Who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins. Psalm 19:12–13
Kyle and Allison had a wonderful honeymoon in an exotic location. When they returned home, however, they discovered that Kyle’s feet had developed a strange, itchy rash. The couple was referred to an infectious disease specialist. He informed them that small parasites had burrowed their way into Kyle’s feet through blisters caused by his new flip flops. What started out as a dream vacation ended in a challenging battle with unwanted “guests.”
David knew that if he didn’t ask God for help to fight sin, his dream of living a pleasing life before Him would turn into a battle with the unwanted guests of sin and rebellion. After declaring how God is revealed in the natural world (Psalm 19:1–6) and His wisdom found in His instruction (vv. 7–10), David asked God to protect him from inadvertent, arrogant, and deliberate disobedience. “Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins,” he wrote (vv. 12–13). He recognized that he didn’t have the human resources to keep the infectious disease of sin from affecting him. So, he wisely asked God for help.
How can we make sure our dream of living in a way that honors God doesn’t become hijacked by sin? Let’s keep our eyes on Him, confess and repent of our sin, and seek divine help in keeping unwanted spiritual parasites from burrowing into our lives.
1 The heavenss declaret the glory of God;u
the skiesv proclaim the work of his hands.w
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.x
3 They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
4 Yet their voiceb goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.y
In the heavens God has pitched a tentz for the sun.a
7 The law of the Lordg is perfect,h
refreshing the soul.i
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,j
making wise the simple.k
8 The precepts of the Lord are right,l
giving joym to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.n
9 The fear of the Lordo is pure,
enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm,
and all of them are righteous.p
10 They are more precious than gold,q
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,r
than honey from the honeycomb.s
11 By them your servant is warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
12 But who can discern their own errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.t
13 Keep your servant also from willful sins;u
may they not rule over me.v
Then I will be blameless,w
innocent of great transgression.
14 May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
be pleasingx in your sight,
Lord, my Rocky and my Redeemer.z
INSIGHT
- What roles do the spiritual habits of confession and repentance play in your life?
- How important is living a God-honoring life to you?
It isn’t difficult to imagine David as a youthful shepherd, gazing into the night sky and pondering his Creator. The first four verses of Psalm 19 focus on the heavenly expanse. David noted that these “silent” heavens announce the reality of God: “their voice goes out into all the earth” (19:4). The message is clear: all creation points to the Creator. The apostle Paul picked up this theme: “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse” (Romans 1:20).
PRAYER
Loving God, I don’t know myself as well as I should, and I fall short of what I know is right and good. Please help me trust in Your power in my battle with sin. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen!!
Read: Psalm 19:1-4, 7-14 (NIV) | Bible in a Year: Psalm 20-22 ; Acts 21:1-17
