Comment: For repentance to occur one needs to be able to identify the need for it. This requires a sincere realization of a habitual sinful deed or a recent or past breech of God’s law. That is when one would get to a point and say “I have sinned against God” just as King David said in the text for today. This identification does not allow any room for self-justification, sentiments and comparisons. This crucial first stage of repentance and identification, could also be with the help of other persons such as a wife or husband, a brother or sister, a friend or even a neighbour. A good example of this was King David who committed adultery with Bathsheba. It took Nathan the Prophet to help David identify his sin. Under the inspiration of God he told David the king: “Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife…” (2 Samuel 12:9-12) It is noteworthy to emphasize that King David broke down in remorse and tears immediately he realized his ungodly commitments. He was forgiven: but he never went altogether unpunished. – 2 Samuel 12:13,14; Psalm 38:18.