16 But to the wicked God says, “What right have you to tell of My statutes And to take My covenant in your mouth? 17 “For you hate discipline, And you cast My words behind you.

Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity And cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I know my transgressions, And my sin is ever before me. 4 Against You, You only, I have sinned And done what is evil in Your sight, So that You are justified when You speak And blameless when You judge. 5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me. 6 Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom.

7 Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Make me to hear joy and gladness, Let the bones which You have broken rejoice. 9 Hide Your face from my sins And blot out all my iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me away from Your presence And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation And sustain me with a willing spirit. 13 {Then} I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners will be converted to You.

14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation; {Then} my tongue will joyfully sing of Your righteousness. 15 O Lord, open my lips, That my mouth may declare Your praise. 16 For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering.

17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise. 18 By Your favor do good to Zion; Build the walls of Jerusalem. 19 Then You will delight in righteous sacrifices, In burnt offering and whole burnt offering; Then young bulls will be offered on Your altar.

Verse 3 (I know my transgressions) acknowledges the specific sin of which he has been convicted — even though the sin is not named here. Therefore, it is not a prayer of repentance for his sinful nature but for that specific sin.

Verses 17 and 19 clarify the kind of heart attitude that God wants to see in His people.

Who can say, “I have cleansed my heart, I am pure from my sin”?

The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?

3 Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? And who may stand in His holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood And has not sworn deceitfully. 5 He shall receive a blessing from the LORD And righteousness from the God of his salvation

New American Standard

But King David said to Ornan (Arunah), “No, but I will surely buy {it} for the full price; for I will not take what is yours for the LORD, or offer a burnt offering which costs me nothing.”

Matthew 6: 33                          New American Standard

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Double-mindedness is present in people who are still practicing religion even though they no they should not. Such people think that they are New Covenant disciples but are still Old/First Covenant religionists at heart.

1 First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 3 This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth…. 8 Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension.

God encourages us to pray and tells us what some of the fruit (tranquility, quiet life, godliness) of a righteous (holy hands without anger and disunity = righteousness) prayer will be for those who pray. He also clarifies that He wants those who pray to be in right relationship with others. When He says “therefore” he is making right relationship a condition for the fruit of prayer.