Songs of Summer 4 | Blessed Forgiveness

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah. I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord," and You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah... You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah... Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous; and shout for joy, all you upright in heart. — Psalm 32

How happy is the person whose sin has been lifted up and carried away, never to be remembered again.

A Bishop, a Thief, and the Blessedness of Forgiveness

In Romans chapter 4 the Apostle Paul writes of the blessedness of being forgiven by God, and when he does, he is referencing David's words in Psalm 32. As we open this psalm, consider what it means to be happy and forgiven.

There is a spectacular scene at the opening of the musical adaptation of Les Misérables. Victor Hugo's Jean Valjean finds himself under the care of a bishop, but because of the overcoming weight of sin in his heart, he ransacks the bishop's house in the middle of the night, steals the silver, and runs away. In the very next scene the police drag Valjean before the bishop and say, "We caught him red-handed. Here's the silver he took. He had the nerve to say that you gave it to him."

The bishop turns and looks at Valjean chained there, and he says, "That's right, but my friend, you left so early. Surely something slipped your mind. You forgot I gave you these also. Would you leave the best behind?" He takes two silver candle holders and puts them in Valjean's bag, then tells the constable to let him go. Turning again to Valjean he says, "But remember this, my brother: see in this some higher plan. You must use this precious silver to become an honest man. By the witness of the martyrs, by the passion and the blood, God has raised you out of darkness; I have bought your soul for God." Immediately following, Valjean kneels before the altar, confessing in contrition to God — because he had just experienced the blessedness of forgiveness.

The Algorithm of Blessing

This is now the second time in our study of the Psalms that we have what I referred to weeks ago as an algorithm of blessing. The first was Psalm 1: "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly." These equations of blessing are called, in Bible speak, beatitudes. You probably heard that word in reference to Jesus's teaching in the Sermon on the Mount: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are the meek, blessed are the merciful, blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness."

A beatitude is a condition for blessing — an equation unto blessing. That word "blessed" could also be translated "happy," so this is an equation unto happiness. That matters, because we live in a nation whose founding documents call for the pursuit of happiness. The Declaration of Independence says we have been endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights, among these life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And it is not only this nation; the French philosopher Blaise Pascal wrote, "All men seek happiness."

So if all of us are seekers of happiness, we need to take careful note of the times Scripture gives these algorithms for blessing. Everything said after "blessed is" produces the product of happiness. David repeats it again and again: "Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him" (Psalm 2:12); "Blessed is the man who trusts in Him" (Psalm 34:8); "Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust" (Psalm 40:4); "Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways" (Psalm 128:1).

There Is No Lasting Happiness Without Forgiveness

Here in Psalm 32:1 we have another equation: "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven." Another way to say it: Oh, how happy is the person who has been pardoned. The Prince of preachers, Charles Spurgeon, wrote, "Pardoning mercy is of all things in the world most to be prized, for it is the only and sure way to happiness."

That is point number one: there is no lasting happiness without forgiveness. Yes, you can experience moments of pleasure that bring the feeling of happiness, but all such things are fleeting. Talk with people who have won championships, gotten the greatest promotion, made a big amount of money, or won the lottery, and the happiness goes away very quickly — here one second, gone the next. The book of Hebrews calls them the passing pleasures of sin. They are real, but they are passing.

That word "forgiveness" means to lift up, to take up, and to carry away. Happy is the one whose transgression has been lifted up and carried off, never to be remembered again. The picture is clear: transgression and sin are a heavy burden to carry, and all of us have experienced that burden in some way.

The Trinity of Wickedness

David mentions here what I call a trinity of wickedness: iniquity, transgression, and sin. He uses all three again in verse 5. These words are not used casually; there must be a reason David chose them. All three communicate something against God's nature, but each carries a specific difference — like a twin-engine turboprop and a biplane are all airplanes, yet not the same.

Sin simply means missing the mark. The word comes from a Latin root meaning "to be guilty," associated in medieval times with an archery game: if you missed the target, you were a sinner. Sin can be a trespass, even unintentional — like hiking and coming around a corner onto private property you didn't know about. It is any action, thought, or word contrary to God's nature. Paul describes it in Romans 3: "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God."

