Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 32:1

[A Psalm] of David, Maschil. Blessed [is he whose] transgression [is] forgiven, [whose] sin [is] covered.

1, 2. The blessedness of forgiveness. See Rom 4:6 ff. for St Paul’s use of these verses.

Blessed ] Or, Happy. Cp. Psa 1:1. The first beatitude of the Psalter is pronounced on an upright life; but since “there is no man that sinneth not” (1Ki 8:46), there is another beatitude reserved for true penitence.

transgression sin iniquity ] The words thus rendered describe sin in different aspects (1) as rebellion, or breaking away from God: (2) as wandering from the way, or missing the mark: (3) as depravity, or moral distortion. Cp. Psa 32:5; Psa 51:1-3; Exo 34:7. Forgiveness is also triply described (1) as the taking away of a burden; cp. Joh 1:29, and the expression ‘to bear iniquity’: (2) as covering, so that the foulness of sin no longer meets the eye of the judge and calls for punishment; (3) as the cancelling of a debt, which is no longer reckoned against the offender: cp. 2Sa 19:19.

and in whose spirit there is no guile ] No deceitfulness. The condition of forgiveness on man’s part is absolute sincerity. There must be no attempt to deceive self or God. Cp. 1Jn 1:8.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Blessed is he … – On the meaning of the word blessed, see the notes at Psa 1:1. See the passage explained in the notes at Rom 4:7-8. The word blessed here is equivalent to happy. Happy is the man; or happy is the condition – the state of mind – happy are the prospects, of one whose sins are forgiven. His condition is happy or blessed:

(a) as compared with his former state, when he was pressed or bowed down under a sense of guilt;

(b) in his real condition, as that of a pardoned man – a man who has nothing now to fear as the result of his guilt, or who feels that he is at peace with God;

(c) in his hopes and prospects, as now a child of God and an heir of heaven.

Whose transgression is forgiven – The word rendered forgiven means properly to lift up, to bear, to carry, to carry away; and sin which is forgiven is referred to here as if it were borne away – perhaps as the scapegoat bore off sin into the wilderness. Compare Psa 85:2; Job 7:21; Gen 50:17; Num 14:19; Isa 2:9.

Whose sin is covered – As it were covered over; that is, concealed or hidden; or, in other words, so covered that it will not appear. This is the idea in the Hebrew word which is commonly used to denote the atonement, – kaphar – meaning to cover over; then, to overlook, to forgive; Gen 6:14; Psa 65:3; Psa 78:38; Dan 9:24. The original word here, however, is different – kasah – though meaning the same – to cover. The idea is, that the sin would be, as it were, covered over, hidden, concealed, so that it would no longer come into the view of either God or man; that is, the offender would be regarded and treated as if he had not sinned, or as if he had no sin.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Psa 32:1-7

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

The penitential psalms

Since the time of Origen, seven of the psalms have borne the name of Penitential; namely, Psa 6:1-10; Psa 32:1-11; Psa 38:1-22; Psa 51:1-19; Psa 102:1-28; Psa 130:1-8; Psa 143:1-12. They were used in the special additional services appointed for Lent, and were selected with reference to the sprinkling of the leper seven times, and to the command to Naaman to wash himself seven times in the Jordan; or, as others say, as corresponding to the seven deadly sins. These psalms are not all expressions of contrition for personal sin; nevertheless, they all recognize sin as the source of corruption and trouble. We may find in them every element of a true repentance according to the Gospel standard. They reveal–

I. A recognition of the radical nature of sin. This is especially marked in the 51st. There we find the confession of a sinful nature as well as of sinful acts; the ever-living consciousness that God looks at the heart and not merely at the deed.

II. the feeling of the burden and sorrow of sin (Psa 6:2-3; Psa 32:3-4; Psa 38:2-10; Psa 102:9-10; Psa 51:3).

III. confession of sin. This involves our viewing the sin in the same way in which God views it.

IV. repentance further involves conduct. The prayer for pardoning grace is accompanied with the petitions, Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk, Teach me to do Thy will (Psa 143:8-10). Sinful associations are renounced, and the workers of iniquity are bidden to depart (Psa 6:8).

V. repentance issues in instruction. David, having been forgiven, says, I will instruct thee and teach thee (Psa 32:8-9). When Gods face shall be hidden from my sins, and a clean heart shall be given me, then will I teach transgressors thy ways (Psa 51:13-15).

VI. repentance issues in joy. It is the joy of forgiveness. The man is not blessed who can forget his sins; who can divert his mind from them; who can temporarily escape their consequences. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven. Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. From this point, the psalm is all joy. Thy hand was heavy upon me, but now I lean upon it, and it leads me into green pastures and folds me to a Fathers heart. I fear not the floods of great waters now. Thou art my hiding-place, Thou from whom I strove of late to hide. Thy word, sharper than any two-edged sword, pierced me with a thousand pangs; but now I hope in Thy word. I remembered Thee and was troubled; but now Thou shalt preserve me from trouble. Thou, from whose voice I fled, Thou, whose heavy hand dried up the springs of song in me, Thou shalt fence me about with songs.

VII. Repentance issues in warning. This is powerfully brought out in Psa 32:9. The bridle which restrains the beast is often its ornament. The fact is familiar that animals have a kind of pride in the gaudy trappings which are the signs of their degradation, the proofs that they cannot be appealed to on the grounds of reason and conscience. So it is often true that a sinful man is proud of his rebellion against God, and boasts of it. If he but knew it, this is his humiliation. It stamps him as a creature which does not realize its relations to God and eternity. God would gladly deal with him as a free man, on generous terms; but if he refuses the guidance of the eye, he must take up with bit and bridle. If men will not come nigh unto God, and fall in with His gracious economy, they must be sternly restrained from interfering with it. (M. R. Vincent, D. D.)

The gate to the confessional

If the world forgives, it generally vouchsafes a kind of stinging forgiveness which perpetuates the smart of the crime. It is at no pains to cover the sin. We can say of one thus forgiven, He is tolerated: tie has a new chance given him, but scarcely–he is blessed. This psalm, on the contrary, while it is one of the saddest, is at the same time one of the most joyful of the inspired lyrics. It is no less the record of a bitter, penitential sorrow, than the expression of a heart full of praise. It comes to us to-day to tell us that the worst sinner, forgiven by God, is a happy man.

I. the blessedness of forgiveness. When a shipwrecked sailor has been rescued from death, and is sitting warm and dry by the fire, his first thought, his first utterance is one of congratulation. How fortunate I am to have escaped. How thankful I am to those who saved my life. After this feeling has found vent, he will go on to tell the story of his shipwreck and of his rescue. Hence nothing could be more natural than the ordering of this psalm. David is a rescued man; and thanksgiving, and congratulation on his present security come to his lips, before he tells the story of his moral shipwreck.

1. His sin is taken away.

2. His sins are covered or hidden, and that from God; not from men. However men may comment or rail, it matters little while God says I have blotted out as a thick cloud thy transgressions, and as a cloud thy sins.

3. He is treated as innocent. The Lord does not impute nor lay the iniquity to his charge.

II. the result of his attempts to cover his sin. Perhaps he sought to still that secret voice which was urging him to lay bare his sin, by plunging into the business of state, or into the pleasures of his court; but all in vain. When I kept silence my bones waxed old. The very seat of strength was invaded. His body suffered from the terrors of remorse. What an image is this that follows–the pressure of a strong hand, hampering all free activity. No joy in work or in study any more. The healthy competitions of business, the free play of social converse, the sweet interchanges of the household, all repressed and devitalized by this painful consciousness of guilt. What ails the man who was but lately so sparkling, so magnetic, so enthusiastic? Day and night Thy hand was heavy upon me, etc.

III. the remedy which he found. Confession. Well, you say, if God knows all about my sin, why should I confess it? God knows what you want in prayer before you ask Him, and yet you will not get it if you do not ask Him. He has conditioned forgiveness upon confession, just as He has conditioned finding upon seeking. Confession implies–

1. Viewing your sin in the same light in which God views it.

2. Renunciation.

IV. the result of its application. He first sums up the result in a single sentence: Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. He has a whole catalogue of joyful consequences of his confession to present to us; but he is careful to make it perfectly clear at the outset that all these consequences are linked with forgiveness. And now what a sudden change reveals itself. The tone of the last few verses has been like the sigh of the wind through the dry valleys. Now we begin to hear the running of streams. The abject penitent, moaning day and night under Gods heavy band, is transformed into a joyful singer of praises; a prophet, with a fresh lesson of Gods goodness kindling on his lips.

V. A practical lesson for our instruction. Christ bade Peter make use of his own terrible sifting to strengthen his brethren. David anticipates the lesson; and these words of his have been the text-book of penitent souls from his time to the present. I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shall go; this way of repentance and confession in which I have walked. Be not obstinate in refusing to walk therein. Heed my experience, ye who feel the pressure of Gods hand, whose moisture is turned into the drought of summer. (M. R. Vincent, D. D.)

The blessedness of forgiveness

I. reasons why such must needs be blessed whose transgressions are forgiven.

1. Because God doth pronounce them blessed.

2. Because they are delivered from the greatest evil, and that which exposes them to the greatest misery, and which alone can deprive them of eternal happiness.

3. Because they are taken into covenant with God.

(1) They are taken into Gods favour.

(2) They are taken into Gods family.

(3) They are under Gods providence.

(4) They have free access unto God in prayer.

(5) They have communion with God in all His ordinances: and thus it is with all pardoned persons, and therefore they are blessed.

4. Because they are in a better state than Adam was in his first creation.

(1) In respect of innocence.

(2) In regard of the image of God, that is repaired in all those that are pardoned.

When God forgiveth their sin, He changeth their nature; and that faith which justifieth the person doth also purify the heart (Act 15:9).

5. Because they shall be blessed.

(1) Show what the future blessedness is, which pardoned persons shall have. They shall live and take up their eternal abode in a most blessed and glorious place (Heb 13:14; Heb 11:10). They shall have most blessed and glorious company to converse with: saints, angels, the Holy Spirit, the Lord Jesus Christ in His glory, etc. They shall attain a blessed and glorious state of perfect peace and tranquillity, wealth and plenty, honour and dignity, holiness and purity, perfect happiness and glory in soul and body.

(2) Prove that pardoned sinners shall assuredly attain this future blessedness. Gods decree of predestination and election. Gods covenant and promise. The union of all pardoned persons unto Christ and His undertaking for them to bring them to eternal blessedness. The right which they have to eternal blessedness: justification; adoption; the certainty of all pardoned persons perseverance in grace unto the end.

(3) Show how this future eternal blessedness of heaven renders pardoned persons blessed here upon earth.

(1) They have a sight of their future blessedness, and the excellence of it.

(2) Their hopes of it, that they shall one day have possession of so great felicity.

(3) They have the beginnings of future blessedness here, in this life, in the work of grace, and sometimes foretastes and first-fruits of it, through the witness, seal, and earnest of the Spirit; and this renders them blessed in this life.

II. How this blessedness may be attained.

1. Some things must be believed.

(1) The doctrine of Christs satisfaction for sin.

(2) The doctrine of justification by the righteousness of Christ.

2. Some things must be done.

(1) They must get conviction of sin.

(2) They must make confession of sin.

(3) They must by faith make application of Jesus Christ.

(4) They must forsake sin.

(5) They must make supplication and earnest prayer unto God for pardoning mercy.

(6) They must forgive others. (T. Vincent, M. A.)

Sin and forgiveness

I. the solemn picture of various phases of sin.

1. The word translated transgression seems literally to signify separation, or rending apart, or departure; and hence comes to express the notion of apostasy and rebellion. So, then, here is this thought, all sin is a going away. From what? Rather the question should be–from whom? All sin is a departure from God. And that is its deepest and darkest characteristic. And it is the one that needs to be most urged, for it is the one that we are most apt to forget. The great type of all wrongdoers is in that figure of the Prodigal Son, and the essence of his fault was, first, that he selfishly demanded for his own his fathers goods; and, second, that he went away into a far country. Your sins have separated between you and God.

2. Then another aspect of the same foul thing rises before the psalmists mind. This evil which he has done, which I suppose was the sin in the matter of Bath-sheba, was not only rebellion against God, but it was, according to our version, in the second clause, a sin, by which is meant literally missing an aim.

(1) Mans chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him for ever; and whosoever in all his successes fails to realize that end is a failure through and through, in whatever smaller matters he may seem to himself and to others to succeed. He only strikes the target in the bulls-eye who lets his arrows be deflected by no gusts of passion, nor aimed wrong by any obliquity of vision, but with firm hand and clear eye seeks and secures the absolute conformity of his will to the Fathers will, and makes God his aim and end in all things.

