Be Open, Be Honest

Psalm 51:5-6

So far in this chapter we have seen David confess that he needs God’s mercy to be forgiven and restored. There is nothing he can do to remove his sin. God alone can, and will, if we ask. We also just saw David acknowledge his sin before God. He was not making excuses or acting as though his sins were no big deal but recognized his sins as offenses against God alone. He recognized that God was not at fault in any way but accepted that his sins were fully his.

We continue on with that now in verse five where David writes, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.” David was born with sin. His father passed it down to him (that is why Jesus had to be born of a virgin). He did not have to learn it, because he already had it. David recognized that if he wanted to avoid sinning he had to allow God to change his heart, just as we do.

We are born with sinful intentions. When we are young we don’t know any better. We still sin, yes, but we are, in a way, innocent. When we begin to understand right from wrong, we are no longer innocent. We are not clueless, we are disobedient. That is why the Bible states on multiple occasions that children are to honor and obey their parents, and if they don’t they need to be disciplined (Proverbs 13:24).

We are all born with wicked hearts, just different, wicked hearts. My brother, for example, was a very angry kid. He would disobey my parents constantly and he didn’t care if he was spanked. I, on the other hand, was a calmer child. I was relatively good at showing my parents respect, but I still sinned. My sins were more subtle, more difficult to see. I knew how to act and what to say, but I was sinning constantly. Both me and my brother were wicked sinners.

That is where the beauty of the gospel comes in, and our wicked, sinful hearts show us why we need Him. David recognized this. He knew he was a sinful man. He knew he needed Christ. He trusted in the Lord and was saved just as me and my brother were, and it changed our lives. The most radical change I have personally seen in someone’s life is in my brother’s. He went from the angriest kid I have ever seen (my parents can attest) to one of the most loving people I have ever met. And it is all thanks to the power of God.

All of that to say, David did not blame God for his sin. he recognized he was born with a sin nature, and that the only way he could change his wicked heart was by allowing God to change it.

That is essentially what we see him say in verse six, “Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.” God wants to change us from the inside out. He looks at the inward, not the outward appearance. People can fake holiness, and some are so good they can trick just about anyone, but not God. He goes straight to the heart. David knows that, and he also knows that only God can change his heart.

We also must recognize that only God can change us. To be clear, I am not talking about salvation here, though only God can save us, but I am now talking about sanctification. When we get saved we still have sinful habits. David was saved and then committed adultery and murder. There is never a time when we are not reliant on God to make us more holy.

God desires truth, and He knows our hearts, so why would we not be honest with Him? Why wouldn’t we just tell Him our heart, even if that is, “I don’t want to talk to You right now”? Because though that is not a good place to be, and ideally you will always desire to talk to God, we are sinners and we won’t always desire to talk to Him. We should tell Him that. We should still talk to Him but be honest and ask God to change our desires. Again, He already knows your heart.

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