Psalm 50 (51):19. A broken spirit
Gamma Gamaliel
Shipmate
in Kerygmania
Verse 19 of Psalm 50 - or 51 depending on which Bible we use - states that, 'A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit, A broken and a humbled heart God will not despise.'
The context of course is that God appears to be more interested in inner motivation and attitude rather than outward or ceremonial sacrifices. The inner reality of such sacrifices or ritual actions.
What does this mean for us in practice within our own worshipping communities, if we are involved with those?
How can we avoid extremes that might seek to 'break' the human will in an abusive or harmful way? I'm thinking of cultic practices or the way some Christian traditions sought to 'break the will of the child' and so on - or extreme forms of self-abnegation.
What does it mean to have 'a broken and a humbled' - or 'contrite' heart - and if we knew we had one would that mean that we were no longer humble and contrite?
False humility and spiritual pride are treacherous foes.
How do you interpret these verses and how can we practice them unselfconsciously and with integrity?
The context of course is that God appears to be more interested in inner motivation and attitude rather than outward or ceremonial sacrifices. The inner reality of such sacrifices or ritual actions.
What does this mean for us in practice within our own worshipping communities, if we are involved with those?
How can we avoid extremes that might seek to 'break' the human will in an abusive or harmful way? I'm thinking of cultic practices or the way some Christian traditions sought to 'break the will of the child' and so on - or extreme forms of self-abnegation.
What does it mean to have 'a broken and a humbled' - or 'contrite' heart - and if we knew we had one would that mean that we were no longer humble and contrite?
False humility and spiritual pride are treacherous foes.
How do you interpret these verses and how can we practice them unselfconsciously and with integrity?
Comments
Given the Psalm that occurs in, and the events that brought it on (David's adultery and murder, and God sending Nathan to call him to repentance), I think the "broken and contrite heart" (ESV version, see below) is an attitude only the Holy Spirit brings about. I rather doubt any human efforts to "break" someone's spirit (another's or their own) are going to have much effect. We can of course pray...
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
The grinding down is our own task, not someone else's.
As in "Not my will, but yours, O God."
This verse was salvation to me at a very dark time in my life many years ago.
I was almost completely broken because of something that had happened to me. I was still managing to go to work as a teacher but I was really suffering. Because of this I was asked to step down from all the church lay ministry that I was involved in at the time. I think it was meant kindly but the result was that I felt a failure and useless, even punished in the outward working of my spiritual life.
Then in my daily devotions came this verse, as balm and healing.
I still had something of value to contribute- I could offer my brokenness and humbling to God.
And it really was enough and saved me from completely imploding.
Meanwhile, we appear to have two conflicting - or are they complementary? - positions on the 'mechanics' as it were.
One is that it is only the Holy Spirit who can bring about the 'broken and contrite spirit.' Which begs the question through what agency? A directly 'supernatural' one or through force of circumstances, various methods and 'means' etc?
The other, as expressed by @cgichard is that it is something we do to or for ourselves. Which also raises the question of how and by what means?
Could we run the risk of spiritual pride here? 'Look at me, Lord. Look how humble I'm being...'
What does any of this mean in practice? Regular confession and communion, if we are in a tradition that values and practices those?
Forms of self-denial?
Or both (;-?) Perhaps the Holy Spirit gives us strength and support to face our limitations while we go through the voluntary process of
@cgichard rightly observed that we need to view the full context, but I think it is interesting to expand even further. What we are discussing is Psalm 51. But it flows naturally from the preceding Psalm 50, which I loosely interpret as God saying: "Look, you are really good at doing the burnt offerings (verse 8)...but you are forgetting the POINT of the offerings. I don't actually need or want dead bulls or goats. (vv. 9 -13) What I really want is the sincere heart: for you to thank me (v. 14) and turn to me in times of trouble (v. 15). In other words, just doing sacrifices by rote but without a faithful heart are meaningless.
Then we get Psalm 51 which, as @Lamb Chopped rightly observed, needs to be read in context of David's actions. But David realizes that just doing sacrifices by rote are not enough (v. 16). Clearly David has learned the lesson of Psalm 50. What is need is a sincere heart--sincere repentance, not just going through the motions. What is needed is an honestly contrite spirit (a "broken" one) (v. 17). A recognition (a) that one has violated God's law, and (b) that one needs forgiveness.
