Psalm 51: Create in Me a Clean Heart

Psalm 51 is to me one of the most beautiful of Psalms, and is another one from which a chorus was written.

This Psalm was written by David after his sin of adultery with Bathsheba was exposed by the prophet Nathan.  His words are ones of sorrow for his sin, and brokenness before the Lord God.

V1-4 "Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.  Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.  For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.  Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest."

This is surely a contrite heart,  one which acknowledges his sin, and one which seeks restored fellowship with his Lord.  Even though David's sin was first against Bathsheba (for he saw her and sent his men to bring her to him) and secondly to her husband Uriah (whom he had placed in the front of a battle so he would be killed)  David's true sin was against God whose commandments David had broken.

Simon Peter: I Go a Fishing - John 21

I Go A Fishing

John 21:1-23

John 21 occurs after the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.  It is after Peter's denial of the Lord Jesus in Chapter 18 where he denied that he knew the Lord Jesus three times.  In Chapter 21, Peter is at the sea of Tiberius with Thomas, Nathanael, James and John, and two other of the Lord Jesus' disciples.  Peter announces to his friends V3 "I go a fishing" and his friends reply "We also go with thee."  But that night they caught nothing.

How many times as believers have we decided to do something which is not led by the Spirit?  how many times has it brought consequences? How many times have we regretted what we have done but have to live with it?  I know this has happened to me many times.  But when a believer follows the leading of the Spirit he or she first gets a desire to do something,and this is followed by opportunity, then he or she will have the ability to do this thing, then they will bear good fruit, spiritually speaking.

The risen Lord Jesus had some lessons to teach Peter that night, that he must follow the leading of the Lord, and stop doing his own thing, as it were.

John 21:4 Morning had come, and the risen Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples "knew not that it was Jesus"  V5 "Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat?  They answered him, No." and they were probably downtrodden because they had caught no fish.  But then they follow the leading of the Lord when he tells them V6 "Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find.  They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes."  When the Lord leads, blessing follows.

John is known as the "disciple that Jesus loved" and it is he that recognizes the risen Lord Jesus first. V7 "Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord."  And then Peter who was always one to act on impulse, "...he girt his fisher's coat unto him...and did cast himself into the sea." V8 tells us that "they were not far from land." Peter wanted to get to the Lord Jesus as fast as possible.  V8 "..the other disciples came in a little ship;...dragging the net with fishes." 

V9 shows the Lord Jesus' care for his own.  "as soon as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread."  Psalm 23:1 "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want."  V11-14 Peter drew the net to land and it was full of great fishes, not small fishes, 153.  There were so many, but the net had not broken and that is a miracle.  Jesus told them to come and eat, and no one dared to ask him who he was, because they knew that it was the risen Lord.  Then Jesus came and took bread and fish and gave it to them.  This had to be a happier occasion than the last feast of Passover supper when Jesus told them that he was going to be betrayed, and instituted the remembrance feast of bread and the fruit of the vine which believers continue to this day.  This was the third time that Jesus had shown himself to his disciples after he was risen from the dead.