Psalms 51:4

Psalms 51:4. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.

David’s great iniquity was a sin against many, but he had been brought to learn what few see, that the virus of sin lies in its being against God. Last Sabbath evening, our subject was that "sin is the transgression of the law," and I tried to show that the very essence of its sinfulness lies in the fact that it is rebellion against the will of God. So, David here puts his finger on the great black blot, and shows that he knew where the chief mischief lay: "Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest." Let God do what he will with us, he cannot treat us worse than we deserve. If we were banished from his presence into a hopeless eternity, we should not dare to complain. He is justified when he speaks, he is clear when he judges.