This week we’re studying Psalm 51. Admittedly this Psalm starts in an uncomfortable place as David discusses his own sin of adultery. Few of us would line up to spill our guts about the negative and embarrassing things we have done… yet this is precisely what David models for us here. There is an old Scottish proverb that says that, “open confession is good for the soul.” There is biblical truth to that as well. We will learn here, as elsewhere in the Scripture, that as we confess and turn from our sin we find freedom. Here are some challenging questions to get you thinking about the teaching of this text.
1. Why do you think recognizing the impact of your sin is the first step in recovering from it?
2. What are some of the things that keep people from admitting when they’ve done wrong?
3. What are some of the benefits of admitting when you’ve done wrong?
4. According to v. 4 of the text, even above human victims, who is most offended by our sin?
5. Why did you answer #4 the way you did?
6. If sin is most ultimately committed against God, then what do you do with the phrase “forgive yourself”?
7. What relationship is there between confessed sin and joy?
8. According to this text, what is a good biblical definition of forgiveness?
9. Why do you think David associates praise with forgiveness?
10. What do you think it means to have a broken spirit?
For some extra insights follow the link to this commentary… Psalm 51.
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