Psalms 51:12

Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation,.... Not temporal, but spiritual and eternal; and designs either Christ himself, who is God's salvation, of his appointing and providing, in the view of whom,

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. -Prayer for the Spirit fittingly follows his prayers for purification, complete forgiveness, and the joy of assurance.

The joy of thy salvation; the comfortable sense of thy saving grace and help, promised and vouchsafed to me, both for my present and everlasting salvation. Uphold me; a weak and frail creature, never able to stand against corruption and temptation without thy powerful and gracious succours. Free; or, ingenuous, or liberal, or princely; which he seems to oppose to his own base, and illiberal; and disingenuous, and servile spirit, which he had discovered in his wicked and unworthy practices; and desires a better spirit of God, which may free him from the bondage of sin, and enable and incline him freely, and cheerfully, and constantly to run the way of God’ s precepts. See ,16 .

Psalms 51:12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me [with thy] free spirit.Ver. 12. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation] He had grieved that holy thing, that Spirit of God whereby he was sealed to the day of redemption, Ephesians 4:30, and is therefore at a loss for comfort; he had vilipended that patent of his pardon which God had passed under his hand and seal; God therefore calleth for it home again into the pardon office, as it were, that he may know the worth by the want. A man may sin away, not only the sense and comfort of his pardon, but the evidence and knowledge of it, as that place of Peter seemeth to imply, 2 Peter 1:9. Mountebanks, who wound their flesh to try conclusions upon their own bodies how sovereign the salve is, do oft feel the smart of their presumption, by long and desperate wounds: so God will let his Davids see what it is to make wounds in their consciences to try the preciousness of his balsam; such may go mourning to their graves (Dr Sibbes’ Soul’ s Confl.). And though with much ado they get assurance of pardon, yet their consciences will be still trembling, till God at length speak further peace; even as the waters of the sea after a storm are not presently still, but move and tremble a good while after the storm is over. And uphold me with thy free spirit] Heb. Firmly sustain me with thy noble or princely Spirit, that may make me steady and ready to come off roundly in thy service. Sin against conscience disableth for duty, taketh away freedom to it and stability in it. David, therefore, prays God to fix his quicksilver, to balance his lightness, to settle and fill that vain and empty heart of his with something that may stay and stablish it, that may also free and enlarge it (for where the Spirit of God is there is liberty, 2 Corinthians 3:17), that he might yield prompt and present obedience to God in all things; and withal might be apt and able to teach transgressors, as he promiseth to do in the next words.

(12) Joy of thy salvation.—This again points to a sense of restoration of covenant privileges. Thy free spirit.—Rather, with a willing spirit. Or we may render, a willing spirit shall support me.

Verse 12. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation] This is an awful prayer. And why? Because it shows he once HAD the joy of God's salvation; and had LOST it by sin! Uphold me with thy free spirit.] Prop me up; support me with a princely spirit, one that will not stoop to a mean or base act. See on Psalms 51:10.

12. Restore &c.] For sin has destroyed that assurance of God’s help which is ever a ground of rejoicing (Psalms 9:14; Psalms 13:5; Psalms 20:5; Psalms 35:9). He prays for that deliverance which he is confident (Psalms 51:8) that God can and will grant him. with thy free spirit] Rather, with a free, or, willing spirit. Cp. Exodus 35:5; Exodus 35:22; and the cognate word in Psalms 54:6, ‘a freewill offering.’ He desires to be upheld from falling by such a divine inspiration as will move him spontaneously to think and do such things as are right. His first impulse will be to shew forth his thankfulness in acts (Psalms 51:13).

Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation - literally, “Cause the joy of thy salvation to return.” This implies that he had formerly known what was the happiness of being a friend of God, and of having a hope of salvation.

12. Uphold me with thy free Spirit—The idea of “uphold,” here, is to confirm, render permanent. David desires that the restored state be sustained and abiding. This is the point of the petition.