The Holy Spirit – Day 8

The writer of this psalm is King David, one of the greatest men in the Old Testament and the ancestor of Jesus Christ Himself. David was the man of whom Samuel said: “…the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart …” (1 Samuel 13:14) and of whom is written: “So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him … and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon David” (1 Samuel 16:13).

It is well known that David was far from perfect. Nevertheless, empowered by the Spirit, he became a mighty warrior who led Israel for the glory of God for forty years, and by the end of his reign had achieved peace. Although he started out as a humble shepherd, tending his father’s flocks, he believed in God’s greatness with all his heart. He was also an inspired poet and musician who poured out his heart to God in the poetry of the psalms where we, too, can be touched by the Spirit’s power in him. We experience the beauty of the psalms as they reflect David’s worship and dependence on God, and God’s faithfulness to him. We realise that we share the same thoughts and needs.

The psalms give us true insight into what made David “a man after (God’s) heart” (Acts 13:22). In spite of becoming a great king, he never forgot that it was through God alone that he had come to power; he saw everything in his life as coming from God’s hand: “It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect” (2 Samuel 22:33). Notwithstanding all of this, he was honest about his own shortcomings and need to confess his sins, to be forgiven by God, and renewed: “Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me” (Psalm 51:12). He never thought of himself as being on a different level to others, deserving different treatment from God.

In the text for today David is in anguish asking God not to take the Holy Spirit from him, pleading for His mercy after committing adultery with Bathsheba and murdering her husband. He asks the LORD for forgiveness and restoration. The Holy Spirit is key in this, because it is He who convicts of sin in the first place and then enables repentance and confession to God, resulting in His forgiveness and renewal.

Yesterday we considered our need of the renewing power of the Holy Spirit to transform areas of our lives. Today we learn from David that sin creates a barrier between us and God which blocks our growth and our happiness, and that the Holy Spirit helps us to acknowledge this barrier and find forgiveness and restoration.