The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart-These, O God, You will not despise.
Psalm 51:17 NKJV
Our Scripture passage today comes from Psalm 51. This Psalm was written by David after he had sinned by committing adultery with Bathsheba. Bathsheba was pregnant. Her husband was at war where David should have been. David then tried to cover up the adultery by having Bathsheba’s husband killed in war.
David didn’t even realize what he had done until Nathan, the prophet, pointed it out to him. Sometimes we commit sin and we rationalize and justify it. We live our lives as though all is well. I can assure you, my friend, when you are in the bondage of sin all is not well. We are told in Romans 6:23 the wages of sin is death, but Jesus Christ freely gives the gift of eternal life.
When David realized the weight and bondage he was under due to his sin, he was a broken man. God punished him by taking the life of the son born to him and Bathsheba. He also told him the sword would never leave his house. There was turmoil between David and his children from that day forward.
Bringing about the death of a young child and having family members turn against each other doesn’t sound like the work of a loving God, does it? We like to think that God is love and He would never punish us. He just loves us too much. Well, I can tell you that when my daddy whipped me, he always said, “This hurts me more than it hurts you.” As a child, I had some serious doubts about that. But as I matured, I realized that it broke my dad’s heart to punish me when I did wrong, but he did it for my own good.
God doesn’t want to punish us. This is why He does all He can to show us the right way. He sent His Son to earth to serve as a model for godly living. He allowed Him to die on the cross so that His blood could wash us clean. He conquered sin and death. God gave us His holy word as an instruction manual for how we should live our lives.
God doesn’t want to break us, but we must be broken. As human beings, we are born with a free spirit. I liken this to a wild Mustang roaming free. Before that horse can be of any use to its master, it must be broken. Someone has to take control of it and be able to bridle its tongue and use reigns to control its movement.
We must be broken to be of any use to God. We can’t just run around and do whatever our flesh desires. We must submit and surrender to a loving God who wants to guide us and protect us. Most importantly, He wants to spend eternity with us in heaven. But before all this can happen, we must be broken.
Yesterday I watched a YouTube video of a sermon by Reverend Voddie Baucham on brokenness. I strongly encourage you to take the time to listen to this sermon. I identified with the part where he said our sin has consequences and a memory.
There are sins I have committed that I will always remember. There are things I’ve done that I wish I could erase or take back. God may forgive and forget. He may move our sin as far as the east is from the west from us (Psalm 103:12), but sin has broken me. It has caused me to want to do better. And yes, sometimes it comes to mind, and with it comes shame and regret.
But that’s okay. This is what makes me strive to please God today. This is what drives me to be the best I can be for Him. It encourages me to imitate Him (Ephesians 5:1) to the best of my ability.
If you are riding high with your sin and pride, be careful. Brokenness is coming your way. Sin never goes unpunished. You can, however, humble yourself and submit yourself to a loving God. Believe me, it’s much better to humble yourself than for Him to do it for you.
Trust in Him today and commit to obeying Him to the best of your ability. Pray for him to guide you and help you to do what is right. Surrendering to Him will bring peace and joy to your life. What are waiting for?
Have a great day!