PSALM 19:12–13 – Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression.
THEME OF THE DAY. KNOWING OUR GREATEST SPIRITUAL FOE. In today’s scripture, David offers an important insight to live the Christian life. It is a vital principle if we are to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus and defeat sin daily. In fact, what David models will determine our success or failure in the Christian life.
In reading David’s pleas to the Lord – declare me innocent from hidden faults, keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins, let them not have dominion over me – we see a man aware of the spiritual danger lying within his own heart. He has discovered and proclaims his, and our, greatest spiritual foe – self. As David prays for the Lord to protect him from himself, we gain some understanding to live the Christian life pleasing to the Lord.
First, we are truly powerless to prevent ourselves from sinning – keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins. Why did the Psalmist pray for God to keep him from sinning? Because he knew, left to himself, there would be no restraint on his sinning. And it is the same for us. Unless God intervenes with His Word and Spirit, we are sheep who will drift into sinful pastures. It may not be in outward actions, but it will certainly be in our attitudes and thinking. One does not have to be guilty of the sin of adultery or coveting by committing the actual acts of either. Just letting our eyes become inlets of lust or our hearts desire something or someone not our own and sin has gotten a stronghold in our lives. The first step to overcome any sin is the confession of our inability to overcome sin. Our weakness is the first step to strength.
Another insight we learn from David about the treachery of the human heart is not only left to ourselves we will sin, but we will do so presumptuously – keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins. This is serious and shows how depraved and the depth of wickedness in the human heart. The word “presumptuous” means “arrogant behavior of which one does not have a right.” Is there a stronger motivator to keep us from trusting ourselves in anything spiritual and abandoning ourselves to the Lord? David is saying, “Lord, please restrain me. Please keep me back from sinning against You. If you don’t, I will not only sin against You, but I will do so with arrogance and knowing better.” Friends, one of the most important things to know in the spiritual life is ourselves, and particularly, how disastrous it is to rely upon ourselves and our own understanding. Any act of self-trust and self-reliance leads to spiritual trouble. Always.
Finally, David shows us the power of remaining sin within us – let them not have dominion over me. If we fail to believe the power of remaining sin in us and not learn to fight it in the strength of the Lord, we will find ourselves, even as Christians, enslaved to some sin or sins. Joyless bondage occurs when we remain ignorant of sin’s power and the ways to daily overcome it.
David’s prayer today is a good one for us. Let’s learn to pray it, and then grow in greater dependency on the Lord and His grace to answer it daily in our lives.
PRAYER: “Father, help me to see the danger of trusting myself in anything and at any time.”
QUOTE: “Our greatest spiritual foe is ourselves. Guard against the ease of trusting this deceptive enemy.”