Tag: contrite

  • Psalms of a Contrite Heart Before Christ

    Psalms of a Contrite Heart Before Christ

    The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
    A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.

    Psalm 51:17 LSB

    Contrition: Bowed down before Almighty God

    Last time on Ash Wednesday, we noted from the weeping Prophet, Jeremiah, our great sorrow in being CRUSHED by the enemy – in fact by the hand of GOD on the pestle of Jerusalem’s destruction.

    mortar and pestle with hand of chef

    Like Jeremiah we do NOT want to be CRUSHED by any — either the LORD or our enemy.

    WE are unaccustomed to the pouring out of our spirit into a mortar of refinement.

    YET it is the Lord’s will to refine those whom He will.

    Be contrite or be crushed

    humble .. or humbled.


    Sad Psalms of Lament

    Lamentations, if sung, would be sorrowful elegies similar to some Psalms we would rather not sing. Regardless of the “how” – and we generally know our sin – contrition and humility often escape our notice on the stage of our praise.

    Yet even in the Psalms we must observe the same words which the Lord has written for our worship.

    Strong’s H1794 – dāḵâ – דָּכָה

    to collapse (phys. or mentally):—break (sore), contrite, crouch.

    We’ve all seen it — most have experienced it. And the Psalms remind us as the Lord refines us.

    O Yahweh, reprove me not in Your wrath,

    And discipline me not in Your burning anger.

    I am faint and badly crushed;

    I groan because of the agitation of my heart.

    Psalm 38:1,8 LSB


    Psalm 51:

    51:17 (WLC 51:19) זִבְחֵי אֱלֹהִים רוּחַ נִשְׁבָּרָה לֵב־נִשְׁבָּר וְנִדְכֶּה אֱלֹהִים לֹא תִבְזֶה׃

    • šāḇar rûaḥ
      • broken spirit
    • šāḇar dāḵâ lēḇ
      • a broken and contrite heart

    Psalm 51:17 from MASORETIC Text

    IS that any way to open a post such as this or especially a WORSHIP service?

    IN FACT, the contrition of it's context pleads to Elohim for mercy. So was it ordered for corporate worship by the King.

    [[To the chief Musician,

    A Psalm of David,

    when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.]]

    Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

    Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity,

    and cleanse me from my sin.

    For I acknowledge my transgressions:

    and my sin is ever before me.


    Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken [crushed] may rejoice.

    Psalm 51:1-3, 8 KJV

    We have heard the whole story — confessed in a Psalm of worship!

    And the King – David of Israel and Judah – before we reach v. 17 of our opening CALL to Worship today — continues with a more hopeful and familiar plea:

    Create in me a clean heart, O God;
    and renew a right spirit within me.

    Psalm 51:10

    Create in me a clean heart, O God – Psalm 51 stands as an enduring testament to the power of confession, the boundless mercy of God, and the potential for spiritual renewal and transformation.

    It reminds us that even in our deepest frailty, God’s love is unfailing.

    Psalm 51 commentary

    a Plea of the Crushed – Psalm 143

    A Psalm of David

    YET in our distress of being humbled (OPPRESSED, an adjective found in other Psalms) — crushed by the Lord we have hope — as nearly every Psalm ends.

    Teach me to do thy will;

    for thou art my God:

    thy spirit is good;

    lead me into the land of uprightness.

    Quicken [revive] me, O LORD,

    for thy name’s sake:

    for thy righteousness’ sake

    bring my soul out of trouble.

    Psalm 143:9–10 KJV

    Praying the Psalms in Gethsemane

    Picture our Lord, having walked all the paths among evil men toward Gethsemane, full well knowing the charge of His Father in heaven to go forth into the valley of death…

    a humble mortal, a crushed man, a prisoner to be betrayed and bound as a spectacle for evil men…

    humiliated, struck on the cheek, beaten on the back and hung ignominiously on a tree by the rulers of this world and city.

    .. “Sit here while I pray.” ,, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.” ..

    Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping.

    excerpt from the Gospel of Mark 14

    Psalm 10

    11 He says to himself, “God will never notice;

    Psalm 10:12-11 NIV

     The Hebrew word for "crushed" can also imply being broken in spirit, indicating the deep emotional and psychological impact of such suffering. 

    This aligns with the broader biblical narrative where God is portrayed as a defender of the oppressed (Psalm 9:9).

    The imagery here can also be seen as a type of Christ, who was "crushed" for our iniquities (Isaiah 53:5), highlighting the ultimate sacrifice for the redemption of humanity.

