Subject: Confession - Psalm 51-53

Psalms 51:4 (ESV Strong's)
Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
and blameless in your judgment.

Subject:  Sin and Confession

Psalm 51 is the famous piece of poetry David wrote in response to being discovered in his sin of adultery with Bathsheba and the cover-up to kill Bathsheba's husband, Uriah.   When Nathan the prophet is sent by God to confront David, we find, in this Psalm his response.   In the above verse we see that David readily comes to the point of confession that the sin, although costing Uriah's his life and causing Bathsheba to sin, was ultimately against God.   There are many reasons for David to "own" this sin and come to confession.  (He will later, in this Psalm state that what God requires is a "broken spirit" ... this is accomplished by "confession" of the sin.) However, in the above verse David also states that the reason for his confession and ownership of the sin is because he wants to make sure God is "justified" in His Words and "blameless" in His judgment.   When we confess our sin we acknowledge that God is "right" about sin and righteous and has the "right" to judge us for it.    They world struggles with this concept.  They believe in a God of absolute "love.".  They don't want to acknowledge God is right and blameless in His judging of man.   David fully confesses this truth.  This is what makes Psalm 51 so powerful.   David begins by acknowledging God's glory in His acts of judgment.   In our confession we need to see God's glory in His judgment.  Note what Joshua told Achan, who disobeyed God.  His sin cost 36 men their lives.   Joshua was about to have him and his family stoned to death.   But, first, Joshua wanted him to confess God glory in this judgment:

Joshua 7:19 (ESV Strong's)
Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the Lord God of Israel and give praise to him. And tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.”