The holy spirit in psalm 51 11

THE HOLY SPIRIT IN PSALM 51:11
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Psalm51:11 11Do not cast me from your presence or
take your Holy Spirit from me.
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A GreatEvil Deprecated, And A GreatGood Desired
Psalm51:11, 12
W. Forsyth
I. A GREAT EVIL DEPRECATED. The evil is twofold (ver. 11). It is felt that
this judgment is deserved. God might justly do this. His presence had been
outraged;his Spirit had been not only resistedand grieved, but for a time
quenched. But such judgment would be utter ruin and woe, and it is shrunk
from with horror. To be "castaway" was ruin, but to have "the Spirit taken
away" was to have that ruin made complete and irremediable. It is only those
who have the Spirit, and who know something of the joys of God's presence,
that can truly utter this prayer.
II. A GREAT GOOD DESIRED. The goodis also twofold, meeting and
matching the evil. "Salvation," with its joys, is the remedy for the dreaded
casting away. God's free Spirit, with his loving and gracious upholding, is the
sure deliverance from the woes of desertion. This prayer is very bold. At the
very time when hanging on the verge of the precipice, the cry is made, not for
arrestment, not for delay, not for mere mercy, but for complete restoration.
The prayer is also far-reaching. It looks on. It sees dangers ahead. It
contemplates the possibility of further sins and falls. But it also seeshow all
trials can be met and all temptation vanquished. The believer stands, as it

were, on the Delectable Mountains, and sees the path clearbefore him; with
the heavenly city gleaming bright in the distance. The prayer is urged with
childlike trust and confidence. There is the consciousnessofwillingness, and,
if the soulis willing, God must be willing also. What we desire, he who kindled
the desire is able to accomplish. It is as when a child, with a sense of weakness,
but with clinging love and trust, says to its father, "I am afraid. Take my
hand. Guide me in the dark. Uphold me lestI fall. I cannot walk alone." Thus
peace and joy are brought to the heart. The believer, committing himself to
the fatherly care of God, can tread with a free soul and a joyous step the way
setbefore him, knowing that it leads to glory, honour, and immortality. In this
greatprayer there is hope for the chief of sinners, and comfort for the most
troubled of saints. - W.F.
A most needful prayer concerning the Holy Spirit
This psalm is, beyond all others, a photograph of penitent David. You may
have seenthat interesting slab of stone which bears on its surface indications
of the fall of raindrops in a primeval shower;this psalm preserves the mark of
David's tear-drops, for the inspection and instruction of succeeding
generations. Takeourtext —
I. AS THE CRY OF A PENITENT CHILD OF GOD. This is its largest,
widest and most primitive sense. It is certainly fit language for any child of
God who has fallen into gross sin. Backslider, youmay yet return; there are
pardons for sins of deepestdye. But more, probably, will equally need this
prayer on accountof gradual backsliding. One greatsin startles the soulinto
repentance, but a continuation of sin will be found to be oven more dangerous.
White ants will devour a carcaseas surelyand as speedily as a lion. Many
threads of silk twistedtogether may hold a man as fastas one band of iron.
But the soul that can thus pray has still true spiritual life struggling within.
An ungodly man would not care at all, but here is life which sighs after God.
How many are the reasons for such a prayer as this! God's presence is our
comfort amid affliction. It was the Holy Spirit who regeneratedus, and into

His name we were baptized. And He is the Spirit of adoption. Let anything
come betweenus and our distinct recognitionof our sonshiptowards God,
and we are undone. Further, it is by the Holy Spirit that we have access to
God. Praying in the Holy Spirit is the only true praying. And He is our great
instructor; He leads us into all truth. And we need His aid as our Comforter
and Sanctifier, and as our powerfor practicalservice. And remember, too,
that when a man has sinned as David had, he cannotalways pray in language
which would be preciselysuitable for a well-assuredsaint. When assurance is
gone, and faith is weak, it is a greatcomfort that we may pray a sinner's
prayer.
II. AS THE VOICE OF AN ANXIOUS CHURCH. Remember, there have
been Churches from which God has removed His Spirit. The Churches of
Asia, and many more recentinstances. Therefore rememberthat the powerof
a Church does not consistin her organizations;nor her gifts; nor her wealth;
nor her doctrines. I know not that Laodicea held false doctrines, yet she was
nauseous to the Lord. Nor is a Church's strength her numbers. What is a
large Church without the Lord's presence, but a mass of chaff to be scattered
by the wind! And the fall of such Church may be sudden. Therefore how
needful for all Churches is this prayer. Take it —
III. AS THE CRY OF AN AWAKENED SINNER. Notaccurately, but still
instinctively we may thus use it. Oh, unconverted man! if thou art anxious
about thy soul, pray this prayer.
( C. H. Spurgeon.)
DeprecationofGod's judgments
Thomas Horton, D. D.
The people of Godthey understand the nature of spiritual judgments, that
they are the greatestand saddestof any; which they are in a twofold respect;
first, as consideredin themselves, and that mischief which is contained in
them; and, secondly, in regardof their influence and extent. First, as for
themselves, they are the greatest, as depriving of the greatestgood, and

carrying the greatestsmartwith them. Every one prizes any loss according as
he is any way sensible of the gain which is lost by it. What is the reasonthat
worldly men make so much of worldly losses, offriends, and honours, and
estates, andsuch things as these? It is because they understand what they
mean. Why now thus it is also in spirituals: God's children, because they know
what it is to enjoy God's presence, therefore they are so afraid of being
deprived of it. And then in regard of their influence; they know that such
judgments as these have other judgments attending upon them; and so they
have: first, as to temporal judgments, they are oftentimes forerunners of
them: as the Gospelcomes not alone, so it goes not alone, nor the comforts
which belong unto it. When God afflicts men with spiritual judgments, which
it may be they do not regard, He has other judgments for them, following Of
them, which they are more sensible of; when David was castout of God's
presence, he was in danger of somewhatelse with it; and so are others with
him. And then especiallyas to judgment to come. Spiritual judgments, where
they are not prevented, end in eternal judgments, and in their own nature
tend unto them. Temporary casting out of God's presence tends to final and
absolute rejection:and the loss of God's Spirit for a time tends to the loss of it
for ever: this it does in its own nature, howeverthrough the goodnessofGod
it does not always take effect;as the firing but of one room in a house speaks
the firing of the whole building; and the firing of but one house in particular
the destructionof the whole city, though God does graciouslycome
between.:Now the children of God they considerthings in themselves, and the
nature and tendency of them, as it becomes wise men to do, and accordingly
judge of them; and hence are so much afraid of spiritual judgments.
(Thomas Horton, D. D.)
And take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.
The withdrawal of God's Spirit deprecatedas the worst of evils
J. Hill.
1. The best of saints may fall into the worstof sins.

2. As the bestof saints cannot keepthemselves from falling, so neither can
they raise themselves up againwhen they are fallen (Psalm 23:3).
3. Where repentance is sincere, a believer matters not what shame he takes,
provided by his confessionglorymay redound to God.
I. WHAT IT IS FOR GOD TO TAKE AWAY HIS HOLY SPIRIT. ForGod
to take awayHis Holy Spirit is for Him to withdraw His sensible gracious
influences from the soul.
II. FOR WHAT REASONS, OR ON WHAT ACCOUNTS IT IS, THAT GOD
ACTS THUS TOWARDS HIS OWN PEOPLE.
1. Pride and self-confidence in the performance of any duty. The apostle
seems to be most afraid of that little boasting pronoun I (1 Corinthians 15:1).
Grace prepared him for service, grace assistedhim in it, grace gave successto
it, grace therefore has all the praise.
2. Another reasonwhy God withdraws His Spirit is negligence andsloth in the
discharge of duty (Song of Solomon5:2). Oh! those formal, lukewarm frames
of spirit, our beloved loathes them. Give Christ your whole heart, or give Him
nothing.
3. Unimproved mercies is another cause ofthe removal of God's Spirit (1
Kings 11:9).
4. Presentsins are another cause ofGod's withdrawing of His Spirit: Samson
and David both failed here.
III. WHY GRACIOUS SOULS CANNOT BEAR THE LOSS OF GOD'S
SPIRIT WITHOUT PUTTING IN THEIR PLEA AGAINST IT.
1. BecauseHe is the Spirit of truth, and without His gracious teachingsallthe
knowledge that we have of God and of Christ will do us no realgood. Light in
the head will be of little efficacyif there be not life and heat in the heart.
2. He is the Spirit of grace and of supplication, and without His aid we shall be
indifferent to duty, and lifeless in it (Zechariah 12:10).

3. The Spirit is a Spirit of holiness, and without His presence all our
endeavours after sanctificationin heart and life are fruitless, and in vain.
4. The Spirit is the author of all consolationandjoy, and without His gracious
influences the believer will be ever sorrowing and castdown (John
16:7).USES.
1. If the loss of God's presence here be so dreadful, how sad is it ever to be
separatedfrom it in the other world? (Psalm 90:11).
2. God has other ways to punish His own people for sin, than casting them into
hell for it (Psalm 99:8).
3. Have a care how you grieve the Spirit (Ephesians 4:30). Do not that which is
contrary to His nature and will. Embrace His counsels;submit to His
government; walk in all the ways of His appointment.
(J. Hill.)
Withdrawal of the Holy Spirit from the soul
Thomas Spurgeon.
There came upon David's soul, like a veritable horror, the consciousnessthat
it was possible to go from bad to worse;that, unless God interposed, this
might last for ever— this momentary withdrawal of the spiritual power
might be permanent. So he seems to say with an awful pathos in his voice,
"Take notThy Holy Spirit from me." As I thought of this I wondered whether
there rose before the eyes of David the memory of what he himself had seenin
the years that were gone. There was his predecessoronthe throne — Saul —
a man on whom the Spirit of God restedfor a while, but who was bereft of the
Spirit. When the Spirit had left him, what an awful condition he gotinto 1
David seems to say within himself, "O God, have mercy upon me. Do not let
me become a Saul, lest I forgetThy judgments and disobey Thy statutes;lest
in my hot anger I raise my hand againsta just man, and seek to pin him to the
wall with my javelin, as Saul did even unto me."

