Psalm 51 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study

Psalm 51 Short Summary:

Psalm 51 is a psalm of repentance. It was written after David’s sins with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11-12). Having been confronted by God’s prophet, Nathan, David grieved his sin, asked the Lord to cleanse him, and to restore the joy of His fellowship. David’s repentance was genuine and the text says he came to God with a broken spirit and a contrite heart.

Psalm 51 Summary

AUTHOR:

• David wrote Psalm 51.

NEW TESTAMENT REFERENCES:

• Romans 3:4

THEMES:

• The guilt of sin weighs heavy on a person who loves God.

• God’s mercy is abundant and great grace is found in His steadfast love.

DEFINITIONS:

• Hyssop (51:7) – A flowering plant with a purple bloom. Historically, it was commonly used for medicinal purposes. It was used by the priests for several ceremonies connected to the Tabernacle/Temple, it was often associated with cleansing.

• Contrite (51:17) – Feeling guilty or regretful because you’ve done something wrong.

OUTLINE:

• *Context: This psalm was written after the prophet Nathan confronted David about having an affair with Bathsheba and murdering her husband (2 Samuel 11-12).

• CREATE IN ME A CLEAN HEART, O GOD (51:1-19):

  • Psalm 51 was written by David during a time of profound repentance.

  • He had taken a woman who was not his wife, gotten her pregnant, and killed her husband after a failed cover up attempt.

  • David was initially headstrong and stubborn in his sin, but God’s prophet had convicted him and called him to repentance.

  • He went to the Lord with a “broken spirit” and a “contrite heart” (51:17).

  • David asked the Lord to have mercy on him, to cleanse him of his sins, and to wash him of his iniquity.

  • Although he had wronged many people, he acknowledged that first-and-foremost he had sinned against God.

  • The regret of David’s sins was constantly on his mind, and he asked God to bring back the joy of walking in step with Him.

  • He wrote, “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” (51:10-12).

  • He looked forward to worshiping God again and helping others avoid a life of sin.
    

APPLICATION:

• A person’s sins will tell you a lot about them, but the way a person repents is equally important.

• David committed some of the “big sins,” but those sins didn’t disqualify him from being God’s appointed leader because of the way he repented of them.

• When confronted, he humbled himself, he took responsibility, and he repented.

• God used men like David, Peter, and Paul in great ways even though all those men had some ugly sins in their past.

• Those men made some big mistakes, but when they repented, they repented with all their heart.

• Let’s not just assess people based on their sins, lets be like Jesus and appreciate what proper repentance says about a person’s character.