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Gleanings From The Word

Category: Psalms

  • Sinner and Saint – The Dual Nature of King David

    Sinner and Saint – The Dual Nature of King David

    Create in me a clean heart - a man washing his hands in a stream. Sinner and saint - we are both

    King David is often referred to as being a man after God’s own heart. Even the Bible says so in 1 Samuel 13:14 and Acts 13:22. If you know anything about David, that’s a remarkable statement. He was an incredible sinner and a stalwart saint. 

    David was a weak father, a murderer, an adulterer and more. I don’t imagine that there’s a sin he didn’t commit. He could be violent and ruthless, even one of his own sons turned and tried to kill him at one point. 

    If you had to make a list of Bible characters who acted the least like God, you would likely add David. David was a champion for God, but he was also a world-class sinner. 

    Yet at times, David, as both a boy and later a man, stood strongly for God against impossible odds. It was clear he loved the LORD and had faith.

    David the sinner understood that he was a sinner and made no excuses for it. He understood His sin was always against God. 

    David, the saint, knew his only hope was in God’s grace and mercy. 

    In Psalm 51, his cries to the Lord show his heart. He knew that there was no redemption apart from God. 

    Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the abundance of Your compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity. And cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You are justified when You speak and pure when You judge. Psalm 51:1-4 

    Create in me a clean heart, O God and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Psalm 51:10-11 

    Deliver me from blood guiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation; Then my tongue will joyfully sing of Your righteousness. Psalm 51:14

    The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise. Psalm 51:17 

    If we are honest with ourselves, we are no less sinners than David. There may be things he did that we haven’t actually done, but we’ve harbored them in our hearts. That’s sin as well. 

    We need to stop making excuses. We would do well to throw ourselves on the grace of God, the forgiveness of sins that was bought by the blood and death of Jesus. 

    It would do us good to meditate on Psalm 51 and take it to heart. It would make an excellent model for a prayer of repentance.

    He loved us when we were still His enemies. He loves us now despite our rebellion. Although, because of the imputed righteousness of Christ, we are now reconciled.

    David had never heard the name of Jesus, but He knew God alone, by His mercy alone, could save Him. David understood his need for grace

    Praise God that He remains faithful and merciful despite our unfaithfulness.

    Hallelu Yah (Praise God) 

    Be blessed 

    Kevin 

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    SUMMARY

    David was both a great sinner and a faithful servant of God, yet Scripture calls him a man after God’s own heart because he genuinely repented and depended completely on God’s mercy and grace. Psalm 51 reveals David’s broken and contrite heart, reminding believers that forgiveness and restoration come only through the mercy of God and ultimately through Jesus Christ.

    KEY POINTS

    David’s life shows that even those who deeply fail can find forgiveness through sincere repentance and faith in God.

    Psalm 51 serves as a powerful model of confession, humility, and dependence on God’s cleansing grace.

    Believers should stop excusing sin and instead rest in the mercy, forgiveness, and righteousness provided by Christ.

  • Way of Wisdom – Discovering True Enlightenment

    Way of Wisdom – Discovering True Enlightenment

    Oasis secene - theme the way of wisdom - Psalm 1:4

    Wisdom is a prized commodity. People of all faiths and cultures have sought it throughout the ages. Where can it be found? What is the way of wisdom?

    The Bible is full of passages that teach the way of wisdom and righteousness. They both come from the LORD. The psalms open with a clear sample.

    How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the way of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of Yahweh,  And in His law he meditates day and night. And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,  Which yields its fruit in its season  And its leaf does not wither;  And in whatever he does, he prospers.  The wicked are not so, But they are like chaff which the wind drives away.  Therefore the wicked will not rise in the judgment,  Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.  For Yahweh knows the way of the righteous,  But the way of the wicked will perish. Psalm 1

    The Bible clearly teaches that both wisdom and righteousness are clearly related.

    Notice how the psalm begins, not with a list of things to do, but with a warning about where not to go. Wisdom starts with avoidance. Don’t walk in the counsel of the wicked. Don’t linger where sinners stand. Don’t settle into the seat of those who mock.

    That progression is worth slowing down for. You walk somewhere first. Then you stand. Then you sit. What begins as a passing influence can become a permanent address.

    We all know how that works. We’ve seen it happen to people we love. Maybe we’ve seen it happen to ourselves.

    But the psalm doesn’t stop at what to avoid. It moves quickly to what the wise person pursues, to delight in the law of Yahweh (the LORD). Not reluctant obedience. Not dutiful compliance. Delight.

    That’s a high bar. And it’s an honest one.

    The word of God is not a rulebook to endure. It is a well to drink from. The person who meditates on it day and night isn’t grinding through an obligation; they are drinking deeply from something that sustains them.

    The image the psalmist reaches for is a tree planted by streams of water. Not a tree that survives on rainfall alone, dependent on the weather, struggling in dry seasons. A tree with its roots in something constant. 

    It yields fruit. Its leaves don’t wither. Whatever it does, it prospers.

    That is the life wisdom builds, not overnight, but over time, with roots going down where no drought can reach.

    The contrast is sharp and final. The wicked are like chaff. Disconnected. Weightless. Driven by whatever wind is blowing today. When judgment comes, there is nothing there to stand.

    The LORD knows the way of the righteous. That phrase carries more than knowledge. It carries an intimate acquaintance. He knows the path because He is the one who laid it out and walks it with you.

    The way of the wicked perishes. Not because God abandons them dramatically. But because a path that leads nowhere simply ends.

    Wisdom is knowing which path you’re on. May you find it.

    Hallelu Yah (Praise God) 

    Be blessed 

    Kevin 

    SUMMARY

    Psalm 1 teaches that wisdom and righteousness begin by rejecting the influence of the wicked and delighting instead in the law of the LORD. The righteous person is compared to a tree planted by streams of water, firmly rooted and fruitful, while the wicked are unstable like chaff that the wind drives away.

    KEY POINTS

    Wisdom begins with guarding where you walk, stand, and sit, because small influences can shape an entire life.

    The person who delights in and meditates on God’s Word is spiritually sustained, fruitful, and steadfast through every season.

    The righteous are known personally by Yahweh (the LORD), while the path of the wicked ultimately leads to destruction.

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    Sinner and Saint – The Dual Nature of King David