Psalm 32 is a psalm of David. It’s called a Maschil which means that it is a Psalm of instruction. It is a Psalm that instructs us about the right way and wrong way to deal with sin. The right way is to bring it into the light, the wrong way is to seek to justify it, explain it away, or deny it. Most commentators without exception believe that the content of this psalm revolves around the time of David’s sins of the murder of Urijah and adultery with Bathsheba and the unknown period of time during which he covered up those sins.
In a high note, the Psalmist begins with praise and thanksgiving at the forgiveness of God. Such should be the heart of every single redeemed child of God reading this meditation. Please listen afresh to Psalm 32.1,2 “Blessed (O how happy) is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity and in whose spirit there is no guile.”
David’s ungodly encounter with Bathsheba and murder of Urijah was more than just sin, it was a transgression. A transgression is something that is willful. It is a defiant rebellion against the law of God. There was no sacrifice for adultery or murder; the only hope of forgiveness for those sins was to fall upon the mercy and grace of God. And that forgiveness granted is also spoken of in verses 1 and 2. (1) Blessed are those whose transgression is forgiven and whose sin is covered. (2) Blessed are those who have no guile. To have no guile means that there is no deceit. They describe the person who is no longer trying to hide or make excuses for their sin. Oh, how blessed it is to be forgiven: Matt. 9:2 “Be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.”
Please note beloved that it is crystal clear from verses 1 and 2 that it is possible for a man to know that he is pardoned. Where would be the blessedness of an unknown forgiveness? Clearly it is a matter of knowledge, for it is the ground of comfort. Paul quoted this Psalm as a matter of absolute forgiveness for those who repent and trust in Christ’s perfect sacrifice on the cross when he wrote in Romans 4:6 “Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God impute to righteousness without works.” The prophet Isaiah wrote in Isa 43:25: “I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake.”
When a creditor forgives a debtor, he does it freely, which is an act of grace and mercy. But free doesn’t mean cheap or without a price. The price that was paid for our sin and rebellion against God was none other than the sacrifice of The sinless Son of God. Every single sin that you and I have ever committed needs the forgiveness that only God can grant. In Psalm 51, when David writes about the sin with Bathsheba, he says, “against Thee and Thee only have I sinned, oh God.” Truth is dear ones, is that we have all sinned against the holiness of God; we have all hurt others with our sin; and we have all been embittered by others’ sinful actions. Thus, If we do not take these things to the cross and receive God’s forgiveness and mercy, they will inevitably fester in our thoughts and in our attitudes, and become a source of great misery and torment. In order to be saved and become a child of a God, we need His forgiveness by grace through faith in Christ. In order to grow in Jesus, we need to learn need to forgive others as we have been forgiven.
May the forgiveness of God through faith in Jesus Christ set you free today from the guilt and torment of sin. May that same forgiveness allow you to forgive others for the wrongs they have done to you. Whom The Son sets free is free indeed.
