Book of Psalms Psalm 32

Transcription

1 A Song about Sin and Forgiveness Book of Psalms Psalm 32 Someone entitled this psalm, Straight Talk about Crooked Living. In this song David reminds us of the seriousness of sin and the necessity to confess it. The subtitle describes it as A Psalm of David, Maschil which may be interpreted as a song of instruction or poem of contemplation. Paul quoted verses 1-2 in Romans 4:7-8 as he was describing salvation by grace alone. Martin Luther offered these comments: All the saints are sinners and remain sinners. But they are holy because God in His grace neither sees nor counts these sins, but forgets, forgives, and covers them. There is thus no distinction between the saints and the non-saints. They are sinners alike and all sin daily, only that the sins of the holy are not counted but covered; and the sins of the unholy are not covered but counted (Reading the Psalms with Luther, 78). The historical background of Psalm 32 is very important. David was a great shepherd, a great singer, a great soldier, a great saint, but he was also a great sinner. In 2 Samuel 11-12, David looked upon a lovely woman named Bathsheba, lusted for her, and committed adultery, and then he tried to cover it up. David planned the murder of Bathsheba s husband, Uriah, and then took her for his wife. A whole year passed and David acted like it never happened. When God sent the prophet Nathan to confront him about his sin, David repented and confessed and God forgave him. Psalm 32 is directly connected to Psalm 51. In Psalm 51, David prays for forgiveness. In Psalm 32, David praises God for the forgiveness He has given. 1. Precious covering for sin (vs. 1-2) In these verses David uses four words for sin and what God does when we confess it. A. Blessed is the person whose transgression is forgiven Transgression means rebellion, deliberate disobedience, literally, to step over the line. Forgiven means that the sin is removed and taken away from the sinner. God revealed the meaning of forgiveness on the Day of Atonement when the scapegoat was led out into the wilderness, never to return again (Lev. 16:21-22). Psalms 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Micah 7:19 He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. B. Blessed is the person whose sin is covered Sin is missing the mark. Covered is from a word related to atonement (Hebrew, kaphar). C. Blessed is the person whose iniquity is not imputed Iniquity is perverted or warped thinking and behavior. Impute means to put on someone s account. D. Blessed is the person whose spirit has no deceit Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? David had tried to deceive God and others for a whole year. Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive. See Psalm 51:6. 2. Painful concealing of sin (vs. 3-4) A. David was silent about his sin David covered his sin on earth, but he couldn t cover it up in heaven (Prov. 28:13).

2 B. David was suffering from his sin David had always been a healthy and happy man, but not now. David s sin caused him to have physical and emotional problems. Selah (vs. 4) means to pause and ponder what is written. We should think long and hard about the consequences of sin. The Bible often refers to God s hand. His hand can be a hand of blessing, of healing, a guiding hand, a helping hand, a protecting hand, or as David learned, a chastening hand (vs. 4). Proverbs 13:15 Good understanding giveth favour: but the way of transgressors is hard. 3. Personal confession of sin (vs. 5) This is the pivotal verse in the psalm. David states the same truth in different ways. Notice that David confessed his sin to God because his sin was against God. All sin is ultimately against God, even when we commit sin against another person. Genesis 39:9 There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God? 2 Samuel 12:13 And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die. Psalms 51:4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. A. David admitted his sin David called sin by its name. B. David uncovered his sin When Nathan confronted him, David ended the concealment of his sin. C. David confessed his sin Confess (Hebrew yada) means to speak out or declare openly. David confessed to the right person (God), in the right way (openly), and at the right time (when he was confronted). D. David was forgiven of his sin Forgave (Hebrew, nasa) means to have the burden of sin lifted off. God forgave completely because David confessed completely. We must think straight about sin and talk straight about sin. Our world has a warped view of sin that can affect the thinking of believers. Dr. R. G. Lee once preached: Man calls sin an accident; God calls it an abomination. Man calls sin a blunder; God calls it blasphemy. Man calls sin a chance; God calls it a choice. Man calls sin an error; God calls it enmity. Man calls sin a fascination; God calls it fatality. Man calls sin infirmity; God calls it iniquity. Man calls sin a luxury; God calls it leprosy. Man calls sin liberty; God calls it lawlessness. Man calls sin a trifle; God calls it a tragedy. Man calls sin a mistake; God calls it madness. Man calls sin weakness; God calls it wickedness. 4. Practical counsel about sin (vs. 6-11) Out of his painful experience David wanted to help others. He promised this in Psalms 51:13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. A. Pray to God We need to be honest. Two brothers were drunk and they got caught in a violent thunderstorm. They both got on their knees. One prayed, Lord, you know we re drunk, but please The other brother interrupted, Shhh, don t tell him we re drunk, tell him we re sick. Some people think that telling God the truth about their sin will get them in trouble. It s not the sin you confess that gets you in trouble, but the sin you try to hide.

