““Guilt” is the moral feeling of condemnation from having committed an offence, crime or wrong and having to face the penalty of doing so.”
This psalm helps us to see how we can confess our sins to God and the freedom that comes from doing that. With sin comes feelings of guilt, and that can only be addressed when we take our sins to God, confess and seek His forgiveness.
(A) Blessing for the guilty: Forgiveness and freedom are available to those who confess their sins and believe in Jesus. (Ps 32:1-5)
Ps 32:1 begins with a description of the blessed man. We can understand the term blessed to mean happy, but we need to read on to find out how the psalmist defines it. The blessed man is one whose “transgression is forgiven” (Ps 32:1a). Transgression carries with it a sense of breaking the law and also crossing boundaries, and forgiveness usually involves a wrong done to someone, and the one whom the wrong was acted against has the right to forgive. Thus, the blessed man is one whose wrongs are forgiven.
The blessed man is also one whose “sin is covered” (Ps 32:1b). Sin is not just doing something wrong, but is a disobedience directed against God. When our sins are covered, it is put out of view.
The blessed man is one “against whom the LORD counts no iniquity” (Ps 32:2a). Here, the Psalmist uses the covenantal, personal name of God, highlighting a relationship with God. The word “count” here is book-keeping language. When God does not keep a record of the wickedness and improper crookedness, this man is blessed.
Finally, the blessed man is the one “in whose spirit there is no deceit” (Ps 32:2b). The spirit of the blessed man, not just what we see on the surface and what he shows people, is spoken of here. It is not just a surface-level obedience but a deeper, spirit-level obedience.
The psalmist speaks of the blessing of being set free from sin! We can hear his delight and the blessedness that comes from forgiven sin. We know that David also struggled with his own sin, even though he was a great king and one who sought God. These two verses show us the wonderful blessing of forgiven sin. This is also where we want to land and end up at the end of this psalm.
In contrast, David describes his guilt and disobedience in the next two verses. He says that he kept silent (Ps 32:3a), keeping his sin a secret instead of repenting. His bones “wasted away” when he kept silent (Ps 32:3b), providing for us a vivid image of degeneration, down to the level of the bones wasting away. He groaned “all day long” (Ps 32:3c), and this helps us to see that it was not just physical wasting but also an emotional and psychological groaning. It speaks of deep pain.
To David, it felt like “day and night your hand was heavy” on him (Ps 32:4a). David understood and made the connection that the wasting bones and day-long groaning was tied to God’s heavy hand on him. His sin resulted in this suffering. His “strength was dried up as by the heat of summer” (Ps 32:4b). David uses extreme language but it was a clear one of suffering.
What are we to make of this? Is it just a simple cause and effect of disobedience and judgment? Let us be careful not to let Psalm 32 say something that it does not. Does disobedience mean judgment and therefore, obedience mean blessing? That is just karma or the prosperity gospel, and it is not what Psalm 32 speaks about.
Ps 32:3-4 gives us a picture of guilt and we are actually very familiar with it. It is the heavy-heartedness of keeping a lie and a dread of being found out. It is that insecurity of being on the verge of others finding out what we are trying to hide. Do we know this feeling of guilt? If we do, Ps 32:1-2 gives us a wonderful picture of hope and blessedness and freedom from guilt and shame.
How do we respond? Are we silent like in Ps 32:3-4 or do we repent?
But David doesn’t stay in this state. He acknowledged his sin to God (Ps 32:5a). To acknowledge one’s sin is not just to know it, but to also own it, come clean and be truthful. It is seeing sin for what it is in God’s eyes and not trying to preserve the self. There is no attempt to hide. David eventually moves from staying silent, to turning to God and acknowledging his sins verbally to God. Even though God is all-knowing, it does not change the fact that we turn to God to acknowledge our sin.
Neither did David cover his iniquity (Ps 32:5b). This contrasts with Ps 32:1a, the description of the blessed man. It shows us the the freedom of owning and not covering up our sins! Could this be the reason why we are struggling with our sins and having the freedom of knowing that our sins are forgiven in Christ?
Lastly, he also writes that he confesses his transgressions to the LORD (Ps 32:5c).
How did God respond? He forgave his iniquity (Ps 32:5d). David paints for us a clear picture of guilt and the suffering that comes with that, but it is also contrasted then with a beautiful picture of grace and the joy and freedom that comes with forgiveness. The blessing for the guilty is that forgiveness and freedom are available to those who confess their sins and believe in Jesus (Ps 32:1-5). Do we know the freedom that comes? If sin is a rebellion against God, it is not just doing something wrong. It is fundamentally opposing God’s rule in our lives and rejecting His very presence in our lives. We sin in our pride, when our faith becomes a show. We sin when we love the wrong things and when our loves are in the wrong order. We sin when we love the things of the world more than God.
As Rom 3:23 tells us, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Rom 4:5-8 quotes Ps 32:1-2. In Rom 4:5-6, Paul speaks of the righteousness that comes through faith in Christ. This was exactly what David did in Ps 32, and Paul expands it to show that Christ is the bridge that makes forgiveness fully possible. In Christ, our transgression can be forgiven. Our sin is covered by the blood of Christ. The LORD counts no iniquity of the man who confesses.
We are a sinful people desperately in need of a sinless Saviour. Would you not turn to Him who justifies the ungodly apart from works?
(B) Lessons for the godly: Confess with haste, receive counsel and obey, be glad and rejoice (Ps 32:6-11)
Ps 32:6-7 show us what the godly do. The godly offer prayer to God (of confession) when God may be found. They are to acknowledge their sins before Him. Ps 32:6b implies that there will be a time when their prayers will not reach him. He will not always be found. Do you hear the warning here? Ps 32:6 calls us to offer our prayers with haste and with a sense of urgency. It is also not to do so in a haphazard and begrudging way. Ps 32:1-5 has already shown us how we ought to confess (and how not to).
This is instructive for us. We are often comfortable and just do our business with God on Sundays or the occasional times we open our Bible. Make haste and confess, and turn to God with desperation. It also applies to our evangelism. This word is good and wonderful and the only thing that will save. Do your friends and family know?
Ps 32:7 is a wonderful picture of peace that contrasts with the earlier picture of pain and dread. He protects, preserves and delivers us!
God also promises with certainty to act on behalf of those who respond to Him in Ps 32:8-9. He will instruct, teach and counsel. There is no doubt and insecurity. If we confess our sins, God promises to teach us His way and will. The Bible is for us to know who He is, His will and also how we are to live. The Bible has commandments and reveals how God intends for us to live. God has not left these things a mystery for us.
We are not to be like a horse or mule without understanding, that need a bit and bridle to guide (Ps 32:9). Instead, we are to draw near to God and be reconciled as His child.
The psalm ends with a final call for the godly is to be glad and rejoice (Ps 32:10-11). Having lived as the wicked, sinful people we know the sorrows that come with it! We know that dread but the call here is clear. Trust in the LORD, confess sins and rejoice and be glad! Be glad and hear His promises of forgiveness when we turn to Him!
How can we apply the lessons for the godly? What would it mean to confess your sin with haste? Are you glad, and do you rejoice in your salvation?