Context: The psalmist openly confesses that he has sinned against God and begs forgiveness. God, he says, has been just in His judgment of him. He pleads that the Lord will remove his iniquity so that he may stay in the presence of the Holy One. When his life has been cleansed, he will teach other sinners of God's truth. The Lord does not seek burnt offerings, he concludes, but, rather a humble spirit. In referring to his original sinful condition, the poet expresses the belief that his nature, from conception, has been that of sinfulness: