Psalm of Confession and Thanksgiving – Psalm 32
By Rev. Dr. Brent Russett – Asbury Free Methodist
November 24, 2024
This is the last in our series, “Psalms for Your Life.” I think through the series that you got the feeling of why the psalms are so beloved. They have a way of expressing our hearts to God. They have a way of expressing our feelings. But in them, you also see God’s heart for his people.
Next week, we will be starting our Advent season series called Finding Jesus. We will look at finding Jesus in unexpected people, unexpected times, unexpected circumstances, and unexpected places. This would be a good series to invite your friends to. Think about and pray about who you can invite.
Today, we’re looking at Psalm 32. It can be characterized in three different ways. Some call it a penitential Psalm or a Psalm of confession. It could be characterized as a wisdom Psalm, or it could be characterized as a Psalm of Thanksgiving.
However we want to characterize it, I think it is a great Psalm on which to end our series and to use as a jumping-off place for communion.
Have you ever been in a place where you know you sinned against God, but you really didn’t want to deal with it? You rationalized your sin away. You didn’t really want to confess it because you wanted to keep on doing it. You tried your best to ignore it and forget about it.
That is where David, the author of the Psalm, found himself after committing adultery with Bathsheba and then arranging the circumstances for her husband to be killed.
Sometimes, you will hear me say at the beginning of the service that you are welcome here. We invite you to come as you are. No perfect people are allowed. The reason I am able to say that here is that there are all kinds of stories in the Bible where imperfect people are forgiven and transformed.
David, in this Psalm, is reflecting back on what God has done for him. He is also reflecting on his life now as he pens this Psalm. I suspect that many of you can echo the voice of David. As we walk through the Psalm today, I would encourage you to reflect on what part of this Psalm you most identify with. I think that may help you know how to take your next step spiritually.
Come with me to,
Psalm 32:1–2 (NIV)
1 Blessed is the one
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
2 Blessed is the one
whose sin the lord does not count against them
and in whose spirit is no deceit.
The Psalm starts out with the word “Blessed.” The translators could have easily translated that word happy and some do. There is a sense of being highly favoured by divine grace. If you want to live the blessed life, if you want to see happiness in this life, this is a Psalm to take note of.
In these first two verses, David uses three words in the Hebrew language to describe sin. He also uses three different words to describe forgiveness.
The first word he uses is translated as “transgressions” in the NIV. It is a word that is used to describe breaking a treaty between two parties. It’s used to describe the rebellion of children against their parents. David here is essentially talking about rebellion against God.
The second word he uses in verse one is translated as “sins.” It carries with it the sense I love doing something that is forbidden or ignoring something that is required by God’s laws or his character.
In verse 2, the NIV uses the word sin again. Other translations use the word iniquity. It carries with it the idea of being guilty of depravity or perversity or a crime.
So when you read
Psalm 32:1–2 (NIV)
1 Blessed is the one
whose rebellions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
2 Blessed is the one
Whose guilt and crimes the lord does not count against them
and in whose spirit is no deceit.
David is saying that a person is happy who is not rebelling against God, whose life is on track and one who is marked by honesty.
He is saying that a person who is happy knows what it means to be forgiven. He or she has their sins covered, removed, justified by God. God is not holding their sin against them.
I know a lot of you could say the same thing. You felt the weight of your sin, but you have come to know the forgiveness of God. There is a sense of joy and happiness in that.
David had felt the weight of his sin. But he’s looking back now at when he was released from that weight, and he is saying this is good.
Maybe that is where you find yourself I this Psalm. You are revelling in the salvation of God. You are celebrating his goodness because you know that you have been forgiven.
I remember working with a girl who paid her way through university by selling her body. But she came to know Jesus. She came to know the forgiveness and freedom found in Jesus. She described it as a weight lifted.
Every so often, I will run into people who think that they have been too bad for God. If God can forgive murderers and adulterers and prostitutes, he can forgive you.
Do you know what the worst sin ever committed was? It was the murder of Jesus, the son of God. Do you know the best thing that ever happened? It was the crucifixion of Jesus. For in his death, we can find life. He took our sins upon himself so that we didn’t have to carry our sin.
If God can take the worst sin and turn it into the best thing that ever happened, he can deal with your sin. He can and will forgive you if you ask.
Look at what verses 3 and 4 say,
Psalm 32:3–4 (NIV)
3 When I kept silent,
my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night
your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was sapped
as in the heat of summer.
David said, my sin was affecting my health. It was affecting my mental health and my physical health. I have seen this dynamic away too often. I have seen anger and bitterness cause depression. Please do not hear me say that if you are depressed, you must be angry and bitter. Depression is much more complicated than that. But that does not negate the fact that anger and bitterness can cause depression.
I have watched where a person’s disregard for their spiritual life has affected their mental health, and their mental health has affected their physical health. When our spiritual and mental health are not good, we are less resistant to viruses. We are more prone to infections. Your spiritual life and your emotional life affect your physical life.
David said his unconfessed sin led to a decline in his emotional and physical life. He saw it as the hand of God being heavy upon him. You can call it the hand of God or natural consequences, but however you look at it, sin wreaks havoc on your life.
Maybe that is where you find yourself in this Psalm. You are sitting under a weight of guilt, and it is pulling the rest of your life down. You have not dealt with it. The devil will come along and whisper, “it’s hopeless.” But he is a liar and the father of lies.
The good news is that sin can be dealt with. We have been looking through these psalms through the lens of Christ. We will celebrate communion in a little while, and we are celebrating that our sin has been dealt with because of the cross of Christ. You can have your sin dealt with through the power of the cross.
David leads us towards the cross by showing us how to approach God with a guilty heart. He says this,
Psalm 32:5 (NIV)
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.