(Thomas Spurgeon.)
David's Repentance
J. S. Macintosh, D. D.
Psalm51:1-19
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your loving kindness…
I. THE CRY OF CONTRITION. Like a perfect master of medicine, unfolding
in his clinicalteaching, feature after feature Of the specialeaseunder
treatment till the very hereditary taint is manifest, David searches outthis
worstsickness;like the stern, skilful prosecutorsumming up the damning
evidence againsta criminal, David lays bare fact after factof his unmitigated
guilt; like a faithful, solemn judge according just recompense to the evildoer,
David pronounces on himself the penalty of God's righteous law.
II. THE CRY FOR CLEANSING. This cry for cleansing is twofold — cleanse
the record, cleanse myself. Two faces are bent over the proofs of his sin —
God's and David's. From eachgazerthese sins must be hidden — from the
one that there may be no condemnation, from the other that there may be full
consolation. Cleanseme, washme, make me whiter than snow. What
orderliness, what Spirit-taught wisdom in this prayer! A polluted stream may
be run off, but a poisonedspring must be cured. The wells of Marsh and the
springs of Jericho callfor their Maker's hand. So does my heart. What a
terrible but fruitful view of sin!
III. THE CRY OF CONSECRATION.These new powers shallnot be wasted.
The new heart and the new spirit long for work. This fresh and unstinted

grace to David fills his soul with thankfulness, and thankfulness embodies
itself in toil for God and man. Praise is not wanting. But works surpass words.
Grace from God always produces giving to God. Labour is as love, and love is
as forgiveness. Where there is no condemnation there should be full
consecration.
(J. S. Macintosh, D. D.)
COMMENTARY
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(11) Castme not away.—This phrase is used of the formal rejectionof Israel
by the God of the covenant(2Kings 13:23;2Kings 17:20;2Kings 24:20;
Jeremiah7:15). Its use here not only confirms the explanation of the notes
above, but makes in favour of understanding the whole psalm of the
community.
Take not thy holy spirit.—Commentators have discussedwhether this means
the spirit of office given to the king on his anointing (1Samuel16:13), or of
grace, and Calvinists and Lutherans have made the text a battle-ground of
controversy. Plainly, as the parallelism shows, the petition is equivalent to a
prayer against rejectionfrom the Divine favour, and is not to be pressedinto
any doctrinal discussion.
BensonCommentary
Psalm51:11-12. Castme not away from thy presence — That is, from thy
favour and care. Take not thy Holy Spirit from me — Thy sanctifying Spirit,
by which alone I can have acquaintance and fellowship with thee. Restore

unto me the joy of thy salvation — The comfortable sense ofthy saving grace,
promised and vouchsafedto me, both for my presentand everlasting
salvation. And uphold me — A weak and frail creature, not able to stand
againsttemptation and the corruption of my nature, without thy powerful and
gracious succours;with thy free Spirit — Or ingenuous, liberal, or princely,
which he seems to oppose to this own base, illiberal, disingenuous, and servile
spirit, which he had discoveredin his wickedand unworthy practices. And he
now desires a better spirit of God, which might free him from the bondage of
sin, and incline and enable him freely, cheerfully, and constantlyto run the
way of God’s precepts.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
51:7-15 Purge me with hyssop, with the blood of Christ applied to my soul by
a lively faith, as the waterof purification was sprinkled with a bunch of
hyssop. The blood of Christ is called the blood of sprinkling, Heb 12:24. If this
blood of Christ, which cleansesfrom all sin, cleanse us from our sin, then we
shall be clean indeed, Heb 10:2. He asks notto be comforted, till he is first
cleansed;if sin, the bitter root of sorrow, be takenaway, he canpray in faith,
Let me have a well-grounded peace, ofthy creating, so that the bones broken
by convictions may rejoice, may be comforted. Hide thy face from my sins;
blot out all mine iniquities out of thy book;blot them out, as a cloud is blotted
out and dispelled by the beams of the sun. And the believer desires renewalto
holiness as much as the joy of salvation. David now saw, more than ever, what
an unclean heart he had, and sadly laments it; but he sees it is not in his own
powerto amend it, and therefore begs God would create in him a cleanheart.
When the sinner feels this change is necessary, and reads the promise of God
to that purpose, he begins to ask it. He knew he had by his sin grieved the
Holy Spirit, and provokedhim to withdraw. This he dreads more than
anything. He prays that Divine comforts may be restoredto him. When we
give ourselves cause to doubt our interestin salvation, how canwe expectthe
joy of it? This had made him weak;he prays, I am ready to fall, either into sin
or into despair, therefore uphold me with thy Spirit. Thy Spirit is a free Spirit,
a free Agent himself, working freely. And the more cheerful we are in our
duty, the more constantwe shall be to it. What is this but the liberty
wherewith Christ makes his people free, which is contrastedwith the yoke of

bondage? Ga 5:1. It is the Spirit of adoption spokento the heart. Those to
whom God is the God of salvation, he will deliver from guilt; for the salvation
he is the God of, is salvationfrom sin. We may therefore plead with him,
Lord, thou art the God of my salvation, therefore deliver me from the
dominion of sin. And when the lips are opened, what should they speak but
the praises ofGod for his forgiving mercy?
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
Castme not awayfrom thy presence - That is, Do not rejectme, or castme off
entirely; do not abandon me; do not leave me in my sin and sorrow. The
language is derived from the idea that true happiness is to be found in the
"presence"ofGod, and that to be exiled from him is misery. Compare Psalm
16:11, note; Psalm31:20, note. See also Psalm140:13.
And take not thy holy Spirit from me - It is not certainthat David understood
by the phrase "thy Holy Spirit" precisely what is now denoted by it as
referring to the third person of the Trinity. The language, as usedby him,
would denote some influence coming from God producing holiness, "as if"
God breathed his own spirit, or his own self, into the soul. The language,
however, is appropriate to be used in the higher and more definite sense in
which it is now employed, as denoting that sacredSpirit - the Holy Spirit - by
whom the heart is renewed, and by whom comfort is imparted to the soul. It is
not necessaryto suppose that the inspired writers of the Old Testamenthad a
full and complete comprehensionof the meaning of the words which they
employed, or that they appreciatedall that their words might properly
convey, or the fullness of significationin which they might be properly used in
the times of the Gospel. Compare the notes at 1 Peter1:10-12. The language
used here by David - "take not" - implies that he had been formerly in
possessionofthat which he now sought. There was still in his heart that which
might be regardedas the work of the Spirit of God; and he earnestlyprayed
that that might not be wholly takenawayon accountof his sin, or that he
might not be entirely abandoned to despair.
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
10. Create—a work ofalmighty power.

in me—literally, "to me," or, "for me"; bestow as a gift, a heart free from
taint of sin (Ps 24:4; 73:1).
renew—implies that he had possessedit; the essentialprinciple of a new
nature had not been lost, but its influence interrupted (Lu 22:32); for Ps 51:11
shows that he had not lost God's presence and Spirit (1Sa 16:13), though he
had lostthe "joy of his salvation" (Ps 51:12), for whose return he prays.
right spirit—literally, "constant," "firm," not yielding to temptation.
Matthew Poole's Commentary
From thy presence, i.e. from thy favour, and care, and gracious communion
with thee.
Thy Holy Spirit; thy sanctifying Spirit, by which alone I can have
acquaintance and fellowship with thee.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
Castme not awayfrom thy presence,.... As abominable; as a vesselin which
he had no pleasure;with indignation and wrath; as one that is angry with
another, cannotbear him in his sight, but bids him be gone from him. Nothing
is more desirable to a child of God than the presence ofGod; and nothing
gives him more sensible pain than his absence;and even to be deprived of or
denied the means of enjoying his presence the word and ordinances, makes
them very uneasy: to be utterly, and for ever deprived of it, is the case ofthe
damned in hell, and is the punishment of loss they sustain; and, on the other
hand, the happiness of the saints in heaven is to enjoy it without interruption.
The people of Godare never castawayfrom his favour, or out of his heart's
love; but they may for a while be without his gracious presence,ornot see his
face, nor have the light of his countenance, nor sensible communion with him,
which is here deprecated. David might callto mind the case ofCain, Genesis
4:14; or rather the more recentone of Saul, whom the Lord rejected, and
from whom he departed upon his sinning, and which he might fear would be
his case,1 Samuel 28:15;

and take not thy Holy Spirit from me; or "the Spirit of thine holiness";the
third Personin the Trinity; so called, not because this epithet of "holy" is
peculiar to him; for it is used also of the Father, and of the Son, John 17:11;
but because he is equally holy with them, and is the author of holiness in his
people, which is therefore calledthe sanctificationof the Spirit, 1 Peter1:2;
and without whom David knew that purity and holiness of heart and spirit he
had desired could not be renewedand increasedin him; and therefore
deprecates the taking of him away;which shows that he was not as yet
removed from him, not with standing he had fallen into greatsins; and his
sense ofsin, and confessionofit, and his fervent application for pardoning
grace, and purity of heart, abundantly prove it. The Spirit of God is a gift of
his, which is without repentance, and where he once is as a spirit of
regenerationand sanctification, he ever abides:his external gifts may be
takenaway; but internal grace is an incorruptible seed, and always continues.
By sin the Spirit of God may be grieved, so as to withdraw his gracious
influences, and his powerful operations may not be felt; and this is what is
here deprecated. The Targum interprets this of the spirit of prophecy which
David had, by which he composedpsalms and songs prophetic of Christ, and
of Gospeltimes, and which was not taken awayfrom him; see 2 Samuel 23:1.
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
11. The upright “behold God’s face” (Psalm11:7): He admits them to His
presence for ever (Psalm41:12). The spirit of Jehovahcame upon David, as it
departed from Saul (1 Samuel16:13-14). Did David fear that he might share
the fate of Saul, banished from God’s presence and deprived of His favour,
desertedby that Spirit which is the source ofall right desire and action?
It is pointed out by the advocates ofthe national interpretation of the Psalm
that the phrase of the first line is always usedof the rejectionof the nation and
its banishment from the holy land (2 Kings 13:23;2 Kings 17:20; 2 Kings
24:20;Jeremiah 7:15): and that the phrase ‘God’s holy spirit’ is found
elsewhere in the O.T. only in Isaiah 63:10-11, where it is mentioned (along

with ‘the angelof His presence’Psalm51:9) as the mediator of His presence in
the midst of the nation of Israel. But both phrases are equally applicable to
the individual.
Although the doctrine of the personality of the Holy Spirit is not taught in the
O.T., passageslike these, which imply that in the spirit Jehovahpersonally
acts, prepare the way for the N.T. revelationconcerning Him, and canbe used
in the fullest Christian sense. SeeOehler’s O.T. Theol., §65.
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 11. - Castme not awayfrom thy presence. To he "castawayfrom God's
presence" is to be altogethercastout of his covenant, made an alien from him,
deprived of his favour and the light of his countenance (see Genesis 4:14;2
Kings 13:23). The psalmist deprecates so terrible a punishment, although he
feels that he has deservedit. And take not thy Holy Spirit from me. God's
Holy Spirit had been poured upon David when he was first anointed by
Samuel to the kingly office (1 Samuel16:13). His greatsins had undoubtedly
"grieved" and vexed the Spirit; and, had they been continued or not repented
of, would have causedhim to withdraw himself; but they had not "wholly
quenched the Spirit" (1 Thessalonians 5:19). David was therefore able to pray,
as he does, that the Holy Spirit of God might still be vouchsafedto him, and
not be "takenaway," as from one wholly unworthy.
Keil and DelitzschBiblical Commentary on the Old Testament
David here confesseshis hereditary sin as the root of his actualsin. The
declarationmoves backwards from his birth to conception, it consequently
penetrates even to the most remote point of life's beginning. ‫יּתללוח‬ stands
instead of ‫,יּתללוח‬ perhaps (although elsewhere, i.e., in Psalm90:2, the idea of
painfulness is kept entirely in the background)with reference to the decree,
"with pain shalt thou bring forth children," Genesis 3:16 (Kurtz); insteadof
aht otecnerefer etinifed erom llits htiw ,‫אתח‬ ‫הרתה‬t which precedes conception,
the expressionis ‫חיתמיח‬ (for ‫,חיתמיח‬ following the same interchange of vowelas
in Genesis 30:39;Judges 5:28). The choice of the verb decides the question

