Psalms 32:1–11 “Blessed is he
whose transgression is
forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth
not iniquity, and in whose spirit
there is no guile. When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my
roaring all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my
moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.
My heart
rejoices with David to know that my sin is forgiven so thoroughly that it never
existed in the eyes of God. I liked the
way I heard James Merritt phrase
it: “He locks our sin in the vault of
grace and throws it in the sea of mercy.”
We all can relate to wishing
that we could keep a sin hidden, but the child of God realizes that is pure
foolishness. David had an intimate
relationship with God. He knew that God knew he had sinned—He just didn’t want
to confess it to Him. That immediately
set the stage for a huge struggle with his guilt—to the point that he was
moaning and groaning and experiencing great depression. He finally got to the point that he could no
longer produce any tears.
Another good quote from
Merritt: “Sin was the wound; silence was
the infection.”
“thy hand was heavy upon
me” – I thought that was a very telling expression. David’s relationship was so close to the Lord
that he recognized his guilt as the hand of God pressing him to repent.
Today’s society/culture
has conditioned us to believe that there is always something or someone else
we can blame for depression and other mental or emotional conditions.
David knew he was trying to hide sin.
Because of the undermining of God’s word today as well as the lack of
knowledge of God’s word, people sometimes don’t even recognize their sin.
It finally
reached the point that David could take it no longer; he confessed his sin to God. The Hebrew for confess includes the idea of “bemoaning with wringing hands.” This describes an attitude that is an
acknowledgement of sin with repentance—true regret with intent to change.
God never
rejects His servant who comes to Him with true repentance and a desire for
restored fellowship.
2Chronicles 7:14 “If my people, which
are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and
turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive
their sin….”
1John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he
is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.”
Psalm 32:5-6 ”I acknowledged my sin unto
thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my
transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.
For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou
mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh
unto him.”
David declares that it is natural for those that pursue
godliness to naturally turn to God in prayer in their time of
need. He also implies that there is a
time when God cannot be found. I think
David is expressing this thought from a human perspective. We think God is able to “be found” when we
are experiencing times of blessing and meaningful fellowship with God in
worship and prayer. On the other hand,
when the Lord permits those times that test us to refine and grow our faith,
times when we don’t feel like God hears us, we think He can’t “be found.” Job is the perfect example. Although David has experienced those times
when he couldn’t find God, he knew that God was still worthy of his faith; he
could count on God to bring him through whatever trial or testing he was
experiencing.
David’s
wording immediately brought to mind those beautiful verses in Isaiah.
Isaiah 43:1-3: “But now thus saith the LORD that created
thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed
thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through
the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not
overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned;
neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy
One of Israel, thy Saviour.”
Psalm 32:7-8 “Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt
preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of
deliverance. Selah. I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou
shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.”
David is very confident of God’s protection and
preservation in the midst of trouble. What
does it mean for God to surround you with songs of deliverance? I would like to think more of it being a
special gift of the Spirit to the servant of God that allows him to sing the
praise of His Savior throughout the time of trouble because of the strength of
His faith.
Suddenly, the prayer changes from a time of David
talking to God to a time of God talking to David. I believe that is what prayer is all about—a
time of two-way communication. God is
telling David that He cares about Him as an individual—just as He cares for
each one that places their faith in Him.
He wants us to have good success in life; He wants to give us spiritual understanding
and wisdom to make application with that understanding. The Hebrew for “instruct” stated to “guide
wittingly”; it means to guide by design. God has a special design or purpose
for my life.
The Hebrew
for the word “teach” included the phrase “to flow as water.” Today, we believers can expect to experience
God’s teaching through the working or flow of the Spirit in our life.
John 7:37-39 “In the last day, that
great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let
him come unto me, and drink. He that
believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit,
which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet
given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified. The word teach also refers to taking
aim, instruction with specific purpose.
The word guide
includes the idea of training the heart (character) in conjunction with the
mind (intellect).
Psalm 32: 9-11 “Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which
have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest
they come near unto thee. Many sorrows
shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall
compass him about. Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for
joy, all ye that are upright in
heart.”
You can’t reason with a horse or a mule. You have to train them to a conditioned
response through repetitive training.
God is saying that He doesn’t want us to be like conditioned
animals—like robots. He wants fellowship
with those who come to Him through choice in response to His love and
faithfulness.
When the wicked reap the consequences of their actions,
they will find no comfort or relief; they can only expect sorrow and anguish. Those who trust in the Lord, however, can
always expect to experience God’s mercy (kindness, favor) to carry them through
to a place of deliverance. It reminds me
of the following verse in John:
John 16:33 “These things I have spoken unto you,
that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be
of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
The Lord specifically
states that those who follow Him will experience tribulation/trouble. The key is that He will deliver us through
that experience. Not only that, we will
benefit from that experience if we keep our focus on Him.
Romans 5:3-5 “… but we glory in
tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience,
experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love
of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
As usual, David ends his
Psalm praising the Lord. He exhorts the
servant of God to be glad and rejoice. I
liked the thought that Webster added to the word glad—wearing a gay or bright appearance. As servants of God, our joy should be
reflected in our countenance; people should be able to see the peace and joy
that permeates our being. To “shout for
joy” is to boldly and confidently praise God before others. That brings some other verses to mind.
Hebrews 13:15 “By him [Jesus] therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that
is, the fruit of our lips
giving thanks to his name.”
Matthew 5:16 “Let your light so shine
before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is
in heaven.”
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