“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.” (Psalm 51:10-12)

The context in which King David wrote these words is contained in the notation preceding the psalm:

“For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.”

The sordid details behind this pithy statement are recorded in II Samuel chapters 11 & 12.

In the earlier part of the psalm, David is very honest about how his actions have affected him:

“My sin is always before me.” (v. 3) He can’t shake it.

Reading verses 7-9 we get the impression that David felt dirty, soiled, stained.

That is why he longs to be washed “whiter than snow” and have his iniquity “blotted out.”

It would appear that he has lost all his joy.

“Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice…Restore to me the joy of your salvation.” (v. 8, 12)

You can tell that David is also dealing with shame when he prays: “Hide your face from my sins.” (v. 9)

Can you relate to David at all?

Perhaps your sin may not be as severe as adultery and murder.

But, let’s face it. Sin is sin.

Anytime we willfully violate God’s revealed will, we are bound to share some if not all aspects of David’s experience, amen?

To his credit, David offers no excuses for his sinful action.

He does not blame heredity. “It was in my genes.”

He does not blame Bathsheba. “She should’ve known better than to take a bath in the range of my binoculars!”

He does not blame God. “Why didn’t you do something to stop me?”

He simply enters his plea: “Mea Culpa.”

David does not stop there, though.

He shows great insight when he continues to pray: “Create in me a clean heart, O God.”

He realizes that the solution to his problem is not therapy.

A stronger self-will was not going to take care of it.

Behaviour modification was not the answer.

He needs a clean heart.

The Hebrew word translated “create” is the same word used in the very first verse of the Bible to describe how the heavens and the earth came to be.

God created.

David knows that he cannot bring about the change he desires on his own.

God has to bless him with a clean heart.

Quick fixes won’t do.

Surgery won’t cut it.

A good scrubbing can’t do the job.

God has to create it.

Did God answer David’s prayer?

Clearly, yes. After all God calls him “a man after my own heart.” (Acts 13:22)

The answer to our feelings of dirtiness, joylessness and shame is exactly the same as David’s as well, isn’t it?

We would do well to pray as he does in Psalm 51:9: “Create in me a clean heart, O God.”