Transgression is different. It is willful. You have seen the sign that says "Private Property — Do Not Cross," and you say, "Forget them, I'll do what I want." David calls this presumptuous sin in Psalm 19:13. Spurgeon, preaching on Sunday, June 7, 1857, said, "All sins are great sins, but yet some sins are greater than others." Some transgressions, he said, "have a deeper shade of blackness, a more double scarlet dye" — presumptuous sins, where you know the line and intentionally cross it.

Iniquity is deeper still. Not only have you trespassed and transgressed, but afterward you premeditate to continue, unrepentant. It is the decision someone makes after crossing the line: "I'm not leaving. I refuse to repent." That is iniquity.

How Could David Know This?

It makes you wonder how the sweet psalmist of Israel, author of some 75 psalms, the man after God's own heart, anointed king, the one through whom the Messiah would come — how could this man know experientially what it means to be released from the burden of iniquity? Would this man who meditated day and night upon the Scriptures ever premeditate to continue in sin?

Pastor Mark taught from 2 Samuel 11 weeks ago, recounting the story many know well. David wasn't where he should be. He knew when Bathsheba would come out on her rooftop. He knew who she was, that she was married, married to one of his top generals. He knew as he called for her, took her into his arms, that he was committing adultery. When she disclosed she was pregnant, he knew the sin would be known — unless he covered it up. He brought Uriah back from the front, tried to entice him to go home, but the man had too much integrity. So David premeditated, devised a plan to have him killed. He put out a hit through a proxy and thought he had covered everything up, even appearing the champion by bringing the poor pregnant widow into his house.

The very last word of 2 Samuel 11 says, "But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord." That, I believe, is a significant understatement.

God Sees and Knows All Sin

That is point number two: God sees and knows all sin. The cover-up may have worked in David's kingdom, but sin cannot be concealed from God. When there is a cover-up, when iniquity is held onto and not confessed, it has an effect. You may think nobody knows, but God knows, and you know, and the discerning know also.

So Psalm 32:3 says, "When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was turned into the drought of summer." Though David hid his sin from men for nearly a year, it was known to God, and he knew that God knew. The New Living Translation renders verse 3, "My body wasted away." The anxiety of a guilt-ridden conscience manifests itself physically. Even doctors have written of this in scientific journals — people coming in with GI problems, migraines, heart palpitations. They give them something for the symptoms, but a guilty conscience cannot be fixed with aspirin.

God's Mercy Will Not Let You Live Easily Without Repentance

Why is the body wasting away? Verse 4: "Day and night Your hand was heavy upon me." Point number three: God's mercy will not allow you to live easily without repentance.

What does "my vitality was turned to the drought of summer" mean? Look back at Psalm 1. There the blessed man "shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither... The ungodly are not so; they are like the chaff which the wind drives away." The author of Psalm 1, who knew the blessedness of being planted by rivers of living water, had through sin, transgression, and iniquity been uprooted from his place of blessing and planted in a dry and weary land where there is no water, withered by the hot wind of summer. David moved from the place of blessing to the place of the curse.

Selah — Think About It

Notice how David finishes verses 3 and 4: "Selah." Selah is a meditative pause: "Think about it." How casually we come before God and sing songs like "My heart's one desire is to be holy, set apart to You, God." Sometimes those words come out of my mouth and I think, "I don't mean that. Is that really my heart's one desire?" A.W. Tozer once said, "Christians don't tell lies; they only sing them in church." We sing "Take my life — all of it, Lord" — is that true?

So David throws out this pause and says, listen: as I kept my sins silent, my body wasted away; I was dry and withering — think about it. He wants us to ask: What am I experiencing today? Am I planted by rivers of living water, bringing forth fruit, or am I in a dry place where God feels distant?

If you are in that dry and weary land, you must ask whether it is because of sin. In Isaiah 59 God says, "My hand is not shortened, that it cannot reach you; My ear is not closed to you, but your sin has separated you from Me." So if you honestly recognize David's experience as your own, come before God and ask: Is there anything in my heart keeping me from You? And if the answer is yes — then what?

Confession Is the Key, Repentance the Doorway

Look at verse 5: "I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,' and You forgave the iniquity of my sin." Selah — think about it. This is a personal experience; Psalm 32 is a corollary to Psalm 51, his repentance.

Point number four: confession is the key and repentance the doorway to forgiveness. Notice it is not religious activity. During that long season of unrepentance, I guarantee David still went up to the temple, still offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, still privately said, "God, I'm sorry." He acknowledged his sin privately, but there was no joy of salvation — just dry rot, no vitality, no life.