I love C.S. Lewis' phrase about confession. He observes that so many, in "confessing," only offer God excuses for their conduct rather than truly seeking forgiveness. Lewis observes that conduct that is truly "excusable" is, by God's grace, automatically excused. What we need to bring to God is the bit that is left over: the conduct that is "inexcusable but not, thank God, unforgivable." (I think that is a paraphrase, but I am sure it is pretty accurate.) That is what David is doing in Psalm 51: admitting that his actions were inexcusable, but asking for forgiveness with a truly contrite heart and not an arrogant heart demanding to be "excused" rather than "forgiven."
As for the Holy Spirit's influence in all of this, that is beyond me. But the fact that David does seem to understand what he needs to do to be forgiven suggests the Holy Spirit guided his mind to the proper path, overcoming human arrogance to submit oneself, broken and repentant, to God.
Though he is clear it is a gift from God
I can understand the emphasis @cgichard brings on subduing our pride etc but how do we do that and in doing so how do we avoid 'false humility' and a kind of Uriah Heep spirituality?
As several priests have told me, just get on with it. Even if our mind is saying something else or it is a major effort, acts of humility (and other acts) demonstrate our love. A good examination of our conscience can help root out any false humility, of which we should not despair: like any struggle, it takes time -- maybe til our dying breath as above.
Seriously, though, he knows when things are getting out of hand and can think of much more effective antidotes than i can. And the mere remembrance of that fact (😳 🤣) has kept me on the straight and narrow more than once!
I'm sure the Lord is perfectly capable of arranging banana-skins for us to skid on but generally I imagine he'd expect us to work on our 'pride problem' ourselves, with the help of his grace of course.
Synergia and all that.
I think the priestly advice that @cgichard cites is on the money. Just keep going. I have a tendency to overthink things. So attending Vespers and the Liturgy regularly, whether anything clicks or zings or not, is probably what I need to do. Otherwise we get a bit like the elder brother in the parable of the Prodigal Son. 'Hey, what about a fatted calf or a goat for me?'
Very frankly, if the Lord left me to arrange my own banana peels, I'd screw it up. Most likely I'd go too lightly on myself, though there have been occasions when I've been astonished to discover God thought it was too much. That's why I prefer to leave him to handle it (I ask, just as Richard Rohr does, though I don't specify a timeframe, why not let God handle that too?).
Notice that the verse you quote supports my view--the mighty hand of God is involved in your situation (and the resulting humbling) and so also for exaltation. This isn't a human-led thing, though there's certainly a human responding!
I'm saying it's a synergia thing. Both/and, remember? 😉
If he's anything like me there's no need to pray for that any more than I need pray for traffic lights to turn red as I approach.
There is the Apostle Paul's 'thorn in the flesh' thing, though, which will have been the subject of a few Kerygmania threads I imagine.
But then it appears he had all sorts of revelations and so on. Spiritual pride is a deadly thing
An Anglican 'spiritual director' told me the other day that she invites retreatants when using the Ignatian 'examen' to ask God to show them what they've done well or badly that day rather than trying to think it through themselves. 'That way we take the ego out of it,' she said. 'We take the ego out of the way.'
But do we?
How do we know we aren't simply projecting our own thoughts onto the Almighty?
I feel good about such and such, therefore God must approve.
I feel bad about such and such, therefore he mustn't.
These are tricky areas for discernment.
Perhaps I'm over-reacting to my pietistic Protestant days, but I don't tend to think or operate like that any more. I'm learning more towards the exsmple @cgichard gave of priests who say, 'just get on with it.'
I know that as soon as I start to analyse I'll over-think and get bogged down in ifs, buts, whys and wherefores. People recommend spiritual journaling, for instance but I can't see how I could do that without meandering off down solipsistic rabbit holes.
That's not to disparage those who find that helpful.
'Just get on with it,' is good advice though.
I've been thinking - over-thinking? - about these things and whilst it is a very 'human' thing to read patterns into whatever happens, I can certainly think of times when I've had pratfalls that involved loss of status or influence and prestige - not that I ever had lofty amounts of those. That have been painful and humiliating.
Looking back, I'm not sure I've come to any lasting harm through these but neither can I say with confidence that I'm the better behaved for them.
I do think that what seemed like a major issue at the time prevented even worse things befalling me had things continued as they were.
But that's all speculative and we'll never know for sure. As @Lamb Chopped has said elsewhere, it behoves us all to act in a Christlike fashion in each and every circumstance, whatever the outcome.