June 18, 2023 -- Psalm 32:1-5 -- The Psalm Series: True forgiveness and deep community

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A Maskil of David.

32 Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,
    whose sin is covered.
2 Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity,
    and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

3 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away
    through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
    my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah

5 I acknowledged my sin to you,
    and I did not cover my iniquity;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,”
    and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah

Psalm 32:1-5 EV

What stands out for me, besides the powerful blessing of having our sins forgiven in Jesus Christ, is the meaning of the word “maskil”. The footnote of my study bible indicates it may mean this is an instructional poem—wisdom literature. That makes sense. Odd how often I have read that word and thought about it, or just ignored it and glanced over it without recognizing what it means. Now wisdom is understanding the LORD's gift of forgiveness.

Look at the variety of ways in which David, whom Scriptures describe as a man after God’s own heart, expresses sin. It is transgression—the intentional crossing of holy boundaries. It is iniquity, that is perversity and depravity. It is deceit, that is treachery, the planning of evil against others. Think of David’s life, how he acted perversely with his general’s wife, Bathsheba. How he planned evil, the killing of the man who was innocent so that he could have that man’s wife for himself. The LORD our God knows the wickedness that resides in a man's heart. He commanded the godly kings of Israel to write out the commandments of the LORD and do so under the tutelage of the priest so that they would obey the word of the LORD (Deuteronomy 17:18-20).

Fellow believers, how easily, like David, we fall into sins. Familiar sins. Habitual sins. Peer pressure sins. Sins that are excused or justified away—as if it were even possible to do so. And then like David, experience the bone-crushing pain of the consequences of our sins. Or the conscience, inflamed by sin and carrying the burden of guilt, begins to drain the body of strength. Thanks be to God He gives to His children the awareness of their sins. He shows them the consequences and impacts of wrong-doing. Otherwise we’d let sin run wildly, all-over our lives, with nothing to check or impede its accursed impact.

What sweet release and relief is given in Christ when we confess our sins and realize He fully forgives. It is the great gift of true Christian community, to experience sin’s tearing of relationships and then to experience the sweet healing among brothers and sisters which only Christ’s reconciling blood can achieve. No wonder this poem is punctuated with the word “Selah” (which means: pause, repeat, and reflect). It is the Spirit Who urges believers to pause, repeat, and reflect on the goodness of God. No wonder believers long to attend worship, where we can give full voice to the LORD our King in all thankful devotion to Him. Believers rejoice that rifts and wounds among us can be healed by Jesus—His costly sacrifice means we can live in true, hard-won community.

Our Father in heaven hallowed and blessed be Your Name, now and through-out all eternity! Who is a god like You? You forgive Your people, hurling our iniquities into the depths of the sea and stamping down into the dust all our past wrong-doings under Your feet so that they can no longer rise up to taunt us. Glorious are You, Jesus, by Whose blood, true community between God and man, and among believers, can be restored and maintained. No other Name will do. No other blood but Yours is sufficient to heal all our hurts and bring eternal restoration. Spirit of the Living God, let our hearts and thoughts reflect on this beautiful truth of forgiveness so that prompted by the Word and Your powerful presence within us, we may offer real confession to one another and hold out true forgiveness and restoration. Amen.

https://youtu.be/lXsXmoOXQK4 “Remember Not, O God”

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