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John Gill
INTRODUCTION TO Psalms 51 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. The occasion of this psalm was the sin of David with Bathsheba, signified by "going in to her"; an euphemism for "lying with her"; which sin was a very aggravated one, she being another man's wife, and the wife of a servant and soldier of his, who was at the...
John Gill
Have mercy upon me, O God,.... David, under a sense of sin, does not run away from God, but applies unto him, and casts himself at his feet, and upon his mercy; which shows the view he had of his miserable condition, and that he saw there was mercy in God, which gave him hope; and upon his bended knees, and in the exercise of faith, he asks for it; according to thy lovingkindness; not according...
Matthew Henry
Though David penned this psalm upon a very particular occasion, yet, it is of as general use as any of David's psalms; it is the most eminent of the penitential psalms, and most expressive of the cares and desires of a repenting sinner. It is a pity indeed that in our devout addresses to God we should have any thing else to do than to praise God, for that is the work of heaven; but we make other...
Charles H. Spurgeon
Ver. 1. Have mercy upon me, O God. He appeals at once to the mercy of God, even before he mentions his sin. The sight of mercy is good for eyes that are sore with penitential weeping. Pardon of sin must ever be an act of pure mercy, and therefore to that attribute the awakened sinner flies. "According to thy lovingkindness." Act, O Lord, like thyself; give mercy like thy mercy. Show mercy such as...
Charles H. Spurgeon
Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness He used to talk about being God’s servant; but he says nothing about that now. He used to speak of God’s great love to him; but he cannot realize that now. Yet he appeals to God for mercy: “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness.” Psa_51:1. According unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions....
Charles H. Spurgeon
Have mercy upon me, O God, “I cannot do without mercy, though I am thy child; and thou must give me great mercy, or it will be no mercy to me, for little mercy will not serve my turn. ‘ Have mercy upon me, O God,’ without stint, and without end. Psa_51:1. According to thy lovingkindness: “If I must set thee a measure, let thine own nature be the measure of thy mercy; I would view thee in the...
Charles H. Spurgeon
Have mercy upon me, O God, — “Nothing but mercy will meet my case. Thy justice frowns upon me; thine anger frightens me. ‘Have mercy upon me,’ — great mercy, unmeasured mercy, undeserved mercy, — ‘Have mercy upon me, O God,’” — Psa_51:1. According to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. David cannot bear himself while he reads the...
Charles H. Spurgeon
Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving-kindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest,...
Charles H. Spurgeon
Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindess: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. This is not a Psalm to be sung to the joyous music of the harp and the viol, but rather to the minor music of sighs, and groans, and tears. You must have the picture of weeping David before your mind’s eye if you would really get to the heart and soul of his...
Charles H. Spurgeon
Have mercy upon me, O God, — He breaks the silence at last, and he does so by crying to God for mercy. Ere he says anything else, he appeals to this attribute of mercy, which is so glorious a trait in the character of Jehovah; and he casts himself, all guilty as he is, upon the absolute mercy of God: “Have mercy upon me, O God,” — Psa_51:1. According to thy lovingkindness: according unto the...
Charles H. Spurgeon
Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Here is a man of God, a man of God deeply conscious of his sin, crying for mercy, vying with all his heart and soul, and yet with his tear-dimmed eyes looking up to God, and spying out the gracious attributes of Deity, lovingkindness, and tender mercies,...
Charles H. Spurgeon
Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. What delicious words those are! “Thy loving-kindness.” I have sometimes felt glad to be a Saxon, that I should speak a language that had such delightful words in it. “Loving-kindness,” “tender mercy.” Now, the eye that is quickest to see the tenderness of God...
Charles H. Spurgeon
Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness, according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. And really, brethren, if we cannot feel that we have need to say, “Have mercy upon me,” and if, indeed, this is not the habitual language of our soul, there must be something more wrong about us than even open sin. Not to be able to confess sin, and not to be...
Charles H. Spurgeon
Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. There may be some people who think themselves so holy that they cannot join in this Psalm. I can, for one, and I believe that there are many of you who can join with me. Just let us for the time being forget all others, and let us come, each one for himself or...
Charles H. Spurgeon
Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: No eye can spy out the tender attributes of God like an eye that is sore with weeping on account of acknowledged sin, so David prays, “Have mercy upon me O God, according to thy lovingkindness.” This word “lovingkindness” is a rich double word, and it was specially suitable just then, for he who has a broken heart — bruised and broken on...
Charles H. Spurgeon
Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. And there is no hope of pardon unless we do this. We must not try to cloak or hide our sin from God; but we must acknowledge...
Charles H. Spurgeon
Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Observe he appeals to mercy, and mercy only — to mercy, abounding mercy in its tenderest and kindest aspect. “According to thy tender mercies.” Note here David does not use his name. He does not say, “Lord remember David”: he is ashamed of his name. And he does...