Repentance and Restitution

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
–Psalm 51:10

Psalm 51 is a prayer for forgiveness. David wrote this psalm after being confronted about his adulterous affair with Bathsheba, which he had tried to cover up with murder. In this psalm, we see how David moved from guilt over his sin to the relief of repentance. First of all, as we saw yesterday, David acknowledged that his behavior was sinful. He didn’t hedge about the gravity of his sin. Second, David accepted responsibility for his sin. He didn’t blame anyone but himself.

Third, David received forgiveness for his sin. There are many people David could have sought forgiveness from–he had sinned against Bathsheba, her husband, and the nation of Israel. But in verse 4, David said to God, “Against You, You only, I have sinned.” All sin ultimately is against God, and He was the first person David needed to ask for forgiveness. David prayed, “Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. . . . Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean” (vv. 2, 7). David needed God to do for him what he could not do for himself.

Finally, David repented of his sin. In verse 10, he said, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” He was saying, “I want to do better and I will do better, so help me to have a new way of thinking.” To repent means to have a change of mind that leads to a change of direction.

Repentance involves making restitution for our sins when necessary. Sometimes restitution is monetary; other times restitution takes the form of reconciliation. In Matthew 5:23–24, Jesus said, “If you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, . . . go; first be reconciled to your brother.” If you’ve wronged somebody, you’re to take the first step toward reconciliation. It doesn’t matter if the other person is 99 percent to blame–you’re responsible for your 1 percent. Now, the other person may or may not allow you to reconcile with them, but that’s not your problem. You’re to obey Jesus’ command and take that first step. Is there somebody with whom you need to take the first step toward reconciliation? That is a sign of true repentance.

Today’s devotion is adapted from “Moving from Guilt to Repentance,” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2021.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org.