Unfettered
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and sustain me with a willing spirit. Psalm 51:12 NASB
Willing – If I asked you, “What kind of spirit would you like to keep you going?” would you answer, “Oh, one that is under obligation, restricted, limited.” No, of course not. You’d want an animating force that was entirely free, a joie de vivre that was enthusiastic, eager, wholehearted. You’d want what this Hebrew word implies, namely, nĕdābâ, the “freewill,” devoted, liberal, voluntary experience of life unshackled.
Notice that David does not ask God to give him this “joy of life.” He asks God to sustain what is already there. The verb is sāmak, typically associated with the Levitical regulations concerning sacrifice, in particular the priest laying hands on the offering. David’s choice is deliberate. Why? Because nĕdābâ, the “willing” spirit, is also a sacrificial term. “The root ndb connotes an uncompelled and free movement of the will unto divine service or sacrifice.”[1] The noun “represents sacrifice made ‘out of devotion, not out of precept or promise.’”[2] What we discover is that all of the second phrase implies voluntary, devoted sacrifice. “As such it celebrates a state of favor and blessedness arising from a proper relationship with God.”[3]
Now we see why “sustain me with a willing spirit” is an explanation of “Restore to me the joy.” These are not two acts, but rather one experience of intimacy with God. The root of “restore” is šûb, the most common verb associated with renewal of relationship with God. Hamilton remarks:
The Bible is rich in idioms describing man’s responsibility in the process of repentance. Such phrases would include the following: “incline your heart unto the Lord your God” (Josh 24:23): “circumcise yourselves to the Lord” (Jer 4:4); “wash your heart from wickedness” (Jer 4:14); “break up your fallow ground” (Hos 10:12) and so forth. All these expressions of man’s penitential activity, however, are subsumed and summarized by this one verb šûb. For better than any other verb it combines in itself the two requisites of repentance: to turn from evil and to turn to the good.[4]
David provides the road back. It’s God’s move. David offers himself as the sacrifice. That’s why the verbs are connected to Levitical rituals. But it’s God’s move now. The sacrifice has to be accepted before it’s of value. Voluntary willingness is the first step, but the result, the hoped-for conclusion, isn’t in David’s hands. Now David has to count on God’s promise to forgive and restore. So do we.
Topical Index: sāmak, sustain, nĕdābâ, sacrifice, šûb, return, restore, Psalm 51:12
[1] Coppes, L. J. (1999). 1299 נָדַב. In R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., p. 554). Moody Press.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Hamilton, V. P. (1999). 2340 שׁוּב. In R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament(electronic ed., p. 909). Moody Press.
