What is the meaning of Psalm 51:13?

Then

David has just pleaded, “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation” (Psalm 51:12).

• “Then” signals an order: cleansing first, ministry second.

• Genuine forgiveness awakens grateful obedience (Luke 7:47).

• As with Isaiah—who cried “Woe is me” before hearing “Go” (Isaiah 6:5-8)—pardon precedes commission.

• 2 Corinthians 1:4 shows the same pattern: comfort received becomes comfort shared.

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I will teach

• David moves from private repentance to public instruction.

• Teaching is not optional for the forgiven; it is a natural overflow (1 Peter 2:9).

• Deuteronomy 6:6-7 reminds us that God’s words are to be taught diligently, not hoarded.

• Peter, restored after failure, strengthens his brothers (Luke 22:32). The forgiven one becomes a guide.

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transgressors

• The term covers anyone who steps over God’s boundary (Romans 3:23).

• David does not aim at the “pretty good” but at blatant law-breakers like himself (Psalm 32:1-2).

• Jesus echoes this heart: “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32).

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Your ways

• What will David teach? The paths, patterns, and character of the Lord (Psalm 25:4-5).

• God’s ways include mercy that blots out sin (Isaiah 1:18), steadfast love that never ceases (Psalm 136), and holiness that cannot overlook evil (Habakkuk 1:13).

• Ultimately those ways culminate in Christ, “the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6).

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and sinners will return to You

• The goal is not information but transformation—people turning back to God (Joel 2:12-13).

• Repentance means a decisive change of direction (Acts 3:19).

• When one sinner repents, heaven rejoices (Luke 15:7).

• God uses restored believers to bring wandering souls home (James 5:19-20).

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summary

Psalm 51:13 shows a forgiven heart moving outward. Once cleansed, David commits to instruct fellow rebels in the gracious ways of God so that those far off will come home. Personal restoration becomes a catalyst for communal revival, proving that grace received must become grace proclaimed.