Psalm 32

Forgiveness (vs. 1-2)—The first two verses of this psalm provide a lovely panorama of God’s 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.” The man whose sins are forgiven is indeed “blessed,” and more so than anyone else. There is no greater blessing from God than forgiveness; it is our only hope of eternal salvation. It’s interesting that David closes this section with a statement about purity of heart. Although he doesn’t indicate here that such a heart is a condition of forgiveness, we learn elsewhere that it most surely is (Matt. 5:8).

Confession (vs. 3-5)—In order for our sins to be forgiven, we must have the humility to confess them. In verses 3 and 4, David describes in eloquent language the agony and distress he felt in sin, until “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” (v. 5). As we would expect, this is in accord with New Testament teaching as well: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9). Confession indicates a contriteness of spirit that acknowledges that we have offended God by our iniquities and that only He can cure us. Dependence upon God is a prerequisite to being accepted by Him. He holds the key to eternal life in His hand, and if we want that ultimate of all blessings, we’ll have to ask Him—on His terms—and realize we are utterly unworthy of salvation.

Forgiveness a motivation for prayer (vs. 6-7)—Prayer also acknowledges our need for and dependence upon God, and because He pardons, “everyone who is godly shall pray to you,” and even in the most distressing times, we will be protected (v. 6). Verse 7, in Hebrew poetry, is called “palilogical parallelism”. I’m sure you were dying to know that. But this form of poetry is one in which one or more words at the beginning of the first line are repeated as an echo, or canon of music, in succeeding lines. In this case, “You” is found repeated in an acknowledgement of the protection Jehovah provides His people.

God speaks and a final word from David (vs. 8-11)—At the end of this psalm, we hear from the Lord. He will teach and lead us (v. 8) IF we aren’t stubborn like a mule (v. 9). The wicked will have many sorrows, but mercy “shall surround” the one who trusts the Lord. Because of this, God’s people—“you righteous” (v. 10) and “all you upright in heart” (v. 11)—should be glad, rejoice, and shout for joy. What greater promises could we have than God’s promise of His forgiveness and His direction in life? But we must confess our sins with a pure heart and trust Him, two things many human beings simply refuse to do. And thus they miss out on the most precious blessings of life.