(2) But there is another aspect of this same thought, and that is that every piece of evil misses its own shabby mark. A rogue is a round-about fool. No man ever gets, in doing wrong, the thing that he did the wrong for, or, if he gets it, he gets something else along with it that takes all the sweet taste out of it. All sin, big or little, is a blunder, and missing of the mark.

3. Yet another aspect of the ugly thing rises before the psalmists eye. In reference to God evil is separation and rebellion; in reference to myself, it is an error and missing of my true goal; and in reference to the straight standard and law of duty, it is, according to the last of the three words for sin in the text, iniquity, or, literally, something twisted or distorted. It is thus brought into contrast with the right line of the plain straight path in which we ought to walk. The path to God is a right line, the shortest road from earth to heaven is absolutely straight. The Czar of Russia, when railways were introduced into that country, was asked to determine the line between St. Petersburg and Moscow. He took a ruler, and drew a straight line across the map, and said, There! Our autocrat has drawn a line as straight, as the road from earth to heaven; and by the side of it are the crooked wandering ways in which we live.

II. the blessed picture of the removal of the sin. It is forgiven, covered, not imputed. The accumulation of synonyms not only sets forth various aspects of pardon, but triumphantly celebrates the completeness and certainty of the gift. As to the first, it means literally to lift and bear away a load or burden. As to the second, it means plainly enough to cover over, as one might do some foul thing, that it may no longer offend She eye or smell rank to heaven. And so a mans sin is covered over and ceases to be in evidence, as it were, before the Divine Eye that sees all things. He Himself casts a merciful veil over it and hides it from Himself. A similar idea, though with a modification in metaphor, is included in that last word, the sin is not reckoned. God does not write it down in His great book on the debit side of the mans account. And these three things, the lifting up and carrying away of the load, the covering over of the obscene and ugly thing, the non-reckoning in the account of the evil deed; these three things, taken together, do set forth before us the great and blessed truth that a mans transgressions may become, in so far as the Divine heart and the Divine dealings with him are concerned, as if non-existent.

III. the blessedness of this removal of sin.

1. The blessedness of deliverance from sullen remorse and the dreadful pangs of an accusing conscience.

2. The blessedness of a close clinging to God in peaceful trust, which will ensure security in the midst of all trials and a hiding-place against every storm. Only through forgiveness do we come into that close communion with God which ensures safety in all disasters.

3. The blessedness of a gentle guidance and of a loving obedience. Thou shalt guide me with Thine eye. No need for force, no need for bit and bridle, no need for anything but the glance of the Father, which the child delights to obey.

4. The blessedness of exuberant gladness; the joy that comes from the sorrow according to God is a joy that will last. All other delights, in their nature., are perishable. The deeper the penitence the surer the rebound into gladness. (A. Maclaren, D. D.)

Sin forgiven

I. the burden.

1. He uses three words, and each word reveals a different aspect of his comprehensive conception.

(1) He calls it his transgression. The word is significant of a breaking-loose. The figure is almost that of a horse that has broken the traces, and is bolting. The cords have been snapped. The yoke has been thrown aside. The man conceives himself as in revolt. He is a rebel, a deserter. He has broken the bands; he has discarded all discipline, and has roamed in ways of unconsidered licence.

(2) He also calls it his sin. He has deflected from the prescribed line of life. He has chosen his own end. He has missed the mark. His life has not arrived. It is characterized by failure.

(3) He also calls it his iniquity His life is marred by crookedness and deformity. Guilt has sunk into his faculties, and all of them have been twisted in a certain perversity. Such is the mans vivid consciousness of his own estate. He is a rebel of perverse inclinations, and wrenched by self-will into spiritual deformity.

2. Now, concerning this burning consciousness of personal sin, we are told the man kept silence. He invited no fellowship, either on the part of man or of God. How did such secret, silent burden affect the mans life?

(1) When I kept silence my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. There is a wonderful intimacy between the flesh and the spirit. To sap the forces of the one drains the energy of the other. This man, with the secret, unspoken consciousness of sin, dragged along a weary body. He was continually tired.

(2) Day and night Thy hand was heavy upon me. He moved in a condition of constant depression. He felt that the hand of the Lord was weighing upon him! That is a pathetic word. The hand of the Lord is usually a minister of succour, of lifting, of resurrection! But here the hand of the Lord is regarded as the minister of depression, and the man is held down in mental flatness and imprisonment.

(3) My moisture is turned into drought of summer. He was the victim of a dry, fierce heart No cool, cooling influences breathed through his soul. He was heated hot with burning fears.

II. the confession. The psalmist had a threefold description of sin, now he has a threefold description of its confession. I acknowledged my sin. Mine iniquity have I not hid. I confessed my transgressions. The marrow of all these pregnant phrases is that the psalmist made a clean breast of it. He hid nothing from the Lord. There was no unclean thing concealed within his tent. He opened out every secret room. He gave God all the keys. Everything was brought out and penitently acknowledged. He confessed in particulars, and not in generals. He poured out his heart before God. He emptied it as though he was emptying a vessel in which no single unclean drop was allowed to remain. His confession was made in perfect frankness and sincerity.

III. the Lords response.

1. His transgression was forgiven–lifted and carried away out of sight.

2. His sin was covered. Where sin abounds, grace doth much more abound. Grace rolls over like an immeasurable flood, and our sins are submerged beneath its mighty depths.

3. His iniquity was net imputed. Forgiven sins are never to be counted; they will not enter into the reckoning. They will not influence the Lords regard for us. In His love for us, forgiven sins are as though they had never been. Here, then, is the completeness of the freedom of the children of God. Sin forgiven! Sin covered! Sin no longer reckoned! It is not wonderful that this once tried, depressed, feverish soul, tasting now the delights of a gracious freedom, should cry out, Blessed is the man! (J. H. Jowett, M. A.)

The blessedness of pardon

In the words you have an emphatical setting forth of a great and blessed privilege and a description of the persons who shall enjoy it. We notice the three expressions, forgiven, covered, imputeth not, and the earnestness and vehemency which this repetition implies. As to the meaning, the transgressions forgiven tells of the relief from a heavy burden (Mat 11:28). The sin covered, alludes to the covering up of or removing that which is offensive out of sight (Deu 23:14). The imputeth not iniquities tells of Gods not putting them down to our account (Mat 6:12). The object of pardon is described under the various terms of iniquity, transgressions, sin. And the earnestness of the psalmist is because he himself has known the blessedness of Gods forgiveness. The doctrine of the text is, therefore–That a great degree of our blessedness lies in our obtaining the pardon of our sins by Jesus Christ.

I. the necessity that lies upon us to seek this pardon.

1. We all have a reasonable nature, and this implies a conscience, for a man can reflect upon his own actions.

2. But conscience implies a law by which good and evil are distinguished.

3. Law implies a sanction or confirmation by penalties and rewards (Deu 30:15; Psa 7:11-13).

4. Such sanction implies a judge who will take cognizance of our conduct in regard to the law. The heathen knew this (Rom 1:32). Providence showed it (Rom 1:18). And we are to expect the coming of such judge (Act 10:42-43; Act 3:19-21).

5. A judge implies a judgment day, or some time when his justice must have solemn trial, when he will reckon with the guilty (Heb 9:27; Act 24:25; Act 17:31).

6. This implies the condemnation of the guilty, unless God set up another court for their relief. For man is utterly unable to fulfil the law (Rom 8:1). The law is weak through the flesh.

7. This God hath done in Christ and the Gospel. It is not a ease of forgiveness as between man and man, but there must be satisfaction to Divine justice. Therefore Christ hath died (Gal 4:5; Rom 3:25-26).

8. This being done conveniently to Gods honour, we must sue out our pardon with respect to both covenants–that of nature, and that in Christ. We must bring a true repentance (1Jn 1:9; 1Co 11:31). And we must thankfully accept the Lords grace that offers pardon to us.

II. our misery without this pardon.

1. We must bear the heavy burden of our sin (Psa 38:4; Gen 4:13; Pro 18:14).

2. Sin renders us odious in the sight of God (Pro 13:5). Sin is loathsome. And the sinner is so, to God, to the righteous, to the indifferent, to other wicked men, and to himself (Psa 32:3).

3. Sin is a debt that binds the soul to everlasting punishment (Luk 12:59). How blessed, then, must be he unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity.

III. the consequent benefits of this pardon.

1. It restores us to God (Psa 130:4).

2. It lays a foundation for solid peace and comfort in our own souls.

3. We are now capable of eternal life.

IV. the application.

1. Let us bless God for the Gospel. Think of the darkness of the heathen world on this matter (Mic 6:7). And the Jews also (Heb 9:9).

2. Let us put in for a share of this blessedness. Pray day by day for it. Christians as well as others. (T. Manton.)

Persuasions to seek after the blessedness of pardon

I. till you are pardoned you are never blessed. IS he happy who is condemned to die, although he hath plentiful allowance till the day of his execution? So neither can earthly good make the sinner blessed.

II. nothing else but pardon will serve our turn, Forbearance on Gods part will not, for forbearance from punishment does not dissolve the obligation to punish. Respite is not pardon. Nor, either, forgetfulness on our part. They are not happy that have the least trouble, but they that have the least cause. A benumbed conscience cannot challenge this blessedness. God hath neither forgiven nor covered their sin.

III. the evils which forgiveness frees us from and the good which depends upon it.

1. The evils. Guilt, and therefore punishment.

2. The good. You cannot enjoy God till you are forgiven.

IV. what must be done that we may be capable of this blessed privilege.

1. For our first entrance into it.

(1) We must have repentance and faith (Act 10:43; Act 11:33; Luk 24:47). Repentance respects God, to whom we return: faith, Christ, by whom we return. And these are necessary for the glory of God. It is not fitting that pardon and life should be bad without any conditions. And they are necessary, too, for our comfort.

2. For our continuance in it. The first truths are gone over again and again; and there is a new obedience (1Jn 1:7). And there is daily prayer.

3. For the recovery out of grievous lapses and falls.

In them there is required a particular and express repentance; and repentance and faith must be carried with respect to those four things that are in sin: culpa, the fault, reatus, the guilt, maeula, the stain and blot, and poena, the punishment.

1. For the fault in the transgression of the law, or the criminal action. See that the fault be not continued; relapses are very dangerous. A bone often broken in the same place is hardly set again. Gods children are in danger of this before the breach be well made up, or the orifice of the wound be soundly closed; as Lot doubled his incest, and Samson goes in again and again to Delilah.

2. The guilt continues till serious and solemn repentance, and humiliation before God, and suing out our pardon in Christs name. There must be a solemn humbling for the sin, and then God will forgive us. Suppose a man forbear the act, and never commit it more (as Judah forbore the act, after he had committed incest with Tamar, but it seems he repented not till she showed him the bracelets and the staff); yet with serious remorse we must beg our peace humbly upon the account of our Mediator. Therefore something must be done to take away the guilt.

3. There is the blot or evil inclination to sin again. A brand that hath been in the fire is more apt to take fire again; the evil influences of the sin continue. Now the root of sin must be mortified, it is not enough to forbear or confess a sin, but we must pull out the core of the distemper before all will be well.

4. There is the punishment. It will not be eternal. We are delivered from that. But there may be temporary evils (Psa 89:32-33). What, then, is our business? Humbly to deprecate these judgments. Lord, correct me not in Thine anger, etc. (T. Manton.)

True blessedness

There is a history of India, which was written by a man who never left his native land, nor set eye or foot on that distant shore; and yet, strange as it may appear, it is said to be the best work on the subject, presenting the most graphic pictures of its oriental scenery, the most satisfactory history of its conquests and its conquerors, the best account of the manners, and customs, and habits of its people, with their variety of races, and tongues, and castes, and religions. In some such way the beauties of Christianity have been portrayed; the pictures being not so much, or rather not at all, a transcript of the artists feelings–what his own eyes have seen and his own heart has felt–not the expression of a Christians experience, but the triumphs of a poets fancy. And so the preacher may, after all, be but a painter, and saving others, he may be himself a castaway. A man who can go to the pulpit, or a man who can stand on the level of other men, and say, Arise, for I have seen the land, and behold it is very good, can speak with a point and a power which no fancy or genius can bestow. Such was the position of the man who expressed the sentiment of my text. The world has seen few poets like the royal psalmist; yet here is not a flight of the poets fancy, but the expression of a good mans experience. The blessedness of my text is not a thing that David fancied; it is a thing that David felt. And he gained this blessedness by going to God for it, confessing his sin and finding forgiveness. He went as the prodigal, saying, I have sinned, and he gratefully acknowledges, Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.

I. this blessedness is attainable by us now. Sin is a terrible thing, for it incurs the wrath of God. Mans wrath can do but little in his favour either. A few feet of earth above our heads, and what is the worlds smile or frown then? But Gods wrath and favour are very different things. They stretch on into and throughout eternity. How blessed, then, must be His favour, how terrible His wrath! But, with His favour, what need we fear?

