Upon This Rock (24) Robbing Christ of His Honor (16)
This article by Don Doezema examines Psalm 51:16 and David's penitential prayer to explore how the Old Testament sacrificial system pointed toward justification by grace alone in Christ. Drawing on Calvin's commentary on Hebrews 10, Doezema argues that David's recognition of the impotence of external works and his absolute need for God's grace represents an explicit articulation of New Testament gospel truth already implicit in the Old Testament sacrificial system.
Previous article in this series: December 15, 2015, p. 132. We were considering, you will remember, the penitential prayer of David recorded in Psalm 51, focusing in particular on verse 16. "Thou desirest not sacrifice," David prayed. And: "Thou delightest not in burnt offering." Having been brought to his knees by the prophet Nathan's withering pronouncement "Thou art the man," David understood, more profoundly than ever before, that no one can come to God with something in his hand. An...
Full article available on sb.rfpa.org