Psalm 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. I. THE BROKEN HEART. 1. Renounces all idea of merit, and seeks alone for mercy (ver. 1). 2. Will always feel its sins to be peculiarly its own (ver. 2). 3. Will make full confession of sin (ver. 3). (1) Without excuse. (2) In the plainest language possible. 4. Mourns most over the Godward aspect of sin (ver. 4). 5. Will never cavil with God about the deserved punishment (ver. 4). 6. Will mourn its general depravity (ver. 5). 7. Will always be as anxious for purity as for pardon (ver. 7). 8. Is not a despairing heart (ver. 9). 9. Is an agonized heart (ver. 8). II. A BROKEN HEART IS NOT DESPISED BY GOD. We have His royal word for it (Isaiah 66:2). I know that Christ will never despise it, and that for a very good reason. He has suffered from it Himself. You say, "Ah, but mine is broken on account of sin: His was not." Was it not? It was broken by the unutterable horror of having sin imputed to Him, and occupying the sinner's place. Thy pangs, thy sorrows, thy griefs, thine unutterable longings for the light of the Father's face — all these are known unto thy Saviour. He will not despise thee. I am sure He will not, because it was He who broke thy heart. It would be despising His own handiwork were He to reject a contrite spirit. It would be casting on one side that which He hath Himself made. (A. G. Brown.) Parallel Verses KJV: The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.WEB: The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit. A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. |
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