II. the extent of this blessedness. Transgression forgiven, sin covered, iniquity not imputed. How is all this accomplished? Not in the way of the unjust steward, by making a composition, as merchants do. God demands all. ,And yet we are saved. Christ paid the penalty, and thus man is saved the punishment. This is the very palladium and pillar of the believers peace. All is forgiven, all covered.

III. blessedness is what we all seek after, and it is found here. This alone is true blessedness. Nothing else is worthy of the name of happiness. I know as well as you do, that there is a kind of happiness in sin; I know as well as you do, that without a sense of forgiveness there is a kind of pleasure a man or woman may enjoy; but do you call that happiness? I do not. Do you call that insect happy, that in ever-lessening circles goes round and round the candle, till it plunge and perish in the flame? I have read of children that with merry glee, add light feet, and buoyant laughter, chased each other upon the sinking deck, when brave men had stripped to swim, and cowards lay down to die. Call ye them happy? Happy! I said of laughter, It is madness; and of mirth, What doeth it? But the blessedness told of in our text, that never fades. (S. Guthrie, D. D.)

A song of a saved soul

I. here is a man painting a picture of the evil which had been his curse. When a man has been rescued from hell, he speaks in no mincing fashion of its horrors.

1. Transgression signifies departure, the dissolving of a union, apostasy.

2. Sin means literally an error, missing an aim. Not only had he rebelled against God, but he had fatally missed the mark to which his whole effort and energy should have been directed. A man never gets what he hoped for by doing wrong; or, if he seems to do so, he gets something more that spoils it all. He pursues after the fleeing form that seems so fair, and, when he reaches her side and lifts her veil, eager to embrace the temptress, a hideous skeleton grins and gibbers at him.

3. Iniquity, literally, is something twisted or distorted–warped from the straight line of right. All sin is a turning aside, a going out of the way, an entrance on by-paths which can never be safe.

II. here is a man pointing out the wretchedness which his sin and silence concerning it had entailed upon him (Psa 32:3-4). A. weird picture, a realistic illustration of the misery of unrepentant remorse. Be sure your sin will find you out; and what a finding out it is! The sinner expected to conjure up flowers: he has conjured up serpents; he expected thrills of pleasure: he has felt shocks of pain; he expected to find peace: he has let slip the dogs of war; he hoped to find liberty: he has drawn a heavy chain about his life.

1. Sin always means misery. It is like the poison-tree in travellers stories: tempting weary men to rest beneath its thick foliage, and insinuating death into the limbs that relax in the fatal coolness of its shade. It is like the apples of Sodom: fair to look upon, but turning to acrid ashes on the unwary lips.

2. Sin of itself is bad enough, but sin unconfessed is hell on earth. Better confess the deed than allow it to darken your souls windows, harden your heart, and spread its contagion throughout your being.

III. here is a man revealing the path which led to the throne of divine forgiveness (Psa 32:5). Thank Heaven that there is such a path, and that it is accessible to every sin-damaged life. That path has been provided by a loving God; it is the path of repentance, the Kings highway. Have we trodden that path? Have we responded to the summons of Gods Nathan, as he has poured the light divine upon our eyes?

IV. here is a man proclaiming the mastery and removal of his sin by Gods great grace (Psa 32:1-2). The three words he employs are delightfully expressive.

1. Forgiveness means literally the bearing away of a load. Sin is like the burden on the pilgrims back in the Immortal Allegory. It crushes the soul, weakens the life, pampers the spirit. But the grace of God causes the burden to fall from the soul, emancipates it from the crushing load.

2. Covered means the interment of the evil thing. It is a nuisance, an annoyance, an eyesore, a foul, disgusting thing. So God digs a grave for it, and buries it out of sight.

3. Not to impute means that our wickedness is no longer chargeable to us. God will be silent concerning it. The account is settled

V. here is a man exulting in the blessedness which his forgiveness had secured to him. O the blessedness of the saved one, he shouts. The words are a burst of thankful rapture. His very soul dances for joy; and no wonder: the change in himself was so very real, the transition so marvellous. It was a passage from death unto life, from winter to summer, from darkness to light, from hell to heaven; the gnawings of conscience exchanged for the peace of God, his sullen silence giving place to spontaneous, irrepressible and hearty song, his very self becoming rejuvenated. Surely, such a change must mean blessedness! (Joseph Pearce.)

The pardon of sin

I. the nature of pardon.

1. The being and inherency of sin is not taken away. Though not imputed, yet it is inherent in us. Remission and sanctification are distinct acts, and wrought in a distinct manner.

2. The nature of sin is not taken away. It is not a change of the native malice of the sin, but a non-imputation of it to the offender.

3. The demerit of sin is not taken away. Pardon frees us from actual condemnation, but not, as considered in our own persons, from the desert of condemnation.

4. The guilt of sin, or obligation to punishment, is taken away by pardon.

II. the author of pardon–God.

1. It is His act. Tis an offended God who is a forgiving God; that God whose name thou hast profaned, whose patience thou hast abused, whose laws thou hast violated, whose mercy thou hast slighted, whose justice thou hast dared, and whose glory thou hast stained.

2. He only can do it. Forgiveness belongs to God as–

(1) Proprietor. He has a greater right to us than we have to ourselves.

(2) Sovereign, He is Lord over us, as we are His creatures.

(3) Governor of us, as we are parts of the world.

3. It is an act of His mercy. Not our merit. Though there be a conditional connection between pardon and repentance and faith, yet there is no meritorious connection ariseth from the nature of those graces, but remission flows from the gracious indulgence of the promise.

4. It is the act of His justice. There is a composition of Judge and Father in this act: free grace on Gods part, but justice upon the account of Christ.

5. It is the act of His power. It is a greater work to forgive, than to prevent the commission of sin; as it is a greater work to raise a dead man than to cure a sick man: one is a work of art, the other belongs only to Omnipotence.

III. the manner of it.

1. On Gods part, by Christ.

(1) By His death.

(2) By His resurrection.

2. On our part, by faith. This is as necessary in an instrumental way, as Christ in a meritorious way (Act 26:18).

3. This forgiveness shows–

(1) Gods willingness to pardon.

(2) The certainty of forgiveness.

(3) The extent of It (Joh 1:29).

(4) The continuance of it.

(5) The worth of it (Act 20:28).

IV. extensiveness, fulness, or perfectness of pardon.

1. Perfect in respect of state. God retains no hatred against a pardoned person. He never imputes sin formally, because he no more remembers it, though virtually he may, to aggravate the offence a believer hath fallen into after his justification. So Job possessed the sins of his youth. And Christ tacitly put Peter in remembrance of iris denial of Him. The grant is complete here, though all the fruits of remission are not enjoyed till the day of judgment, and therefore in Scripture sin is said then to be forgiven. Tis a question whether believers sins will be mentioned at the day of judgment.

2. In respect of the objects. Sinful nature, sinful habits, sinful dispositions, pardoned at once, though never so heinous for quality or quantity.

3. In respect of duration (Col 2:14-15).

V. the effect of pardon.

1. The greatest evil is taken away, and the dreadful consequences of it.

2. The greatest blessings are conferred.

(1) The favour of God.

(2) Access to God.

(3) Peace of conscience.

(4) It sweetens all mercies.

(5) It sweetens all afflictions. Uses–

1. An unpardoned man is a miserable man.

(1) There must either be pardon or punishment.

(2) You can call nothing an act of Gods love towards you, while you remain unpardoned.

(3) All the time thou livest unpardoned, thy debts mount the higher.

(4) It is that God who would have pardoned thee if thou wouldst have accepted of it, who will condemn thee if thou dost utterly refuse it.

2. Pardon of sin may make thee hope for all other blessings.

(1) If once pardoned, thou wilt be always pardoned.

(2) Thou art above the reach of all accusations.

(3) There will be a solemn justification of thee at the last day.

(4) Faith doth interest us in this, though it be weak.

3. Consider whether your sins are pardoned. The true signs are–

(1) Sincerity in our walk.

(2) Mourning for sin.

(3) Fearfulness of sin.

(4) Sanctification.

(5) Forgiving others.

(6) Affectionate love to God and Christ. (S. Charnock, B. D.)

The blessedness of forgiveness

I. it drives away all misery.

1. The wrath of God.

2. The curse of the law.

3. An accusing conscience.

4. The fear of death.

5. The awfulness of eternity.

II. it brings is all joys.

1. Filial contemplation of God.

2. Happy communion with God.

3. Bright views of Providence.

4. Alleviation in sickness.

5. Comfort in death.

6. Acquittal at the judgment bar.

7. Glory throughout eternity. (H. Law, M. A.)

Pardon of sin the only true means to happiness

We must every one herein place our happiness, even in Gods pardoning sin, and accordingly set our hearts and affections upon it, longing after this assurance above all things in the world. If a malefactor were condemned, and at the place of execution, what is it that would make him happy? What wisheth he above the world? only a pardon from his Prince: gold and silver, hinds and honours, can do him no good; only a pardon is the most welcome thing in the world. This is every mans case–we are traitors and rebels to God, our sins have proclaimed us rebels through heaven and earth, the law hath condemned us, we are going on to execution, and every day nearer than other, wherein then ought we to place our happiness, if we well weighed our estate, but in a gracious and free pardon? We would strive for pardon as for life and death. Miserable men they be, that place their felicity in anything else. For consider, that notwithstanding–

1. The greatest part of men place their happiness in wealth, pleasure, honour; and these carry all their hearts: yet–

(1) This is an earthly and sensual, and far from Christian happiness, which cannot leave a man unhappy in the end, as all these do.

(2) The most wicked ones that the world hath had have enjoyed the greatest outward prosperity.

(3) The most dear servants of God have been strangers in the world, and met with the strangest entertainment.

(4) Those whose portion hath been outwardly most prosperous, yet never thought themselves happy out of Gods mercy pardoning sin. An example in David: lie had riches, honour, pleasure, a crown, kingdom, subjects, treasures, but did he place his felicity in these things? No, but in the forgiveness and covering of sins; in whose steps we must tread.

(5) He that would build a firm house, must lay a sure foundation, and wilt thou lay the foundation of thy happiness in the dust? Lay it in wealth, they have wings; and when they fly away, so doth thy happiness: why dost thou trust a fugitive servant? Lay it in pleasures, it will end in sorrow; and the apostle faith, it makes a man as corpse living, dead while he liveth. Lay it in honour, what a vanishing thing is that, like the footsteps of a ship in the sea, carried with a strong gale? Yea, lay it anywhere but in God and His assured mercies, it will prove a tottering happiness, and the fall of such a happy man shall be great.

2. Others think themselves most happy in the committing of sin, and practice of their iniquity; and these are most miserable captives to the devil, so far from thinking their happiness to stand in the pardon of sin, as that they place it in the practice of it. Hence it is that monsters of men, devils incarnate, profess to swear, quarrel, drink, riot, and take them the greatest enemies to their happiness, that would help to pull them out of the snares of the devil. I would know what other happiness the devil hath, than incessantly to sin against God, and draw so many as he can into his own damnation; which express image he hath stamped on numbers, marked to destruction. (T. Taylor, D,D.)

The not imputing of sin

The Lord imputes not, that is, the Spirit of the Lord, the Lord the Spirit, the Holy Ghost, suffers not me to impute to myself those sins, which I have truly repented. The over-tenderness of a bruised and a faint conscience may impute sin to itself when it is discharged, and a seared and obdurate conscience may impute none when it abounds; if the Holy Ghost work, he rectifies both; and if God do inflict punishments after our repentance and the seals of our reconciliation, yet He suffers us not to impute those sins to ourselves, or to repute those corrections, punishments, as though He had not forgiven them, or as though He came to an execution after a pardon, but that they are laid upon us medicinally, and by way of prevention, and precaution against his future displeasure. This is that peace of conscience, when there is not one sword drawn: this is that meridional brightness of the conscience, when there is not one cloud in our sky. I shall not hope that original sin shall not be imputed, but fear that actual sin may; not hope that my dumb sins shall not, but my crying sins may; not hope that my apparent sins, which have therefore induced in me a particular sense of them, shall not, but my secret sins, sins that I am not able to return and represent to mine own memory, may: for this non imputabit hath no limitation; God shall suffer the conscience thus rectified to terrify itself with nothing. (John Donne, D. D.)

Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell

PSALM XXXII

True blessedness consists in remission of sin, and purification

of the heart, 1, 2.

What the psalmist felt in seeking these blessings, 3-5.

How they should be sought, 6, 7.

The necessity of humility and teachableness, 8, 9.

The misery of the wicked, 10.

The blessedness of the righteous, 11.