    BibleHub.com Study Bible commentary


    JESUS, the Son of Man, Son of David and Son of God sang and prayed such Psalms in worship in the presence of God the Father.

    Do YOU?

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  • a Common Era Contrition for Lent – Ash and dust

    a Common Era Contrition for Lent – Ash and dust

    lenten series outline & Introduction

    Ash Wednesday 2025 C.E.



    OUTLINE of a Scriptural path toward Christ’s walk to Gethsemane, Calvary, beyond Bethany and anticipating the Lord’s return in glory in these last days.

    the path of contrition

    “I am the way and the truth and the life.

    No one comes to the Father except through me.

    Gospel of John 14:6


    Introduction by the author

    The liturgical season of Lent although having no Biblical requirement has always been a reflective time for me. I have provided some glances back for any who have not followed Talk of JESUS in previous Lenten seasons.

    This YEAR – A.D. 2025 to most of you (2025 C.E. to most of our unbelieving world) – I wanted to lead you through some Old Testament Scriptures looking through Jewish eyes (yes JESUS and EVERY Apostle was Jewish). You may glance at a HEBREW organization of the BIBLE below which orders and groups our O.T. Books differently.

    G_d only knows how many of the 40 days of Lent I will publish, but each will likely be briefer than my usual 5-minute READ.

    Finally, beloved brother or sister in Christ,

    IF you look for a connecting thread between these O.T. Scriptures and Christ you may discover a faithful Jewish thread of contrition not seen in the Gospels except in the Person of Jesus. (Think of Gethsemane, now.. and follow Him along the narrow path.)

    Won’t you pray for me and comment here encouraging all?

    Roger Harned – Author and Site administrator, Talk of JESUS .com


    Lent A.D. 2014 Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord + Ash Wednesday - Easter Sunday - Jesus is RISEN! and will return once more
    a picture of LENT from AD 2014

    Introduction to the Hebrew Bible

    On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

    The Word summarizing Jewish Scripture in Matthew 22:40,

    This phrase refers to the entirety of the Hebrew Scriptures, known as the Tanakh, which is divided into the Torah (Law), Nevi’im (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings).

    In the context of Matthew 22:40, “the Law and the Prophets” is a shorthand for the Old Testament.

    STUDY BIBLE Bible Hub .com


    Tanakh Hebrew Bible books
    CLICK to ENLARGE the three sections of the Tanakh [Hebrew Scriptures]

    What path will you walk this day?

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    garden in darkness

  • The House You Build

    The House You Build

    Isaiah 66:1-2

    Thus says the LORD:
    “Heaven is my throne,
    and the earth is my footstool;
    what is the house that you would build for me,
    and what is the place of my rest?

    All these things my hand has made,
    and so all these things came to be,
    declares the LORD.

    But this is the one to whom I will look:
    he who is humble and contrite in spirit
    and trembles at my word.

    5 Hear the word of the Lord,
    you who tremble at his word:
    “Your brothers who hate you
    and cast you out for my name’s sake
    have said, ‘Let the Lord be glorified,
    that we may see your joy’;
    but it is they who shall be put to shame.

    15 “For behold, the Lord will come in fire,
    and his chariots like the whirlwind,
    to render his anger in fury,
    and his rebuke with flames of fire.
    16 For by fire will the Lord enter into judgment,
    and by his sword, with all flesh;
    and those slain by the Lord shall be many.

    Our Lord is a consuming fire.

    He will burn away into flames of fire the chaff of our sins.

    He will send away into the darkness of Hades the souls who refuse His refining Word.

    What does the Lord require?

    Matthew 13
    English Standard Version (ESV)

    That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables…

    18 “Hear then the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart…

    … one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.

    … one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.

    23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

    Is your heart the good soil of your soul? What is the fruit of your receiving the Gospel of Christ Jesus?

    The Parable of the Weeds

    24 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also…

    Satan has been sowing seeds of wickedness among the good seed of the Gospel for two millennia beyond the Cross and Resurrection.

    Is the time of harvest not certainly near?

    isaiah-662_barn and wheat30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”

     “… what is the house that you would build for me,
    and what is the place of my rest?

    But this is the one to whom I will look:
    he who is humble and contrite in spirit
    and trembles at my word.

    1 Corinthians 3:16 Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple…

    1 Corinthians 6:15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?

    … do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

     Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus

    Luke 9:23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.

    25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? 26 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.