O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
Psalm 51:15 is the prayer of a restored worshipper. David has confessed grievous sin. He has pleaded for mercy, cleansing, blotting out, washing, purging, joy, a clean heart, a right spirit, continued presence, restored joy, and deliverance from bloodguiltiness (vv.1-14). Now he comes to the mouth. Sin had polluted more than his actions; it had affected his joy, spirit, testimony, and praise. Therefore, he prays, “O Lord, open thou my lips.” After sin, David wants to get back to praising God.
“O Lord.” David speaks to God as the One who has authority over him. He does not treat praise as something he can resume by natural strength, public skill, musical memory, or religious habit. He needs the Lord to open his lips. The same God who must create a clean heart and renew a right spirit must also restore the mouth to praise (v.10). Sin disorders the whole man. Mercy must restore the whole man.
“Open thou my lips.” This is a humble request. David does not say, I will open my lips whenever I choose. He asks God to do it. Sin had shut his lips in several ways. It had shut them by guilt, shame, grief, fear, and broken fellowship. During concealment, David knew the misery of silence: “When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long” (Psalm 32:3). After confession, he wants more than inward relief. He wants God to open his lips again in honest praise.
There is a great difference between man opening his own mouth and God opening his lips. A hypocrite may open his mouth without God. A Pharisee may pray with many words while his heart is far from God (Matthew 15:7-9). A deceiver may speak fair words while hiding wickedness. But David asks God to open his lips. He does not want forced religious speech, formal sound, or public performance while the soul remains unhealed. He wants lips opened by mercy, cleansing, and restored communion.
This is also the answer to sinful silence. David had sinned, covered, and continued for a season until Nathan came to him (2 Samuel 12:1-14). Concealed sin makes praise difficult, if not hypocritical. A man may still sing outwardly, but the inward liberty of praise is wounded. David had no desire to remain silent under guilt. Once mercy had cleansed him, he wanted his lips opened again. Forgiven sin should not produce lazy silence; it should produce humbled praise.
“And my mouth.” David now names the member that will be employed. Earlier he had sinned not only by deeds, but also by deceitful covering. His mouth had been used wrongly when he tried to conceal his sin with Uriah and manage consequences by human craft (2 Samuel 11:6-15). Now he wants that same mouth restored to holy use. The mouth that had been involved in sin must be given back to God.
This is a frequent lesson in the Psalms. The wicked use the mouth for lies, flattery, bitter words, proud speaking, and destruction (Psalm 5:9; 12:2-4; 57:4; 64:3). The righteous ask God to guard the mouth, bridle the tongue, and keep the lips from transgression (Psalm 39:1; 141:3). Here David adds another use: the cleansed mouth should shew forth God’s praise. The tongue is not only to be restrained from evil; it is to be employed for worship.
“Shall shew forth.” David does not stop with a request; he makes a vow. If God opens his lips, his mouth shall shew forth God’s praise. This is holy resolve after mercy. He does not bargain with God as though praise could purchase forgiveness. He has already pleaded mercy and cleansing by God’s goodness (vv.1-2). But forgiven men should become praising men. Mercy received should become mercy declared.
To “shew forth” is to declare, publish, make known, and set before others. David’s praise will not be hidden as a private feeling. The man who had dishonoured God publicly by his sin now wants to honour God openly by praise. This agrees with verse 13: “Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.” David’s restored mouth will praise God and instruct sinners. Grace opens the lips for both worship and witness.
“Thy praise.” The praise belongs to God. David does not say, My mouth shall shew forth my recovery, my sincerity, my tears, my humiliation, or my resolve. He says, “thy praise.” True repentance does not make the man the hero of his restoration. God is the hero. God sent Nathan. God gave conviction. God showed mercy. God blotted out sin. God washed, cleansed, created, renewed, restored, upheld, and delivered. Therefore, God receives the praise.
This is why David does not simply ask to feel better. He wants to praise. A carnal man wants forgiveness only to escape pain, shame, and consequence. A spiritual man wants restored fellowship so he may glorify God again. David’s grief was not only that he had suffered under guilt, but that his sin had interrupted the joy and liberty of praising the God he loved. He wanted the mouth of the sinner turned again into the mouth of the worshipper.
The order of the psalm is important. David asks first for mercy and cleansing before he asks for opened lips (vv.1-2,15). God does not desire praise from a man clinging to uncleanness. David must be washed, purged, renewed, and restored. Then his lips can be opened rightly. Worship without repentance is presumption. Praise without cleansing is noise. God seeks truth in the inward parts before sound from the outward lips (v.6).