NOTES ON PSALM XXXII

The title of this Psalm is significant, ledavid maskil, A Psalm of David, giving instruction, an instructive Psalm; so called by way of eminence, because it is calculated to give the highest instruction relative to the guilt of sin, and the blessedness of pardon and holiness or justification and sanctification. It is supposed to have been composed after David’s transgression with Bath-sheba, and subsequently to his obtaining pardon. The Syriac entitles it, “A Psalm of David concerning the sin of Adam, who dared and transgressed; and a prophecy concerning Christ, because through him we are to be delivered from hell.” The Arabic says, “David spoke this Psalm prophetically concerning the redemption.” The Vulgate, Septuagint, and AEthiopic, are the same in meaning as the Hebrew.

Verse 1. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven] In this and the following verse four evils are mentioned:

1. Transgression, pesha.

2. Sin, chataah.

3. Iniquity, avon.

4. Guile, remiyah.

The first signifies the passing over a boundary, doing what is prohibited. The second signifies the missing of a mark, not doing what was commanded; but is often taken to express sinfulness, or sin in the future, producing transgression in the life. The third signifies what is turned out of its proper course or situation; any thing morally distorted or perverted. Iniquity, what is contrary to equity or justice. The fourth signifies fraud, deceit, guile, c. To remove these evils, three acts are mentioned: forgiving, covering, and not imputing.

1. TRANSGRESSION, pesha, must be forgiven, nesui, borne away, i.e., by a vicarious sacrifice for bearing sin, or bearing away sin, always implies this.

2. SIN, chataah, must be covered, kesui, hidden from the sight. It is odious and abominable, and must be put out of sight.

3. INIQUITY, anon, which is perverse or distorted, must not be imputed, lo yachshob, must not be reckoned to his account.

4. GUILE, remiyah, must be annihilated from the soul: In whose spirit there is no GUILE. The man whose transgression is forgiven; whose sin is hidden, God having cast it as a millstone into the depths of the sea; whose iniquity and perversion is not reckoned to his account; and whose guile, the deceitful and desperately wicked heart, is annihilated, being emptied of sin and filled with righteousness, is necessarily a happy man.

The old Psalter translates these two verses thus: Blissid qwas wikednes es for gyven, and qwas synnes is hyled (covered.) Blisful man til qwam Lord retted (reckoneth) noght Syn: ne na treson es in his gast (spirit.) In vain does any man look for or expect happiness while the power of sin remains, its guilt unpardoned, and its impurity not purged away. To the person who has got such blessings, we may say as the psalmist said, ashrey, O the blessedness of that man, whose transgression is forgiven! c.

St. Paul quotes this passage, Ro 4:6-7, to illustrate the doctrine of justification by faith where see the notes.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

I did indeed say that they, and they only, were blessed, that did

not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, & c., but did delight in and meditate on Gods law, Psa 1:1,2. And it is true, this is the only way to blessedness. But if inquiry be made into the cause of mans blessedness, we must seek that elsewhere. All men having sinned and made themselves guilty before God, and fallen short of the glory of God, and of that happiness which was conferred upon their first parents, now there is no way to recover this lost felicity, but by seeking and obtaining the favour of God, and the pardon of our sins; which is the very doctrine of the gospel; to the confirmation whereof this text is justly alleged, Rom 4:6,7. Our sins are debts, and they need forgiving; they are filthy and abominable in Gods sight, and need covering.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

1, 2. (Compare Ro4:6).

forgivenliterally,”taken away,” opposed to retain (Joh20:23).

coveredso that God nolonger regards the sin (Ps 85:3).

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

Blessed [is he whose] transgression [is] forgiven,…. Or “lifted up” m; bore and carried away: sin is a transgression of the law; the guilt of it charged upon the conscience of a sinner is a heavy burden, too heavy for him to bear, and the punishment of it is intolerable: forgiveness is a removal of sin, guilt, and punishment. Sin was first taken off, and transferred from the sinner to Christ, the surety; and who laid upon him really and judicially, as the sins of the people of Israel were put upon the scapegoat typically; and was bore by him, both guilt and punishment, and taken away, finished, and made an end of; and by the application of his blood and sacrifice it is taken away from the sinner’s conscience; it is caused to pass from him, and is removed afar off, as far as the east is from the west; it is so lifted off from him as to give him ease and peace, and so as never to return to the destruction of him; wherefore such a man is a happy man; he has much peace, comfort, calmness, and serenity of mind now can appear before God with intrepidity, and serve him without fear; no bill of indictment can hereafter be found against him; no charge will be exhibited, and so no condemnation to him. The same is expressed, though in different words, in the next clause;

[whose] sin [is] covered; not by himself, by any works of righteousness done by him; for these are a covering too narrow; nor by excuses and extenuations; for prosperity and happiness do not attend such a conduct, Pr 28:13; but by Christ; he is the mercy seat, the covering of the law; who is the covert of his people from the curses of it, and from the storm of divine wrath and vengeance, due to the transgressions of it; his blood is the purple covering of the chariot, under which the saints ride safe to heaven; the lines of his blood are drawn over crimson and scarlet sins, by which they are blotted out, and are not legible; and being clothed with the robe of Christ’s righteousness, all their sins are covered from the eye of divine Justice; not from the eye of God’s omniscience, which sees the sins of all men, and beholds those of his own people; and which he takes notice of, and corrects for, in a fatherly way; but from vindictive justice, they are so hid as not to be imputed and charged, nor the saints to be condemned for them; such are unblamable and unreproveable in the sight of God, and are all fair in the eyes of Christ; and their sins are caused to pass away from themselves, and they have no more sight and conscience of them; and though sought for at the last day, they will not be found and brought to light, nor be seen by men or angels. There is something unseemly, impure, nauseous, abominable, and provoking in sin; which will not bear to be seen by the Lord, and therefore must be covered, or the sinner can never stand in his presence and be happy.

m Verbum “elevavit quaudoque idem est ac condonavit”, Gejerus; “ablata est”, Piscator, Cocceius.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

The Psalm begins with the celebration of the happiness of the man who experiences God’s justifying grace, when he gives himself up unreservedly to Him. Sin is called , as being a breaking loose or tearing away from God; , as a deviation from that which is well-pleasing to God; , as a perversion, distortion, misdeed. The forgiveness of sin is styled (Exo 34:7), as a lifting up and taking away, and , Exo 34:7; (Psa 85:3, Pro 10:12, Neh 4:5), as a covering, so that it becomes invisible to God, the Holy One, and is as though it had never taken place; (2Sa 19:20, cf. Arab. hsb , to number, reckon, , Rom 4:6-9), as a non-imputing; the is here distinctly expressed. The justified one is called , as being one who is exempted from transgression, praevaricatione levatus (Ges. 135, 1); , instead of , Isa 33:24, is intended to rhyme with (which is the part. to , just as is the participle to ); vid., on Isa 22:13. One “covered of sin” is one over whose sin lies the covering of expiation ( , root , to cover, cogn. Arab. gfr , chfr , chmr , gmr ) before the holy eyes of God. The third designation is an attributive clause: “to whom Jahve doth not reckon misdeed,” inasmuch as He, on the contrary, regards it as discharged or as settled. He who is thus justified, however, is only he in whose spirit there is no , no deceit, which denies and hides, or extenuates and excuses, this or that favourite sin. One such sin designedly retained is a secret ban, which stands in the way of justification.

Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament

Who Are Blessed.

A psalm of David, Maschil.

      1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.   2 Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.   3 When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long.   4 For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.   5 I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.   6 For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him.

      This psalm is entitled Maschil, which some take to be only the name of the tune to which it was set and was to be sung. But others think it is significant; our margin reads it, A psalm of David giving instruction, and there is nothing in which we have more need of instruction than in the nature of true blessedness, wherein it consists and the way that leads to it–what we must do that we may be happy. There are several things in which these verses instruct us. In general, we are here taught that our happiness consists in the favour of God, and not in the wealth of this world–in spiritual blessings, and not the good things of this world. When David says (Ps. i. 1), Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, and (Ps. cxix. 1), Blessed are the undefiled in the way, the meaning is, “This is the character of the blessed man; and he that has not this character cannot expect to be happy:” but when it is here said, Blessed is the man whose iniquity is forgiven, the meaning is, “This is the ground of his blessedness: this is that fundamental privilege from which all the other ingredients of his blessedness flow.” In particular, we are here instructed,

      I. Concerning the nature of the pardon of sin. This is that which we all need and are undone without; we are therefore concerned to be very solicitous and inquisitive about it. 1. It is the forgiving of transgression. Sin is the transgression of the law. Upon our repentance, the transgression is forgiven; that is, the obligation to punishment which we lay under, by virtue of the sentence of the law, is vacated and cancelled; it is lifted off (so some read it), that by the pardon of it we may be eased of a burden, a heavy burden, like a load on the back, that makes us stoop, or a load on the stomach, that makes us sick, or a load on the spirits, that makes us sink. The remission of sins gives rest and relief to those that were weary and heavily laden, Matt. xi. 28. 2. It is the covering of sin, as nakedness is covered, that it may not appear to our shame, Rev. iii. 18. One of the first symptoms of guilt in our first parents was blushing at their own nakedness. Sin makes us loathsome in the sight of God and utterly unfit for communion with him, and, when conscience is awakened, it makes us loathsome to ourselves too; but, when sin is pardoned, it is covered with the robe of Christ’s righteousness, like the coats of skins wherewith God clothed Adam and Eve (an emblem of the remission of sins), so that God is no longer displeased with us, but perfectly reconciled. They are not covered from us (no; My sin is ever before me) nor covered from God’s omniscience, but from his vindictive justice. When he pardons sin he remembers it no more, he casts it behind his back, it shall be sought for and not found, and the sinner, being thus reconciled to God, begins to be reconciled to himself. 3. It is the not imputing of iniquity, not laying it to the sinner’s charge, not proceeding against him for it according to the strictness of the law, not dealing with him as he deserves. The righteousness of Christ being imputed to us, and we being made the righteousness of God in him, our iniquity is not imputed, God having laid upon him the iniquity of us all and made him sin for us. Observe, Not to impute iniquity is God’s act, for he is the Judge. It is God that justifies.

      II. Concerning the character of those whose sins are pardoned: in whose spirit there is no guile. He does not say, “There is no guilt” (for who is there that lives and sins not?), but no guile; the pardoned sinner is one that does not dissemble with God in his professions of repentance and faith, nor in his prayers for peace or pardon, but in all these is sincere and means as he says–that does not repent with a purpose to sin again, and then sin with a purpose to repent again, as a learned interpreter glosses upon it. Those that design honestly, that are really what they profess to be, are Israelites indeed, in whom is no guile.

      III. Concerning the happiness of a justified state: Blessednesses are to the man whose iniquity is forgiven, all manner of blessings, sufficient to make him completely blessed. That is taken away which incurred the curse and obstructed the blessing; and then God will pour out blessings till there be no room to receive them. The forgiveness of sin is that article of the covenant which is the reason and ground of all the rest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, Heb. viii. 12.

      IV. Concerning the uncomfortable condition of an unhumbled sinner, that sees his guilt, but is not yet brought to make a penitent confession of it. This David describes very pathetically, from his own sad experience (Psa 32:3; Psa 32:4): While I kept silence my bones waxed old. Those may be said to keep silence who stifle their convictions, who, when they cannot but see the evil of sin and their danger by reason of it, ease themselves by not thinking of it and diverting their minds to something else, as Cain to the building of a city,–who cry not when God binds them,–who will not unburden their consciences by a penitent confession, nor seek for peace, as they ought, by faithful and fervent prayer,–and who choose rather to pine away in their iniquities than to take the method which God has appointed of finding rest for their souls. Let such expect that their smothered convictions will be a fire in their bones, and the wounds of sin, not opened, will fester, and grow intolerably painful. If conscience be seared, the case is so much the more dangerous; but if it be startled and awake, it will be heard. The hand of divine wrath will be felt lying heavily upon the soul, and the anguish of the spirit will affect the body; to the degree David experienced it, so that when he was young his bones waxed old; and even his silence made him roar all the day long, as if he had been under some grievous pain and distemper of body, when really the cause of all his uneasiness was the struggle he felt in his own bosom between his convictions and his corruptions. Note, He that covers his sin shall not prosper; some inward trouble is required in repentance, but there is much worse in impenitency.

      V. Concerning the true and only way to peace of conscience. We are here taught to confess our sins, that they may be forgiven, to declare them, that we may be justified. This course David took: I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and no longer hid my iniquity, v. 5. Note, Those that would have the comfort of the pardon of their sins must take shame to themselves by a penitent confession of them. We must confess the fact of sin, and be particular in it (Thus and thus have I done), confess the fault of sin, aggravate it, and lay a load upon ourselves for it (I have done very wickedly), confess the justice of the punishment we have been under for it (The Lord is just in all that is brought upon us), and that we deserve much worse–I am no more worthy to be called thy son. We must confess sin with shame and holy blushing, with fear and holy trembling.

