by Psalm 43:1-5
1 “Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation: O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man.”
2 “For thou art the God of my strength: why dost thou cast me off? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”
3 “O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles.”
4 “Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God.”
5 “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.”
Just a short thought about David. The Bible says that we have ALL gone astray. So, knowing it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of an angry God, why would David actually ask God to judge him, knowing he was a sinful man? I think it goes back to several things.
David was weary of all that was going on around him. Have you become weary in the past year with all the evil going on around the world? Do you feel helpless to do anything and see the enemy getting by with so much evil and wickedness? David could see this happening, as well! He turned to God, such as we should.
First – David asked God to judge him.
David was asking for forgiveness for whatever might be affecting his life. He wanted a clean heart. Many ask God for forgiveness but then they drag that sin around like a dead horse! They cannot trust God to fully forgive them. Whether that sin is something we categorize as “big” or categorize as something insignificant, in God’s eyes, sin is sin. He does not provide more or less forgiveness because of the “size” of the sin. True, some sins will have lasting implications but God will forgive all sin. We can leave it at the Cross and lighten our burden.
Secondly – David knew God would be fair, if not even merciful and save his reputation.
How could David have a right attitude towards others in the midst of a wicked country? Some people do not feel worthy of God’s forgiveness. They might not even ask God to forgive them! This is actually a matter of reversed pride, a “Humble Brag”! No one’s sin or problems are too great to come before the Lord. The Bible commands us to do so. To deny God the privilege of working in our heart, shuts us off from His fellowship.
Thirdly – David had sinned before and he knew the consequences of his sin.
David also knew how fragile he was. He knew he could not lead a perfect life; none of us can. Obviously, others knew of David’s imperfect walk and could easily throw that in his face. BUT, he also knew that life always brings temptations and the adverse doings of others that we have no control over. He was learning how to deal with them! He knew that God’s mercies were new every morning. He knew that, with God’s help, he could have a clean and righteous heart each day, free from carrying his fears, exhaustion towards evil men, and his own inconsistencies from the day before.
By asking God to judge him, it was a way of saying, “God, here are the reigns of my heart! You know more than I do where I need correcting. Let me be submitted to you today to whittle away what needs to go and what I need to improve on.”. David could not wield the minds and actions of others but he could turn his life over to the Lord to use him as God saw fit to carry out his purpose.
In conclusion, David knew that he could trust God to bring him victory in every circumstance. He trusted God to save him from the ignorance and the lies of others.
Never forget that when we give God the reigns of our attitude and stubbornness, He will protect us and lead us. We can welcome God’s judgement because, like David, our heart will be ready to receive His guidance.
