Psalm 32 Beati quorum remissae sunt iniquitates

By Mary Abrahamson

Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, A Psalm of David

David starts this well known Psalm with the acknowledgment of God’s great mercy and forgiveness.

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit.

But then David changes direction. He describes his life under sin. Like David, we hide our sin, we deceive ourselves into thinking that we are not sinning, or that our sin is not so very bad. Other times we simply will not let ourselves admit that what we are doing is wrong. Like David, we feel the weight of our sins, heavy upon us. God’s hand is on us to call us back to Him.

When I kept silent, my bones grew old
Through my groaning all the day long.
For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;
My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah
I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I have not hidden.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah

God is the source of our salvation. He is our only haven, our only true deliverance. We can and must turn to Him with our sin.

For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You
In a time when You may be found;
Surely in a flood of great waters
They shall not come near him.
You are my hiding place;
You shall preserve me from trouble;
You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah

God gives us instruction and guidance in the Law, what is right and wrong. And He also gives us the Gospel, where we find relief from our sins. He is always with us, watching us, ready to help. But we do not always readily accept God’s direction.

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will guide you with My eye.
Do not be like the horse or like the mule,
Which have no understanding,
Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle,
Else they will not come near you.

Those who do not believe God’s Words will continue in their sorrows. But we know God’s mercy. We can be glad and rejoice in spite of sorrow, because God has made us righteous.

Many sorrows shall be to the wicked;
But he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him.
Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous;
And shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

image in the public domain via Wikimedia Commons