KJV: Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.
YLT: Then Thou desirest sacrifices of righteousness, Burnt-offering, and whole burnt-offering, Then they offer bullocks on thine altar!
Darby: Then shalt thou have sacrifices of righteousness, burnt-offering, and whole burnt-offering; then shall they offer up bullocks upon thine altar.
ASV: Then will thou delight in the sacrifices of righteousness, In burnt-offering and in whole burnt-offering: Then will they offer bullocks upon thine altar.
If God did Song of Solomon , His people could and would continue to worship Him in His appointed ways. This would bring delight to the Lord even as He had brought delight to His people by forgiving and preserving them. [source][source][source]
When believers sin against God, they should confess their sins and repent (i.e, adopt a different attitude toward the Lord that results in changed conduct). They can count on His gracious, abundant forgiveness because He has promised to forgive the fellowship consequences of sin for those who confess their sins. Forgiveness should result in a renewed commitment to worship and serve the Lord. [1][source]
There are two types of forgiveness. There is judicial forgiveness that every person experiences when he or she trusts in Christ as Savior ( Romans 5:1). God will never condemn us to eternal damnation for our sins if we trust in His Son ( Romans 8:1). However, there is also familial forgiveness. This is the forgiveness believers need because they offend God ( Matthew 6:12; Matthew 6:14-15; 1 John 1:9). In one sense, therefore, God has forgiven all our sins, but in another sense we need to confess our sins to receive forgiveness. Judicial forgiveness makes us acceptable to God, but familial forgiveness makes us intimate with God. Judicial forgiveness removes the guilt of sin, and familial forgiveness restores the broken fellowship caused by sin. [source][source][source]
Context Summary
Psalm 51:11-19 - The Sacrifices God Accepts
It is not enough to be forgiven; the true penitent longs to be kept from breaking out into the old sins. He desires a clean heart that abhors the least taint of sin; a right or steadfast (r.v., margin) spirit, influenced by God's holy Spirit, and therefore a willing spirit as well. Then shall follow the joy of salvation, success in soul-winning, humility of soul, the blessing of Zion, and the upbuilding of the Church. What glorious results are these-like the fair colors extracted from coal-tar!
There are no sacrifices so dear to God as broken hearts; no offerings so precious as contrite spirits. It would be impossible to compute all the walls that have been built; all the Jerusalems, that have been blessed, all the congregations that have been moved, all the revivals that have resulted because sinful men and women have been loved back from the pit of corruption and reinstated into the clear shining of God's forgiveness and favor. Do not be content with forgiveness; seek restoration to the old place and then strive for a better. [source]
Chapter Summary: Psalm 51
1David prays for remission of sins, whereof he makes a deep confession 6He prays for sanctification 16God delights not in sacrifice, but in sincerity 18He prays for the church
What do the individual words in Psalms 51:19 mean?
ThenYou shall be pleasedwith the sacrificesof righteousnesswith burnt offeringand whole [burnt offering]they shall offeronYour altarbulls