Introduction: We find here an emphasis on God's compassion and forgiveness, two aspects we often distort or forget. It is curious that David makes no requests of God in this Psalm.
Consider the following true story. A man was battling with a serious drug problem. A friend agreed to help him get a job through some mutual acquaintances, and no sooner had he started to work than he relapsed and stayed up all night doing cocaine. When he failed to make their breakfast date the next day, the friend found him drunk, trying to come down from his drug high with whiskey. Since he drove the company van he couldn't call in sick, so the friend drove both him and the van out to the plant where he worked. As they approached their destination, he was in a state of panic asking over and over, "What shall I say?" Finally, the friend responded, "Tell the truth." As they went into the building, the woman who was his direct superior greeted them. She took one look at him and asked what was wrong. He replied, "I blew it and got stoned last night." Her response was simple, direct. She put her arm around him and said, "We are a family here, and I am a former drunkard. Go home and get some sleep and come back tomorrow." Finding that the owner was also in the office, the friend took the man to see her. She, too, asked what was wrong. After he told her what had happened, she took his hand, prayed for him, and then drove him home to sleep. What the man expected was judgment. He thought he would be fired. What he received, however, was mercy, and in this he experienced a parable of the gospel. |
