Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
David prayed after his great sin was exposed and rebuked through God's prophet, when reproof and punishment had come upon him for departing from righteousness. The broken bones are the deep pain, affliction and distress brought by sin and by God's conviction, reproof and chastisement. To hear joy and gladness is to ask God to turn that distress into rejoicing by forgiving, cleansing and renewing the sinner, restoring a pure heart, holiness and communion with Him. The prayer belongs to a larger plea to be purged and washed clean, to receive a clean heart and renewed right spirit, to remain in God's presence with His Holy Spirit, and to have the joy of salvation restored through Jesus Christ. It joins sorrow for sin with hope of pardon through faith in God's mercy, giving courage through all ages to guilty souls ready to despair that sincere repentance and confession will be accepted and will fit them to teach transgressors God's ways and lead sinners back to God.
David's Prayer in Context
The prayer belongs to repentance after great sin exposed and rebuked through God's prophet, when reproof and punishment came for departing from righteousness. It was set as sin and repentance and hope of pardon in a sacred song to be sung in the public assemblies of Israel before priests and judges, princes and men of war, with no concealment of guilt, so that the knowledge of the fall would be preserved to the latest generation and others would be instructed by it.
The bones which God has broken speak of deep pain and affliction and distress brought by sin and by God's conviction and reproof and chastisement. The plea to hear joy and gladness asks God to turn that distress into rejoicing by forgiving and cleansing and renewing the sinner. What is sought is the restored joy of holiness, with a pure heart and renewed communion with God.
The prayer for joy stands within a larger prayer for cleansing and restoration through Jesus Christ. The Sun of Righteousness shines into the heart to give the knowledge of the glory of Christ, and the Holy Spirit glorifies Christ by receiving His things and showing them. In that light the prayer asks to be purged and washed clean, to receive a clean heart and a renewed right spirit, to remain in God's presence with His Holy Spirit, and to have the joy of salvation restored while being upheld by His free Spirit.
Forgiveness and Transformed Life
The prayer joins deep sorrow for sin with hope of pardon through God's mercy, a pardon found through faith in Jesus Christ. When the sinner becomes penitent and humble, God forgives him and receives him into covenant relation. It stands through all ages as encouragement to souls fallen into sin and struggling under the burden of guilt and ready to give up to despair, showing that God accepts sincere repentance and confession even though the sinner still suffers for the transgression, and giving courage to repent and try again to walk in the way of God's commandments. The Lord hears such penitence and humiliation offered without delay, knowing how strong the inclinations of the natural heart are and helping in every time of temptation. Mercy is still extended to the fallen sinner, and the blessing of God is given to those who heed the pleading voice of His Spirit and return from wandering.
The prayer means bowing under chastisement with a contrite and humble spirit rather than cherishing stubborn resistance or rising in rebellion against reproof. It means humiliation as great as guilt, with profound contrition and sincere penitence, showing strength in penitence rather than only in always resisting temptation. It means keeping confidence in God after sharp rebuke, having no hatred for His prophet, relying on the mercy of a God loved and served and honored, loving much because much is forgiven, refusing the counsel of those who excuse unrepented sin, trusting God more than man, and accepting God's decision as just and merciful. David sought restored joy because he valued God's favor above his crown; loss of the crown could be endured, but deprivation of God's favor could not, and his penitence came from a deep desire to regain that favor.
The broken bones apply to wounds of sorrow and distress so deep that a person may go down to the grave mourning over them, but the Lord as the great Restorer can heal him if he recognizes his need of healing. Its lessons must be practiced in purity and Christlikeness, since a merely nominal profession of sacred truth fails to refine and sanctify and leaves a person's influence unpalatable and worthless, like salt without savor. The restored joy prayed for fits the forgiven sinner to teach transgressors God's ways and lead sinners to conversion and back to God.
David prayed after his great sin was exposed and rebuked through God's prophet, when reproof and punishment had come upon him for departing from righteousness. The broken bones are the deep pain, affliction and distress brought by sin and by God's conviction, reproof and chastisement. To hear joy and gladness is to ask God to turn that distress into rejoicing by forgiving, cleansing and renewing the sinner, restoring a pure heart, holiness and communion with Him. The prayer belongs to a larger plea to be purged and washed clean, to receive a clean heart and renewed right spirit, to remain in God's presence with His Holy Spirit, and to have the joy of salvation restored through Jesus Christ. It joins sorrow for sin with hope of pardon through faith in God's mercy, giving courage through all ages to guilty souls ready to despair that sincere repentance and confession will be accepted and will fit them to teach transgressors God's ways and lead sinners back to God.
David's Prayer in Context
The prayer belongs to repentance after great sin exposed and rebuked through God's prophet, when reproof and punishment came for departing from righteousness. It was set as sin and repentance and hope of pardon in a sacred song to be sung in the public assemblies of Israel before priests and judges, princes and men of war, with no concealment of guilt, so that the knowledge of the fall would be preserved to the latest generation and others would be instructed by it.
The bones which God has broken speak of deep pain and affliction and distress brought by sin and by God's conviction and reproof and chastisement. The plea to hear joy and gladness asks God to turn that distress into rejoicing by forgiving and cleansing and renewing the sinner. What is sought is the restored joy of holiness, with a pure heart and renewed communion with God.
The prayer for joy stands within a larger prayer for cleansing and restoration through Jesus Christ. The Sun of Righteousness shines into the heart to give the knowledge of the glory of Christ, and the Holy Spirit glorifies Christ by receiving His things and showing them. In that light the prayer asks to be purged and washed clean, to receive a clean heart and a renewed right spirit, to remain in God's presence with His Holy Spirit, and to have the joy of salvation restored while being upheld by His free Spirit.
Forgiveness and Transformed Life
The prayer joins deep sorrow for sin with hope of pardon through God's mercy, a pardon found through faith in Jesus Christ. When the sinner becomes penitent and humble, God forgives him and receives him into covenant relation. It stands through all ages as encouragement to souls fallen into sin and struggling under the burden of guilt and ready to give up to despair, showing that God accepts sincere repentance and confession even though the sinner still suffers for the transgression, and giving courage to repent and try again to walk in the way of God's commandments. The Lord hears such penitence and humiliation offered without delay, knowing how strong the inclinations of the natural heart are and helping in every time of temptation. Mercy is still extended to the fallen sinner, and the blessing of God is given to those who heed the pleading voice of His Spirit and return from wandering.
The prayer means bowing under chastisement with a contrite and humble spirit rather than cherishing stubborn resistance or rising in rebellion against reproof. It means humiliation as great as guilt, with profound contrition and sincere penitence, showing strength in penitence rather than only in always resisting temptation. It means keeping confidence in God after sharp rebuke, having no hatred for His prophet, relying on the mercy of a God loved and served and honored, loving much because much is forgiven, refusing the counsel of those who excuse unrepented sin, trusting God more than man, and accepting God's decision as just and merciful. David sought restored joy because he valued God's favor above his crown; loss of the crown could be endured, but deprivation of God's favor could not, and his penitence came from a deep desire to regain that favor.
The broken bones apply to wounds of sorrow and distress so deep that a person may go down to the grave mourning over them, but the Lord as the great Restorer can heal him if he recognizes his need of healing. Its lessons must be practiced in purity and Christlikeness, since a merely nominal profession of sacred truth fails to refine and sanctify and leaves a person's influence unpalatable and worthless, like salt without savor. The restored joy prayed for fits the forgiven sinner to teach transgressors God's ways and lead sinners to conversion and back to God.