whether by ‫ןּתע‬ and ‫אטי‬ is meant the guilt and sin of the child or of the parents.
fo sekatrap hcihw ,noitioc ni ,taht otecnerefersah (erised htiw nrub ot)‫חים‬
the animal, and may wellawakenmodestsensibilities in man, without ‫ןּתחע‬ and
eht ;nis sa flestinoitpecnoc dna htribgniziretcarahc tnuocca taht no ‫יטא‬
meaning is merely, that his parents were sinful human begins, and that this
sinful state (habitus) has operatedupon his birth and even his conception, and
from this point has passedoverto him. What is thereby expressedis not so
much any self-exculpation, as on the contrary a self-accusationwhich glances
back to the ultimate ground of natural corruption. He is sinful ‫ממהרחּתן‬ ‫מולה‬
(Psalm 58:4; Genesis 8:21), is ‫מאמא‬ ‫,טמא‬ an unclean one springing from an
unclean (Job 14:4), flesh born of flesh. That man from his first beginning
onwards, and that this beginning itself, is stainedwith sin; that the proneness
to sin with its guilt and its corruption is propagatedfrom parents to their
children; and that consequentlyin the single actual sin the sin-pervaded
nature of man, inasmuch as he allows himself to be determined by it and
himself resolves in accordancewith it, become outwardly manifest-therefore
the factof hereditary sin is here more distinctly expressedthan in any other
passagein the Old Testament, since the Old Testamentconception, according
to its specialcharacter, whichalways fastens upon the phenomenal, outward
side rather than penetrates to the secretroots ofa matter, is directed almost
entirely to the outward manifestationonly of sin, and leaves its natural
foundation, its issue in relation to primeval history, and its demonic
backgroundundisclosed. The ‫ןה‬ in Psalm 51:7 is followedby a correlative
second‫ןה‬ in Psalm 51:8 (cf. Isaiah55:4., Isaiah 54:15.). Geiercorrectlysays:
Orat ut sibi in peccatis concepto veraque cordis probitate carenti penitiorem
ac mysticam largiri velit sapientiam, cujus medio liberetur a peccatitum
reatu tum dominio. ‫אמת‬ is the nature and life of man as conformed to the
nature and will of God (cf. ἀλήθεια, Ephesians 4:21). ‫,יממה‬ wisdom which is
most intimately acquainted with (eindringlich weiss)suchnature and life and
the wayto attain it. God delights in and desires truth ‫.תאיּתת‬ The Beth of this
word is not a radical letter here as it is in Job 12:6, but the preposition. The
reins utpote adipe obducti, here and in Job 38:36, according to the Targum,
Jerome, and Parchon, are called‫תּתיט‬ (Psychol. S. 269;tr. p. 317). Truth in the
reins (cf. Psalm 40:9, God's law in visceribus meis) is an upright nature in
man's deepestinward parts; and in fact, since the reins are accountedas the

seatof the tenderestfeelings, in man's inmost experience and perception, in
his most secretlife both of conscience andof mind (Psalm16:7). In the
parallel member ‫םתס‬ denotes the hidden inward part of man. Out of the
confession, thataccording to the will of God truth ought to dwell and rule in
man even in his reins, comes the wish, that God would impart to him (i.e.,
teachhim and make his own), - who, as being born and conceivedin sin, is
commended to God's mercy, - that wisdomin the hidden part of his mind
which is the way to such truth.
SPURGEON
EXPOSITION
Verse 11. Castme not away from thy presence. Throw me not awayas
worthless;banish me not, like Cain, from thy face and favour. Permit me to
sit among those who share thy love, though I only be suffered to keepthe
door. I deserve to be forever denied admission to thy courts;but, O good
Lord, permit me still the privilege which is dear as life itself to me. Take not
thy Holy Spirit from me. Withdraw not his comforts, counsels, assistances,
quickenings, else I am indeed as a dead man. Do not leave me as thou didst
Saul, when neither by Urim, nor by prophet, nor by dream, thou wouldst
answerhim. Thy Spirit is my wisdom, leave me not to my folly; he is my
strength, O desertme not to my own weakness. Drive me not awayfrom thee,
neither do thou go away from me. Keep up the union betweenus, which is my
only hope of salvation. It will be a great wonderif so pure a spirit deigns to
stay in so base a heart as mine; but then, Lord, it is all wonder together,
therefore do this, for thy mercy's sake, I earnestlyentreat thee.
EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS
Verse 10-12. Who was to do this work? Not himself; God alone. Therefore, he
prays: "O God, create -- O lord, renew; uphold by thy Spirit." Adam Clarke.

Verse 11. Castme not away from thy presence. David lamented before that sin
had slain him, and made him like a dead man, wanting a heart or quickening
spirit; and now he fears lest, as the dead are abhorred by the living, so the
Lord should casthim as a dead and abominable thing out of his presence.
Whereofwe learn this is one of the just punishments of sin; it procures the
casting out of a man from the face of God; and it may let us see how dear
bought are the pleasures ofsin when a man to enjoy the face of the creature
deprives himself of the comfortable face of the Creator; as David here, for the
carnallove of the face of Bathsheba, puts himself in danger to be castout
forever from the presence of the Lord his God. If a man could remember this
in all Satan's temptations, what it is that the deceiveroffers, and what it is
againthat he seeks, he would be loath to buy the perishing pleasures ofsin
upon such a price as Satanselleththem, but would answerhim as the apostle
did Simon Magus, "Thy money, with thyself, go into perdition;" thy gain, thy
glory, thy pleasure, and whateverthou wouldst give me to offend the Lord my
God, go with thyself into perdition, for what canstthou offer me comparable
to that which thou wouldst stealfrom me? But how is it that he prays, Castme
not out from thy presence? Maya man be castany way from it? Saith he not
himself, "What way can I flee from thy presence?"This is soonanswered by
distinguishing his twofold presence -- one in mercy, wherewith he refresheth
and comforteth his own, and this without intermission they enjoy who are in
heaven; another, in wrath, whereby he terrifies and torments without
intermission the damned in hell. As to them who are upon the earth, certain it
is he is displeasedwith many, who, because they see not his angry face, regard
it not, borne out with temporal recreations ofthe creature, which will fail
them; and there are many, again, to whom he looks as a loving father in
Christ, and yet they see not his merciful face by reasonof many interjected
veils; but to them who once have felt the sweetnessofhis favourable face it is
death to want it. William Cowper.
Verse 11. Castme not away from thy presence. Like the leper who is banished
from societytill cleansed, oras Saul was rejectedfrom being king, because he
obeyed not the word of the Lord. 1 Samuel15:23 . David could not but feel
that his transgressionwouldhave deserved a similar rejection. W. Wilson.

Verse 11. Castme not away. Lord, though I, alas!have castthee from me, yet
castme not away:hide not thy face from me, although I so often have refused
to look at thee; leave me not without help, to perish in my sins, though I have
aforetime left thee. Fra Thom de Jesu.
Verse 11. Take not thy Holy Spirit from me. The words of this verse imply
that the Spirit had not altogetherbeen takenawayfrom him, howevermuch
his gifts had been temporarily obscured ... Upon one point he had fallen into a
deadly lethargy, but he was not "givenover to a reprobate mind;" and it is
scarcelyconceivable that the rebuke of Nathan the prophet should have
operatedso easily and suddenly in arousing him had there been no latent
spark of godliness still remaining ... The truth on which we are now insisting is
an important one, as many learned men have been inconsideratelydrawn into
the opinion that the elect, by falling into mortal sin, may lose the Spirit
altogether, and be alienated from God. The contrary is clearly declaredby
Peter, who tells us that the word by which we are born again is an
incorruptible seed1 Peter 1:23 ; and John is equally explicit in informing us
that the electare preservedfrom falling awayaltogether. 1 John 3:9 .
Howevermuch they may appear for a time to have been castoff by God, it is
afterwards seenthat grace must have been alive in their breasts even during
that interval when it seemedto be extinct. Noris there any force in the
objectionthat David speaksas if he fearedthat he might be deprived of the
Spirit. It is natural that the saints, when they have fallen into sin, and have
thus done what they could to expel the grace of God, should feel an anxiety
upon this point; but it is their duty to hold fast the truth, that grace is the
incorruptible seedof God, which never can perish in any heart where it has
been deposited. This is the spirit displayed by David. Reflecting upon his
offence, he is agitatedwith fears, and yet rests in the persuasionthat, being a
child of God, he would not be deprived of what, indeed, he had justly
forfeited. John Calvin.
The Biblical Illustrator
Psalms 51:11

Castme not awayfrom Thy presence;and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.
A most needful prayer concerning the Holy Spirit
This psalm is, beyond all others, a photograph of penitent David. You may
have seenthat interesting slab of stone which bears on its surface indications
of the fall of raindrops in a primeval shower;this psalm preserves the mark of
David’s tear-drops, for the inspection and instruction of succeeding
generations. Takeourtext--
I. As the cry of a penitent child of God. This is its largest, widestand most
primitive sense. It is certainly fit language for any child of God who has fallen
into gross sin. Backslider, youmay yet return; there are pardons for sins of
deepestdye. But more, probably, will equally need this prayer on accountof
gradual backsliding. One great sin startles the soul into repentance, but a
continuation of sin will be found to be oven more dangerous. White ants will
devour a carcaseas surelyand as speedily as a lion. Many threads of silk
twisted togethermay hold a man as fast as one band of iron. But the soul that
can thus pray has still true spiritual life struggling within. An ungodly man
would not care at all, but here is life which sighs after God. How many are the
reasons forsuch a prayer as this! God’s presence is our comfortamid
affliction. It was the Holy Spirit who regeneratedus, and into His name we
were baptized. And He is the Spirit of adoption. Let anything come between
us and our distinct recognitionof our sonship towards God, and we are
undone. Further, it is by the Holy Spirit that we have access to God. Praying
in the Holy Spirit is the only true praying. And He is our great instructor; He
leads us into all truth. And we need His aid as our Comforter and Sanctifier,
and as our powerfor practicalservice. And remember, too, that when a man
has sinned as David had, he cannotalways pray in language which would be
preciselysuitable for a well-assuredsaint. When assurance is gone, and faith
is weak, it is a greatcomfort that we may pray a sinner’s prayer.

