The Wretchedness of Unconfessed Sin

Series on the Psalms

Text: Psalm 32

Title: The Wretchedness of Unconfessed Sin

Introduction

This Psalm is all about forgiveness. It is the third of those Psalms ordinarily classified as penitential Psalms. The other two we have considered are Psalm 6 and Psalm 28. Actually there are other Psalms in which penitence is a major theme, but Psalm 6 is the closest to this Psalm. David says there, “My bones are in agony.” Here he says, “My bones wasted away,” so there is an explicit connection. This connection really identifies the major point of this Psalm. It is a maschil which means it is a Psalm intended to teach God’s people. J. A. Alexander suggests that the word maschil in the title suggests that the Psalm has a wider scope than David’s experience. It has a general lesson which is the misery of impenitence and the blessedness arising from confession and forgiveness. Though the teaching is rich and full, this is the critical point. Indeed verse 8 of the Psalm makes this very point, I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; i will counsel you and watch over you. What is even more remarkable about this Psalm is the clear revelation of God’s justifying grace. We must remember that this Psalm was written in a time when the fullness of the Gospel revelation had not yet come. The Tabernacle and then the temple with the priesthood and all the attendant sacrifices were still in place. Yet what David sets before us is the closest relationship between the soul and God. It is clear, then, that, a greater fulfillment and blessedness was yet to come and pious Israelites did not merely go through the motions, but actually experienced the fruit of that which was represented in the service of the temple. The plain sense of the Psalm is equally applicable to New Testament believers and it could have been written yesterday rather than thousands of years ago. Consider the Invitation, the Instruction, and the Imputation.

I. The Invitation

The Psalm begins with a beatitude in verses 1 and 2, Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. When Jesus speaks in the Sermon on the mount he says, Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. It is the mourning which accompanies repentance which he has in mind rather than bereavement. The kingdom of God comes with an invitation of true and lasting happiness. The invitation is empowered by the sharp contrast between the humble and the proud. Those who do not confess their sin are deeply troubled according to verses 3 and 4, When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. On the other hand those who confess their sin are hidden, preserved, and surrounded by songs of salvation as in verses 5-7, 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. 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. You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. In a word all the blessings of God come upon the penitent while all the curses of God come upon the impenitent. It is often the case that people caricature the administration of the covenant of grace in the Old Testament solely in terms of obedience to the law. It is true that Deuteronomy 28 contains a list of blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. However, not only this Psalm but also the voice of the prophets of Israel, teach us the grace of God long before the advent of Christ. When God indicts Israel’s sin in Isaiah 1, he says. Come let us reason together, though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow, though they be red like crimson they shall be as wool. What is especially interesting is that the indictment of failure uses the same language as this Psalm. God says to his people, The ox knows his master and the donkey his owner’s manger, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand. Again in Isaiah 57 God says, For this is what the high and lofty one says, he who lives forever, whose name is holy. I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite. Thus the teaching of the Psalms and Prophets is that the covenant relationship cannot be maintained from the human side without repentance. Failure is certain and penitence is essential. This is what made David, a sinful man, to be a man after God’s heart.

II. The Instruction

One would like to think that an invitation of this order would be enough. However we are so blinded by our sin that we are fools. As I have already pointed out the Lord uses the same language to describe the stubbornness of his people in Isaiah 1 as David uses here in verses 8 and 9, I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you. 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. David is fulfilling this very purpose in this Psalm. Isn’t the real problem with sin that we think we are right? In the very first sin and fall of man didn’t Adam and Eve question God’s wisdom and Word? What was Israel doing except saying to God you are wrong? What makes us like the ox, the ass, the horse or the mule? God says we are stubborn. He says we need a bit and bridle to control us. In Isaiah he says we don’t know who our master is and we don’t know who feeds us. We have a mistaken notion about who is in control. The failure to tell God and others that we are sorry is not ignorance, it’s pride. At the human level the refusal to say we’re sorry comes down to our unwillingness to submit to another person. But Paul tells us in Ephesians to submit to one another in the fear of the Lord. If you know who your master is, then it is not so difficult to say I’m sorry. Marriages on the rocks are always a power struggle between the spouses. So is every other disagreement in church and society. I’m reminded of that old story about the farmer who told his friend that his donkey did whatever he told him to do without prodding or beating. But when it was time for the beast to move he picked up a board and smacked him over the head. His friends said I thought you said he would listen to your voice. The Farmer said, “Yes but you have to get his attention first.” The point of this Psalm is to say how incredibly foolish it is not to confess our sins and experience forgiveness.

III. Imputation

The folly is reinforced by David’s explanation of forgiveness. He says the sin is covered. This means that God has provided a covering. Once I knew a couple who were under the influence of dispensationalism. They said in the Old Testament God covered the people’s sins because they were not really forgiven until Jesus came. But cover is an Old Testament word for atonement. While it is true that the power to forgive comes from Calvary and the death of Jesus, still this power was extended backward in history through the sacrificial provisions of their worship so that true believers were really forgiven and justified. In Romans 4 Paul uses both Abraham and David as examples of how we are forgiven. He says Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. And he says David believed the same thing and he quotes from Psalm 32 to prove that righteousness was imputed to David. In this way we know that Psalm 32 is describing our experience as well as theirs. What it says then is that, if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. This is what we mean by imputation. God counts us or reckons us righteous in his sight because the confession of sin is a clear indication that we are trusting in his mercy in Christ. The Bible teaches three important imputations. In Romans 5 Paul says Adam’s sin is imputed to or placed upon us. If you never sinned you would still be guilty because you’re Adam’s descendant. In II Cor. 5:18 and 19 he says, God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting men’s sins against them. In v.21 he says, Christ was made sin for us. So God imputed our sins to Christ or placed them upon him. Then in Romans 4 Paul says God imputes his righteousness to us in Christ. This Psalm is talking about more than an isolated instance of confession and forgiveness. It is instructing us that a penitent spirit brings all the blessings of God upon the sinner and it is inviting us to experience this blessedness in verses 10 and 11, Many are the woes of the wicked, but the LORD is unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him. Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!

Summary of Psalm 32

In Psalm 32 David teaches us about the necessity of a contrite spirit. It is the utmost stubbornness and folly not to accept God’s gracious offer of forgiveness. Here we learn that even before the coming of Christ God revealed His grace. A covenant relationship with God was not possible by keeping the law, and therefore God invites his people to repent and be forgiven. What he promises in return for this submission and humble confession is the fullness of his covenant blessings. The man who is penitent and trusts in the mercy of God is fully justified. God covers his sin and no longer reckons him as a sinner. If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. God says He will dwell with those who are contrite which means that they obtain all His blessings, but many sorrows come to the proud.