Our Common Prayerbook 32 – 3

One of the most memorable and quietly used psalms is Psalm 32, a psalm of confession. We’ve been digging into this psalm a bit this week (Monday and Tuesday). First, we saw David’s pain in not confessing and his joy in confessing. Second, we saw David’s instructions to others to learn to confess, and today we want to look at the joy of forgiveness.

One of the inner elements of our faith is sin; connected to that sin is the grace of God’s forgiveness. But that grace of forgiveness only comes to the one who confesses sin. This is the point of the psalm.

But when a person finally owns up and finally chooses to live in reality and decides to tell the truth to God, that person can experience the joy and release of forgiveness. Here David puts into words that joy:

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….

32:11 Rejoice in the Lord and be happy, you who are godly! Shout for joy, all you who are morally upright!

Sin is here described in four terms: rebellion, sin, wrongdoing, deceit.

Forgiveness is also matched — indeed overmatched — in God’s act of forgiveness: forgiven, pardoned and no punished.

Those who tell God the truth are those who find forgiveness and can say, as in v. 11, they rejoice and are happy and can shout for joy.

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!