II. As the voice of an anxious Church. Remember, there have been Churches
from which God has removed His Spirit. The Churches of Asia, and many
more recent instances. Thereforeremember that the power of a Church does
not consistin her organizations;nor her gifts; nor her wealth;nor her
doctrines. I know not that Laodicea held false doctrines, yet she was nauseous
to the Lord. Noris a Church’s strength her numbers. What is a large Church
without the Lord’s presence, but a mass of chaff to be scatteredby the wind!
And the fall of such Church may be sudden. Therefore how needful for all
Churches is this prayer. Take it--
III. As the cry of an awakenedsinner. Not accurately, but still instinctively we
may thus use it. Oh, unconverted man! if thou art anxious about thy soul,
pray this prayer. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
DeprecationofGod’s judgments
The people of Godthey understand the nature of spiritual judgments, that
they are the greatestand saddestof any; which they are in a twofold respect;
first, as consideredin themselves, and that mischief which is contained in
them; and, secondly, in regardof their influence and extent. First, as for
themselves, they are the greatest, as depriving of the greatestgood, and
carrying the greatestsmartwith them. Every one prizes any loss according as
he is any way sensible of the gain which is lost by it. What is the reasonthat
worldly men make so much of worldly losses, offriends, and honours, and
estates, andsuch things as these? It is because they understand what they
mean. Why now thus it is also in spirituals: God’s children, because they
know what it is to enjoy God’s presence, therefore they are so afraid of being
deprived of it. And then in regard of their influence; they know that such
judgments as these have other judgments attending upon them; and so they
have: first, as to temporal judgments, they are oftentimes forerunners of
them: as the Gospelcomes not alone, so it goes not alone, nor the comforts
which belong unto it. When God afflicts men with spiritual judgments, which
it may be they do not regard, He has other judgments for them, following Of
them, which they are more sensible of; when David was castout of God’s

presence, he was in danger of somewhatelse with it; and so are others with
him. And then especiallyas to judgment to come. Spiritual judgments, where
they are not prevented, end in eternal judgments, and in their own nature
tend unto them. Temporary casting out of God’s presence tends to final and
absolute rejection:and the loss of God’s Spirit for a time tends to the loss of it
for ever: this it does in its own nature, howeverthrough the goodnessofGod
it does not always take effect;as the firing but of one room in a house speaks
the firing of the whole building; and the firing of but one house in particular
the destructionof the whole city, though God does graciouslycome
between.:Now the children of God they considerthings in themselves, and the
nature and tendency of them, as it becomes wise men to do, and accordingly
judge of them; and hence are so much afraid of spiritual judgments. (Thomas
Horton, D. D.)
And take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.--
The withdrawal of God’s Spirit deprecatedas the worst of evils
1. The best of saints may fall into the worstof sins.
2. As the bestof saints cannot keepthemselves from falling, so neither can
they raise themselves up againwhen they are fallen (Psalms 23:3).
3. Where repentance is sincere, a believer matters not what shame he takes,
provided by his confessionglorymay redound to God.
I. What it is for God to take awayHis Holy Spirit. ForGod to take awayHis
Holy Spirit is for Him to withdraw His sensible gracious influences from the
soul.
II. For what reasons, oron what accounts it is, that God acts thus towards His
own people.
1. Pride and self-confidence in the performance of any duty. The apostle
seems to be most afraid of that little boasting pronoun I (1 Corinthians 15:1).

Grace prepared him for service, grace assistedhim in it, grace gave successto
it, grace therefore has all the praise.
2. Another reasonwhy God withdraws His Spirit is negligence andsloth in the
discharge of duty (Song of Solomon5:2). Oh! those formal, lukewarm frames
of spirit, our beloved loathes them. Give Christ your whole heart, or give Him
nothing.
3. Unimproved mercies is another cause ofthe removal of God’s Spirit (1
Kings 11:9).
4. Presentsins are another cause ofGod’s withdrawing of His Spirit: Samson
and David both failed here.
III. Why gracious souls cannotbear the loss of God’s spirit without putting in
their plea againstit.
1. BecauseHe is the Spirit of truth, and without His gracious teachingsallthe
knowledge that we have of God and of Christ will do us no realgood. Light in
the head will be of little efficacyif there be not life and heat in the heart.
2. He is the Spirit of grace and of supplication, and without His aid we shall be
indifferent to duty, and lifeless in it (Zechariah 12:10).
3. The Spirit is a Spirit of holiness, and without His presence all our
endeavours after sanctificationin heart and life are fruitless, and in vain.
4. The Spirit is the author of all consolationandjoy, and without His gracious
influences the believer will be ever sorrowing and castdown (John 16:7).
Uses.
1. If the loss of God’s presence here be so dreadful, how sad is it ever to be
separatedfrom it in the other world? (Psalms 90:11).
2. God has other ways to punish His own people for sin, than casting them into
hell for it (Psalms 99:8).

3. Have a care how you grieve the Spirit (Ephesians 4:30). Do not that which is
contrary to His nature and will. Embrace His counsels;submit to His
government; walk in all the ways of His appointment. (J. Hill.)
Withdrawal of the Holy Spirit from the soul
There came upon David’s soul, like a veritable horror, the consciousnessthat
it was possible to go from bad to worse;that, unless God interposed, this
might last for ever--this momentary withdrawal of the spiritual powermight
be permanent. So he seems to say with an awful pathos in his voice, “Takenot
Thy Holy Spirit from me.” As I thought of this I wondered whether there rose
before the eyes of David the memory of what he himself had seenin the years
that were gone. There was his predecessoron the throne--Saul--a man on
whom the Spirit of Godrested for a while, but who was bereft of the Spirit.
When the Spirit had left him, what an awful condition he gotinto 1 David
seems to saywithin himself, “O God, have mercy upon me. Do not let me
become a Saul, lest I forgetThy judgments and disobey Thy statutes; lestin
my hot angerI raise my hand againsta just man, and seek to pin him to the
wall with my javelin, as Saul did even unto me.” (Thomas Spurgeon.)
David and the Holy Spirit in Psalm 51:11
January 27, 2014 by Jack Cottrell
QUESTION:How did King David receive the Holy Spirit?
ANSWER:This question is probably suggestedby Psalm 51:11, where David
as king prays to God, “Do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.” This indicates
that when he is saying this prayer, he does have the Holy Spirit in some way.
How did he receive the Spirit in the first place?
We must understand that in the Bible people can “have the Holy Spirit” in
two very different ways. On the one hand, we may speak ofthe EQUIPPING
presence ofthe Holy Spirit. This means that some people have receivedthe
Holy Spirit for the purpose of being empoweredfor service. I.e., God wants a

certain personto be able to perform some work or to carry out some
responsibility in a way that will help to fulfill some purpose of God here on
earth. This is what we sometimes call “spiritual gifts,” or “gifts of the Spirit.”
The Spirit comes upon that personin order to equip or empower him or her
for service in his kingdom.
These gifts can involve miraculous powers (e.g., being able to work miracles,
to speak in tongues, to speak inspired messages fromGod—1 Cor. 12:28), or
they may involve just an enhancementof natural abilities (such as teaching,
leadership, or showing mercy—Romans 12:7-8). Also, the Holy Spirit came
upon people for this purpose of empowerment both in Old Testamenttimes
and in New Testamenttimes. Many individuals among Old TestamentIsrael
were so empowered, including all the prophets and judges, and including at
leastsome of the kings of Israel. This is where David comes into the picture.
When God chose David to replace Saul as king over Israel, the prophet
Samuel anointed him with oil, “and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily
upon David from that day forward” (1 Samuel 16:13). This is when he
receivedthe Holy Spirit.
This empowerment by the Spirit is NOT directly related to salvation. In Old
Testamenttimes the Holy Spirit came upon individuals for empowerment for
service, but not for salvation. When David receivedthe Holy Spirit at the time
he was anointed to be king, this did not affect his salvation status. (He
probably was already savedat this point.) Not all saved people had the
empowerment of the Holy Spirit in Old Testamenttimes, and even someone
who was not saved could have the Spirit in this sense (e.g., the paganprophet
Balaam, Num. 24:2).
So what was David praying in Psalm51:11? We must remember the occasion
that prompted this prayerful psalm, namely, David’s adulterous episode with
Bathsheba (see 2 Samuel 11 & 12). Here in Psalm 51 he is inspired to write
about his own heart-felt repentance for this sin. One thing he is concerned
about is that God might punish him for this sin by removing him from his
position as king over Israel, and even by no longerusing him to write inspired
songs ofpraise (i.e., psalms).

David knew that he had receivedthe empowering presence of the Spirit as
recordedin 1 Samuel 16:13 (see 2 Sam. 23:2). He also knew that when God
rejectedSaul as king, “the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul” (1 Sam.
16:14). Knowing these things, in Psalm51:11 David prays that God would not
do the same thing to him that he had done to Saul. I.e., he prays that God
would not withdraw the equipping presence ofthe Spirit from him, thus
effectively ending his service to God. His concernhas nothing to do with the
saving presence ofthe Holy Spirit, because this was something no one had or
even knew about in Old Testamenttimes.
Now, on the other hand, there IS such a thing as the SAVING presence of the
Holy Spirit. In this case, some people have receivedthe Holy Spirit for the
purpose of being empoweredfor holy living. This did not begin until the day
of Pentecostas recordedin Acts 2; it is one of the greatblessings associated
with the Messianic age andthe Church of Jesus Christ. The individuals who
receive this presence of the Spirit are those who obey the gospel(Rom. 10:16;
2 Thess. 1:8), as announced by the apostle Peterbeginning in Acts 2:38-39 (see
Acts 5:32).
In this case the Holy Spirit does not “come upon” a person to empower him or
her for service;rather, the Spirit “comes into” a person and indwells his very
life and body (Rom. 8:9-11; 1 Cor. 6:19). The immediate result of this
indwelling of the Spirit is the beginning of the secondaspectofthe “double
cure” of salvation, which involves the inward change of a convert’s very heart.
This is the one-time event called“regeneration” (seeTitus 3:5), and also being
“born again” (see John 3:5).
The ongoing result of this indwelling of the Spirit is the continuation of this
secondaspectofthe double cure, namely, “sanctification.” The Spirit
continues to dwell within the Christian’s life for the purpose of giving him or
her the spiritual power to overcome sin (Rom. 8:13) and to live a holy and
virtuous life (Eph. 3:16; Phil. 2:13). (See my books on the Holy Spirit for more
information on this aspectof the Spirit’s work: The Holy Spirit: A Biblical
Study; and Powerfrom on High: What the Bible Says About the Holy Spirit.)