      VI. Concerning God’s readiness to pardon sin to those who truly repent of it: “I said, I will confess (I sincerely resolved upon it, hesitated no longer, but came to a point, that I would make a free and ingenuous confession of my sins) and immediately thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin, and gavest me the comfort of the pardon in my own conscience; immediately I found rest to my soul.” Note, God is more ready to pardon sin, upon our repentance, than we are to repent in order to the obtaining of pardon. It was with much ado that David was here brought to confess his sins; he was put to the rack before he was brought to do it (Psa 32:3; Psa 32:4), he held out long, and would not surrender till it came to the last extremity; but, when he did offer to surrender, see how quickly, how easily, he obtained good terms: “I did but say, I will confess, and thou forgavest.” Thus the father of the prodigal saw his returning son when he was yet afar off, and ran to meet him with the kiss that sealed his pardon. What an encouragement is this to poor penitents, and what an assurance does it give us that, if we confess our sins, we shall find God, not only faithful and just, but gracious and kind, to forgive us our sins!

      VII. Concerning the good use that we are to make of the experience David had had of God’s readiness to forgive his sins (v. 6): For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee. Note, 1. All godly people are praying people. As soon as ever Paul was converted, Behold, he prays, Acts ix. 11. You may as soon find a living man without breath as a living Christian without prayer. 2. The instructions given us concerning the happiness of those whose sins are pardoned, and the easiness of obtaining the pardon, should engage and encourage us to pray, and particularly to pray, God be merciful to us sinners. For this shall every one that is well inclined be earnest with God in prayer, and come boldly to the throne of grace, with hopes to obtain mercy, Heb. iv. 16. 3. Those that would speed in prayer must seek the Lord in a time when he will be found. When, by his providence, he calls them to seek him, and by his Spirit stirs them up to seek him, they must go speedily to seek the Lord (Zech. viii. 21) and lose no time, lest death cut them off, and then it will be too late to seek him, Isa. lv. 6. Behold, now is the accepted time,2Co 6:2; 2Co 6:4. Those that are sincere and abundant in prayer will find the benefit of it when they are in trouble: Surely in the floods of great waters, which are very threatening, they shall not come nigh them, to terrify them, or create them any uneasiness, much less shall they overwhelm them. Those that have God nigh unto them in all that which they call upon him for, as all upright, penitent, praying people have, are so guarded, so advanced, that no waters–no, not great waters–no, not floods of them, can come nigh them, to hurt them. As the temptations of the wicked one touch them not (1 John v. 18), so neither do the troubles of this evil world; these fiery darts of both kinds, drop short of them.

Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary

Psalms 32

BLESSEDNESS IN FORGIVENESS

Verses 1-11:

Verse 1 asserts that the one whose willful sin (transgression) is covered is a blessed, spiritually prosperous man. One’s sins are covered by the blood of Jesus, when he confesses them. Jesus has become a covering, (propitiation) through faith in His blood, to turn away God’s wrath and vengeance from the sinner, Rom 3:25; Psa 85:2; Exo 34:7; Psa 19:13; Dan 9:24. See also Isa 1:18; Isa 43:25; Isa 45:22; Act 13:38; Rom 4:6.

Verse 2 adds that the man is blessed against whore, the Lord will not repeatedly impute iniquity or calculate against the transgressors account his iniquity; For man is justified by faith, not by morality, religious rites, ceremonies, or penance, 2Sa 19:19; Rom 4:1-8; Lev 17:4; Rom 5:13; 2Co 5:19; And in whose spirit there is (or exists) no guile, Joh 1:47; 2Co 1:12; 1Pe 2:1-2; Rev 14:5. For he had acknowledged his sin, v.5.

Verses 3, 4 relate that when David kept silence, hid his sins, for near one year, the Great Sins against Bathsheba and Uriah, his bones waxed old, ached and continually roared with pain all the day long, day and night, as the Lord’s convicting, pricking, outstretched hand was heavily upon him, 2 Samuel ch. 11, 12. His moisture had dried up in his body, like the burning summer drought, as he tried to stifle the voice of his conscience, Pro 17:22; 1Sa 5:6; 1Sa 5:11; Job 13:21; Dan 7:28; Dan 10:8; Dan 10:19; Psa 102:4; Psa 51:4; Psa 51:11.

Verse 5 further relates how David came to the Lord with his sin, iniquity, and transgressions, openly confessed to the Lord and found forgiveness of all the iniquity of his sin. Selah, meditate and digest it, Pro 28:13; Isa 65:21; Luk 15:18; 1Jn 1:9.

Verse 6 advises that “for this,” forgiveness he found, every one who is godly should pray to the Lord, in a time when He may be found, while the day of mercy and grace linger, before bitter chastening judgment falls, and he can find pardon, Deu 4:29; Isa 55:6-7; 1Ti 1:16; Joh 7:34. And surely when the floodlights of judgment fall as great waters upon the wicked, who obstinately remain in impenitence, they will not touch or harm the one whose sins, iniquities, and transgressions are confessed and covered.

Verse 7 confides that the Lord was David’s hiding place, to preserve him from the troubles of others as well as his own that he has confessed, Psa 9:9; Psa 27:5; Psa 31:20; Psa 119:114; Psa 143:9; Jer 36:26; Col 3:3. He gloried that the Lord would encompass him with songs of deliverance, liberation, and freedom from his enemies, v.11; Job 38:7; 2Sa 22:1.

Verse 8 relates the Lord’s resolve to instruct, teach, and guide David with His all-watching-eye, in the way that he should go, Isa 48:17; Psa 25:9-10. The way was, first obedience to the law; second, it was the way of confession and repentance and turning from sin, Jer 24:6; Deu 11:12; Psa 34:15; Luk 15:21; Luk 22:61-62.

Verse 9 warns that one be not like the horse or the mule, in stubbornness, that must be held in line by bit and bridle, chastening instruments continually, lest they come near and trample or cripple you, Jas 3:3-5; Pro 26:3. For “if we would judge ourselves, (discipline or chasten ourselves) we should not be judged with the world,” 1Co 11:31-32.

Verse 10 warns that many sorrows shall be to (attach to) the wicked, but the one who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall be all around him, Pro 13:11; Ro 29. See also Psa 34:8; Psa 84:12; Pro 16:20; Jer 17:7. Paydays of sorrow and regret came to Balaam, to Saul, and to Jonah for their stubborn, “mulish” behavior. So watch that mule in you!

Verse 11 calls on the righteous to be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, share their joy with others, even shouting for joy when one is upright in heart, unhypocritical in his testimony or song of praise, Psa 107:2; Mat 5:15-16; Joh 15:27; Act 1:8; Rom 1:16.

Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary

1. Blessed are they whose iniquity is forgiven. This exclamation springs from the fervent affection of the Psalmist’s heart as well as from serious consideration. Since almost the whole world turning away their thoughts from God’s judgment, bring upon themselves a fatal forgetfulness, and intoxicate themselves with deceitful pleasures; David, as if he had been stricken with the fear of God’s wrath, that he might betake himself to Divine mercy, awakens others also to the same exercise, by declaring distinctly and loudly that those only are blessed to whom God is reconciled, so as to acknowledge those for his children whom he might justly treat as his enemies. Some are so blinded with hypocrisy and pride, and some with such gross contempt of God, that they are not at all anxious in seeking forgiveness, but all acknowledge that they need forgiveness; nor is there a man in existence whose conscience does not accuse him at God’s judgment-seat, and gall him with many stings. This confession, accordingly, that all need forgiveness, because no man is perfect, and that then only is it well with us when God pardons our sins, nature herself extorts even from wicked men. But in the meantime, hypocrisy shuts the eyes of multitudes, while others are so deluded by a perverse carnal security, that they are touched either with no feelings of Divine wrath, or with only a frigid feeling of it.

From this proceeds a twofold error: first, that such men make light of their sins, and reflect not on the hundredth part of their danger from God’s indignation; and, secondly, that they invent frivolous expiations to free themselves from guilt and to purchase the favor of God. Thus in all ages it has been everywhere a prevailing opinion, that although all men are infected with sin, they are at the same time adorned with merits which are calculated to procure for them the favor of God, and that although they provoke his wrath by their crimes, they have expiations and satisfactions in readiness to obtain their absolution. This delusion of Satan is equally common among Papists, Turks, Jews, and other nations. Every man, therefore, who is not carried away by the furious madness of Popery, will admit the truth of this statement, that men are in a wretched state unless God deal mercifully with them by not laying their sins to their charge. But David goes farther, declaring that the whole life of man is subjected to God’s wrath and curse, except in so far as he vouchsafes of his own free grace to receive them into his favor; of which the Spirit who spake by David is an assured interpreter and witness to us by the mouth of Paul, (Rom 4:6.) Had Paul not used this testimony, never would his readers have penetrated the real meaning of the prophet; for we see that the Papists, although they chant in their temples, “Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven,” etc., yet pass over it as if it were some common saying and of little importance. But with Paul, this is the full definition of the righteousness of faith; as if the prophet had said, Men are then only blessed when they are freely reconciled to God, and counted as righteous by him. The blessedness, accordingly, that David celebrates utterly destroys the righteousness of works. The device of a partial righteousness with which Papists and others delude themselves is mere folly; and even among those who are destitute of the light of heavenly doctrine, no one will be found so mad as to arrogate a perfect righteousness to himself, as appears from the expiations, washings, and other means of appeasing God, which have always been in use among all nations. But yet they do not hesitate to obtrude their virtues upon God, just as if by them they had acquired of themselves a great part of their blessedness.

David, however, prescribes a very different order, namely, that in seeking happiness, all should begin with the principle, that God cannot be reconciled to those who are worthy of eternal destruction in any other way than by freely pardoning them, and bestowing upon them his favor. And justly does he declare that if mercy is withheld from them, all men must be utterly wretched and accursed; for if all men are naturally prone only to evil, until they are regenerated, their whole previous life, it is obvious, must be hateful and loathsome in the sight of God. Besides, as even after regeneration, no work which men perform can please God unless he pardons the sin which mingles with it, they must be excluded from the hope of salvation. Certainly nothing will remain for them but cause for the greatest terror. That the works of the saints are unworthy of reward because they are spotted with stains, seems a hard saying to the Papists. But, in this they betray their gross ignorance in estimating, according to their own conceptions, the judgment of God, in whose eyes the very brightness of the stars is but darkness. Let this therefore remain an established doctrine, that as we are only accounted righteous before God by the free remission of sins, this is the gate of eternal salvation; and, accordingly, that they only are blessed who rely upon God’s mercy. We must bear in mind the contrast which I have already mentioned between believers who, embracing the remission of sins, rely upon the grace of God alone, and all others who neglect to betake themselves to the sanctuary of Divine grace.

Moreover, when David thrice repeats the same thing, this is no vain repetition. It is indeed sufficiently evident of itself that the man must be blessed whose iniquity is forgiven; but experience teaches us how difficult it is to become persuaded of this in such a manner as to have it thoroughly fixed in our hearts. The great majority, as I have already shown you, entangled by devices of their own, put away from them, as far as they can, the terrors of conscience and all fear of Divine wrath. They have, no doubt, a desire to be reconciled to God; and yet they shun the sight of him, rather than seek his grace sincerely and with all their hearts. Those, on the other hand, whom God has truly awakened so as to be affected with a lively sense of their misery, are so constantly agitated and disquieted that it is difficult to restore peace to their minds. They taste indeed God’s mercy, and endeavor to lay hold of it, and yet they are frequently abashed or made to stagger under the manifold assaults which are made upon them. The two reasons for which the Psalmist insists so much on the subject of the forgiveness of sins are these, – that he may, on the one hand, raise up those who are fallen asleep, inspire the careless with thoughtfulness, and quicken the dull; and that he may, on the other hand, tranquillise fearful and anxious minds with an assured and steady confidence. To the former, the doctrine may be applied in this manner: ”What mean ye, O ye unhappy men! that one or two stings of conscience do not disturb you? Suppose that a certain limited knowledge of your sins is not sufficient to strike you with terror, yet how preposterous is it to continue securely asleep, while you are overwhelmed with an immense load of sins?” And this repetition furnishes not a little comfort and confirmation to the feeble and fearful. As doubts are often coming upon them, one after another, it is not sufficient that they are victorious in one conflict only. That despair, therefore, may not overwhelm them amidst the various perplexing thoughts with which they are agitated, the Holy Spirit confirms and ratifies the remission of sins with many declarations.

