9 Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity. Psalm 51:9

If you’re all covered with dirt from a long day doing yard work, what’s the first thing you say to your spouse? “Don’t come near me; you don’t want to touch me.”

Why?

It should seem obvious but you’re all covered with dirt and you don’t want to get the other person dirty.

That’s kind of the idea here with David. He doesn’t want God to get near him because he’s a sinful man. In fact, it’s probably a healthy view of God. We see a similar sentiment when Isaiah said:

“Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.” Isaiah 6:5

However, a very curious irony is in play here. Even though we understand what David is doing here, we also know the character of God is to do the exact opposite of what David wants. Look as far back as the Garden of Eden account.

“Adam, where are you?”

Think about that. An all-knowing, ever-present God knew exactly where Adam was. He was seeking Adam.

In fact, even before that time, He’s been seeking people. We can chase after God all we want but “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” Jeremiah 29:13. God is already there. And “there” happens to be where you are right now. Right where you are. That’s how we seek Him.

So, while we may feel that we are too sinful for a perfect, forgiving God, we need to rest in the fact that this same God is chasing after us, wanting desperately for us to turn towards Him.