Psalm 51:8-12 - "Restore to Me the Joy..."
MAY 06, 2023
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Sin will at first fascinate us, but then it assassinates us. It first thrills us,
but then it kills us. Jesus warned us in John 10:10 that the “thief has come
to steal, to kill and to destroy…”. Our sin will rob us of so much! My
friend, the devil will rob you of your joy in Christ and in life. He will take
you down a broad path that always leads to destruction. This is exactly what happened
to David, and now in verses 8-12 he prays for restoration.


Remember later in life David wrote about the Good Shepherd and he said, “He restores
my souls…” (Psalm 23:3). Today we can believe and find forgiveness for all
our sins through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and find restoration for
what we have lost by our sin.  Sin always
brings a curse upon us, but forgiveness will cure us and heal the many wounds
of sin. The curse or wounds of sin that cause loss are many and, in this
chapter, include:


Loss of peace. "My sin is ever before me" (Psalm
51:3). The guilt of sin sticks like glue. The sinner has no rest, but his
conscience is constantly assaulted by the guilt of his sin. “But
the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up
mire and dirt. "There is no peace," Says my God, "for the
wicked." (Isaiah 57:20-21).


Loss of pleasure. "Make me to hear joy and gladness... Restore unto
me the joy of thy salvation" (Psalm 51:8, 12). Sin does not bring joy,
but it brings sorrow. It takes away joy. Sin promises pleasure but the pleasure
it gives is only for "a season" (Hebrews 11:25) and that season is
short.


Loss in physical. "Bones which thou hast broken" (Psalm
51:8). Sin is hard on the physical health. David illustrates that truth by
speaking of his bones being broken by sin. In his case it was a figure of
speech, but sometimes it is a literal experience. David knew how a good shepherd
in love would break the front legs of a little lamb that refused to quit
straying away from the flock, and then he would carry it on his shoulders and
keep it close to him until it was healed.


Loss of presence. "Cast me not away from thy presence"
(Psalm 51:11). The loss of Divine presence is a real loss. Moses so valued the
presence of God, that he would not go on before Israel without it (Exodus
33:15). The presence of God speaks of fellowship with God. Adam and Eve lost
that fellowship through their sin. Fellowship with God is so precious, but sin
kills it.


Loss of assurance. "Take not thy Holy Spirit from me" (Psalm
51:11). Sin takes away our assurance. We do not lose our salvation nor the seal
of our salvation which is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13,
14). But sin can make us think we have lost it. Sin is fatal to assurance. It
cannot destroy the certainty of our salvation, but it can destroy confidence
and sureness of mind.


Loss of freedom. "Uphold me with thy free spirit" (Psalm
51:12 OKJ). The word "thy" is not substantiated by the Hebrew text.
The text simply says "Uphold [support] my free spirit." which means
to give me my freedom back. Freedom comes through forgiveness. The world
accuses the redeemed of being bound and restricted because the redeemed will
not do sinful things, but it is the world that is bound—by evil habits, foul
appetites, and oppressed by the weight of sin. David wants his freedom back. He
wants the guilt and burden of sin removed. Real freedom is not doing what we want
to do but the freedom and power to do what we ought to do!


Yes, the thief will rob and destroy us with sin, but Jesus went on to say in John
10:10-11, “…but I am come that you might have life and that you might have
it more abundantly. I am the Good Shepherd, the Good Shepherd Who gives His
life for the sheep”.  


Thank the Lord that today that we can find forgiveness and restoration through the death of our
Lord Jesus Christ and His resurrection life!


God bless!

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