Psalm 32

SLIDE 1 In 1983, Christian singer Steve Taylor’s album featured a song titled, “Whatever Happened to Sin?” The song talks about how people, even Christians, downplay sin. Too often, sin is ignored or downplayed as being much smaller than it actually is. However, as one anonymous author wrote:

Man calls it an accident; God calls it an abomination.

Man calls it a blunder; God calls it a blasphemy.

Man calls it a chance; God calls it a choice.

Man calls it an error; God calls it an enmity.

Man calls it a fascination; God calls it a fatality.

Man calls it an infirmity; God calls it an iniquity.

Man calls it luxury; God calls it leprosy.

Man calls it a liberty; God calls it lawlessness.

Man calls it a trifle; God calls it tragedy.

Man calls it a mistake; God calls it madness.

Man calls it a weakness; God calls it willfulness.

We rarely see sin for what it really is. In the Bible, sin is described as: a transgression of the law of God and rebellion against God. Concerning sin, Alexander MacLaren wrote: SLIDE 2

You have not got to the bottom of the blackness of sin until you see that it is a flat rebellion against God himself.

Sin began with Lucifer, who not content with his position, desired to be higher than God. That was his downfall and the beginning of sin. He brought sin to the human race in the Garden of Eden when he tempted Adam and Eve with the same enticement, “you shall be like God.” Since that time, sin has been passed down through all the generations of mankind.

SLIDE 3 In Psalm 32, David talks plainly about sin. The psalm provides every believer with what he or she so desperately needs: straight talk about sin. Our world has provided us with a skewed view of sin that has penetrated even Christian thinking within the church. Sin is real. Sin is devastating. Yet, when sins are confessed to God, he is faithful and righteous to forgive our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. David talks about sin, but he also talks about forgiveness. The subject is a serious one deserving much careful thought.

The superscript for the psalm reads:

Of David. A maskil.

A maskil is a song or poem of contemplation. Though it appears thirteen times in Psalms, this is the first. Some translate it as “a well written song” or “a contemplation.” The word is also found in Amos 5:13 where it is translated as “prudent” or “having insight.” Many believe that a maskil is meant to be meditative and to impart wisdom. David is going to share some insight he has about sin and what to do when we’ve sinned.

Many believe this psalm to be a companion to Psalm 51. That psalm, in its superscription, tells us very plainly when it was written. SLIDE 4

A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.

You’ll remember that this event took place when David was king. He had sent his troops into battle against the Ammonites while he remained at home. During this time he fell into adulterous sin with Bathsheba. Then, to make matters worse, he tried to cover up his sin by having her husband Uriah killed. For the next year David lived with his guilty conscience. He became emotionally distraught, physically ill, and mentally disturbed.

God sent Nathan the prophet to visit the king to address the situation. When his sin was exposed, David confessed, “I have sinned against the LORD.” When Nathan heard this, he said, “The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die.” Psalm 51 records the joy that David found through the confession of his sin to God.

Psalm 31 appears to be a reflection of what David learned about sin, confession, and repentance.

We’ll divide the psalm this way: SLIDE 5

David’s cleansing from sin

David’s concealment of sin

David’s confession of sin

David’s counsel about sin

SLIDE 6 First, there’s David’s cleansing from sin.

1 Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. 2 Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit. (Psalm 32:1-2)

Like many of his psalms, David begins this psalm with a summarizing statement. We usually end with a summary of what we’ve just said, but David starts with a summary of what he is going to say. Hebrew poetry often starts this way.

David pronounces the blessed condition of those for whom their sins have been forgiven. If you have ever been forgiven for an offence you knew were guilty of committing, you understand just what a blessing it is.

Colin Powell wrote about receiving forgiveness from a superior officer. As a young infantry officer, Powell was sent to the 48th Infantry near Frankfort, Germany. In those days their prize weapon was a huge 280-mm atomic cannon. Guarded by infantry platoons, the cannons were hauled around the forests on trucks to keep the Soviets from guessing their location.

One day Captain Tom Miller assigned his platoon to guard one of the 280s. After alerting his men, Powell loaded his .45 caliber pistol and jumped into his jeep. He had not gone far when he realized his .45 was gone. Powell was petrified. In the army, losing a weapon is serious business. He had no choice but to radio Captain Miller and tell him. “You what?” he said in disbelief. Miller paused a few seconds, then added, “All right, continue the mission.”

Powell returned uneasily, contemplating his fate. Miller called him over. “I’ve got something for you,” he said, handing me the pistol. “Some kids in the village found it where it fell out of your holster.” “Kids found it?” Powell felt a cold chill. “Yeah,” he said. “Luckily they only got off one round before we heard the shot and took the gun away.” The disastrous possibilities left Powell limp. “Don’t let that happen again.” Then Captain Miller drove off.

