A Clean Heart

It was bad enough when David committed adultery with Bathsheba. Compounding his sins, he then arranged for her husband, Uriah, to be killed in battle. He might have tried to justify his actions, but, after being confronted by the prophet Nathan, David admitted what he had done. What he had not anticipated was the devastating impact of his actions.

Eventually David realized that his actions could not be justified, that he deserved judgment. But his prayer was that he would receive mercy from God’s “unfailing love.” That somehow God could erase the impact of his actions. That He would “blot out my transgressions” and “wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.”

He cried for God to create a clean heart in him. This confession was an important step in the process of forgiveness. The Bible says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness”(1 John 1:9).

Paul wrote that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Sin can have a horrible impact. It can separate us from God, fill us with guilt, rob us of joy, and create overwhelming burdens. Ultimately “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).

David had committed particularly horrible sins. But we must remember that, in God’s sight, sin is sin. All sin has damaging consequences. God sent Jesus that we might be freed from sin and the problems it creates. We cannot have this freedom until we confess our sins and seek forgiveness.

Do you want a clean heart? Make sure you are honest with God. Allow Him to reveal any sin. Confess these sins and accept His forgiveness. Allow Him to clean your heart.