“The Blessing of Forgiveness” – Psalm 32:1-5

Main thoughts:

Psalm 32 is a teaching psalm that teaches us about the forgiveness of sins. It is written by David and was probably sung at the Day of Atonement.

Three words for sin

As David tells us how blessed it is to have your sins forgiven, he uses three words for sin:

Transgression – a deliberate crossing of the line, rebellion

Sin – a missing of the mark, anything short of perfection

Iniquity – a straying from the path, not living true to God’s Law

Three words for forgiveness

David also uses three words for forgiveness:

Forgiven – to lift up or carry away, sin is removed from one’s account

Covered – to hide or conceal, sin is concealed by Christ’s righteousness

Not imputed – to not place on one’s account, sin is not attributed

Three words for confession

David speaks of the importance of confession. In fact, that is the defining mark of a forgiven man; they are not deceitful. They make a full confession of what they have done. David speaks in very clear terms what it feels like to be under conviction. He then uses three phrases to show his confession

Acknowledge – to express experiential knowledge, to speak of one’s intimate relationship with sin

Not hid – to refuse to conceal, to bring one’s sin to light

Confess – to throw out, to openly state what one has done

Application:

There is a blessedness that comes from a complete forgiveness for every sin. David here gives us this complete picture. However, the one who is forgiven is the one who confesses their sin. David shows us in great detail what it looks like when we refuse to confess our sin and what a true confession of sin looks like. “If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

Will you confess your sin to the Lord today?