Powell said he checked the magazine and found it was full. The gun had not been fired. Later, he learned that he had dropped it in my tent before he ever got started. Miller had fabricated the scene about the kids to give him a good scare. Powell wrote:

Today, the army might hold an investigation, call in lawyers and likely enter a bad mark on my record. Miller gave me the chance to learn from my mistake. His example of intelligent leadership was not lost on me. Nobody ever got to the top without slipping up. When someone stumbles, I don’t believe in stomping on him. My philosophy is “Pick ‘em up, dust ‘em off and get ‘em moving again.”

There are a couple of differences between the forgiveness received by Powell and that which David received. First, David had not been forgiven by a commanding officer, he had been forgiven by God. Second, Powell had been forgiven for an accident, David had been forgiven for a transgression – a sin knowingly committed. David didn’t accidentally sleep with Bathsheba. Nor was it an accident that her husband Uriah was killed. David knew what he was doing was wrong but did it anyway. And yet he had received forgiveness from God. That forgiveness didn’t come right away though.

SLIDE 7 Second, David describes the concealment of his sin.

3 When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. (Psalm 32:3-4)

It’s interesting that in Psalm 31 David also talked about his bones wasting away or growing weak and his strength failing him. Then it was because of his enemies. Now, it’s because of his guilt. He was having physical difficulties because of his unconfessed sin.

Perhaps Steve Taylor was thinking of famed psychiatrist Karl Menninger when he wrote his song “Whatever Happened to Sin?” Ten years earlier Menninger had written a book titled, “Whatever became of Sin?” Menninger wasn’t a Christian, but during his lifetime he’d noted how his profession had downplayed the effect of the shame improper actions had on people. His contention was that unless one dealt with a person’s conscience and guilt there were many internal conflicts counselors could not fix. He once said that if he could convince patients in psychiatric hospitals their sins were forgiven (take their guilt away), 75% of them could walk out the next day.

The guilt of sin can way heavy on us as David experienced. His strength was wasting away. David attributed it to the hand of God. God would not allow his to rest without repenting. This persisted until he was finally confronted by Nathan and he repented.

James wrote concerning sin: SLIDE 8

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. (James 5:16a)

James is not saying you won’t be forgiven if you don’t confess your sins to someone else, but that mutual accountability is helpful. Nor is he talking about confessing your sins to a professional who listens to sins. He’s talking about confessing to your friends to help each other grow and do better.

SLIDE 9 The context is sickness. James had just written about what to do when you’re sick. He said to call the elders who will anoint you and pray for you. But James recognizes that some physical ailments happen because of sin that goes unconfessed. So he instructs us to confess our sins to each other that we might have healing. That’s what David says had happened to him. When he hid his sin his body wasted away.

I should add this warning. We should never assume that if someone is sick or having problems it’s because of some sin. That’s the position Job’s friends took and later they were rebuked by God. It could be that someone is suffering because of a specific sin, but we should never make that assumption. Allow God to work on them to make a confession if that is the case.

A Sunday School teacher had just concluded her lesson and wanted to make sure she had made her point. She said, “Can anyone tell me what you must do before you can obtain forgiveness of sin?” There was a short pause and then, from the back of the room, a small boy spoke up. “Sin,” he said.

Technically he was right, but that’s not what she meant. What comes before forgiveness is confession.

SLIDE 10 Third, David mentions his confession of sin.

5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin. (Psalm 32:5)

When David confessed his sin God forgave him. It’s not that difficult or complex. David wasn’t required to go through a complicated process; he simply had to admit he’d done wrong and ask God to forgive him. The Apostle John put it this way: SLIDE 11

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

God is both faithful and just. He is just in forgiving our sins because Jesus died for them. And all we must do to receive that forgiveness is to confess our sins. It’s just so hard to admit our sins.

It’s interesting that the Greek word for confess means “to say the same thing.” To confess our sins is to agree with God that what we have done is wrong. God has said is that we are sinners and that if we deny that we call him a liar. SLIDE 12

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. (1 John 1:8)

SLIDE 13

If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us. (1 John 1:10)

However: SLIDE 14

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

SLIDE 15 In May of 1948 three men robbed a bank in Hoyt, Kansas, getting away with $1,000. Shortly thereafter two men were killed in a car wreck, and police thought they were the robbers and the case was closed. Four years later, however, something unusual happened. On a Sunday morning a young man named Al Johnson stepped to the pulpit at church and revealed to the congregation that the day before he had gone to the district attorney and confessed his role in the crime.

