Psalm 51
Introduction
There are certain characteristics that are generally considered positive in most contexts. One of those characteristics is strength. If someone has been sick and they claim they are regaining strength, that’s a good thing. If you describe a relationship as growing stronger, that’s a good thing. If your favourite sports team has a strong chance for a victory, that’s a good thing. What is the opposite of strength? We might say weakness, but another option is being fragile. Is it ever good to be fragile? We don’t feel as happy about fragile health, fragile relationships, or even fragile hopes for our sports team.
And yet there are times when something fragile is more valuable than something strong. There are plenty of things in our house that are strong, things that I could drop on the floor without breaking, that have no value to me. And yet we also have a china set that used to belong to my mother that is very fragile and yet has tremendous sentimental value for us.
Think about life itself. While in some ways it seems as if our bodies can take a lot of wear and tear, there is another way in which we understand the fragility of life. An illness or accident or disaster or crime could change or even end our life at any time. How many times have we heard of a death that was completely unexpected? And yet we would hold this fragile life as having great value.
The Bible is aware of this complex relationship between strength and fragility. There are times that we highly value strength even in a church context. Those things that we consider to be strong in society are equally considered strong in the church, rightly or wrongly. But the Bible also points to the experience of being fragile and highlights the value of that fragility.
A Fragile David
Psalm 51 is attributed to King David. When it comes to David, strength is a very reasonable description. He is considered the greatest king of Israel and all other kings are measured by how they compare to David. He was a mighty warrior, before he became a king when he killed Goliath, and after he became a king as he led his nation to victory after victory. David had wealth and power and authority. David was strong. But it was his strength that was almost his undoing.
David got used to getting exactly what he wanted. One day he saw a woman named Bathsheba bathing and he wanted her. It didn’t really matter that she was married or that he already had a number of wives. He took her. This is often described as the adultery of David and Bathsheba as if it was a simple affair. But this was not just an affair, it was an assault. There was a power imbalance and this was not something that Bathsheba could just politely decline. When she became pregnant, David needed to cover this up for the sake of the morale of his troops, since her husband was one of his warriors. When the coverup didn’t work, David had Uriah killed, again abusing his power. David was so strong that he felt that the rules didn’t apply to him. But God confronted him through the prophet Nathan. There were consequences to David’s sin. The baby conceived in this assault died. David’s life began to fall apart. Psalm 51 is considered to be David’s reflection on his sin.
As we look at the words of Psalm 51, we see that David is not writing from a position of strength but a position of fragility. He is aware of his own weaknesses and shortcomings. He does not see this as a simple error in judgment but as something terrible that most be deeply repented of. David sees that this was not just something against Bathsheba and Uriah but something also against God. David embraces his fragility here, relying not on his own strength, for he has none, but relying on God’s strength.
God does have compassion on David. Eventually it will be a child of David and Bathsheba who will succeed him to the throne. Even the Messiah, who we know to be Jesus Christ, will be a descendant, and will be known as the Son of David. God can still use David, not because he is strong, but because he is fragile and that is something God can work through.
A Fragile Church
What does this mean for us? We might feel as if our experience is far removed from that of King David. We are neither as great or as bad as David. But in another way, our experience is not that different. We are equally tempted to rely on our own strength. We have bought into the myth that there is value only in strength and might feel like a failure when our strength is not enough. What happens when we are forced to confront our own fragility? Can God use such fragile disciples? I am drawn to these words of the Apostle Paul:
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. (2 Corinthians 4:7-9)
This is perhaps the clearest description of a theme that is found throughout the Bible. Blessed are the fragile. God, in his wisdom, has decided to make his power manifest in human weakness. This is the core of the gospel. What is the incarnation? God taking on fragile flesh. What is the crucifixion? Jesus embracing his fragility to the point of a painful and humiliating death. This season of Lent is about celebrating strength but about celebrating fragility. We, a fragile people, worship Jesus, a fragile Saviour. In the midst of that fragility, ours and his, God’s power is made known.
Conclusion
What is your life like right now? Do you feel strong? You might in some areas. Are you being reminded of how fragile life is? Do you look to the experience of other people in your life and see how fragile they are? Do you look at your own life and see how fragile you are? I have good news. Blessed are the fragile. Come to God in your fragility, just as the once strong King David needed to come to God in repentance. Embracing our fragility positions us to allow God’s strength to flow through us. Your fragility doesn’t limit your opportunities, it allows God to create new ones for you.
