Introduction
If someone asked you to describe forgiveness, how would you do it? Where would you begin? How long would it take? The writer of Psalm 32 would answer like this: "Forgiveness? Forgiveness is something to shout about!"
The manufacturers of Tide detergent once had a website for stain removal called "The Stain Detective". Users could identify the type of stain they are trying to remove, submit a request for advice, and receive information regarding the best way to get the stain out of the fabric. Of course, most of the solutions involved the use of a Tide product!
In Psalm 32, David is our spiritual "stain detective" as he counsels us how to remove the stain of sin in our lives. No matter what sin has marred your life, David directs us to the same solution. Forgiveness is found in God alone.
David is excited about forgiveness and wants everyone to shout about it!
I. Experiencing forgiveness (vv. 1-2)
Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.
Forgiveness is a state of being that is exciting. It feels good! Notice David writes Blessed is he and Blessed is the man. Look at the meaning of the words used to describe what God does when He forgives a person:
A. forgiven - He lifts up the burden of guilt and carries it away.
B. covered - He covers the sin from view.
C. does not count against - God chooses not to think of the forgiven person as guilty anymore.
II. Needing forgiveness (vv. 3-4)
When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Selah
Notice first what is not mentioned here. The actual sin is not identified. In this passage David fails to tell us what his sin was. He doesn't even give us a hint. Why? Because what he did is not the issue. The focus is on God's forgiveness. The seriousness of the sin doesn't affect the capacity of God to forgive.
After he sinned, David says, I kept silent. That's when his trouble began. We try to manage guilt. We try to cope with guilt. We try to rationalize guilt away. We try to blame someone else to minimize our guilt. Observe what happens:
A. Physical deterioration. He writes my bones wasted away. No one questions the delicate balance between mind and body anymore. Guilt ravages a person physically.
B. Mental suffering. David describes a relentless anguish in his soul. It does not stop. He is groaning all day long.
C. Spiritual separation. David feels distance between God and himself. It appeared that God was hostile towards him. Guilt warps our perception of who God is and His readiness to forgive us.
Ultimately all enjoyment of life is lost. Our strength (v. 4) and desire for life is transformed into an arid, dry landscape.
III. Receiving forgiveness (v. 5)
Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD" - and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah
David describes how to thoroughly deal with guilt and obtain forgiveness from God.
A. Sin must be acknowledged. David writes I acknowledged my sin to you. He simply and clearly stated that what he did was a sin. This can be particularly challenging if we believe others are to blame!
B. Sin must be exposed. David adds that he did not cover uphis sin. Literally he is saying, "I have made my sin naked and bare before You." The word cover refers to the normal function of a garment in its natural sense. When we confess our sin, we strip away all the ridiculous attitudes we use to "dress up" what we have done. This is an experience of shame. It does not feel good, but it will not last for long. Remember that whatever we expose and uncover through confession, God will soon cover and hide from view through His forgiveness!
C. Sin must be confessed. The word confess means to cast or throw something away. Confession is the act of fully casting away our sin, guilt and shame before God.
Do you see the entire picture that David has painted for us? We call what we did "sin" as God does. We take full responsibility for the sin. We make no attempt to "dress up" or hide our sin, rather we expose it before God. Then we take that sin and cast it away from us before God.
When we do that, we can confidently join in David's joy when he writes that God forgave the guilt of my sin!
Conclusion
Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart! (v. 11)
In the final verse of Psalm 32, David makes it clear that rejoicing is a non-optional activity for those who really know the forgiveness of God. They have something to shout about. Do you? Have you experienced His forgiveness? Will you rejoice today?
Illustration thumbnails
The world's strongest man?
Jouko "Jokke" Ahola is regarded as one of the strongest men in the world. In fact, he holds the world's record for lifting the heaviest Atlas stone sphere over 3.5 feet onto a barrel. The stone weighed 474 lbs. In addition he once carried a small car (978 lbs) over 90 feet!
His feats of strength pale in comparison with the weight you and I carry when we do not confess our sin. God alone can lift it off of us and carry it away through His Son's death on the cross.
Hidden beyond discovery
Geocaching is a new hobby sweeping America involving the use of a handheld Global Positioning System (GPS). Someone hides something of value across the country, posts the latitude and longitude coordinates on a website, and waits for the item to be found. Users of the website look for the hidden material (called a cache). Upon discovery of the hiding place, geocache enthusiasts replace the item with something else, posting changes on the website. The goal is to make the search as challenging as possible. However, the Lord covers over our sins so completely, they can never be found!
Related biblical texts
Luke 7:44-47 - Turning to the woman, He said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she, with her tears, has washed My feet and wiped them with her hair. You gave Me no kiss, but she hasn't stopped kissing My feet since I came in. You didn't anoint My head with oil, but she has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. Therefore I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; that's why she loved much. But the one who is forgiven little, loves little."
Luke 24:46-47 - He also said to them, "This is what is written: the Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead the third day, and repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
Acts 10:43 - All the prophets testify about Him that through His name everyone who believes in Him will receive forgiveness of sins.
Romans 4:4-8 - Now to the one who works, pay is not considered as a gift, but as something owed. But to the one who does not work, but believes on Him who declares righteous the ungodly, his faith is credited for righteousness. Likewise, David also speaks of the blessing of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: How happy those whose lawless acts are forgiven and whose sins are covered! How happy the man whom the Lord will never charge with sin!
Col. 2:13-14 - And when you were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive with Him and forgave us all our trespasses. He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it out of the way by nailing it to the cross.