a blog for Ashfield Baptist Church
The Bible readings for Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 October are -- Josh 20:1-21:45; Ps 51:14-19; Pro 12:13-14; Lk 18:24-43.
Labels: forgiveness, heart, sacrifice
posted by Ps John @ 11:23 PM
1 Comments
Hi and welcome. Ashfield Baptist Church is a "caring community church sharing God's love". We are very diverse in our nationalities, backgrounds and ages, but united in our desire to grow spiritually and to reach out and help others. Our vision is "to be a body of Christ-like people living out the great commandment and the great commission in the Holy Spirit's power". This blog is mainly for people connected with Ashfield Baptist Church. It has been set up as an "info & chat space" as we start the "THRU IN 2" challenge. This is our program for reading the Bible right through during 2007 & 2008. Many are using the Every Day With Jesus Bible which also has daily devotions from Selwyn Hughes. As we read through the Bible together over these two years, we can use this blog to share insights, stories, reflections, questions etc. The goal is to grow spiritually together. So leave your comments. Together we can help each other grow. Blessings. Ps John. To leave a comment about the readings for a particular day, or to view the comments of others, just click on "comments" at the bottom of the post.
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While Psalm 51 is a very personal cry of repentance from David after his adultery with Bathsheba, its place in the Psalter indicates that it was also used in Jewish worship as a corporate expression of contrition. While David's sins were heinouus, so were theirs, and so are ours. The psalm expresses the sentiments we all need to offer.
The last two verses with their reference to the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem and to the re-introduction of the sacrificial system seem to be an addition written during the exile in Babylon. The singing of the whole psalm during that period would have been a moving acknowledgement of the apostacy that led them into exile and a plea for restoration of their land and worship. The thought "Then you will delight in righteous sacrifices" (v19) might seem to contradict David's insight that "You are not pleased with a burnt offering" (v16). But as long as there is awareness that "the sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit" (v17) and as long as the prescribed external ritual is accompanied by a broken spirit then the contradiction fades away.
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