Johnson, who was a teenager when the crime occurred, said, “I thought about the bank robbery many times. I prayed about it and asked the Lord to give me an answer. It seemed that he would give me only one answer and that was to give myself up.” Johnson also revealed that he had borrowed money to repay the bank his share of the stolen funds. The statute of limitations had expired, but Johnson said that even if it meant going to prison, he could not keep the secret any longer. Johnson agreed to help the authorities locate the other two men, who had not been, as was previously believed, the men involved in the car accident.

Sometimes we think the best approach is to hide our sin, either to avoid embarrassment and exposure, or to avoid the potential consequences. That approach never works in the long run. We might be able to hide it from others, but God sees everything and nothing is ever hidden from his view. God’s hatred of sin is so intense that he will never allow us to prosper by covering our sin. As David experienced, the toll of hidden sin on the physical, emotional, and spiritual health of the sinner is vast. It is far better for us to confess and seek the mercy and forgiveness of God. As Solomon wrote: SLIDE 16

Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy. (Proverbs 28:13)

SLIDE 17 One of the largest freshwater turtles is the alligator snapping turtle. These massive turtles, found primarily in the southeastern United States, have been known to weigh close to 250 pounds. While their diet is primarily fish, they have been known to eat almost anything else they can find in the water – even small alligators.

The alligator snapping turtle relies on a uniquely deceitful method of foraging for fish. SLIDE 18 The turtle will lie completely still on the floor of a lake or river with its mouth wide open. At the end of the turtle’s tongue is a small, pink, worm-shaped appendage. The turtle wiggles the end of its tongue so that it looks like a worm moving through the water. When a fish comes to eat the worm, the turtle’s jaws rapidly close, trapping the fish so that it cannot escape.

Similarly to the snapping turtles lure, temptation comes in the guise of something desirable, but it always carries destruction with it in the end. If we could see the end result rather than the tempting part, it would be far easier to resist. But Satan knows this, so he cleverly disguises what is deadly in the guise of something pleasurable.

David understood the allurement of temptation. David advises that we turn to God.

SLIDE 19 Lastly, David gives counsel concerning sin.

6 Therefore let all the faithful pray to you while you may be found; surely the rising of the mighty waters will not reach them. (Psalm 32:6)

David suggests that if you are being convicted of some sin bring it to God right away. Don’t wait. The longer you wait the more difficult it becomes to confess and the harder your heart becomes. Therefore, David suggests that we pray and confess our sins while there is still time.

7 You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. (Psalm 32:7)

When David confessed his sin he found deliverance. His conscience was clear. He found comfort in God’s presence, but not when he had unconfessed sin.

In the next two verses God speaks.

8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. 9 Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you. (Psalm 32:8-9)

There’s a promise and a warning. God promises to help us. He will teach us the right things to do and lead us along the right paths. However, there is a warning against having a stubborn and unteachable spirit. We’re told not to be like an animal that has to be controlled through some external means. He mentions a bit and bridle that are used to control a horse.

I’ve seen shock collars for dogs. If the dog barks and won’t stop, the owner pushes a button and the dog receives a mild shock. That usually gets the dog to stop. God doesn’t want us to be like that. He wants us to follow his ways and control ourselves. We are not to live undisciplined and uncontrolled lives. God has given us his wisdom and we need to follow it. God gives us direction so that our lives will go well.

10 Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him. 11 Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart! (Psalm 32:10-11)

This psalm gives repeated reasons for us to be glad, to rejoice, to shout for joy. The psalm ends with a call for God’s people to remember and respond to those reasons.

Remember the blessedness of forgiveness.

Remember the redemption from guilt.

Remember the release from the hypocrisy and stress of double-living.

Remember the protection God gives His people.

Remember the guidance of the Lord.

There was a minister who preached regularly on sin. One of the church officers came to him after one sermon to talk with him. He said to the minister, “We do not want you to talk so plainly as you do about sin. If our boys and girls hear you talking so much about sin, they will more easily become sinners. Call it whatever you will, but do not speak so plainly about sin.”

The minister rose from his desk, walked to a utility closet, and brought back a small bottle of strychnine

that was marked “Rat Poison.” He said, “I see what you want me to do. You want me to change the label. Suppose I take off this ‘Poison’ label and replace it with some milder label, such as ‘Essence of Peppermint.’ The milder you make the label, the more dangerous you make the poison.”

One preacher said about Psalm 32:

This psalm speaks directly to the devastating power of unconfessed sin in the life of a believer. As seen in the life of David, sin committed against God led to sorrow and loss of vitality in his life. But as also witnessed in David’s life, when he confessed his sin, there was a resurgence of great joy as well as a passion for living to the glory of God. From this magnificent piece of inspired literature, we conclude that confessing our sin is a vital part of vibrant, victorious Christian living.