“Who can understand [his] errors? cleanse thou me from secret [faults]. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous [sins]; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.” (Ps 19:12-13 AV)
What a refreshing prayer request! The pure innocence and child-like spirit in our delightful psalmist is a breath of fresh air. In a time when all we can think about is our troubles and needs, the child of God seeks to live his life free from that which offends a holy God! The songwriter admits he cannot understand why or how he falls into sin. This sin is presumptuous. In other words, it is common and without restraint. It is presumptuous because it assumes the LORD is not all that too concerned about it. The reason it is common is that it is presumptuous. Again, David does not understand why he is entangled in such a state. But the plea shows his humility and sincerity. David pours out his heart, not out of concern over circumstances. Rather, he is concerned with offending God. Again, how refreshing to note someone whose life is all about pleasing God by overcoming sin, rather than responding only when failure comes and consequences overwhelm.
Looking at David’s request reveals an even deeper truth. He names two types of sins. He names the secret faults. Those are sins of commission or omission of which he is unaware. Not until I read the Old Testament did I then fully appreciate the depth of our sin. It is too numerous to recall. The secret things are those things we have yet to learn of. They are often the deeper sins of the heart and mind. The second is presumptuous sin. That is sin we are well aware of. Sins that we know are offensive to God. These sins are committed regardless of our knowledge of them. We know what the word of God says, and we chose to disobey, anyway. In short, what David is asking for is a complete overhaul. He wants to know it all. He wants the LORD to keep him from the sin he knows he is committing and show him the ones he does not know he is committing. Again, not to be repetitive, but this is refreshing.
We try to make our walk with God far more mystical and complicated than it needs to be. Having a relationship with my earthly father was not that complicated. All I had to do was please him and take the time to know him. That is all I needed to do. The same is true with the Father. We make our relationship with God something that it is not. When we are disappointed, we walk away. David shows us the way. Having a relationship with the LORD is no more complicated or mystic than asking Him to guide you into spiritual maturity. That means we learn to obey, follow, and trust. It is no more complicated than that. We have turned our churches into a science lab of more technique, programs, or pragmatic solutions to spiritual problems. In reality, it is no more than seeking God in humility and sincerity, asking Him to show us how to make Him happy. That is it! Nothing more, nothing less. David is called a man after God’s own heart. The above request shows us why. He had a great calling. He was the greatest king to have ever sat on any throne. He would be in the line of the Messiah. But just like Paul of the New Testament, they both realized the greatest aspiration as a child of God is obedience and faith.
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