It is now proper to weigh the particular force of the expressions here employed. Certainly the remission which is here treated of does not agree with satisfactions. God, in lifting off or taking away sins, and likewise in covering and not imputing them, freely pardons them. On this account the Papists, by thrusting in their satisfactions and works of supererogation as they call them, bereave themselves of this blessedness. Besides, David applies these words to complete forgiveness. The distinction, therefore, which the Papists here make between the remission of the punishment and of the fault, by which they make only half a pardon, is not at all to the purpose. Now, it is necessary to consider to whom this happiness belongs, which may be easily gathered from the circumstance of the time. When David was taught that he was blessed through the mercy of God alone, he was not an alien from the church of God; on the contrary, he had profited above many in the fear and service of God, and in holiness of life, and had exercised himself in all the duties of godliness. And even after making these advances in religion, God so exercised him, that he placed the alpha and omega of his salvation in his gratuitous reconciliation to God. Nor is it without reason that Zacharias, in his song, represents “the knowledge of salvation” as consisting in knowing “the remission of sins,” (Luk 1:77.) The more eminently that any one excels in holiness, the farther he feels himself from perfect righteousness, and the more clearly he perceives that he can trust in nothing but the mercy of God alone. Hence it appears, that those are grossly mistaken who conceive that the pardon of sin is necessary only to the beginning of righteousness. As believers are every day involved in many faults, it will profit them nothing that they have once entered the way of righteousness, unless the same grace which brought them into it accompany them to the last step of their life. Does any one object, that they are elsewhere said to be blessed “who fear the Lord,” “who walk in his ways,” “who are upright in heart,” etc., the answer is easy, namely, that as the perfect fear of the Lord, the perfect observance of his law, and perfect uprightness of heart, are nowhere to be found, all that the Scripture anywhere says, concerning blessedness, is founded upon the free favor of God, by which he reconciles us to himself.

Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary

AN OUTLINE

THE BLESSED CONDITION

To have transgressions forgiven.

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven (Psa 32:1).

To have ones sin covered.

Whose sin is covered (Psa 32:1).

Rom 4:7; Luk 12:2.

To have no iniquity imputed.

Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity (Psa 32:2).

2Sa 19:9; Rom 4:8; Rom 5:13; 2Co 5:19.

To have no guile of spirit.

In whose spirit there is no guile (Psa 32:2).

THE ESSENTIAL CONFESSION

The effect of silence on the soul.

When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long.

For day and night Thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer (Psa 32:3-4).

The relation of compassion to forgiveness.

I acknowledge my sin unto Thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin (Psa 32:5).

Find the Lord; escape the flood.

For this shall every one that is godly pray unto Thee in a time when Thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him.

Thou art my hiding place; Thou shalt preserve me from trouble; Thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance (Psa 32:6-7).

THE SOURCE OF INSTRUCTION

The taught one becomes the teacher.

I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye (Psa 32:8).

Rom 2:21; Heb 5:12.

The unruly spirit learns little or nothing.

Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee (Psa 32:9).

1Th 5:14.

The wicked have sorrow, the truthful, mercy.

Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; but he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about (Psa 32:10).

The righteous have the spirit to rejoice.

Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart (Psa 32:11).

Fuente: The Bible of the Expositor and the Evangelist by Riley

INTRODUCTION

This is the second of the seven penitential psalms, as they are called, which, says Selnecker, St. Augustine used often to read with weeping heart and eyes, and which before his death he had written on the wall over against his sick-bed, that he might exercise himself therein, and find comfort therein in his sickness. St. Augustines own words, Intelligentia prima, est ut te noris peccatorem, might stand as its motto. There can be little doubt that this psalm was composed after Nathan came to David. Psalms 51 was the confession of his sin and the prayer for forgiveness. This psalm is the record of the confession made and the forgiveness obtained, and the conscious blessedness of his position as a son restored to his Fathers house. There was a shelter for him there now,Thou art my hiding-place. There was joy and gladness on his return,Thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. And here he carries out the resolve of Psalms 51. Then will I teach transgressors Thy way, and sinners shall be converted unto Thee. The instruction of the psalm may be summed up in the words of Pro. 28:18, or in those of 1Jn. 1:8-9.Perowne.

THE BLESSEDNESS OF THE FORGIVEN

(Psa. 32:1-7.)

I. Declared as a doctrine (Psa. 32:1-2). We are taught here

1. That sin is the real cause of all unhappiness. As Milton grandly sings:

Disproportioned sin

Jarred against natures chime, and with harsh din
Broke the fair music that all creatures made
To their great God.

2. That the removal of sin is the gracious act of God (Exo. 34:7; Isa. 43:25; 1Jn. 1:8-9). Psa. 32:1. Manton says that it is here as in law, when many words of like import and significance are heaped up and put together to make the deed and legal instrument more complete and perfect. The group of words is the same as in Exo. 34:7 and Psa. 51:5-6. Though dark, they show the better the brightness of Gods love (Rom. 3:20-21). First, sin is branded as transgression, i.e. revolt, open and daring defection from Gods covenant (Isa. 1:2; Isa. 42:25; Jer. 52:13; Amo. 4:4; cf. 1Ki. 12:19). In this form sin is said to be forgiven, lit. taken away. Like a burden, it is lifted off the soul. Like the sins laid on the scape-goat, it is carried away into the wilderness (cf. Lev. 16:21; Joh. 1:29). Next, sin is described as a coming short of the mark. Righteousness is the true end of man, and sin is the missing of that end. This is not from mere weakness, but is the result of moral obliquity and wilfulness. In this form, sin is said to be covered. It is put out of sight, as by the blood sprinkled over the mercy-seat (Exo. 25:21; Lev. 8:14-15); and the sinner is treated as if he had not sinned (Psa. 85:2; Isa. 38:17; Isa. 44:22; 1Jn. 1:7).

Lastly, sin is regarded as iniquity, a twisting and perversion of the will from the right way,wrong-doing which not only includes guilt but punishment. In this aspect sin is said not to be reckoned. The best comment here is in the words of St. Paul (Rom. 4:6):Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousness, without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.

3. That the removal of sin is wrought by God in such a way as to secure the highest blessedness of man. Oh! the blessings, oh! the happiness of the man! Not only is guilt removed, but the heart is renewed. No guile, no falseness, either to himself or to God. The man whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is hiddenGod having cast it as a millstone into the depths of the sea,whose iniquity and perversion is not reckoned to his account, and whose guilethe deceitful and desperately wicked heartis annihilated, being emptied of sin, and filled with righteousness, is necessarily a happy man.Adam Clarke. What can be heavy to that man who is eased of the intolerable burden of sin? How animated was that saying of Luther, Smite, Lord, smite, for Thou hast absolved me from my sins!Leighton.

II. Illustrated as a fact (Psa. 32:3-5). David here speaks of himself. He had long struggled with the sense of his sin, had long been crushed to the earth with his burden, because he would not humble himself before God; but God had given him again the heart of a child. He had gone to his Father with the penitent confession, I have sinned; and, as in the parable, the Fathers heart moved towards his prodigal son when he was yet a long way off, so David found that his Father was ready to forgive. I said, I will confess, and Thou tookest away the guilt of my sin.Perowne.

1. First picture. The misery of the man who criminally delays confession (Psa. 32:3-4). These striking words show that the misery was great. Body and soul suffered. The pain was exhausting, and compelled loud and passionate complaints. Constant. It lasted as long as he kept silence. The struggle with conscience was fearful. Neither day nor night was there relief. It was as if the fires of hell were already kindled, consuming his strength, and drying up the springs of his being. Irremediable. There was no remedy, for the misery was caused by his own sin, and continued by his obstinate alienation from God. Every effort that he made to better himself, so long as he refused to humble his heart before God by confession, only aggravated his pain. The wrath of God abideth on the sinner till he flies to Christ. Thy hand was heavy upon me. That hand which when pressing is so heavy, when raising is so sweet and powerful (Psa. 37:24), and when scattering its blessings so full and so ample (Psa. 104:28; Psa. 145:16). He would not at first be humbled by the confession of his iniquity, and therefore he is humbled by the weight of the hand of God. Oh! powerful hand! beyond all comparison more grievous than any other hand to press down, and more powerful to raise up. He who suppresses his sins without confessing them,

Conceals an inward wound, and burns with secret fire.

Under the appearance of sparing, he is indeed cruel to himself. It may perhaps occasion more present pain to draw out the point of the weapon that sticks in the flesh, but to neglect it will occasion greater danger and more future torment.Leighton.

2. Second picture. The blessedness of the man who frankly confesses his sins to God (Psa. 32:5). Here is the end of the struggleconfession, and so forgiveness and peace.

Confession must be made to God. Unto Thee. The sin is against Him. To Him we must answer. He only can forgive. We need neither priest nor angel to mediate. God Himself receiveth sinners.

Confession must be frank and full. I acknowledge my sin. It is honourable to God and good for us that there should be a complete unburdening of the heart. There has been too much of extenuating, excusing, and hiding. Now, nothing should be kept back. Sin is before the soul as it is before God. The hard, sullen keeping silence is at end. There is now frank, open, ingenious confession.

What a blessed change! It is like passing from darkness to open day. It is like coming out from the concealment and foulness of a dungeon to the presence of a merciful judge. And the response is immediate (Psa. 32:5). The confession and the taking away are simultaneous. Oh! admirable clemency. It requires nothing but that the offender should plead guilty, and this, not that it may more freely punish, but more liberally forgive. He requires that we should condemn ourselves, that so He may absolve us.Leighton. Thou forgavest. But that should not end the matter. Because of the Lords mercy, nay, rather all the more on that very account, our sins should be still remembered. So it was with David. So it was with Paul, who, long after he had obtained mercy, continued to be exercised deeply about his sin, which was ever before him. So let it be with you, Oh, poor sinner! I call upon you, whatever and whosoever you are, to see your sin now, to embrace your Saviour now. You have sin enough upon your conscience now. Confess now. Believe now. But I call upon you, believing now, not lightly or hastily to dismiss the matter from your thoughts. Ponder your sin. Consider it in all its bearings. Be seeking ever, as it is ever before you, to get deeper, more searching, more humbling views of its exceeding sinfulness. For it is thus, and only thus, that by Gods grace, under the teaching of the Holy Spirit, you will be getting more and more of an insight into Gods marvellous grace and love, and proving more and more thoroughly the blessedness of a full as well as a free forgiveness, of complete reconciliation, of perfect peace.Dr. Candlish.

III. Confirmed by the experience of the godly of all ages (Psa. 32:6). These words suggest

1. The force of Gods forgiving love. It holds out hope to the chief of sinners. It inspires boldness in coming to the throne of grace. If God forgives our sin freely, what is there we may not ask? (Rom. 2:4; Joh. 12:32).

2. The power of recorded examples of forgiven sinners. Every forgiven sinner is a witness for Christ. What others preach as a doctrine, he proclaims as a fact. Bartimeus could say, I was blind, but now I see. How much more powerful this testimony than the mere report, He giveth the blind their sight. So, what multitudes have been won to Christ by the stories of the thief on the cross, Zaccheus, and Saul of Tarsus.

3. The security and peace of the godly who have made Jehovah their refuge (Psa. 32:6). They have sought mercy in an accepted time. There is a day of grace. There is a time wherein God may be found (Isa. 55:6-7; Hebrews 3.) Every pang of conscience, every sorrow of heart, every premonition of judgment, calls for instant action. Delay may be fatal. Thy people shall be willing in the day of Thy power.

They have found a refuge adequate for every emergency (Psa. 32:7). When Gods judgments are let loose as a flood they are safe. They are like Noah in the ark, Israel in Goshen. The emphasis may be laid on him. Gods love is a personal love; He cares for individuals. When trials come they may touch the things without, but not those within. They may reach to the spoiling of goods and the filching of reputation, and even to the killing of the body, but they cannot touch the immortal spirit. When the tyrant Nicocreon ordered Anaxarchus to be beaten to death in a mortar, the brave answer was, Beat and bray as thou wilt, Anaxarchus thou canst not touch. If a heathen could speak thus how much more a Christian!

They have secured delights which shall surround them all their days (Psa. 32:7). Compass me about, i.e., give me abundant cause, turn where I may, to praise Thee. Can this be the same man who, erewhile, was so wretched? What a wondrous change! Then the burden of sin, now pardon; then the grief of estrangement, now the joy of reconciliation; then the misery of a heart torn by conflicting passions and full of unrest, now the peace of God which passeth angels and the love of God for ever all understanding; then the terrors of Selah. Fitly, indeed, may we be judgment and of hell, now the songs of called to pause and ponder.

MULISHNESS

(Psa. 32:8-10.)

Mulishness is a hard, sullen, untractable spirit. It is held an offence among men, how much more heinous must it be when manifested towards God. Yet even good men have erred in this way. David speaks here from experience. He recalls with shame the time when he had in his pride kept silence, and hardened his heart against the Lord; and speaks words of warning for others. Perhaps he had Solomon specially in view, but his words have a wider reference, and are fraught with instruction (maskil) for all ages. We may understand him as speaking in the name of the Lord.

