You Forgave the Iniquity of My Sins

Psalm 32:1–7

Blessed Are the Forgiven
A Maskil of David.

¹Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
²Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

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

⁵I 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

⁶Therefore let everyone who is godly
offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found;
surely in the rush of great waters,
they shall not reach him.
⁷You are a hiding place for me;
you preserve me from trouble;
you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah

Your Forgave the Iniquity of My Sins

David wrote this Psalm based on his own experience.

We know quite well the account of David and Bathsheba. In short, David sinned, kept sinning in an attempt to cover up his sin, and then continued to sin in trying to cover up the cover up. But even as David thought he had covered things up, it seems that his conscience was not at rest.

For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.

David wrote this based on his own experience.

He knew the horrible feeling of knowing you’ve done wrong, trying to keep it in, but fearing that your wrongdoing will be exposed. He knew he had broken God’s commandments, which was why he felt so terrible.

Then, one day, his sin was brought to light. David was confronted by the prophet Nathan who made it clear that God knew what David had done and that Nathan knew, too.

There was no keeping the secret any longer. David’s sin had been brought to light and there was only one thing to do.

I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover up my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”…

David wrote this based on his own experience.

Finally, David confessed his wrongdoing. He unburdened himself from the wrongdoing he had been carrying.

But how would God respond? It was clear that David couldn’t keep up this charade any longer: his sin had been revealed. But now, how would God respond when David admitted guilt? How would the Lord respond to David confessing his wrongdoing?

And you forgave the iniquity of my sin.

God responded by forgiving David! And it is because David knew the joy and relief of having his sins forgiven that he opened the Psalm with these words Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

But David didn’t write this Psalm merely for his own personal reflection. Rather, David wanted others to learn from him and for them to know the peace and joy of sins forgiven.

So now, we must ask ourselves: Am I covering up sin in my life? Am I keeping it in, pretending that I have everything under control, but worried that my sin will be discovered? Is there something that I have done that is particularly bothering me?

David experienced the joy and peace of sins forgiven, and the Lord has made that available to you as well. Private confession and absolution is a gift from God that is available to you, where you can do as David did and confess your transgressions to the Lord.  Then Jesus, through the voice of your pastor, will declare, “I forgive you all of your sins.”

The Lord has a solution for sleepless nights and anxiety caused by wrongs we’ve done: the forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ.

Challenge: Make an appointment with your pastor for private confession and absolution.