Point number five: true forgiveness can only be given by God. With synonymous parallelism, a device of Hebrew poetry, David emphatically declares that open acknowledgment and verbal confession of iniquity, transgression, and sin are essential. Why confess to God? Because it is against Him that we have sinned. In Psalm 51:4 David says, "Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight."

Now obviously David also sinned against Bathsheba, against Uriah, against the nation. When he committed adultery he broke commandment after commandment — he coveted, committed adultery, bore false witness, murdered. If he were not king he would have been put to death. Yet when Nathan the prophet told him the story of the rich man who stole the poor man's one ewe lamb, David said, "That man shall die!" And Nathan said, "You are the man." David had already shown he would kill to cover his sin — he could have struck Nathan down. Instead, faced with the reality of his sinfulness, he said, "Against You, You only, have I sinned."

Only God in Christ Can Forgive

Only God can forgive sin. In Exodus, God reveals His nature to Moses as the one who forgives iniquity, transgression, and sin. In Luke 5, Jesus is teaching in a packed room when men lower a paralyzed man through the roof. Jesus looks at him and says, "Son, your sins are forgiven." The Pharisees protest, "Only God can forgive sins." Jesus asks, "Which is easier to say — 'Your sins are forgiven,' or 'Rise, take up your bed and walk'? But that you may know the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sin — rise, take up your bed and walk." And the man gets up and walks out.

Only God in Christ Jesus can pardon sinners, cover and clear away their sin, and instead of imputing sin to their account, impute righteousness to it. This is exactly what Paul speaks of in Romans 4, using Psalm 32 and Abraham, who was credited righteousness instead of his sin. Oh, the happiness of not having sin on your account, because God in Christ Jesus forgives and pardons sinners.

Public Confession in Psalm 51

David finally confessed openly. There was great callousness around his heart that it took so long, but when he did it, he did it publicly. Look at the heading of Psalm 51: "To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba." If that is not public confession, I don't know what is — he wrote a song and sent it to the chief musician of the Levites at the temple.

And what did he write? "Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness... Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin... Against You, You only, have I sinned... Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow... Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me... Restore unto me the joy of Your salvation." Confession is the key and repentance the doorway to forgiveness.

A Hiding Place and a Song of Deliverance

David's application comes in verses 6 and 7: "For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You in a time when You may be found... You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance." David proclaimed, "I confess to You, and You forgave me; You lifted the burden off my back." Elsewhere he says God casts our sin as far as the east is from the west, never to be remembered. How can the omniscient God no longer remember our sin? He has made a choice no longer to account it to us.

The New Living Translation renders verse 6, "Therefore, let all the godly pray to You while there is still time, that they may not drown in the flood waters of judgment." There is only one way not to drown — to call out to the Lord and experience His pardoning forgiveness.

Do Not Be Like the Stubborn Mule

In verses 8 and 9 the voice changes. Now it is God speaking to David: "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle."

God leads us in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake — through His Word. Psalm 119:105 says, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." Psalm 119:133, "Direct my steps by Your word, and let no iniquity have dominion over me." In 2 Timothy 3:16, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."

So do not be like the stubborn mule. For many months David was like a stubborn mule, refusing to experience God's forgiveness because he walked in unrepentant wickedness. Point number six: don't let stubborn pride keep you from repentance, confession, and forgiveness.

Be Glad and Rejoice

Instead, Psalm 32:11, the last verse: "Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous; and shout for joy, all you upright in heart." How can you be glad, rejoice, and be accounted righteous? "Blessed is the man whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered" — the one to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity. That blessing is available to any and all who call upon the Lord. Amen.

Closing Prayer

God, I thank You that in Christ, in Your Son, there is pardon and forgiveness. Jesus, You who knew no sin became sin for us, that we might be Your righteousness, clothed in it, covered by it, so that our sinfulness is remembered no more — because when You look at us in Christ, all You see is His righteousness. Father, we thank You for Your forgiving grace, accounted to us not by religious observance or activity but by faith, confession, and repentance. You tell us that if we confess our sins, You are faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Father, thank You for Your cleansing grace. You may be in a place today where you have been experiencing not the rivers of living water but the dry wind and heat of iniquity. God is calling you to turn to Him — that is what repentance is: to turn away from your iniquity and turn to Him, to confess your sin, and He will remove it and carry it away because of what Jesus did on the cross. In Jesus' name, amen.