Yet the verse also shows that repentance should not end in perpetual muteness. Some fallen saints, once rebuked and humbled, may think they should never again speak, praise, teach, or testify. David teaches a better way. Sin should shut the mouth from boasting, excuse-making, and self-defense; but mercy should open the mouth for praise. The same psalm that says, “Against thee, thee only, have I sinned,” also says, “my mouth shall shew forth thy praise” (vv.4,15).
This verse is a rebuke to self-pity after repentance. David does not sit forever admiring his shame. He does not make his fall the center of his remaining life. He carries his sin to God, seeks cleansing, asks for renewal, and vows praise. True contrition does not wallow; it worships. The broken spirit and contrite heart that God will not despise should rise from mercy to thanksgiving (v.17).
It also rebukes shallow restoration. David does not ask only to be spared consequences, restored to reputation, or comforted emotionally. He wants lips opened by God. He wants a mouth employed in praise. He wants practical restoration unto duty. Forgiveness is not given so a man may return to indifference. It is given so he may return to God with greater humility, hatred of sin, love of mercy, and zeal for praise.
The verse should be prayed by every fallen saint. Sin closes the lips with guilt. Pride closes them with excuse. Shame closes them with despair. Formality moves them without life. Only God can open them rightly. Therefore, the saint should pray, “O Lord, open thou my lips.” Open them to confess sin. Open them to praise mercy. Open them to warn transgressors. Open them to speak truth. Open them to bless Thy name.
Jesus Christ is the reason such a prayer can be answered. David’s sin required more than tears; it required blood. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, but forgiveness rests in the righteous provision of God, fulfilled in the blood of Christ (v.17; Romans 3:24-26; 1 John 1:7). Christ had no sin to confess, no filthy heart to cleanse, and no guilty lips to restore. Yet He bore the sins of His people in His own body on the tree, that they might be forgiven, cleansed, and restored to serve the living God (1 Peter 2:24; Hebrews 9:14).
Psalm 51:15 therefore shows the right desire after sin. David does not ask for mercy so he may be quiet, comfortable, and unchanged. He asks God to open his lips, and he vows that his mouth shall shew forth God’s praise. Let every repentant sinner learn the same holy order: confess sin, seek mercy, receive cleansing, ask for renewal, and return to praise. The God who forgives also opens the lips, and the mouth He opens should shew forth His praise.
O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
Psalm 51:15 is the prayer of a restored worshipper. David has confessed grievous sin. He has pleaded for mercy, cleansing, blotting out, washing, purging, joy, a clean heart, a right spirit, continued presence, restored joy, and deliverance from bloodguiltiness (vv.1-14). Now he comes to the mouth. Sin had polluted more than his actions; it had affected his joy, spirit, testimony, and praise. Therefore, he prays, “O Lord, open thou my lips.” After sin, David wants to get back to praising God.
“O Lord.” David speaks to God as the One who has authority over him. He does not treat praise as something he can resume by natural strength, public skill, musical memory, or religious habit. He needs the Lord to open his lips. The same God who must create a clean heart and renew a right spirit must also restore the mouth to praise (v.10). Sin disorders the whole man. Mercy must restore the whole man.
“Open thou my lips.” This is a humble request. David does not say, I will open my lips whenever I choose. He asks God to do it. Sin had shut his lips in several ways. It had shut them by guilt, shame, grief, fear, and broken fellowship. During concealment, David knew the misery of silence: “When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long” (Psalm 32:3). After confession, he wants more than inward relief. He wants God to open his lips again in honest praise.
There is a great difference between man opening his own mouth and God opening his lips. A hypocrite may open his mouth without God. A Pharisee may pray with many words while his heart is far from God (Matthew 15:7-9). A deceiver may speak fair words while hiding wickedness. But David asks God to open his lips. He does not want forced religious speech, formal sound, or public performance while the soul remains unhealed. He wants lips opened by mercy, cleansing, and restored communion.
This is also the answer to sinful silence. David had sinned, covered, and continued for a season until Nathan came to him (2 Samuel 12:1-14). Concealed sin makes praise difficult, if not hypocritical. A man may still sing outwardly, but the inward liberty of praise is wounded. David had no desire to remain silent under guilt. Once mercy had cleansed him, he wanted his lips opened again. Forgiven sin should not produce lazy silence; it should produce humbled praise.
“And my mouth.” David now names the member that will be employed. Earlier he had sinned not only by deeds, but also by deceitful covering. His mouth had been used wrongly when he tried to conceal his sin with Uriah and manage consequences by human craft (2 Samuel 11:6-15). Now he wants that same mouth restored to holy use. The mouth that had been involved in sin must be given back to God.
