Is it true that David never erred from God’s precepts or did he go astray from them?
David appears to contradict himself in the same psalm. First he says to God, “I have not strayed from Your precepts” (Ps 119:110). But later he admitted, “I have gone astray like a lost sheep” (Ps 119:176). However, it would seem that both cannot be true.
Psalms 119:110
NKJV - 110 The wicked have laid a snare for me, Yet I have not strayed from Your precepts.
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Asked August 23 2020
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Jack Gutknecht
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Grant Abbott
David knew that forgiveness of sin was included in God’s precepts. David knew he did not live a perfect life but he also knew how to get forgiven and how to restore his relationship with God. David sinned with Bathsheba - adultery, conspiracy and murder of Uriah. David had also spilled much innocent blood during his raids on the nations surrounding Israel. But David knew how to confess his sin, how to receive God’s forgiveness and cleansing, and how to restore his close personal relationship with God. Psalm 32 and Psalm 51 show us how David felt when he was guilty of sin and how he felt after being forgiven. The same is true of us. Jesus said “Be perfect as your Father in Heaven is perfect. Jesus knows we can’t keep God’s law to perfection. But when we confess our sins, repent and God wipes the slate clean, we are perfect in his sight. And so, we can declare with David that we never stray from God’s precepts, if indeed, we seek his forgiveness and cleansing every day.
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