COV LIFE BLOG

Psalm 32 – The Blessedness of Being Forgiven

Psalm 32 is the second psalm that begins with a blessing. The first is Psalm 1: “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” Psalm 1 blesses the one who travels the right path and does not allow the temptation to sin to cause him to stray away. Psalm 32 blesses the one who has come to a fork in the road and has chosen the wrong path. Yet at some point you turned around and came back to God, only to discover that he had not left you. He was still where you left him, waiting to give you another chance. That’s what it means to be blessed.
 
If this is not a blessing that excites your heart and mind and soul, you have not come to grips with the sinfulness of your sin. David had. Note the four terms he uses in verses 1-2 to describe his sin. First of all, it is transgression – willful rebellion against the revealed will of God. It s when you know the right thing to do, but you essentially say, “I don’t care. I’m going to do what I want to do.” David says, “I’m guilty of that.” Likewise, it is sin – to miss the mark or fail to reach the goal. It is a sports term that refers to the archer who carefully shoots but misses the bulls-eye. It is those times when you try to do right but fall short of what is pleasing to God. David says, “I’m also guilty of that.” Furthermore, it is iniquity, which refers to that which is bent or twisted. “Transgression” and “sin” describe our sinful ways. “Iniquity” describes our sinful nature. It is the inclinations of our fallen nature that result in sinful thoughts, words, and deeds. David was guilty of all of this. Even worse, verse 2 indicates David was also guilty of deceit, during a period in which he would not honest with God about his sin.
 
David was a front-running candidate for divine judgment. But what he deserved was not what he received. His transgression was forgiven, with the unbearable burden of guilt being lifted off and rolled away. His sins were covered, with all of its ugliness hidden under divine atonement. The Lord did not count his iniquity against him, like a creditor who graciously rights off the debt you could never repay and calling off his collectors. So David sings, “Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.” Is this your testimony? Are you really blessed? Have your transgression been forgiven, your sin covered, and your iniquity charged to the account of our sin-bearing substitute, Jesus Christ. Can you sing with H.G. SPAFFORD? –
 
MY SIN – O THE BLISS OF THIS GLORIOUS THOUGHT!
MY SIN, NOT IN PART, BUT THE WHOLE,
IS NAILED TO THE CROSS, AND I BEAR IT NO MORE
PRAISE THE LORD, PRAISE THE LORD, O MY SOUL!

H.B. Charles Jr.

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SCRIPTURES FOR THIS SUNDAY
Read Psalm 32. Are you walking in, or do you tend to walk in, unrepentant sin and the accompanying guilt and shame which comes along with it? What prevents you from running to the arms of Jesus where forgiveness and the accompanying joy and peace are found?

SONG OF THE WEEK
Come Ye Sinners by Norton Hall Band