1. “Cleanse Me” (vv. 1-7). What dirt is to the body, sin is to the inner person, so it was right for David to feel defiled because of what he had done. By committing adultery and murder, he had crossed over the line God had drawn in His law (“transgression”); he had missed the mark God had set for him (“sin”) and had yielded to his twisted sinful nature (“iniquity”). He had willfully rebelled against God, and no atonement was provided in the law for such deliberate sins (Lev. 20:10; Num. 35:31-32). David could appeal only to God’s mercy, grace, and love (v. 1; Ex. 34:6-7; 2 Sam. 12:22). “Blot out” refers to a debt that must be paid (130:3; Isa. 43:25), and “cleanse” refers to defilement caused by touching something unclean (Lev. 11:32) or from disease (Lev. 13:1-3). “Wash” (vv. 2, 7) refers to the cleansing of dirty clothing (Isa. 1:18; 64:6). In the Jewish society of that day, to wash and change clothes marked a new beginning in life (Gen. 35:2; 41:14; 45:22; Ex. 19:10, 14), and David made such a new start (2 Sam. 12:20).

David had certainly sinned against Bathsheba and Uriah, but his greatest responsibility was to the Lord who had given the law to His people (2 Sam. 12:13; Ex. 20:13-14). Godly Jews saw all sins primarily as offenses against the Lord (Gen. 39:9). David openly acknowledged his sins and vindicated the Lord (v. 4; 1 John 1:9-10). Paul quoted verse 4 in Romans 3:4 as part of his argument that the whole world is guilty before God. David also confessed that he was a sinner not only by choice but also by nature (v. 5; 1 John 1:8). His statement doesn’t suggest that sex in marriage is sinful or that his inherited fallen nature was an excuse for disobedience, but only that he was no better than any other man in the nation. (See Gen. 6:5; 8:21; Jer. 17:9; Matt. 15:19; Rom. 1:19ff.) The sinfulness of humans doesn’t mean that people can’t do anything good (Luke 11:13) but that their “goodness” can’t earn them entrance into God’s family (Eph. 2:8-10; Titus 3:3-7).

David knew the truth of God’s Word and loved it (19:7-11), but he had deliberately lied to himself (“I can get away with this”) and to the people, and he tried to lie to God. For nearly a year he attempted to cover up his sins, but God does not allow His children to sin successfully. Now he asked God for truth and wisdom in his innermost being (v. 6).

“Hyssop” (v. 7) was a shrub with hairy stems that could be dipped into liquid, and the priests used hyssop to sprinkle blood or water on people needing ceremonial cleansing (Lev. 14:4, 6; Num. 19:6, 18; see Ex. 12:22). Today’s believers find their cleansing in the work Jesus accomplished on the cross (1 John 1:5-10; Heb. 10:19-25).