in our life today if we are Christians.  As David said, even our broken bones, or those things that might be physically wrong with us, should rejoice.   Even in times of trouble we are to rejoice in the Lord if we are truly followers of Christ.  Verse nine adds, Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.  David asked God to no longer look on His sins and to blot out his iniquities.  As Christians, God has already done this for us.  He does not look back at forgiven sins, and neither should we.