I. Mulishness thwarts the Divine plan. God has a will concerning us. He would have us to walk

1. In the right way.

2. From conviction and choice. Not of constraint, but willingly, as the result of understanding.

3. Under His is own fatherly guidance and protection. I will watch over thee with mine eye. The guidance with the eye is a gentle guidance. A look is enough, as opposed to that bit and bridle, which the mulish nature requires.Perowne. It is not only I will instruct thee, i.e., make thee to understand, and Teach thee in the way, i.e., to find and keep the right way, but also I will guide thee with mine eye. He will consider and consult upon us, He will not leave us to contingencies; no, nor to His general providence, by which all creatures are in His administration, but He will ponder us, consider us, study us; and that with His eye, which is the most sensible organ and instrument, soonest feels if anything be amiss, and so inclines Him quickly to rectify us. This implies the constancy and perseverance of Gods goodness towards us; to the end and in the end He will guide us. Except the eye of God can be put out, we cannot be put out of His sight and his care.John Donne.

II. Mulishness debases the powers of the soul. The mule is among various nations a proverbial type of stubborn persistency in evil, and we find analogous allusions to the horse in Jer. 5:8; Jer. 8:6. The reason for using a comparison with brutes, is intimated in the second clause, to wit, that the debased irrationality of sin might be distinctly brought into view. The analogy is carried out, with no small subtilty, by representing that what seems to be the trappings or mere decoration of these brutes, is really intended to coerce them, just as that in which men pride themselves may be, and if necessary will be, used by God for their restraint and subjugation. The common version of the last clauselest they come near unto thee,would be suitable enough in speaking of a wild beast, but in reference to a mule or horse, the words can only mean, because they will not follow or obey thee of their own accord, they must be constantly coerced in the way both of compulsion and constraint.Alexander. Degrading to]. Reason.

2. Conscience.

3. Affections. The man who stubbornly refuses Gods instruction necessarily sinks. He loses the Divine property of his first being. He becomes like the brutes with lower pleasures, lower pains. Instead of being guided from within, he is governed from without. Instead of being ruled by reason and through his affections, he is controlled and compelled as by force. God never goes about to rule any by fear, but those who have first trampled upon love, and are no longer subjects but rebels.

III. Mulishness imperils the highest interests of being. To such as act in this waypeace, true progress, fellowship with God, the hope of a blessed immortality are impossible. Then, Be ye not as the horse or as the mule. Be warned,this temper is not only unamiable, but bad. It is contrary to reason, contradicted by experience, condemned by revelation. Remember Cain, Balaam, Saul, Jonah. We should strive to rise instead of sink, we should aspire to be like the noblest and the best, who served God from love and not from fear. We may consider mercies as the beamings of the Almightys eye, when the light of His countenance is lifted upon us; and that man as guided by the eye, whom mercies attract and attach to his Maker. But oh! let us refuse to be guided by the eye, and it will become needful that we be curbed by the hand. If we abuse our mercies, if we forget their Author, and yield Him not gratefully the homage of our affections, we do but oblige Him, by His love for our souls, to apportion to us disaster and trouble. Complain not, then, that there is so much of sorrow in your lot; but consider rather how much of it you may have wilfully brought upon yourselves. Ah! if you would account for many mercies that have departed, if you would insure permanence to those that are yet left, examine how deficient you may hitherto have been, and strive to be more diligent for the future, in obeying an admonition which implies that we should be guided by the soft lustres of the eye, if our obduracy did not render indispensable the harsh constraints of the rein.Henry Melville.

SORROW AND MERCY JUSTLY DISTRIBUTED

I. The Sorrows of the wicked (Psa. 32:10).

1. Many.

2. Self caused.

3. Inevitable. Wicked. This is their character, and their lot corresponds. They refuse instruction. In pride and obstinacy they persist in their own evil thoughts and evil ways, and pierce themselves through with many sorrows. And though God has provided a way of pardon they reject it. This is their damning sin. A rejected Saviour is hell.

He endures

What does he not! From lusts opposing in vain,
And self reproaching conscience. He foresees
The fatal issue to his health, fame, peace,
Fortune, and dignity; the loss of all
That can ennoble man, and make frail life,
Short as it is, supportable. Still worse
Far worse than all the plagues with which his sins
Infect his happiest moments, he forebodes
Ages of hopeless misery.COWPER.

II. The mercy promised to the righteous. Mark their

1. Character. Trusteth in the Lord.

2. Their blessedness. Mercy shall compass him about. He shall be surrounded with mercy, as one is by the air, or by the sunlight.Barnes. Mercy for soul and body. Mercy on every side and at every turn. Mercy amid all the varied trials of life. Mercy at death and judgment, and for ever and ever. Mark that text, said Richard Atkins to his grandson who was reading to him this psalm. I read it in my youth and believed it, and now I read it in my old age, and thank God, I know it to be true. Oh! it is a blessed thing in the midst of the joys and sorrows of the world to trust in the Lord.

Think of the light thrown upon both of these truths by the Word of God, the experience of men, and especially by the Cross of Christ. Let the sufferings and death of Jesus show the evil of sin, and the certain ruin of the ungodly. Let the example and life of Jesus show the blessedness of obedience, and the eternal joy of all who trust in the Lord.

JOY IN THE LORD CHRIST

(Psa. 32:11.)

I. Because of the beauty of His that is perfect. He is supremely lovely character. Everything meets in Him and lovesome.

Intellectual culture may make indefinite progress, the natural sciences may push forth their limits and gain in profundity and extent, the human mind may expand as it will, but it will never surpass the moral culture of Christianity as seen in the Gospels.Goethe.

Only one life there is without a stain,
Accomplishing the Fathers perfect will,
With highest aim, yet never aimed in vain,
Attempting nought which must be tried again:
Even all the thoughts of God it did fulfil.
Perfect the sinless beauty of His ways,
Perfect the wisdom of His faithful love;
Perfect the trust that walked with God always,
Perfect in suffering, perfect in the praise
Which still like incense rose to Heaven above.
Oh! fairer thou than sons of men! and yet
Not terrible Thy beauty. In sweet accord
All tender graces in Thy being met,
And of their fulness all Thy people get,
Still growing to the fulness of their Lord.

WALTER SMITH.

II. Because of the splendour of His achievements. His victories are moral. He has vanquished sin and death. He still goes forth conquering and to conquer. Wherever truth prevails, and righteousness is established, and immortal souls are rescued from sin and woe, and brought back to love and holiness, there we behold the works of the Son of God.

III. Because of the blessedness of His reign. The call to rejoice finds a response in every true heart. It is obeyed, not from constraint, but willingly; not so much as a duty as a delight. It is the irrepressible impulse of admiration, gratitude, and love. When the poet Carpani asked his friend Haydn how it happened that his church music was so cheerful, the beautiful answer was, I cannot make it otherwise; I write according to the thoughts I feel. When I think upon God, my heart is so full of joy that the notes dance and leap, as it were, from my pen; and since God has given me a cheerful heart, it will be pardoned me that I serve Him with a cheerful spirit.Whitecross Anecdotes. Beyond the sea was a noble lady, on whose house alway the sun shone on the day, and on the night the moon. Of this many men marvelled. At the last, the fame of this came to the Bishop, a worthy man, and he went for to see her, hoping that she was of great penance in clothing, or in meat, or in other things. And when he came he saw her alway merry and glad. The Bishop said, Dame, what eat ye? She answered, and said, Divers meats, and delicate. Then he asked if she used the hair (the haircloths). She said, Nay. After this the Bishop marvelled. And when he had taken his leave of the lady, and was gone his way, he thought he would ask her more of another thing, and went again to her, and said, Love ye not mickle Jesus Christ? She said, Yes, I love Him, for He is all my love; for when I think of His sweetness I may not withhold myself for gladness and mirth. Quoted by Lord Lyndsay from Gesta Romanorum.

Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell

Psalms 32, 33
DESCRIPTIVE TITLE

Felicitations to the Forgiven, and Examples of the Songs that they Sing.

ANALYSIS

Part I., Psalms 32. Stanza I., Psa. 32:1-4, Happy the Forgiven; yet Divine Discipline has sometimes to Drive to Confession. Stanza II., Psa. 32:5-6, Confession brings Pardon, and promotes Exhortation. Stanza III., Psa. 32:7, Petitions prompted by Exhortation. Stanza IV., Psa. 32:8-9, Divine Response to Petitions. Stanza V., Psa. 32:10-11, A Moral and an Invitation.

Part II., Psalms 33. Stanza I., Psa. 32:1-5, Praise to Jehovah urged by his Word, Work, and Character. Stanza II., Psa. 33:6-9, Jehovahs Creatorship a Ground for Earths Reverence. Stanza III., Psa. 33:10-12, Jehovah Overruleth ill Nations for the Good of his Own Nation. Stanza IV., Psa. 33:13-17, Jehovahs Regard for All Nations should Wean them from Trust in Brute Force. Stanza V., Psa. 33:18-22, Experience Gratefully Closes the Song.

(Lm.) By DavidAn Instructive Psalm.

1

How happy is he

whose transgressions is forgiven,[336]

[336] Ml.: lifted off, taken away.

whose sin is pardoned,[337]

[337] Ml.: covered.

2

How happy the man

to whom Jehovah reckoneth not iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

3

When I refused to confess[338] my bones became old with my loud lamentation;[339]

[338] Ml.: when I kept silence.
[339] M.T. adds: all the day.

for day and night heavy on me was thy hand,

4

I was changed into misery as when thorns smite me.[340]

[340] So Br., after Sep.

5

My sin I then made known to thee,

and mine iniquity did I not cover:

I saidI will confess concerning my transgressions to Jehovah,
and thou didst forgive mine iniquity my sin didst pardon.[341]

[341] Prob. s-l-h (=pardon) was omitted because of its close resemblance to s-l-h (=selah).see Br.

6

For this cause let the[342] man of kindness pray unto thee in a time of distress.[343]

[342] M.T.: every.
[343] So Br., reading m-z-k for m-z-r-k. Cp. O.G. 848a.

At the outburst of waters unto him shall they not reach.

7

O thou my hiding-place! from distress wilt thou preserve me,

with jubilations of deliverance wilt thou encompass me!

8

I will give thee understandingI will instruct thee in the way thou shouldst go,

I will counsel theewill fix[344] on thee mine eye.

[344] So. Br. with Syriac.

9

Do not become as the horse as the mulewithout understanding,

having bridle and halter as his harness for holding him in.[345]

[345] M.T. adds: he will not come near thee.

10

Many pains hath the lawless one,

but he that trusteth in Jehovah kindness will encompass him.

11

Be glad in Jehovah and exult, O ye righteous ones;

and ring out your joy, all ye upright in heart.

(Nm.)

Psalms 33

(Nm.)

1

Ring out your joy ye righteous in Jehovah,

to the upright seemly is praise:

2

Give thanks to Jehovah with the lyre,

with a lute of ten strings make melody to him:

3

Sing to him a song that is new,

with skill sweep the strings with sacred shout.

4

For straightforward is the word of Jehovah,

and all his work is in faithfulness.

5

He loveth righteousness and justice,

of the kindness of Jehovah the earth is full.

6

By the word of Jehovah the heavens were made,

and by the breath of his mouth all their host:

7

Gathering as into a skin the waters of the sea,

delivering into treasuries the roaring[346] deep.

[346] Or: primevalBr.

8

Let all the earth be in fear of Jehovah,

of him stand in awe all the inhabitants of the world;

9

For he said Be![347] and it was,

[347] So Carter.

he commanded and it stood forth.

10

Jehovah hath frustrated the counsel of nations,

he hath brought to nothing the plans of the peoples.

11

The counsel of Jehovah to the ages shall stand,

the plans of his heart to generation after generation.

12

How happy the nation whose God is Jehovah,

the people he hath chosen as an inheritance for himself.

13

Out of the heavens hath Jehovah intently looked,

he hath seen all the sons of mankind:

14

Out of his fixed place of abode hath he directed his gaze

unto all the inhabitants of earth:

15

Who fashioneth together their heart,

who giveth heed unto all their doings.

16

Not the king can win victory by greatness of force,

a mighty man will not deliver himself by greatness strength:

17

A delusion is the horse for victory,[348]

[348] Or: safety (as Dr.)

and by his greatness of force shall he not deliver.

18

Lo! the eye[349] of Jehovah is toward them who revere him,

[349] Some cod. (w. Sep., Syr., Vul.): eyes (pl.)Gn.

to such as have waited for his kindness:

19

To rescue from death their soul,

and to keep them alive in famine.