It is impossible to overemphasize the magnitude of the blessing God has
bestowedupon us Christians by giving us this indwelling presence ofhis Holy
Spirit. We should indeed pray that God will never withdraw his Spirit from us
in this sense, whichcould happen if we were to truly “fall from grace” and
lose our salvation by ceasing to trust in Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
But this is NOT what was going on with David in Psalm51. He did not even
have this saving presence of the Spirit in the first place, since this is something
that did not begin until the day of Pentecostin Acts 2. He was indeed praying
for God’s help in being cleansedof his sinful ways, as in verse 10;but he was
also praying for God not to casthim aside as prophet and king, as in verse 11.
In this latter case he was praying for God not to remove the equipping
presence ofthe Spirit from him, which he had receivedin 1 Samuel16:13.
FROM KEEPBELIEVING.COM
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Do Not Take Your Holy Spirit From Me!
Psalms 51:11
“Castme not away from your presence, andtake not your Holy Spirit from
me” (Psalms 51:11).
It is sometimes said that no Christian should ever pray this prayer, but I
wonder if that is correct. ClearlyDavid feared being castawayby God and
losing the Holy Spirit. The big question is not, “What does this verse mean for
us?” But rather, “What did it mean for David? What was he thinking and
feeling when he prayed this prayer?”

One of the keys comes in the preceding verse when he prays, “Create in me a
cleanheart, O God.” David was a man with an unclean heart.
This is not David before he met the Lord.
This is David, the man of God, who has an unclean heart.
This is not David the unbeliever.
This is David the man after God’s own heart.
This is the man who said, “The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want.”
This is the king God personallychose to rule his people.
He is a man of God with an unclean heart.
He knows the Lord, and he has an unclean heart.
He is a leaderof God’s people, and he has an unclean heart.
He writes worship music, and he has an unclean heart.
When a man has an unclean heart, he rightly fears being castout of God’s
presence.

When a man has an unclean heart, he rightly fears losing the Holy Spirit.
The heart always tells the truth eventually. When God chose Davidto be the
future king of Israel, he said, “For the LORD sees notas man sees:man looks
on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks onthe heart” (I Samuel
16:7). A man may lie to others, and he may evenlie to himself, but eventually
his heart will tell the truth.
Do you remember a short story by EdgarAllen Poe called“The Telltale
Heart"? After committing murder, the main characterdismembers the body
and buries it under the woodenplanks on the floor. He does such a goodjob
that when the police come to investigate, he invites them in and even aids them
in their searchfor clues. But the murderer is unable to escape the haunting
guilt of his deed. He begins to hear the heartbeat of his dead victim. A cold
sweatpours over him as that heartbeat goes onand on, relentlessly, getting
louder and louder. Poe repeats the word for effect. Louder! Louder! Louder!
Why can’t the officers hearthe sound of the beating heart? It begins to drive
him mad. Finally, in desperationto make the sound go away, he admits the
crime. The story ends this way: “Villains!” I shrieked, “Dissemble no more! I
admit the deed! —Tearup the planks! Here, here! ―It is the beating of his
hideous heart!” But the pounding which drove the man mad was not in the
grave below but in his own chest.
Guilt is like that. When we have sinned, the heart will not restuntil it is clean
once again. That is why David prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O God.”
He heard the pounding of his ownguilty heart and he could not live with the
shame of what he had done.
That is the keyto understanding his prayer in verse 11. It’s all about David’s
heart.
I. A BrokenHeart
We are not left to wonderwhy David feels so guilty. The superscription to
Psalms 51 tells us the story: “A Psalmof David, when Nathanthe prophet
went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.”
Oh, so that’s what this is all about.

One day when David was the king, in the spring of the year, at the time when
kings went out to war, David sent his armies out to do battle. But he did not go
himself. He stayedin Jerusalem. We do not know why he stayed behind.
Perhaps he felt confident that his men could win any battle without his
presence. Perhaps he had matters of state to attend to. Perhaps he was tired
or bored or restless. One evening he went for a walk in the coolof the day.
There he saw a beautiful woman named Bathsheba taking a bath. Seeing her
arouseda greatdesire within him. So he sent for her and she came. Now, that
was a day not unlike the present day, when powerful men think they can
break the rules with impunity. As the king, David could have any unmarried
woman he wished to have. He could call for any woman who had no husband
and she would come to him. You did not sayno to the king. But Bathsheba
was married. He knew that because his servant told him she was married to a
man named Uriah the Hittite. He should not have called for her and she
should not have come. But he did and she did. They slept together, which is a
modern way of saying they both committed the sin of adultery. In the Old
Testamentadulterers were stoned to death, but that was not likely to happen
in this case, Davidbeing the king and all. If anyone might be expectedto get
awaywith adultery, it was David.
So they slept togetherand she returned to her home. Days passedand it
seemedas if the little affair had been nothing more than that. A little affair, a
brief fling, a lapse in judgment, a momentary foolishness, a giving in to the
flesh. Upon a day Bathsheba sentword to the king that she was pregnant.
That’s what you call a complicating factor. This is an example of what the
Bible means when it takes aboutthe wages ofsin. You cannotsin and get
awaywith it forever. Be sure your sin will find you out. This is true of kings
and paupers alike. David now faces a dilemma. He has to find a way to cover
up his sin. The easiestwayis to somehow trick Uriah into thinking he is the
father of the baby. That’s a problem because Uriah is off fighting with the
army–where David should have been all along. So David calls for Uriah who
leaves his army, comes back to Jerusalem, and then refuses to sleepwith his
wife while his buddies are on the front lines. That didn’t work so David is now
left with only one alternative. If Uriah dies, he can lawfully marry Bathsheba.
So he arranges forUriah to be placed on the front lines while the rest of the

Israeliarmy withdraws during battle, ensuring he will be killed. When that
eventually happens, David marries Bathsheba and she gives birth to the son
conceivedin adultery. All seems to be well until you getto the final verse of II
Samuel 11, “But the thing that David had done displeasedthe LORD” (v. 27).
Eventually Nathan the prophet comes to the king and confronts him with his
sin. He informs him that the child just born will die as part of God’s
judgment. Despite David’s prayers, the child eventually dies.
Think of what David has done:
He has committed adultery.
He has committed murder.
He causedsorrow and shame to come to his own house.
He causedbloodshed and turmoil to come to the nation.
And the child is dead.
All because ofhis sin.
That is the backgroundof Psalms 51. It is a portrait of a man with an unclean
heart coming back to God.
II. An Honest Heart
How do we know his repentance is real? Becausehe recordedit for us.
Proverbs 28:13 declares, “Whoeverconcealshis transgressions willnot
prosper, but he who confessesand forsakesthem will obtain mercy.” The
hardest words you’ll eversay are, “I have sinned.” A while back, I receiveda
letter from a prisoner who had committed a terrible crime. Now behind bars,
he felt deep remorse and fearedthat he had committed the unpardonable sin.

I wrote him back and told him that he had definitely not committed the
unpardonable sin. How could I be so sure? The one certainmark of the
unpardonable sin is that you would never care that you had committed it. It’s
not just any sin; it’s a hard-hearted, persistent, deliberate and final rejection
of the Lord. Such a persontakes the key to heaven and deliberately throws it
away. He says, “I’d rather go to hell,” and then laughs about it. Anyone who
worries about committing the unpardonable sin shows that they still have a
conscience.
It’s hard to admit that you’ve done wrong.
It’s hard to admit that you’ve hurt someone.
It’s hard to bow your knee and say, “O God, forgive me for I have sinned.”
I John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins …” That’s a big if in there. Until we
confess oursins, the last part of the verse doesn’t apply to us.
See how clearlyDavid makes his confession.
He uses three different words to describe his sin in verses 1-2:“my sins … my
transgressions …. my iniquity.”
In verse 3, he says, “I know my sin.”
In verse 4, he says, “I have done evil in your eyes.”
In verse 5, he says, “I’ve been a sinner since I was conceived.”
In verse 6, he says, “I know you want the truth in my inner being.”

In verse 7, he says, “Only you can make me clean.”
In verse 8, he says, “Only you can give me joy again.”
In verse 9, he says, “Pleasewipe awaythe recordof my sin.”
In verse 10, he says, “Create in me a cleanheart, O God.”
In verse 12, he says, “Give me back the joy I once had.”
If you want to know what confessionlooks like, readPsalms 51. Study it. Pray
it out loud. Memorize it. Tattoo its truth to your soul.
III. A Hopeful Heart
And that brings us to verse 11. “Castme not away from your presence, and
take not your Holy Spirit from me.” When Charles Spurgeonpreached on this
verse (A MostNeedful PrayerConcerning the Holy Spirit, October9, 1870),
he said that these are fitting words for any Christian who has fallen into sin. It
may be gross sin like David’s or it may be a kind of slow, casualbacksliding.
Small sins are often more dangerous than big sins because big sins startle us
into repentance, but just like the frog in the boiling kettle of water, we may
gradually become so used to sin that it ceasesto bother us at all. Or, when it
finally does bother us, we are too far gone to do anything about it. Many small
sins may produce a worse effectthan one big sin. “White ants will devour a
carcassas surelyand as speedily as a lion.” Then Spurgeonasks a long series
of questions, which I have paraphrasedand updated:
Have we takenGod’s grace for granted?
Has our love for God growncold?

Are we carelessaboutprayer?
Have we slowlygrown lukewarmin our Christian faith?
Do we love the world too much?
Have we been slothful in the Lord’s service?
Do we harbor a rootof bitterness?
Do we let resentment linger?
Have we spokenunkindly of other Christians?
Are we carelessin our words?
Have we become spiritually cold?
Spurgeonsays that if these things are true, then we ought to be praying
David’s prayer most fervently: “Castme not away from your presence, and
do not take your Holy Spirit from me!” He goes onto say something that I
found very encouraging:Only a true Christian could pray like this. An
unbeliever won’t care about being castawayfrom God’s presence becausehe
was never close to God in the first place. An unsaved person won’t care about
losing the Holy Spirit that he never had anyway. The ungodly flee from God’s

presence and hide from the Holy Spirit. Only the child of Godfeels the pain of
the Lord’s discipline. Those who have dwelt in the sunlight of his love shiver
in the cold darkness ofhis displeasure. If all you have knownis darkness, how
can you miss the light you never had? So to pray like this is a sure sign of
spiritual light.
What an encouragementthis ought to be to all of us. Are there any great
sinners in our midst today? Any Christians who have grieved the Lord again
and again? Any adulterers? Any murderers? Any slanderers? Any liars? Any
lawbreakers?If you feel the pain of your sin, it surely means that you must
know the Lord. The guilt that you feel is a severe mercy God gives to his
erring children. Your tears are signs of life within. Your pain and your shame
and your frustration are signs that you are a true child of God.
After I preachedthis sermon, I receivedan email from someone who
wondered how I could square this teaching with the doctrine of eternal
security. I replied that we must not try to read too much of the New
Testamentinto David’s words. He was not thinking in those categories.David
knew enough to realize that he was successfulbecauseofthe Holy Spirit’s
blessing on his life. If that blessing were removed, he could no longerlead his
people. Spurgeon (who believed fervently in eternal security) even argued that
we ought to pray this prayer precisely because we believe the Holy Spirit will
not be takenfrom us:
“I venture to say it is not right to pray for what God will not give; the promise
is not a reasonfor not praying, but the very best reasonin all the world for
praying. BecauseI earnestlybelieve that no realchild of God will ever be cast
awayfrom God’s presence, therefore I pray that I may not be. And because I
am wellpersuaded that from no really regeneratedsoulwill God ever utterly
take his Spirit, therefore, for that reasonabove all others, do I pray that he
may never take his Spirit from me.
The promise is the reasonfor the prayer. And to pray like this saves us from
spiritual presumption. Remember, David prays from the depths of a heart
broken because ofhis own foolish sin. Betterin those moments not to take
anything for granted. We might view the prayer this way (from a New

