 Who Can Discern His Errors? 2004 : Week 29 | Printer Friendly Version The Bible looks into the hearts of the characters contained within its pages, and they reflect aspects of ourselves back to us. Often, we do not like what we see in those characters, because we see glimpses of our fallen selves in them. As we read the Bible, we see a contrast between man and God; man is sinful but God is holy, separated from sin, perfect and pure. David realized sin was a problem in his life, and it troubled him. He was concerned that he was not living the spotless life God commanded him to. He realized that the problem was not with the laws God had given us to follow; they were perfect:
1. Who can discern his errors? (Psalm 19:12) David realized that sin had many effects on our lives. It’s not merely the sins themselves that are a problem: like stealing. Further, it’s not simply the consequences of our sin that are a problem: our stealing hurts others and destroys our character. No, the sin in our heart goes to an even deeper and more fundamental problem; our fallen nature makes it impossible for us to see the all of the sins we commit. We simply are unable to see the full depths of our sin and all the things we do that offend God. Like pigs in mud that have no idea they are filthy, our immersion in sin makes us unable to see it for what it is. David asks a rhetorical question, “Who can discern his errors?” He knows the answer is, “No human can: only God can.” 2. Acquit me of hidden faults (Psalm 19:12) Understanding that no one can see all their faults and sins, David then asks the Lord to forgive him for the sins he did not know he committed. He was concerned about sinning without even knowing that was the case. Asking the Lord to forgive these sins is a sign of humility before God. It is also a public expression that God knows more about him then he did, and it is an expression of David’s belief that God is all knowing. 3. Keep back Your servant from presumptuous sins; let them not rule over me (Psalm 19:13) David then asks the Lord to forgive him for overstepping the boundaries the Lord has set in the law. These are different then the sins he did not know he was committing. In this case, these are sins David knows he is committing, and he is taking liberties with the law of God. David knows this is wrong, and he prays these sins will not rule his life. On this planet and in this life, sin remains a problem for man, and sin, by its nature can deceive us; because we are fallen, we don’t see the full extent of the sin in our lives. Our failing to adhere to God’s law does not have the impact on us that it should; we should be crushed by our failing. Further, our arrogance and our pride blind us from the reality of our sins, and we assume we are better then we really are. However, while we may fool ourselves and fool those around us, we will not deceive God. He is aware of the extent of the sin in our lives. David provides us with a reality check about sin; it runs deeper in us then we ever imagined. He also provides us with an example of how to deal with the sin in our lives; take it to God, all of it, and confess it. Ask God for forgiveness for the sins you knowingly commit and the ones you are oblivious to. In Psalm 19 David comes to rest on the mercy of God for forgiveness. In the process, David leaves us with another wonderful prayer to meditate upon:
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 Psalm 19:12-14 (NASB) 12 Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults. 13 Also keep back Your servant from presumptuous sins; Let them not rule over me; Then I will be blameless, And I shall be acquitted of great transgression. 14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer. • Read Chapter • Listen to Chapter |
