Psalm 51: No Excuses Offered

Written after David was confronted about adultery and a killing arranged to cover it. What is striking is what is absent: no context, no explanation, no mention of pressure or provocation.

He asks to be washed, and for a clean heart to be created — a verb used in Genesis for making something out of nothing.

That is the actual request. Not repair. Not improvement. Something new, because he has concluded that the old will not be renovated into acceptability.