We went to the Austin Stone yesterday. Jeff Mangum, the former pastor at Vista Community Church, was speaking at all services and we wanted to hear him again. As a surprise, Todd Agnew was there to lead the music. It was a great time of worship.
Like I said recently, Psalm 51 haunts me. Jeff taught out of Psalm 51 and it was excellent. Download it and listen to it a couple of times.
why does Psalm 51 haunt you?
Because I read it along with Psalm 32 and the confrontation with Nathan in II Samuel 12 and I know exactly what David felt like when he made this confession.
I wonder if Psalm 51 didn’t exist if I would be able to confess like that on my own without David’s template as an example. It is just naked raw humanity in the midst of failure but with the hope of restoration.
Psalm 51, Ezekiel 16, Ezekiel 21, Joseph and his brothers, Habbakuk, are all examples of God and humans being God and humans. I love the Bible because it doesn’t pull any punches on God’s holiness, glory, majesty and His emotions when we fail, while at the same time, it doesn’t pull any punches on the temptability and fallibility of the people in it.
Psalm 51 is a particularly poignant example.