A Study of Psalm 32
Psalm 32
Introduction
- Good evening … short intro on new format
- Open to all, may allow more to attend due to busy schedules
- Comments can be seen by all, questions can be asked through comments
- Encourage participation … strengthening of faith of one another is key
- Looking at our next Psalm, we see some real honesty about living
-- David has a desire here to show us what warped/right living looks like
- Re: Sin referred to here is with Bathsheba and Uriah …
- Read Psalm 32:1-11 / Pray
Point 1
- David is cleansed from sin:
• Praise b/c sin is forgiven (1a)
- David begins this Psalm by announcing the joy that comes from forgiveness
- Word forgiven (Heb. word nasa) means: “to have one’s sin lifted off”
• Joy because depravity covered (1b)
- David knew that unconfessed sin is a tremendous burden
- It can weigh us down physically and mentally
- B/C David confessed, he can testify to this important fact – WE ALL CAN
• Defilement is not counted against him (2a)
- Celebration is b/c God did not count his sin against him
- We too can celebrate b/c when sin is forgiven, it is removed from us
- This is the lesson … unconfessed sin weighs us down
• Deception is removed (2b)
- So, when we confess, we are relieved of the weight of sin
- Note: May still have consequences, but God’s judgment removed
- EX: Confession of a crime may still hold jail sentence due to laws broken
- Remember, David spent much time concealing his sin …
• Suppressed it (3a)
- Note, David changes his tense here from present to the past (remembering)
- Re: He hid his sin from God and everyone around him
- Reference to “I kept silent” is about the sin he did not want to reveal/confess
• Because he hid it …. He suffered for it (3b-4)
- Therefore, he wasted away (punished) by concealing it
- APP: sin can cause us to feel oppressed, cut off, exhausted, and depleted
- So, (analogy) just like the summer heat can zap our strength … he felt it
- Quite literally, his soul was aching and racked with pain b/c of it
- APP: Unconfessed sin can tear us apart, especially spiritually
-- We feel ashamed because of it, and in that won’t talk to God (or confess it)
-- Therefore, our relationship becomes more strained (separated) with Him
- IMP: He hasn’t moved from us … but rather, we choose to cut Him off
-- David felt the same pressure here in his sin … he was hiding from God
-- And not willing to admit that God was the one calling out to him
Point 2
- Pivotal verse of this entire psalm is verse 5 … re-read
- David confesses his sin
• Acknowledged it (5a) – Realized he had done wrong
• Uncovered it (5b) – Let it be known what he had done
• Confessed it (5c) – Admitted where he has sinned against God
• Cleansed of it (5d) – God, in turn, cleansed him of his wrong-doing
- That cleansing is the critical point … means that sin was not held against him
-- We each know what we have done – and where we have done wrong
-- Confession is opening that door for God to heal you of the burden of it
-- KEY: Psalm 51:3, “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.”
- The end of v5 shows us what happens when we confess (literally, repent)
-- “And you forgave the guilt of my sin” … it is not held against him anymore
Point 3
- Admittedly, David had a pretty tough go, but it was brought on himself
-- He did the deeds, he caused the problems, he brought God’s judgment down
- One could understand if he’d just want to go into a hole and forget it all
-- However, he does something incredibly telling of his character and thankfulness
- David teaches us about sin
- “Therefore … let all the faithful”:
• Pray to God (6); there is safety in God (ref: rising waters)
• Rest in God (7); David was hiding from God, realized He is hiding place
• Learn from God (8); God’s desire is to teach us the right way to go
• Submit to God (9); Animals often do their own thing; David cautions us
• Trust in God (10); Only in God do we see comfort and love
• Rejoice in God (11); When we are forgiven, rejoice! (Rinse & repeat v1)
- His outline is like its own sermon … in living color for life application
Big Idea
- David knew what it meant to experience forgiveness from God
-- His desire, having known it, was to tell anyone who might read this about it
- He tells us about the path to true forgiveness (v6-11) …
- The challenge we face is will we take THIS instruction or our own?
-- I think David might have us beat on sin … maybe we could learn from him?
- Pray
* Special thanks to Holman Old Testament Commentary for the foundational outline of this sermon.
