Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise. For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit:a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

David’s Vow

After David has given his confession, asked for cleansing and sought restoration of his walk with God and the blessings that come from that walk, he has one more action he must take and that is to make a vow, a commitment to God.

He says when he is forgiven and restored then he will do these things in response and thanksgiving for what God has done in forgiving and restoring him.

He vows to teach other sinner the ways of God. So that they might be converted to God.

If God will deliver him from guilty of shedding another’s blood. Then David will be able to sing aloud of God’s righteousness.

He prays, O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.

Then he gives the reason for his praise in vs. For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

David began and now he ends with the same understanding of God and his forgiveness of sin. It is not what David can do.

There is no religious act, no sacrifice or burnt offering he can bring that will grant God’s forgiveness. Perhaps, David had been trying for over a year to go through the rituals, the trappings of religion in order to appease God, but his guilt before God remained and his joy was gone.

But now he understands and wants to tell others, to tell us through Psalm 51, this is what God responds to, this is the person God sees, this is the only sacrifice He will accept, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”