Testamentperspective):“O Lord, I have sinned greatly and am no longer
worthy to be called your son.” (Recallthe words of the ProdigalSon in Luke
15:19). “Pleasedo not take your Holy Spirit from me lestI be found not to be
among your family. I freely confess my sin, cry out to you for mercy, and pray
that I might be found to be a true child of God.” If we feel uncomfortable
praying like that, perhaps it means that we have not takenour sin as seriously
as we ought.
What was David thinking when he cried out, “Castme not awayfrom your
presence"?Perhaps he was thinking of Adam, who was castout of the Garden
of Eden. Perhaps he thought of Cain, who killed his brother and was
sentencedto wander the earth. Perhaps he thought of waywardSamson, who
knew the Spirit’s powerand then squandered it in angerand unbridled lust.
But more than any of those, he must have been thinking of Saul, the man who
precededhim on the throne. We are told repeatedly that the Spirit came upon
Saul to enable to lead his army to victory. But because ofhis disobedience,
David was chosenas king in his place. I Samuel16:13 says that once David
was anointed, the Spirit of the Lord came upon him. And what of Saul? The
very next verse is one of the saddestin the Old Testament:“Now the Spirit of
the LORD departed from Saul.” He who had startedwith so much promise
and so much potential is now abandonedby God. And when the Spirit left
him, his natural paranoia took over, leaving him filled with anger, resentment
and envy. The once-greatSaulattempted to kill David againand again.
David knew what it was like to lose the blessing of God and to have the Holy
Spirit taken away. He saw it happen before his eyes. And so he says, “Lord,
don’t let that happen to me!” This is the heart of his prayer: “Lord, without
your Holy Spirit to strengthenme, I have no power. Without your Holy Spirit
to guide me, I cannotfind my way. Without your Holy Spirit to give wisdom, I
cannot leadthese people.” It is a prayer that he would not lose the Spirit’s
blessing upon his life.
We need the Holy Spirit or we cannot pray. We need the Holy Spirit or we
cannot understand. We need the Holy Spirit who brings us every divine
blessing. The Holy Spirit gives us accessto the Father through Christ. Let us
no longer take the Spirit for granted. If the Holy Spirit were removed from us,

we might as well be lost. We cannot sing or pray or worship or serve or come
near to God without him. We are told to pray in the Holy Spirit. If he were
gone, then our words are mere babbling. He is our Teacher, ourGuide, our
Helper, and our Comforter. He brings God near to us. We cannot live without
him. Spurgeon goes onat great length and in very convincing fashion that
Christians have every right to pray this prayer.
Two Important Applications
There are two important applications I would press upon your heart this
morning. First, if you are aware of some backsliding in your life, then now is
the time to come back to the Lord. Beginby praying this prayer. Cry out to
God and do not stop crying until God hears and answers you. You need not
live with a guilty conscienceforever. Seekthe Lord. Kneel before him and
confess your sins. He will abundantly pardon. There are times when a
Christian must seemto pray like a sinner. Spurgeonsays it very well:
“The lowerdown we get the better. I frequently find that I cannot pray as a
minister; I find that I cannotsometimes pray as an assuredChristian, but I
bless God I can pray as a sinner. I begin again with, “God, be merciful to me,
a sinner,” and by degrees rise up againto faith, and onwardto assurance.”
If you have been sinning, do not be ashamedto pray like a sinner. That’s not a
bad place to start.
Second, this is a word from the Lord to the whole church. God may take his
presence from a church because ofsin in the congregation. The Lord, himself,
may come and remove the lampstand as he did in the book of Revelation. Let
me share one final thought from Spurgeon that speaks to us today:
“In your own time you yourselves have seenchurches flourishing, multiplying,
walking in peace and love, but for some reasonnot known to us, but perceived
by the watcherwho jealouslysurveys the churches of God, a rootof bitterness

has sprung up, divisions have devoured them, heresyhas poisonedthem, and
the place that once gloriedin them scarcelyknows them now. Existing they
may be, but little more; dwindling in numbers, barren of grace, theyare
rather an encumbrance than power for good. Recollect,then, beloved, that the
powerof any church for goodlies in the presence ofGod, and that sin in the
church may grieve the Lord, so that he may no more frequent her courts, or
go forth with her armies. It is a dire calamity for a church when the Lord
refuses any longer to bless her work, or revealhimself in her ordinances;then
is she driven of the wind hither and thither like a ship derelictand castaway.
The Lord may, because ofsin, take awayhis Holy Spirit from a church. The
spirit of love may depart, the spirit of prayer may cease, the spirit of zealand
earnestnessmay remove, and the spirit which converts the souls of men may
display his power elsewhere,but not in the once-favoredcongregation. Letme
impress upon you that all this may readily happen if we grieve the Holy Spirit
as some churches have done.”
I believe this is a good word for us in our 90th anniversary year. It matters not
what they say about us in the newspapers, forgoodor for ill. The plaudits of
the world matter not at all compared to the blessing of the Holy Spirit.
Let everyone who hears these words take them to heart. Let every Christian
searchhis own heart. The bestway not to lose the Holy Spirit in our midst is
to watch and pray that it might not happen. Take nothing for granted. And do
not live on past blessings ordwell too long on yesterday’s victories. Seek the
Lord while he may be found. When the Holy Spirit departs, the church
becomes a museum full of spiritual mummies. May we never come to that! Let
the whole church lift up the prayer, “Castme not awayfrom your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.” Amen.
THOMAS ROSS
Psalm51:11 and Eternal Security

Psalm51:11 reads, “Castme not awayfrom thy presence;and take not
thy holy spirit from me.” Arminians use this verse to affirm that when one
sins, he loses the Holy Spirit and falls away from a state of salvation. However,
the verse teaches nothing of the kind.
David prays Psalm51 a long time after his sin with Bathsheba and murder of
Uriah. Yet at this time his prayer is not, “restore” thy Holy Spirit, as he
prayed in v.12, “restore unto me the joy of thy salvation,” but “take not thy
holy spirit from me.” This demonstrates that he had not lostthe Holy Spirit.
Therefore Psalm51:11 indicates, if, as with the Arminians, we affirm that this
refers to the Spirit’s work associatedwith one’s state as a child of God, that a
child of God can commit adultery and murder, as David did, and yet not lose
the Spirit! This verse does not help the Arminians at all.
However, this verse does not really relate to personalsalvation at all in
any case;the anointing with the Spirit spokenof relates to David’s position as
king over the Israelite theocracy. As Saul got the Spirit when Samuelmade
him king (1 Samuel 10:6), and lost the Spirit when David replacedhim (1
Samuel 16:14;19:9) as king, and David himself got the Spirit when he was
anointed king (1 Samuel 16:13), and, as Saul’s harpist to soothe him when the
evil spirit was upon him, David saw firsthand the terrible effects that Saul’s
kingship-losing sin (1 Samuel 15:23, 26)and loss of the Spirit had, he prayed
in Psalm 51:11 not to lose his position as head of the theocracyas Saul did
when he sinned. The kingly anointing (as the priestly anointing) also
representedthe coming of the Spirit upon the monarch (consider as well the
theme of prophecy in relation to kingship with Saul/David; “Is Saul also
among the prophets?” while David did indeed prophesy and compose inspired
books, orderthe temple service under inspiration, etc.;this also could shed
light on the “a divine sentence is in the lips of the king: his mouth
transgressethnot in judgment,” Prov 16:10—thatcould speak specificallyof a
supernatural ability provided the monarch of Israel as the leader of the
theocratic state;it is “the” king in the verse, not “every king of every nation,”
and Solomonwrites to his son in Proverbs, so the theocratic monarchy is
contextual). Unless we affirm that Saul was convertedwhen anointed king,
and David was as well, Psalm51:11 has nothing to do with personal

conversionin any case. However, evenif it did, it would not validate the
Arminian contention.
In the first mention of the Book of Life in the Bible,
Moses askedGod, if you won’t forgive Israel
for making the golden calf,
then “blot me out of Your book
which you have written” (Ex. 31:32).
Is he daft?! Why did Moses make sucha consequentialoffer—to give up his
eternal life?
Yes, he loved his people that much! Paul expressedthe same incredible love
in Rom. 9:3: “ForI could wish that I myself were accursedfrom Christ for
my brethren.”
But Moses saidwhathe said in response to what God said to him. “Let Me
alone, that I may destroythem and blot out their name from under heaven”
(Deut. 9:14). Did God only mean physical destruction and they would have
their opportunity for salvationin the GreatWhite Judge Judgment? Moses
saw how furious God was and must have thought the worst!
Moses knew aboutthe Book ofLife. And he saw that God was “provoked”
(verse 7) and “angry enough with you to have destroyedyou” (verse 8). No
wonder Moses graciouslyintervened with a secondfastof 40 days and nights.
A simple “They’re sorry and won’t do it again” wouldn’t cut it!
Goodthing for Israelthat their leader was Moses! Goodthing for Mosesthat
God (the One who became Jesus Christ) rejectedMoses’replacementoffer:
“Whoeverhas sinned againstme, I will blot him out of my book” (Ex. 32:33).
Yes, it’s
the “Lamb’s Book ofLife” (Rev. 21:27)

We mankind should be eternally thankful that our Judge is the Son of Man
(John 5:22) who came down and lived 3-1/2 years on the earth and was
tempted in all points as we are (Heb. 4:15).
Well-meaning but false teachers wronglyclaim “once saved, always saved.”
They try to explain awaythe warning about sinning willfully in Heb. 10:26-29.
They ignore Paul’s statementabout making sure he wouldn’t be disqualified
(1 Cor. 9:27). They pardon Jesus for talking about unpardonable sin (Matt.
12:31-32). Theyadd or take awaywords from the Bible, or simply rejectand
disobey the ones there, which means “Godshall take awayhis part from the
Book ofLife” (Rev. 22:19).
David also knew about the Book of Life. After his terrible sins regarding
Bathsheba and Uriah the Hittite, and the courageouslife-saving rebuke by
God’s prophet Nathan, David humbly pleaded, “Do not castme awayfrom
Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me” (Psa. 51:11).
In Psa. 69:28 regarding people who “add iniquity to their iniquity,” David
askedGod, “And let them not come into Your righteousness. Letthem be
blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous.”
Jesus is the One who writes our names into the Book ofLife when we receive
the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:9) and He will be the One who erases orblots out
somebody. It is so encouraging that Jesus saidnobody can pluck us out of His
hand” (John 10:28).
When satan askedforPeter, to sift him as wheat, Jesus prayed for him that
his strength would not fail! (Luke 22:31). Satanwas only allowedto trouble
Job as much as God (Jesus back then) permitted. Jesus has our back—and
the restof us!
If Jesus is forced to remove our name from His Book ofLife, it will be because
we neglectedso greata salvation(Heb. 2:3), let another take our crown
because we don’t hold fast what we have (Rev. 3:11), or buried our talent as
an unprofitable servantthrough laziness and fear (Matt. 25:14-31). It will be
our fault!"

