Do Not Remember the Sins of My Youth
Remember, O LORD, Your tender mercies and Your lovingkindnesses, for they are from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; according to Your mercy remember me, for Your goodness’ sake, O LORD.
Listen to the "Verse by Verse" episode covering this scripture.
King David thought deeply about God and His characteristics. He knew that mercy and a steadfast love were essential character traits of our great Creator.
David also knew that he had sinned in his youth and in his adulthood. All sins are an offense and an affront to the righteous God, so David pleaded with God to forget the sins and remember His mercies instead.
This is a key theme of the Bible: How God in His mercy satisfied His justice. The only way was through the death of Jesus Christ to pay the penalty of our sins. Through that merciful, loving gift, God can lead us to repentance, forget our sins and draw us to Himself.
For more about repentance and forgiveness of sins, see “What Is Repentance?”
