Nov 13

Rejoice though Crushed

“Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice!”  Psalm 51:8

What a strange scripture at first glance! How could bones that have been crushed possibly rejoice? There would be pain, not joy, if my bones were crushed. But David knew what he was talking about; there is joy in being crushed, for when sin is removed from our lives, no matter how painful the process may be, there is joy and gladness in its forgiveness. This psalm was probably written soon after David and Bathsheba’s infant son died. Surely this was a crushing experience, and I am sure caused them much pain, but the experience also led David closer to God. Sin had separated David from his Creator, as unrepented sin always does. It stands as a wall between us and our God. It is only when we repent of our sins that the wall can be removed and we can move close to our Father again. When David admitted to Nathan that he had sinned against God, the prophet assured him that “the LORD has taken away your sin.” (2 Sam. 12:13) When we feel true forgiveness for our sins, and we know that the Lord has removed them from our record, they are forgiven and forgotten. Joy and gladness are ours. My dad tells the story of the shepherd who would take a wayward sheep, one that would not listen to his voice and obey, and he would break its leg. That sounds quite cruel, but the shepherd would then take this sheep, splint its leg, and carry it around on his shoulders until it was healed. The sheep became so dependent on the shepherd that once its leg was healed, it never strayed from the shepherd; he was its closest companion. So it is with our Good Shepherd. He may see the need to crush our bones that he might keep us close to Him. In the end, there is great joy in being cared for and loved by the Good Shepherd. 

Father, when we hear Your voice say, “I forgive you and your sins are removed,” we hear joy and gladness again. Though the “crushing of our bones” may be painful, we know that in the end there will be rejoicing, for it is in love that You work in our lives to remove the evil of sin and darkness. You will replace them with Yourself and that is joy! We praise You for loving us enough to break us, that we might stay close to You and live in Your presence always! Amen