John Calvin:
Verse 11. Take not thy Holy Spirit from me. The words of this verse imply
that the Spirit had not altogetherbeen takenawayfrom him, howevermuch
his gifts had been temporarily obscured…Upon one point he had fallen into a
deadly lethargy, but he was not “givenover to a reprobate mind; “and it is
scarcelyconceivable that the rebuke of Nathan the prophet should have
operatedso easily and suddenly in arousing him had there been no latent
spark of godliness still remaining…The truth on which we are now insisting is
an important one, as many learned men have been inconsideratelydrawn into
the opinion that the elect, by falling into mortal sin, may lose the Spirit
altogether, and be alienated from God. The contrary is clearly declaredby
Peter, who tells us that the word by which we are born again is an
incorruptible seed1Pe 1:23; and John is equally explicit in informing us that
the electare preserved from falling awayaltogether. 1Jo 3:9. However much
they may appearfor a time to have been castoff by God, it is afterwards seen
that grace must have been alive in their breasts even during that interval
when it seemedto be extinct. Nor is there any force in the objectionthat David
speaks as if he feared that he might be deprived of the Spirit. It is natural that
the saints, when they have fallen into sin, and have thus done what they could
to expel the grace ofGod, should feelan anxiety upon this point; but it is their
duty to hold fast the truth, that grace is the incorruptible seedof God, which
never can perish in any heart where it has been deposited. This is the spirit
displayed by David. Reflecting upon his offence, he is agitatedwith fears, and
yet rests in the persuasionthat, being a child of God, he would not be deprived
of what, indeed, he had justly forfeited."
Winans - Uphold Me

Top Winans Lyrics
For We May Never KnowWhereverI GoTomorrowIt's TimeThe Question
IsA FriendHow Can You Live Without ChristYou Are EverythingRight, Left
In A Wrong WorldFinders Keepers
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WINANS
Uphold Me Lyrics
Uphold me with Thy Free Spirit;
whateverYou do,
Lord, don't take Your joy from me.

Uphold me with Thy Free Spirit;
whateverYou do,
Verse 1:
Castme not awayfrom Thy presence,
don't take your Holy Spirit away from me.
Make me to hear joy and gladness,
I wanna be able to rejoice with Thee.
Chorus
Verse 2:
Create in me a clean heart,
renew the right spirit within me.
I'll teachtransgressors Yourway,
sinners shall be converted unto Thee.
Chorus
Vamp:

Uphold me, mold me,
shape me, make me;
whateverYou do,
Appoint me, anoint me,
choose me, use me;
whateverYou do,
Rebuke me, reprove me,
chastise me, Lord, revive me;
whateverYou do,
Ending:
WhateverYou do,
WhateverYou do,

Question:"Will the Holy Spirit ever leave a believer?"
Answer: Simply put, no, the Holy Spirit will never leave a true believer. This
is revealedin many different passagesin the New Testament. Forexample,
Romans 8:9 tells us, “…if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does
not belong to Christ.” This verse very clearly states that if someone does not
have the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, then that person is not saved.
Therefore, if the Holy Spirit were to leave a believer, that person would have
lost the saving relationship with Christ. Yet this is contrary to what the Bible
teaches aboutthe eternalsecurity of Christians. Another verse that speaks to
the permanence of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence in the life of believers
is John 14:16. Here Jesus states that the Father will give another Helper “to
be with you forever.”
The fact that the Holy Spirit will never leave a believer is also seenin
Ephesians 1:13-14 where believers are saidto be “sealed”with the Holy Spirit,
“who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those
who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory.” The picture of being
sealedwith the Spirit is one of ownership and possession. Godhas promised
eternal life to all who believe in Christ, and as a guarantee that He will keep
His promise, He has sent the Holy Spirit to indwell the believer until the day
of redemption. Similar to making a down payment on a caror a house, God
has provided all believers with a down payment on their future relationship
with Him by sending the Holy Spirit to indwell them. The factthat all
believers are sealedwith the Spirit is also seenin 2 Corinthians 1:22 and
Ephesians 4:30.
Prior to Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascensioninto heaven, the Holy
Spirit had a “come and go” relationship with people. The Holy Spirit indwelt
King Saul, but then departed from him (1 Samuel 16:14). Instead, the Spirit

came upon David (1 Samuel 16:13). After his adultery with Bathsheba, David
fearedthat the Holy Spirit would be takenfrom him (Psalm 51:11). The Holy
Spirit filled Bezalelto enable him to produce the items neededfor the
tabernacle (Exodus 31:2-5), but this is not described as a permanent
relationship. All of this changedafter Jesus’ascensioninto heaven. Beginning
on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit beganpermanently indwelling
believers (Acts 2). The permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit is the
fulfillment of God’s promise to always be with us and never forsake us.
While the Holy Spirit will never leave a believer, it is possible for our sin to
“quench the Holy Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 5:19)or “grieve the Holy Spirit”
(Ephesians 4:30). Sin always has consequencesin our relationship with God.
While our relationship with God is secure in Christ, unconfessedsin in our
lives can hinder our fellowship with God and effectively quench the Holy
Spirit’s working in our lives. That is why it is so important to confess oursins
because Godis “faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us
from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). So, while the Holy Spirit will never
leave us, the benefits and joy of His presence canin fact depart from us.
Take NotThy Holy Spirit
"Castme not away from Thy presence;and take not Thy Holy Spirit from
me" (Psalm 51:11)
David the king cried "take not Thy Holy Spirit from me" because he sinned!
He REALLY sinned – and what he did was terrible! The wonder of it all, was
that God did NOT take His Holy Spirit from this man, who committed
adultery and then murdered to coverit up!
And what about you and me? If we think WE have not sinned, we just don’t
understand ourselves or people in general. If you think you have sinned TOO
MUCH and can’t be forgiven, you don’t see the grace and the mercy of God,

extended so freely in Christ Jesus. He gives gifts, even to those (all of us) who
really don’t deserve them.
I have noticed there is a sudden onsetof the gifts of God in our lives. Some are
gifts from birth, such as the ability to walk, or run, or use our hands; the
capacityto think, or to see. If we have a spouse, is it because we’re so good
looking? - Or has God blessedus? I meet people who cannot even BREATHE
on their own, let alone walk or move their bodies. Some of them are gladfor
what they DO have, but others are not even sure they want to be alive.
The "natural" gifts are really supernatural in origin, since they are gifts of
God. The one who runs well, through God’s sovereignchoice, like the one who
can THINK, or SEE better than others, usually does not think of what they
have as a gift. And when some of these gifts are takenaway, many think their
"rights" have somehow beenviolated, and they tend to getangry with God.
There are other kinds of gifts, given by God. You maybe have not thought
about it, but the ability to pray is an incredible gift and privilege, and it is
available to all. Prayeris an audience with the King, and He does not shout,
"off with your head", when you come into His presence, but instead He
LISTENS to your petition.
He always answers, too. His answermay not be "yes" in your case orin mine.
He knows what we need, more than WE do, and a "yes" to a request, might
ultimately be the worst thing that ever happened. You might be ruined by that
which seems so important right now. But He hears, and He answers, andif
you "listen" with your heart, you will "hear" His response. And the Holy
Spirit will prompt you to pray the prayer you really should have been
praying, all this time.
The "spiritual gifts" like "teaching", tend to come suddenly into our lives.
That was the experience of the followers ofJesus, who actually had very little
to offer, but SUDDENLY(Acts 2:4 & context) they were DIFFERENT men
and women. God gives us gifts, often without warning, and partaking of them
gives greatpleasure to His little ones (you and me).

I had an interesting experience some years ago – but first, let me tell you how
I teach. When I teach, I pray. When I prepare to teach, I pray constantly. If
there is a "yes" in my heart, then I present it, but if not, I usually don’t, for
without the Lord, I really have nothing to say(none of us do).
On October29, 1995, Iwas speaking atSunday services for a convalescent
home in Long Beach, California. In my journal of that evening, I wrote,
"there was no power, no gift of teaching;only a lady who loudly complained,
and another who shouted ‘Getme out of here!’" I didn’t mind the words, but
there was no strength in me for the moment, and it seemedlike His Holy
Spirit had been takenfrom me. What about the next Friday Study I was to
teach? Without His Spirit, we are not right for His people. What would I do?
I was grief stricken, for I thought of teaching as "my" gift; His treasure
within. It is my JOY to share His Word. But what I discoveredwas
interesting. For on the next Friday morning, it all was like nothing had ever
happened and we were blessedby His Word. And on subsequent Sundays and
Fridays, the "faucet" in me was "on", and those lovely people listened with
quiet reverence to the Word of the Lord.
What I found in all this was:it is not really the "gift" I want at all (though I
LOVE that gift). What I really want is HIM who gives the gift.
My focus had been wrong. The gift is for the glory of God who gives it, and for
those others who may learn of Him. It has little to do with the person who has
that gift, except he or she reasonablyshould thank God daily for His mercy
and grace. It is not whether I will have anything to sayto you next Friday or
Sunday – it is instead a PRIVILEGE to be His servantand also the servantof
those who are open to the Word of God.
The one who runs well, just like the one who prays well, should do so for the
glory of God. Paul understood that, and he said"Run in such a way that you
may win" (1 Corinthians 9:24). He used the analogyof an Olympic runner,
illustrating a reality in which we "run" by sharing the goodnews of our Lord
and SaviorJesus Christ (through whatever gifts we may have), revealing His
love.

You and I are sinners just like David, for we see that "ALL have sinned and
come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Not long after that verse, Paul
quoted David from Psalm 32:1, "Blessedare those whose lawless deeds have
been forgiven, and whose sins have been covered" (Romans 4:7). David’s sins
were dramatic and obvious, but usually the worstsins in us are subtle and
difficult to see, coveredas they are with pride.
At some point, it will be posed to us (all are given this "test") – What (Who)
do you love more? Do you love the "gift" or do you love the Giver OF the gift?
He gives you everything, no matter how much or how little you may think you
have. Are you grateful? Do you delight in Him for what you have? Or do you
just want more, and feel bitter inside?
Father, we need Your Holy Spirit more than life itself, and yet we have often
preferred Your gifts to You, the Giver of life. Forgive us, Lord, and cleanse us
of our sins. All that we are, all that we have, is Yours, and we are Yours, as
well. We surrender, Lord, our cares, ourworries, and our "rights". Fill us,
Holy Spirit and guide us. We come to You now, and TRUST in You. In Jesus
Name. Amen.
Ron Beckham, Pastor
Friday Study Ministries
ron@fridaystudy.org
CompellingTruth.org
Does the Holy Spirit ever leave a believer?
Jesus taught that the Holy Spirit would live within His followers forever:
"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you
and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth" (John 14:16-17, NIV). Every
person who belongs to God has the Holy Spirit within them (Romans 8:9).

