Psalm 51: Salient Theological Themes Salient Theological Themes: Psalm 51

Psalm 51 is a penitential psalm presenting David's prayer for confession after he was confronted by Prophet Nathan for conspiring against Uriah and taking his wife Bathsheba. It is organized into four distinct sections, beginning with a plea for restoration, and ending with an intercession for the psalmist's people. This text identifies the salient themes in Psalm 51, and the specific strategies used by the psalmist to deal with his guilt and confession.

Psalm 51: Salient Theological Themes

Psalm 51 is a confession Psalm that basically presents David's prayer for forgiveness after he was rebuked by Prophet Nathan for plotting against Uriah, and taking his wife, Bathsheba, for himself. David organizes his prayer in four distinct sections, beginning with a plea for mercy (51: 1-14), followed by a plea for restoration (51: 5-12), a promise to do better (51: 13-17), and finally, an intercession for his people (51: 18 and 19). Psalm 51 offers a perfect example of how Christians ought to pray for God's forgiveness when they have transgressed against God and their fellow men. This text presents the salient theological themes in Psalm 51, and the different strategies employed by the Psalmist in his quest for forgiveness and restoration.

Main Themes

The Nature of Sin

David describes sin using such words as 'transgression,' 'sin', and 'iniquity'. This variety of descriptions advances the theme that the nuances of sin cannot be limited to one or two descriptive words because sin is a product of not only actions,...

It affects the whole being, and, therefore, no part of the human body is immune from the effects it produces (verse 6). Another key theme, evident from verse 5, is that sin is part of human existence right from the time of birth (Vonk, 1995). However as David points out in verse 6, truth is also part of existence, and the choice to seek truth and repentance is a responsibility that lies on each individual's shoulders. A third salient theme is that sin is a wrongdoing committee against God (verse 4). David had sinned against Bathsheba and Uriah, but his ultimate sin was against God. Whenever we sin, therefore, we transgress against God, and refuse to be obedient to Him (Vonk, 1995).
The Consequences of Sin

David portrays sin as having grave consequences including pervasive guilt (verse 3), depression (evident in David's plea to have his joy returned, verse 8), anticipation of condemnation/judgment (verse 4), a sense of being imprisoned or crushed by our actions (verse 8), fear of God's abandonment (verse 11), an inability to worship truly and reverently (evident from David's declaration that sacrifices and rituals are, by themselves, not sufficient, in verse 16), and a sense of deadness (evident from David's cry in verse 10 to have God create and breathe into him again). The Holy Spirit, who lives inside every Christian, convicts them to experience these feelings of intolerance and guilt as a result of sin just as David did.

The Divine Solution

This is the central theme of this Psalm -- in verse 1, David describes God as a compassionate God…