Peter's heart was broken - he had just betrayed his Lord and friend, Jesus. Not long ago, he had been emphatic - “Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!” (Luke 22:33) He had just broken his promise and had denied Jesus three good times, simply because he feared he would be arrested to prison and put to death with Jesus.
There are times in our lives that we may feel like Peter felt, broken and hurt because we have denied Jesus, or because of a sin. Peter wept as a result of his sin, signifying remorse, leading to repentance. Mark 14:70-72 And he denied it again. And a little after, they that stood by said again to Peter, Surely you are one of them: for you are a Galilaean, and your speech agrees thereto. But he began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not this man of whom you speak. And the second time the cock crew. And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said to him, Before the cock crow twice, you shall deny me thrice. And when he thought thereon, he wept.
When David sinned against God, his heart was broken as he described in Psalm 51. He admitted his sin before God - For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge. David then asked God to cleanse him from his sin . In other words, he no longer wanted to be associated with it - Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. David not only asked for cleansing, he wanted a new life to replace his sinful life. He asked for restoration. The essence of this is to prevent one from going back to one's sin - Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
David made a decision in his heart to turn from his sin and to work for the Lord - Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you. Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, you who are God my Savior, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise.David chose to serve God in spirit and in truth - My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.
David was a seed of Adam, and therefore susceptible to sin, and yet he knew how to please the Lord, for he did not allow his sin to rule him, rather, he sought God in his sin and allowed God to rule his heart. In the end, after he had died, God was able to say of him to Solomon - “As for you, if you walk before me faithfully with integrity of heart and uprightness, as David your father did. Also, to Jeroboam, God said about David - I tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you, but you have not been like my servant David, who kept my commands and followed me with all his heart, doing only what was right in my eyes.
We are of the seed of Adam, so can, and may sin or fail the Lord. What we do after that, is what reveals the substance we are made of. Jesus died so we can live a sin free life, and be cleansed from sins - past, present and future. We ought to search our hearts like David did in Psalm 51, and allow God to continually cleanse and restore us in His presence. Though we have found grace in God, we cannot abuse this grace by deliberately doing what we know does not please God.
God is love, whose love calls out to anyone that feels broken- Come to me and I shall give you rest.
WHAT IS NEXT?
