Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

Psalm 51:9-10

In one of the most famous scenes from Shakespeare’s famous play, Macbeth, Lady Macbeth attempts vigorously to wash non-existent blood stains off of her hands, representing her guilt over her part in the murder of King Duncan. No matter how hard she works, she cannot scrub away the guilt that is poisoning her own heart.

Perhaps you don’t identify with this scene, since you most likely are not plagued with guilt over murder. However, there is a truth in this scene that we can certainly identify with, and which is proclaimed clearly by David’s plea for mercy after he has murdered Uriah. The truth is that we can never get rid of our guilt or sin on our own.

No matter how hard David worked to cover up his sin with Bath-sheeba, he only made matters worse, eventually leading to the death of his own son (cf. 2 Samuel 12). The same was true for Macbeth. No matter how hard he worked to cover up his own sins of ambition, he only made things worse for himself and his wife – leading ultimately to their own demise.

This eternal wisdom applies to us as well. When we attempt to cover up or get rid of our sin on our own, we only make matters worse and put more sin upon sin. However, when we cry out to God for a clean heart, as David does in Psalm 51, our Lord is quick to forgive, filled with steadfast love and mercy towards us.

Like David, (and very unlike Macbeth and his wife), God renews a righteous spirit within us when we confess our sins to Him.

Prayer

Create in me a clean heart today, O God. Blot out my transgressions. Do not hide Your face from me.

Daily Reading: Proverbs 20

– Contributed by Pastor Jarod Koenig