David stopped trying to cover up his sin. He stopped trying to rationalize and justify his sin. He said to himself, “I will confess
my transgressions to the lord.”
And you forgave
the guilt of my sin.
What I love about this verse, apart from the testimony that his sin is forgiven, is that up until this point, it seems like he is talking to others, so I brought his testimony. But he gets to this point, and the pronoun turns to you, God. That personal relationship with God is restored. He can’t help but when he is telling his story, that his story turns into a prayer. And you forgave the guilt of my sin.
It all starts with confession. It all starts by refusing to hide from God any longer. And God is so gracious. He is faithful always.
It reminds me of what the Apostle John said,
1 John 1:9–2:2 (NIV)
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.
2 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
It all starts with confession. When we confess, God is faithful to forgive.
Confession means coming clean with God. I’m not going to try to justify my sin. I am not going to try to hide from my sin. I am going to acknowledge my sin. God, you are right, but I am wrong. I’m sorry. I am going to choose to walk in your ways. That is confession.
Maybe that is where you find yourself in this Psalm this morning. There may be some of you here this morning who have never taken that step of faith, or you know that there is something between you and God, and you have been hiding from it. This morning is we take part in communion, I would invite you to use that time to confess your sin and be assured of his forgiveness.
David then goes on to acknowledge that when our sin is forgiven, God becomes our safe place.
Psalm 32:6–7 (NIV)
6 Therefore let all the faithful pray to you
while you may be found;
surely the rising of the mighty waters
will not reach them.
7 You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance.
Confessing your sins to God and becoming right with God does not remove you from the troubles of life. But in those troubles, you have access to God. You pray. God hears.
When the storms of life are blowing around us. God becomes our safe harbour. When trouble is pursuing us, God becomes our hiding place. When enemies are against us, God is our deliverer.
You might remember When Jonathan, David’s best friend, suspected that his father, King David, wanted to kill David. Jonathan says to David.
1 Samuel 19:2 (NRSV)
2 Jonathan told David, “My father Saul is trying to kill you; therefore, be on guard tomorrow morning; stay in a secret place and hide yourself.
Stay in a secret place and hide yourself, is the same Hebrew word that is used in verse 7 of the Lord when David says
Psalm 32:7 (NIV)
7 You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance.
God becomes our secret place, our hiding place where you can go in times of trouble. I find it interesting that David went from hiding from God to hiding in God. There is a wonderful sense of peace that comes in the middle of trouble when you can go to God in prayer when you can sit with God and worship, and when faith arises, it says about your troubles, “God’s got this.”
Instead of being filled with anxiety, you notice that songs of faith arise from your heart and mind. One of the signs of being filled with the spirit is that you are singing and making a melody in your heart to the lord. When you sense those songs rising in your heart, know that God is surrounding you with songs of deliverance.
Maybe that is where you find yourself today. You are experiencing the troubles of life – but you have learned, like David, to push into God. To make God your place of refuge.
If you know the joy of sins forgiven, I want you to know that this place of hiding is your birthright. If you been trying to face the storms of life on your own – I would encourage you to run to Father. He is so full of grace.
*****
The voice in the Psalm changes again. It goes from the psalmist talking to us to the psalmist talking to God. Now it moves to God talking to us.
Psalm 32:8–10 (NIV)
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.
9 Do not be like the horse or the mule,
which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle
or they will not come to you.
10 Many are the woes of the wicked,
but the lord’s unfailing love
surrounds the one who trusts in him.
God says I’m going to teach you. I am going to let you know which way you should go. And I love the fact that his counsel comes out of his love for us. I love the fact that God promised to speak to us out of his love.
So, he says don’t be like a mule or a horse that doesn’t have any understanding, so they need to be controlled by a bit and a bridle.
When David had sinned but refused to acknowledge his sin, he said that “God’s hand was heavy upon him.” Whether that’s supernatural intervention or natural consequences to sin, it is us being controlled by a bit and a bridle. If you have ridden a horse with a bit in its mouth, you will know that if you pull on one of the reins, it pulls one side of the bit, it turns the horse’s head because the bit feels uncomfortable.
The lord is saying, don’t be like the horse that has to be made uncomfortable in order to go the right way. Mules are stupid. You don’t have to be.
If you will allow me to teach you and lead you, I won’t have to steer you like a horse.
Many are the woes of the wicked. But you can avoid those. In fact, you will not only avoid the judgment and natural consequences of sin, but you will find my unfailing love surrounding you.
So, what do you do when you are the people of God who have had your sins forgiven? What do you do when you are hiding in God.
Psalm 32:11 (NIV)
11 Rejoice in the lord and be glad, you righteous;
sing, all you who are upright in heart!
That’s what you do because going back to the first verse, you are blessed.
(Call worship team up)
Where do you find yourself in this Psalm?
Maybe you are rejoicing that your sins are forgiven, that you rebellion and guilt has been covered and removed. It is a wonderful thing to walk in that kind of blessing.
Maybe you know you have unconfessed sin in your life. You have been living under the burden of guilt. Would you deal with that today?
Maybe you are ready to confess your sins to the lord. If you have never given your heart to the lord, then I want to invite you to do that today. If you have given your heart to the lord – but you know there is sin you need to deal with, I would invite you to deal with it before God.
Maybe you are in a place where there is trouble in your life, and you need God to be your refuge in and strength. I would invite you to run to him this morning.
My prayer is that we will all arrive at a place where we reflect verse 11
Psalm 32:11 (NIV)
11 Rejoice in the lord and be glad, you righteous;
sing, all you who are upright in heart!
Sing – there is a Redeemer.
Pray through the different parts of the Psalm.