Psalm 32
1
Blessed is he whose transgressions
are forgiven, whose sins are covered.
2 Blessed is the man whose sin the
Lord does not count against him and
in whose spirit is no deceit.
3
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 sapped as in
the heat of summer.
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.
6
Therefore let everyone who is godly
pray to you while you may be found;
surely when the mighty waters rise,
they will not reach him.
7 You are my hiding place; you will
protect me from trouble and surround
me with songs of deliverance.
8
I will instruct you and teach you in
the way you should go; I will counsel
you and watch over 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.
10
Many are the woes of the wicked,
but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds
the man who trusts in him.
11
Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you
righteous; sing, all you who are
upright in heart!
The Big Cover-Up
Psalm 32
In our family, punishment for
covering up more severe.
Important to learn to take
responsibility for your mistakes.
Covering things up just makes
the problem bigger.
Watergate
The break in would never have
gotten so much attention;
It was the cover-up that made
the Watergate a household word
and an unforgettable part of
American history.
Psalm 32 was written by King David
following his big cover-up.
2 Samuel 11
The Sin – adultery with Bathsheba
The Cover-up – sending for Uriah
Then sending him to his death
Taking Bathsheba as his wife
Psalm 32
Written in response to sin/cover-up.
He knows the blessing of being forgiven
after doing something horrible.
1
Blessed is he whose transgressions are
forgiven, whose sins are covered.
2 Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord
does not count against him and in whose
spirit is no deceit.
The year that David covered up,
denied his sin was a miserable time.
He had a guilty conscience and God’s
discipline made him feel like a
withered old man.
3
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
sapped as in the heat of summer.
The prophet Nathan made him face the
truth with a story: 2 Samuel 12
“A rich man who takes the
only lamb of a poor man…”
David is so hardened that he can’t
even see that he is the villain.
But when Nathan tells him that he is
that man, he sees his sin and confesses.
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.
Transgression: crossing over the line
Sin: to miss the mark
Iniquity: twisted
Forgive: remove a burden
David had crossed over the line,
he had missed the mark,
his thinking had become so twisted
that he couldn’t even see his sin
until it was pointed out.
David finally acknowledged his sin
and did not cover up his “iniquity”,
his twisted thinking.
The burden of his sin was lifted with
God’s forgiveness.
He had been running from God, suffering
in secret with a guilty conscience.
The next passage uses an interesting
play on the word “hide”.
David exchanged hiding from God,
to finding a hiding place in God who
would protect him.
6
Therefore let everyone who is godly
pray to you while you may be found;
surely when the mighty waters rise,
they will not reach him.
7 You are my hiding place; you will
protect me from trouble and surround
me with songs of deliverance.
When we own up to our mistakes,
we can stop hiding from God.
The secrecy wears on us.
When we get honest with God and
the people who are directly involved,
a weight is lifted.
Forgiveness lifts that burden –
we don’t have to bear it alone.
Instead of hiding from God,
He becomes our “hiding place”,
the One we can go to, confide in,
and find peace and wholeness.
When David confessed his sin,
he found joy that he wanted to share.
The writing of this psalm was meant
to teach and bless his people.
8
I will instruct you and teach you in
the way you should go; I will counsel
you and watch over 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.
God describes some people as being
like horses or mules who have to be
controlled by bridles and bits.
Rather than letting God gently guide
them, they leave Him only one option:
discipline and punishment.
King David suffered serious consequences
from his sin with Bathsheba and Uriah.
But he final got the message. When he
confessed, God forgave him and
continued to use him in amazing ways.
His writings were a light to his people
and to us 3000 years later.
10
Many are the woes of the wicked,
but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds
the man who trusts in him.
11
Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you
righteous; sing, all you who are upright
in heart!
King David speaks from personal
experience as he encourages us
to be wise,
trust in the Lord,
give Him our hearts,
and serve him with righteousness.
Putting it together
All of us have sinned – big or little.
It is important to be honest with
ourselves and with God.
Confession restores relationships,
allows us to have joy again.
Not only does God forgive, He
takes our guilt away forever.
We are the Federated Church.
Our Mission is to…
Seek Christ, Serve Christ and Share Christ.