3 B. Rest in God Our song Rock of Ages says it so well: Let the water and the blood from thy wounded side which flowed, be of sin the double cure, save from wrath and make me pure. C. Learn from God God will guide us with His eye, but we must be close to Him and be sensitive to His leading. D. Submit to God We must not be like the horse (impulsive) or mule (stubborn). We must be meek. A man in Texas had a mule hitched to a wagon. He hit the mule with a two by four. Somebody asked, Why did you hit him so hard? I do that to get his attention. At one point David was like a wild horse that rushed into sin, but when it came to confessing it, he was like a stubborn old mule. E. Trust in God We can trust God because His mercy (unfailing love) will surround us if we confess our sins. God s grace is greater than all our sins. F. Rejoice in God In Psalm 32, David goes from sin and suffering to singing. TIMELESS TRUTHS: Confessing sin is the right thing to do Matthew 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. We are all guilty of sin (Rom. 3:10, 23). Confessing sin is the wise thing to do 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Confessing sin is the safe thing to do Confessing our sins will keep us from more sin and greater sin. If David had confessed his sin of lust, he would not have committed adultery. If he had confessed his sin of adultery with Bathsheba, he would not have deceived Uriah, and ultimately he would not have been guilty of Uriah s death (2 Sam. 11:1-17). Confession puts the brakes on sin before it gets out of control and does more damage. Someone wisely said: Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.

4 A Song about Sin and Forgiveness Book of Psalms Psalm 32 Someone entitled this psalm, Straight Talk about Crooked Living. In this song David reminds us of the seriousness of sin and the necessity to confess it. The subtitle describes it as A Psalm of David, Maschil which may be interpreted as a song of instruction or poem of contemplation. Paul quoted verses 1-2 in Romans 4:7-8 as he was describing salvation by grace alone. Martin Luther offered these comments: All the saints are sinners and remain sinners. But they are holy because God in His grace neither sees nor counts these sins, but forgets, forgives, and covers them. There is thus no distinction between the saints and the non-saints. They are sinners alike and all sin daily, only that the sins of the holy are not counted but covered; and the sins of the unholy are not covered but counted (Reading the Psalms with Luther, 78). The historical background of Psalm 32 is very important. David was a great shepherd, a great singer, a great soldier, a great saint, but he was also a great sinner. In 2 Samuel 11-12, David looked upon a lovely woman named Bathsheba, lusted for her, and committed adultery, and then he tried to cover it up. David planned the murder of Bathsheba s husband, Uriah, and then took her for his wife. A whole year passed and David acted like it never happened. When God sent the prophet Nathan to confront him about his sin, David repented and confessed and God forgave him. Psalm 32 is directly connected to Psalm 51. In Psalm 51, David prays for forgiveness. In Psalm 32, David praises God for the forgiveness He has given. 1. for sin (vs. 1-2) In these verses David uses four words for sin and what God does when we confess it. A. Blessed is the person God revealed the meaning of forgiveness on the Day of Atonement when the scapegoat was led out into the wilderness, never to return again (Lev. 16:21-22). Psalms 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Micah 7:19 He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. B. Blessed is the person C. Blessed is the person D. Blessed is the person Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? 2. of sin (vs. 3-4) A. David was B. David was 3. of sin (vs. 5) This is the pivotal verse in the psalm. David confessed his sin to God because his sin was against God. All sin is ultimately against God, even when we sin against another person.

5 Genesis 39:9 There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God? 2 Samuel 12:13 And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die. Psalms 51:4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. A. David B. David C. David D. David 4. about sin (vs. 6-11) Out of his painful experience David wanted to help others. He promised this in Psalms 51:13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. A. to God B. in God C. from God D. to God E. in God F. in God TIMELESS TRUTHS: Confessing sin is Matthew 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. (See Rom. 3:10, 23). Confessing sin is 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Confessing sin is Confessing our sins will keep us from more sin and greater sin. If David had confessed his sin of lust, he would not have committed adultery. If he had confessed his sin of adultery with Bathsheba, he would not have deceived Uriah, and ultimately he would not have been guilty of Uriah s death (2 Sam. 11:1-17). Confession puts the brakes on sin before it gets out of control and does more damage. Someone wisely said: Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.