Psalms 51:14

DAVID'S VOW TO OFFER SPIRITUAL SACRIFICES

"Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation;

And my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.

O Lord, open thou my lips;

And my mouth shall show forth thy praise.

For thou delightest not in sacrifice; else would I give it:

Thou hast no pleasure in burnt-offering.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit:

A broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise."

"Deliver me from bloodguiltiness" (Psalms 51:14). Reputable versions still retain this reading, although an alternative word for bloodguiltiness is alleged to be "death"; and from this some have concocted the theory of David's suffering here from some terrible disease. There is no need whatever for such an interpretation. David here calls the murder of Uriah by its right name. "The word means `blood violently shed,' or a deed of blood and bloodguiltiness."[12]

"O Lord, open my lips" (Psalms 51:15). David truly desired to worship and sing God's praises, but his sins had seriously interfered with such activity. One reason for this is cited in the next verse.

"For thou delightest not in sacrifice, else would I give it" (Psalms 51:16). David could not mean here that God was changing Moses' Law regarding animal sacrifices. The problem was that the Law provided no sacrifice for willful sins. Therefore, David was in a state of seeking restoration before he could offer sacrifices.

"A broken spirit ... a contrite heart" (Psalms 51:17). Although no animal sacrifice could take away the guilt of willful and deliberate sin, David remembers that a broken spirit and a contrite heart are indeed true sacrifices that God will not despise.

This verse inspired the immortal lines of Kipling's Recessional:

"Still stands thine ancient sacrifice,

An humble and a contrite heart."