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There is no such thing as private sin.

There is no such thing as private sin.

The ultimate sacrifice acceptable to God is "a broken spirit and a contrite heart"

Andrew Heddle
August 21, 2026

Meditation

Hi there,

While we may think that many of our sins are private, Psalm 51 makes clear that there is no such thing as private sin.

All private sin affects the broader community.

In today's verses, David moves beyond his own individual forgiveness and turns his heart to pray for God's people and the city of Jerusalem. (v.18)

He asks God to bless and build up Jerusalem's walls, recognizing that his personal sin affects the broader community and that true restoration includes the flourishing of all God's kingdom.

Once the individual's heart is right, the community can be restored, and formal acts of worship cease to be empty sacrifices for their own sake and become delightful to God.

Be sure to click on the link here or below to hear how this Psalm sounds as it is sung unaccompanied.

Today's verses are Psalm 51:17-19

^{Psalm 51}

¹⁷ A broken spirit is to God
a pleasing sacrifice:
A broken and a contrite heart,
Lord, thou wilt not despise.

¹⁸ Show kindness, and do good, O Lord,
to Zion, thine own hill:
The walls of thy Jerusalem
build up of thy good will.

¹⁹ Then righteous off’rings shall thee please,
and off’rings burnt, which they
With whole burnt-off’rings, and with calves, shall on thine altar lay.

^{Psalm 51 (NIV)}

¹⁷ My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise.

¹⁸ May it please you to prosper Zion, to build up the walls of Jerusalem.

¹⁹ Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous,
in burnt offerings offered whole; then bulls will be offered on your altar.

Encouragement

¹⁵ For this is what the high and exalted One says—
he who lives forever, whose name is holy:
“I live in a high and holy place,
but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit,
to revive the spirit of the lowly
and to revive the heart of the contrite.

Isaiah 57:15

Andy

God's Word In Your Hand

Listen to today's Psalm

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