Psalm 25:11 Why am I Saved?

Today, we will be studying a single verse of Psalm 25. Some have suggested that verse 11 is out of place from the rest of the Psalm. Perhaps, as David continues his alphabetic acrostic, he gets to the 11^th letter of the Hebrew alphabet, kaph, and doesn’t know any words that start with this letter and continue his flow of thought. Therefore, he simply prays a simple prayer that starts with kaph, and then moves on to lamedh (the 12^th letter of the Hebrew alphabet) to continue his thought.

This is, of course, an insult to David’s intelligence. However, it is undeniable that verse 11 does not flow smoothly from verse 10, nor does it flow smoothly into verse 12. Rather, it serves as a heart cry in between these two great thoughts. In verses 8-10, David is meditating on the goodness and uprightness of the Lord meeting in His treatment of the humble. In verses 12-15, David is meditating on the man who fears the Lord. In between these two meditations, David is overwhelmed with his own failure to live up to these standards and cries out with Psalm 25:11.

Please read that verse now.

The main clause of this verse is the request for God to “pardon my guilt.” Other translations use words like "iniquity" or "sin" to better express David’s thought. Perhaps, while thinking about the humble to whom God shows goodness and mercy, David is thinking about all of the times that he was prideful. If he is writing this psalm later in life, he may be thinking about the time when, in his pride, he unknowingly had some of his most loyal men risk their lives to get him a drink of water. Or perhaps he was proud after defeating Goliath, or after defeating the Philistines when the crowds cheered of his accomplishments being so much greater than Saul’s.

Or, maybe he was thinking about the wise man who fears the Lord in verse 12, and remembers all the times that he acted without wisdom, and sinned. Maybe he was thinking of his failures a king, his failures with Absalom, his son, or his failures with Bathsheeba and Uriah. David had a great many sins. And yet, he was a man after God’s own heart.

As he meditates on his sins, and realizes that his guilt “is great,” he asks God to “pardon” him. He does not ask for the forgiveness of those whom he has done wrong. His plea is only before the “Lord,” the God of the Universe, the Sovereign over all creation. It is before the Lord that David has sinned, and it is only the Lord who can forgive him.

Why would God forgive someone like David of his great many sins? “For your name’s sake, O Lord.” Why does God forgive me of my great many sins? For His name’s sake. Why does God forgive you? It’s not because you’re just that good of a person. It’s not because He somehow needs you to accomplish His purposes. It’s not because you weren’t really that bad, so He only has to forgive you a little compared to your neighbor. God forgives you for the same reason that He forgives me and David: for His name’s sake.

Salvation is a free gift from God, so that God may get all the glory. We are saved, and he is glorified. Our guilt is great, but His grace is greater! The more we meditate on the goodness of God, the more it should remind us of our guilt. And the more we meditate on our guilt, the more we must remember the goodness of God that forgives us. Let’s give Him the glory He deserves! That’s why we are saved!