“Skeletons in the Closet”

When God forgives us, He never brings up the past against us again, because He is good.

July 22, 2018

"Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness' sake, O LORD."

Psalm 25:7

Like each of us, as David matured he remembered things in his past that he was not proud of, in fact, things that are a sin against God’s law and that displeased Him.  Some will try to ignore their past sin by saying that “I was young and immature, surely it wasn’t so bad.”  Spurgeon has a different take on the “sins of our youth.”

“The world winks at the sins of young men, and yet they are not so little after all; the bones of our youthful feastings at Satan’s table will stick painfully in our throats when we are old men. He who presumes upon his youth is poisoning his old age. How large a tear may wet this page as some of us reflect upon the past!”1

Job understood this, “For thou writest bitter things against me, and makest me to possess the iniquities of my youth,” (Job 13:26).

After reading these few words, what in your past has the Lord brought to your mind?  Please do not be discouraged but read on.

“Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions.”
David doesn’t excuse his youthful sins.  Nor does he blame others for his past indiscretions.  He does not act like the devious child who knows spanking is coming and tries to get his parents to forget about it “just this once!”  But David’s habit of life was to own up to his 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, and be clear when thou judgest,” (Psalm 51:3-4).

This word “transgressions” in our verse today is another word for sin.  To “transgress” is to overstep a boundary that God has set up in His Law (His Word).  When God draws a line in the sand and He says, “do not cross this line,” He means it!  Whether I choose to put my big toe on God’s line or to step over that line, I have transgressed.

David is asking God not to hold his sins and transgressions against him.

“According to thy mercy remember thou me.”
Why does David ask for mercy instead of offering one of the Old Testament sacrifices for his sin?  If you have studied the OT sacrificial system you have discovered there are sacrifices for just about any situation imaginable.  There is one kind of sin that I can find no sacrifice for—it’s an “intentional sin.” That’s the “I know what God said, but I want to do what I want to do, so I’ll sin anyway—SIN.”  There was no sacrifice available for the premeditated, planned, or deliberate sin!  This is the reason David asks God to not hold his sin against him, but to remember him in mercy.  With God’s mercy came His forgiveness.

“Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions,” (Psalm 51:1).

“For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering,” (Psalm 51:16).

In the Old Testament economy, the penalty for the “intentional sin” was death by stoning. Yes, David, the king, deserved to be stoned for his intentional sin—the murder of Uriah, and his adultery with Bathsheba, Uriah’s wife.  His sin was worthy of death; therefore David did not offer another sacrifice but begged God for His mercy.

“For thy goodness sake.”
Did you ever wonder how David knew that God is good and that He can be trusted?

He had read the Old Testament Law.  He knew what Moses taught.

“And he [Moses] said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory. And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy,” (Exodus 33:18).

He had experienced firsthand God’s goodness!

“I [David] had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living,” (Psalm 27:13).

[David said] “Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men!” (Psalm 31:19).

“I [David] will speak of the glorious honor of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works. And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and I will declare thy greatness.  They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness and shall sing of thy righteousness. The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy,” (Psalm 145:5-8).

Believer, how do we know that we can trust God when we take the “sins of our youth” and all our other sin to Him?  He is merciful, and He is good!

God is so good!
God is so good!
God is so good,
He’s so good to me!2

 

I see in this verse that My God Is Good and Merciful!

 

 

1.  C.H. Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, the electronic version in eSword.
2.  “God is So Good,” attributed to Velna A. Ledin, 1933, Verses 2-6 by Anonymous/Unknown, Copywrite status, public domain.