Scripture:
[5] O God, you know my folly;
the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you.
[6] Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me,
O Lord God of hosts;
let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me,
O God of Israel.
Observation:
David knows that God knows of all the small things he’s done wrong and of all the big things as well. He is confessing his sins and knows that God knows about them already, but that God also knows his heart. There is nothing he can hide, nor is there anything he chooses to hide.
As he later in this same psalm asks for deliverance from his enemies, here he is expressing his deep desire that none of his previous actions cause other believers to be shamed or in any way dishonored.
David knows he is used as an example to others.
Application:
When the world seems to cave in around us, or when we feel like someone or everyone is out to get us, we will certainly pray that God help us through the situations. Before we do that though, we need to repent and ask God for forgiveness of our sins. Guess what? God knows we are not perfect and have sinful desires. He already knows anyway so there is no point in keeping it inside. In fact, not only is it pointless, it is damaging to us mentally and spiritually to do so.
As we live our daily lives, know that we are the light on the hill. We are the saints speaking for Christ in this world. We are known for what people see in us and coming from us. When we commit outright sin, or even just folly, we are seen as examples of our Christian brothers and sisters. Like it or not, our actions as Christians can actually lead others away from Christ. We should hold that thought for the next time we are tempted with a bad decision. It doesn’t just hurt us or our families, it can hurt the whole body.
Prayer:
Lord, thank you for Scripture to guide us. With David being a man after Your own heart we thank You for examples and expressions from David’s heart that we can apply to our own lives in this world.
We know that as you continued to use David after his sins and backsliding, You will continue to use us as we recognize our sin and repent.
In Your Holy Name we pray, Amen.