One of the strongestteachings onthis issue is found in Ephesians 1:13-14.
Paul taught, "In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospelof
your salvation, and believed in him, were sealedwith the promised Holy
Spirit, who is the guarantee ofour inheritance until we acquire possessionof
it, to the praise of his glory." The believer is marked, sealed, and given a
deposit through the indwelling Holy Spirit. This extends from salvation
through eternity future when we are redeemedand with the Lord.
Before Christ's ministry on earth, the Holy Spirit functioned differently.
Instead of living within or indwelling every believer, He empoweredcertain
people at certaintimes for service to God. Forexample, in Exodus 31:2-5,
Bezalelwas empoweredby the Spirit to build and oversee constructionofthe
tabernacle as a place of worship to the Lord. The Holy Spirit was with King
Saul, yet later left him (1 Samuel 16:14). The Spirit would later be with David,
who askedGodnot to take this gift from him (Psalm 51:11).
In Acts 2, the Holy Spirit came upon every believer. After that time, the Spirit
came in specialways upon new Christians as the gospelexpanded beyond the
Jews to those in Samaria and to the Gentiles. From this point forward, the
Holy Spirit has continued to indwell every believer. The Spirit is not to be
quenched (1 Thessalonians 5:19)or grieved (Ephesians 4:30).
Instead, believers are to walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16) and grow in the
fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Eachbeliever receives one ormore
spiritual gifts that are to be used for the benefit of others (Romans 12:4-8;1
Corinthians 12).
When we do sin, God does not say He will take the Holy Spirit from us.
Instead, He teaches, "Ifwe confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive
us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). We are

promised forgiveness whenwe confess sins. God's Spirit remains with us as
believers through all times to help us confess sin, resisttemptation, and live in
a way that pleases the Lord.
By David Wilkerson
February 29, 1988
__________
David committed adultery with Bathsheba, "...andthe thing that David had
done displeasedthe Lord" (2 Samuel 11:27). Bathsheba became queen, and
David went about his kingly duties. One day, perhaps while in a high
government sessionwith foreignambassadors, someone approachedthe king
and whispered, "Sir, the prophet Nathan is here. He's impatient and insists on
seeing you right now. He says it's a matter of life and death!"
I can see David turning ashen white, the blood draining quickly from his face,
unable to move, paralyzed with fear. His thoughts raced, "Oh, no! He knows!
He must know!He's a prophet! God must have told him about my secret
affair with Bathsheba!He knows Uriah didn't die accidentally;he knows I
had him killed! It's all over! I'm done! Finished! He'll expose me!" David
dismissedeveryone quickly. Taking slow, deep breaths, he instructed his
servant, "Bring Nathan into my private chamber." And suddenly, there is the
prophet with those deep, piercing eyes, that holy man of God, Nathan. David
slumps in his chair, ghostly white. "Godbless you, Nathan. What canI do for
you? Just name it!"
Nathan turns awayand begins to tell David about the horrible sin of a rich
man who's stole somebody's little lamb. David is relieved! "He doesn'tknow!
He's not here to expose me! He's upset about someone else'ssin!" David is all

ears now. He replies to Nathan's story, "Nathan, do you mean this horrible,
selfishrich man had many flocks and herds, but when company came and he
needed meat he stole the only lamb from a poor neighbor? And the lamb was
the householdpet, living in the house, playing with the children, sleeping with
them? And this selfish, greedy rich man stole that lamb? So help me, Nathan,
as surely as the Lord lives, I'll kill him. How terrible! I'll make him restore the
lamb fourfold. Don't worry, Nathan. I'll tell my captain to bring this man in
right away. What's his name, Nathan? Tell me. Who is he?"
Nathan swings around abruptly, looks David in the eye, points a finger, and
says, "You, David! You are the man! You stole Bathsheba!You are the selfish
killer!" David is speechless. Terrorgrips his heart as Nathan cries out,
"Wherefore have you despisedthe commandment of the Lord, to do evil in
His sight?" (2 Samuel12:9). Then came these awful words, "I will raise up
evil againstthee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine
eyes, and give them unto them unto thy neighbor..." (2 Samuel 12:11). David
cries out, "I've sinned againstthe Lord..." (2 Samuel 12:13).
David is terrified, not because ofNathan's prophecy that he will lose his wives.
No, David is remembering what happened to Saul because ofsin and
rebellion. David had seenthis greatman of God fall apart; he had seenhim
fall into madness when the presence of God departed. He had wept at the sight
of a once powerful man of God cursing, living in fear, without hope. David
knew what the end was like for a man who loses the presence ofGod. He had
seenthe evil spirit that possessedSaul. So David cried out, "Oh, God, I
acknowledge my sin, it is ever before me! Create in me a cleanheart; and
renew a right spirit within me. Castme not awayfrom Thy presence;and take
not Thy Holy Spirit from me" (Psalm51:3, 10, 11).
What Happens to a Child of God
When His Presence Departs?

If Christians would take Saul's experience to heart, they would cry out like
David to the Lord, "Give me a cleanheart! Don't take Your presence from
me!" Saul is a tragic picture of the Christian who has lost God's holy
presence.
There are three terrible evidences. The first evidence is a melancholy,
depressedspirit. God's Spirit left Saul because he refused to obey the Lord's
command. Saul was commanded to do nothing until Samuel came to Gilgalto
seek Godand make sacrifices, but Saul got impatient and took matters into
his ownhands. So God left him "...becausethouhast not obeyed that which
the Lord commanded thee" (1 Samuel 13:14). He was not serious about God's
Word.
A spirit of envy and jealousythen fell upon him, and he became insecure. The
crowds were singing, "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten
thousands.... And Saul envied David from that day forward. And it came to
pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he
prophesied in the midst of the house...."(1 Samuel 18:7-10). The original
Hebrew reads, "The melancholy spirit sent by God came upon Saul, and he
feigned to prophesy within the house...." The word is actually "Rave!" Saul
stormed about the house breaking things in a violent fit of madness. He raved
like a madman! Saul casthis javelin at David, trying to kill him. "And Saul
was afraid of David, because the Lord was with him, and was departed from
Saul" (Samuel 18:12)
Nothing worse canbe said of a child of God but that "the presence of the Lord
departed." In His place comes a spirit of hopelessnessandemptiness, and it
causes suddenirritation, temper tantrums, jealousies,envy and fear. This
melancholy spirit on Saul made him believe that others were out to get him,
that everyone was conspiring againsthim, that no one loved him and that no
one pitied him. "All of you have conspired againstme, and there is none that
shewethme that my son hath made a league with the sonof Jesse, andthere is
none of you that is sorry for me...." (1 Samuel 22:8). He now distrusted his
own son. And on one black day of infamy, Saul ordered the execution of 85

priests. He then had the city of Nob, a priest's city, completelywiped out,
including women, mothers and children. Saul became a schemer, a
manipulator of people. His home was divided and in turmoil. He was unable
to sleepat night, always restless.
There is a depressioncausedby a lack of certain substances in the brain, and
it is a strictly medical problem. But much of the depressionamong God's
people is due to the departure of the Spirit of God because oftheir
disobedience. Like Saul, they refuse to take God seriously. And like Saul, they
become irritable, jealous, envious, manipulative and hateful.
A secondevidence of the loss of God's presence is frequent confessions and
occasionalpowerfulmovings of the Spirit with no accompanying change of
heart. Saul was always confessing, alwayssaying, "I have sinned! I'm sorry!"
He said it at Gilgalwhen he disobeyedGod, sparedthe best cattle and saved
the wickedking Achish. He said it to David, after David refused to kill him in
the cave, "Youhave done me goodand I have rewardedyou with evil" (1
Samuel 24:17). Saul repented againin the hill of Hachilah after David crept
into the camp while Saul's bodyguard slept and stole Saul's spear and water
bottle. Saul then calledout, "I have sinned: return, my son David; for I will no
more do thee harm...." (1 Samuel 26:21). But through all this his heart never
really changed; it actually grew harder with every confession.
When David escapedto Ramah to be with Samuel and the prophets, Saul
came up to kill David. But instead the Spirit came upon Saul, "... And the
Spirit of Godwas upon him also, and he went on, and prophesied, until he
came to Naioth in Ramah. And he stripped off his clothes also (the upper
garment) and prophesied before Samuel in like manner, and lay down naked
all that day and all that night..." (1 Samuel 19:23-24). Whenhe got near the
fire of God, among holy people, God's Spirit hit him like lightning. It was
awesome!All day, all night, ecstatic utterances, praising God, prophesying.
But when he got up he went right back to his stubborn ways.
How many Christians are like this! God occasionallymoves on them; then
they weepand promise God that things will change. Godgives them seasonsof
refreshing to draw them to Himself, to reverse sin. But they're never changed.

They do not come out to a life of devotion. They do not study their Bibles.
They do not pray. The presence ofGod does not staywith them. Only on
occasiondo they experience the realmoving of God's Spirit upon them.
The third evidence of the lack of God's presence is a life of confusion,
containing no guidance, no personal word from God. One of the saddest
portions of Scripture recounts how Saul soughtcounselfrom the witch of
Endor because Godrefusedto answerhim (see 1 Samuel28:5-20). Hear Saul's
somber words, "... God is departed from me, and answerethme no more ... "
(verse 15). This is the sad sign of a Christian who has lost God's presence. He
walks in confusionand distress, going about begging for a Word from God,
even seeing out horoscopesand astrologers,anything or anyone claiming to be
prophetic.
How Is God's PresenceLost?
Christian's today lose God's presence in the same way that Israeldid. After
Israelwas savedout of the Red Sea and all her enemies were conquered, lying
dead in the Sea, "... the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord, and his
servant Moses"(Exodus 14:31). After they gotsaved, they promised to
provide God a habitation, a place in their hearts to contain His presence. The
whole nation promised, "... He is become my salvation. He is my God and I
will prepare Him an habitation... " (Exodus 15:2).
God's presence is lostbecause no place is provided to maintain it! Israel
promised God they would never forgettheir hour of deliverance, that their
hearts would be His tent, His place to abide, that they would forever
remember. This is daily communion. Isn't that what you promised God when
He saved you? You would give Him all your heart? Your body would be His

The holy spirit in psalm 51 11

The holy spirit in psalm 51 11

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The holy spirit in psalm 51 11