Our Common Prayerbook 32 – 1

Confession belongs to one word: truth-telling, and David learned precisely that. That experience of learning to tell the truth about who we are  and what we have done is precisely what David puts into words in Psalm 32 (read after the jump).

Not only does David tell his story, he encourages others to learn what he learned: the grace of forgiveness only comes to those who tell God the truth.

While David begins (vv. 1-2) with the blessedness of knowing forgiveness, I want to begin with his experience in vv. 3-5:

32:3 When I refused to confess my sin, my whole body wasted away, while I groaned in pain all day long. 32:4 For day and night you tormented me; you tried to destroy me in the intense heat of summer. (Selah)

32:5 Then I confessed my sin; I no longer covered up my wrongdoing. I said, “I will confess my rebellious acts to the Lord.”

And then you forgave my sins. (Selah)

Withholding from God and refusing to tell the one who truly knows what has happened forces the non-confessor to dwell in a non-reality, a false reality, or an imagined/fictional reality. Not dwelling in reality means we are living against ourselves, and that experiences is expressed in vv. 3-4: so connected is the God of Truth to the reality of life that David sees God at work tormenting him.

But David learned from his pain to tell the truth to God, and so he went to God and confessed his sin. Not confessing is the same as covering up sin, and so David says he uncovered his sins. He sees his sins as rebellious acts.

Confession is the only path to forgiveness. The path to confession is truth-telling.

32:1 How blessed is the one whose rebellious acts are forgiven,

whose sin is pardoned!

32:2 How blessed is the one whose wrongdoing the Lord does not punish,

in whose spirit there is no deceit.

32:3 When I refused to confess my sin,

my whole body wasted away,

while I groaned in pain all day long.

32:4 For day and night you tormented me;

you tried to destroy me in the intense heat of summer. (Selah)

32:5 Then I confessed my sin;

I no longer covered up my wrongdoing.

I said, “I will confess my rebellious acts to the Lord.”

And then you forgave my sins. (Selah)

32:6 For this reason every one of your faithful followers should pray to you

while there is a window of opportunity.

Certainly when the surging water rises,

it will not reach them.

32:7 You are my hiding place;

you protect me from distress.

You surround me with shouts of joy from those celebrating deliverance. (Selah)

32:8 I will instruct and teach you about how you should live.

I will advise you as I look you in the eye.

32:9 Do not be like an unintelligent horse or mule,

which will not obey you

unless they are controlled by a bridle and bit.

32:10 An evil person suffers much pain,

but the Lord’s faithfulness overwhelms the one who trusts in him.

32:11 Rejoice in the Lord and be happy, you who are godly!

Shout for joy, all you who are morally upright!