This is a frequent lesson in the Psalms. The wicked use the mouth for lies, flattery, bitter words, proud speaking, and destruction (Psalm 5:9; 12:2-4; 57:4; 64:3). The righteous ask God to guard the mouth, bridle the tongue, and keep the lips from transgression (Psalm 39:1; 141:3). Here David adds another use: the cleansed mouth should shew forth God’s praise. The tongue is not only to be restrained from evil; it is to be employed for worship.
“Shall shew forth.” David does not stop with a request; he makes a vow. If God opens his lips, his mouth shall shew forth God’s praise. This is holy resolve after mercy. He does not bargain with God as though praise could purchase forgiveness. He has already pleaded mercy and cleansing by God’s goodness (vv.1-2). But forgiven men should become praising men. Mercy received should become mercy declared.
To “shew forth” is to declare, publish, make known, and set before others. David’s praise will not be hidden as a private feeling. The man who had dishonoured God publicly by his sin now wants to honour God openly by praise. This agrees with verse 13: “Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.” David’s restored mouth will praise God and instruct sinners. Grace opens the lips for both worship and witness.
“Thy praise.” The praise belongs to God. David does not say, My mouth shall shew forth my recovery, my sincerity, my tears, my humiliation, or my resolve. He says, “thy praise.” True repentance does not make the man the hero of his restoration. God is the hero. God sent Nathan. God gave conviction. God showed mercy. God blotted out sin. God washed, cleansed, created, renewed, restored, upheld, and delivered. Therefore, God receives the praise.
This is why David does not simply ask to feel better. He wants to praise. A carnal man wants forgiveness only to escape pain, shame, and consequence. A spiritual man wants restored fellowship so he may glorify God again. David’s grief was not only that he had suffered under guilt, but that his sin had interrupted the joy and liberty of praising the God he loved. He wanted the mouth of the sinner turned again into the mouth of the worshipper.
The order of the psalm is important. David asks first for mercy and cleansing before he asks for opened lips (vv.1-2,15). God does not desire praise from a man clinging to uncleanness. David must be washed, purged, renewed, and restored. Then his lips can be opened rightly. Worship without repentance is presumption. Praise without cleansing is noise. God seeks truth in the inward parts before sound from the outward lips (v.6).
Yet the verse also shows that repentance should not end in perpetual muteness. Some fallen saints, once rebuked and humbled, may think they should never again speak, praise, teach, or testify. David teaches a better way. Sin should shut the mouth from boasting, excuse-making, and self-defense; but mercy should open the mouth for praise. The same psalm that says, “Against thee, thee only, have I sinned,” also says, “my mouth shall shew forth thy praise” (vv.4,15).
This verse is a rebuke to self-pity after repentance. David does not sit forever admiring his shame. He does not make his fall the center of his remaining life. He carries his sin to God, seeks cleansing, asks for renewal, and vows praise. True contrition does not wallow; it worships. The broken spirit and contrite heart that God will not despise should rise from mercy to thanksgiving (v.17).
It also rebukes shallow restoration. David does not ask only to be spared consequences, restored to reputation, or comforted emotionally. He wants lips opened by God. He wants a mouth employed in praise. He wants practical restoration unto duty. Forgiveness is not given so a man may return to indifference. It is given so he may return to God with greater humility, hatred of sin, love of mercy, and zeal for praise.
The verse should be prayed by every fallen saint. Sin closes the lips with guilt. Pride closes them with excuse. Shame closes them with despair. Formality moves them without life. Only God can open them rightly. Therefore, the saint should pray, “O Lord, open thou my lips.” Open them to confess sin. Open them to praise mercy. Open them to warn transgressors. Open them to speak truth. Open them to bless Thy name.
Jesus Christ is the reason such a prayer can be answered. David’s sin required more than tears; it required blood. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, but forgiveness rests in the righteous provision of God, fulfilled in the blood of Christ (v.17; Romans 3:24-26; 1 John 1:7). Christ had no sin to confess, no filthy heart to cleanse, and no guilty lips to restore. Yet He bore the sins of His people in His own body on the tree, that they might be forgiven, cleansed, and restored to serve the living God (1 Peter 2:24; Hebrews 9:14).
Psalm 51:15 therefore shows the right desire after sin. David does not ask for mercy so he may be quiet, comfortable, and unchanged. He asks God to open his lips, and he vows that his mouth shall shew forth God’s praise. Let every repentant sinner learn the same holy order: confess sin, seek mercy, receive cleansing, ask for renewal, and return to praise. The God who forgives also opens the lips, and the mouth He opens should shew forth His praise.