20

Our own soul hath longed for Jehovah,

our help and our shield is he.

21

For in him shall our heart rejoice

for in his holy name have we trusted.

23

Be thy kindness O Jehovah upon us,

according as we have waited for thee.

(Nm.)

PARAPHRASE

Psalms 32

What happiness for those whose guilt has been forgiven! What joys when sins are covered over! What relief for those who have confessed their sins and God has cleared their record.
3 There was a time when I wouldnt admit what a sinner I was.[350] But my dishonesty made me miserable and filled my days with frustration.

[350] Literally, When I kept silence.

4 All day and all night Your hand was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water on a sunny day
5 Until I finally admitted all my sins to You and stopped trying to hide them. I said to myself, I will confess them to the Lord. And You forgave me! All my guilt is gone!
6 After this experience, I say that every believer should confess his sins to God as soon as he becomes aware of them, while there is yet time to be forgiven. If he does this, judgment will not touch him.[351]

[351] Literally, When the great waters overflow they shall not reach him.

7 You are my hiding place from every storm of life; You even keep me from getting into trouble! You surround me with songs of victory.
8 I will instruct you (says the Lord) and guide you along the best pathway for your life; I will advise you and watch your progress.
9 Dont be like a senseless horse or mule that has to have a bit in its mouth to keep it in line!
10 May sorrows come to the wicked, but adding love surrounds those who trust in the Lord.
11 So rejoice in Him, all those who are His,[352] and shout for joy, all those who try to obey Him.[353]

[352] Literally, You righteous.
[353] Literally, All who are upright in heart.

Psalms 33

Let the joys of the godly well up in praise to the Lord, for it is right to praise Him.
2 Play joyous melodies of praise upon the lyre and on the harp!
3 Compose new songs of praise to Him, accompanied skillfully on the harp; sing joyfully.
4 For all Gods words are right, and everything He does is worthy of our trust.
5 He loves whatever is just and good; the earth is filled with His tender love.
6 He merely spoke, and the heavens were formed, and all the galaxies of stars.
7 He made the oceans, pouring them into His vast reservoirs.
8 Let everyone in all the worldmen, women and childrenfear the Lord and stand in awe of Him.
9 For when He but spoke, the world began! It appeared at His command!
10 And all with a breath He can scatter the plans of all the nations who oppose Him,
11 But His own plan stands forever. His intentions are the same for every generation.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, whose people He has chosen as His own.
13, 14, 15 The Lord gazes down upon mankind from heaven where He lives. He has made their hearts and closely watches everything they do.
16, 17 The best-equipped army cannot save a kingfor great strength is not enough to save anyone. A war horse is a poor risk for winning victoriesit is strong but it cannot save.
18, 19 But the eyes of the Lord are watching over those who fear Him, who rely upon His steady love. He will keep them from death even in times of famine!
20 We depend upon the Lord alone to save us. Only He can help us, He protects us like a shield.
21 No wonder we are happy in the Lord! For we are trusting Him! We trust His holy name.
22 Yes, Lord, let Your constant love surround us, for our hopes are in You alone.

EXPOSITION

The headlines serve to individualize psalms . . . this fact will yield important results . . . There is no headline to Psalms 33, so on the surface it belongs to Psalms 32. A study of the material places the relation beyond question (Thirtle, O.T.P., 102). This witness is true; and, in the present case, adds quite an unusual interest to the sequence thus assumed. Kirkpatrick had already called attention to the close relationship between the two psalms. At the commencement of his comments on Psalms 33, he says: The psalm begins by repeating the call to praise with which the preceding psalm closed, and recites the grounds on which Jehovah is worthy to be praised. It stands here as an answer to the invitation of Psa. 32:11, an example of the songs of deliverance spoken of in Psa. 32:7. Yet it differs widely in character from Psalms 32. That psalm is an instruction based upon a particular personal experience; this is a congregational hymn of praise, arising (if indeed any special event inspired it) out of some national deliverance. If to these observations we add the suggestion, that it is when a man receives and enjoys the forgiveness of his personal sins, that he is prepared to unite with all saints in the celebration of public mercies, we shall perhaps have received the inwardness of the connection between these two psalms. Not that a single reference to the fact of such connection can by any means exhaust its fruitfulness. It is nothing less than thrilling, to hear David, when forgiven, calling out in spirit, to his son Hezekiah in Psa. 32:6; to think of the latter (Psa. 32:7) coming into just such a time of distress; in imminent danger of being swept away by the outburst of the mighty (Assyrian) waters (cp. Isa. 8:7-8); and that nevertheless they did not reach him. Thus in Psa. 33:7 we may detect the response to Psa. 33:6. The earlier verse said Let him pray: in the later verse he does pray, and we seem to hear Hezekiah crying unto Jehovah, and promising at the close of his petitions the very thing that he promised more explicitly in Isa. 38:20. To complete the entwining of these bonds of connection between the two psalms, and Isaiah, it may be observed how admirably Psa. 33:10-11 compares with Isa. 8:10; Isa. 14:24-27; Isa. 46:10.

To the reader who has grounded himself carefully in the text of these psalms, and has also grasped the illuminating connection between the two, little more assistance need be offered than a few brief notes on the successive groups of verses as they are rapidly passed in review.

Psa. 32:1-4 (Psalms 32). The great thing here is to ponder well the undoubted truth, that unforgiven sin must sooner or later be punished. Second only to this, is the reflection, that unconfessed sin cannot be forgiven. It follows that all Divine chastisements, whichfalling short of capital punishmentare fitted to lead to the confessing and forsaking of sin, are administered in mercy, whatever instruments are used to inflict them. How much misery might be spared us, if we would sooner humbly confess our transgressions!

Psa. 32:5-6. If sin can be pardoned, every other mercy may be hoped for and be made a subject of prayer. Hence the opening clause of Psa. 32:6 is perhaps wider than For thisnamely forgiveness. Rather does it suggest: That the man whose heart is touched by the Divine kindness may embolden himself to pray that a pardoning God would become a delivering God. In passing, we may note how well the various reading distress in Psa. 32:6 prepares for the distress of Psa. 32:7.

Psa. 32:7. To perceive in this verse a response to the appeal of the previous, is to discover a reason for its abruptness and brevity. It is graphic: neither advice to pray, nor promise, but PRAYER. As already suggested: it seemed like Hezekiahs practical response to David. What is stanzistical uniformity, compared with such tokens of life?

Psa. 32:8-9 are surely (with Kirkpatrick) Jehovahs words rather than (with Delitzsch and Perowne) the psalmists. The reference to horse and mule seems to say, Let us beware of becoming brutish, lest Divine Pity have to deal with us sternly.

Psa. 32:10-11. The lawless one reminds us of Rabshakeh Psa. 1:1 note, Psa. 9:17, and he that trusteth in Jehovah of Hezekiah (2Ki. 18:5).

Psa. 33:1-5 (Psalms 33). Jehovah is no tribal God, as men sometimes mistakenly say: With the kindness of Jehovah, the earth, and not merely the land of Israel, is full; for this alone leads on to what follows.

Psa. 33:6-9. Creation is wide as the earth, and furnishes reason why all the world should revere Jehovah, who, as Hezekiah delights to tell us (Psa. 121:2; Psa. 134:3) is Maker of heaven and earth.

Psa. 33:10-12. Nevertheless vain are the counsels of the other nations, when directed against the nation whom Jehovah has chosen as his own inheritance.

Psa. 33:13-17. Far from neglecting the nations, Jehovah severely discounts their trust in brute force.

Psa. 33:18-22. He has a watchful regard for all who in any nation revere him; but happy are they who know him and trust him. So sings one of a remnant who can speak from experience of what Jehovah has done for their own soul: knowing what they do, they long, they rejoice, they trust, they pray they wait!

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1.

Paul felt the teaching of this psalm was very much a part of the joys of a Christian. Read Rom. 4:6-8 and discuss; both as the psalm relates to David and as the truth relates to each of us.

2.

Notice the fourfold description of evil. Discuss the meaning of these four words: (1) transgression, (2) sin, (3) iniquity, (4) guile.

3.

When we will not admit, confess and forsake our sin a terrible payment is exacted in our personalityin our physical bodiesin our minds. Discuss. Read Psa. 32:3-4.

4.

What therapeutic value is there in confessing our sins one to another? (Jas. 5:16); or should this be only a confession to God?

5.

After we are forgiven we have a deep sense of securityrelief, but our relationship to God does not end here; we are not to be like a horse or mulehow so? Discuss.

Psalms 33

6.

Are we to understand by verses one through three of this psalm that it is possible that a Hebrew without Christ had such joy in his heart that he actually expressed it in the manner here described? Discuss.

7.

How can it be true that of the kindness of Jehovah the earth is full or the earth is full of His tender love.?

8.

Hallowed be Thy name! This was the first thought in the prayer of our Lord. When we consider the creation of our God is there any other response?

9.

Jehovah is not only the God of creationHe is the God of history. Read and discuss Psa. 33:10 through 19 with this thought.

10.

There is a way to be glad and have the highest hope. Read Psa. 33:20-22 for the divine formula. Make specific application of this to your life.

Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

(1, 2) Transgressionsininiquity.The same terms used here to express the compass and heinousness of sin are found, though in different order, in Exo. 34:7. For St. Pauls reading of this passage, see Rom. 4:6-7.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

1. Covered This is the literal signification of the Hebrew word, and is here used synonymously with forgiven, as if, when sin is pardoned, it is hidden, put out of sight; that is, it was without further judicial recognition. In this sense it is equal to , ( kaphar,) to cover, which is the standing word for to atone, to expiate, as Neh 4:5; (compare Hebrews 3:37;) Psa 85:2. The Hebrews knew of no pardon without atonement. Expiation annihilated guilt, and was the basis of all communion with God. In this case, as David offered no animal sacrifice of expiation, a higher and more prototypical view of the subject must have sustained his faith. See on Psa 51:16

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

He Praises God For The Fact That He Has Been Forgiven ( Psa 32:1-2 ).

Psa 32:1-2

‘Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,

Whose sin is covered.

Blessed is the man to whom YHWH does not impute iniquity,

And in whose spirit there is no guile.’

The Psalmist opens the Psalm with praise to God for the fact that he has been forgiven, his sin has been covered and he has been declared as righteous by God as a result of the removal of the imputation of his sins. All this was because his sin had been ‘covered’, that is, hidden out of sight. We note that there are three words used in order to describe his sins. ‘Transgression’ means ‘to rebel against God’. ‘Sin’ means ‘to miss the mark’. ‘Iniquity’ refers to inward moral distortion and depravity. He is thus conscious that he has been rebellious, that he has come short of the mark, and that he is sinful within. And as a result he recognises three responses from God. The first is forgiveness, the second is the covering of his sin as under a blanket, and the third is the non-imputation of his iniquity. In other words he is forgiven, he is seen as blameless through the merciful action of God, and he is counted as righteous before God’s throne of judgment. But this is only because he has first come openly to God (he is guileless of heart) and has openly admitted to his awareness of his guilt

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

Psalms 32

Psa 32:1-2 Old Testament Quotes in the New Testament – Paul quotes from these verses in Rom 4:6-7.

Rom 4:6-7, “Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.”

Psa 32:1  (A Psalm of David, Maschil.) Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

Psa 32:1 Word Study on “Maschil” Gesenius says the Hebrew word “Maschil” ( ) (H4905) is a participle meaning, “a didactic poem.” Strong it means, “instructive,” thus “a didactic poem,” being derived from ( ) (H7919), which literally means, “to be circumspect, and hence intelligent.” The Enhanced Strong says it is found 13 times in the Old Testament being translated in the KJV all 13 times as “Maschil.” It is used as a title for thirteen of the 150 psalms (Psalms 32; Psalms 42, 44, 45, 52 through 55; 74; 78; 88; 89; 142).

Most modern translations do as the KJV and transliterate this Hebrew word as “maschil,” thus avoiding the possibility of a mistranslation. The LXX reads “for instruction.” YLT reads “An Instruction.” Although some of these psalms are didactic in nature, scholars do not feel that all fit this category. The ISBE says, “Briggs suggests ‘a meditation,’ Thirtle and others ‘a psalm of instruction,’ Kirkpatrick ‘a cunning psalm.’” [43]

[43] John Richard Sampey, “Psalms,” in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, ed. James Orr (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., c1915, 1939), in The Sword Project, v. 1.5.11 [CD-ROM] (Temple, AZ: CrossWire Bible Society, 1990-2008).

Psa 32:3  When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long.

Psa 32:3 Comments – When we do not confess our sins, it begins to affect our health.

Psa 32:8  I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.

Psa 32:6-8 Comments – Psa 32:6-8 show us the blessings of confessed sin. It brings God’s protection, deliverance and guidance in our daily lives.

Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures

Of the Justification of a Poor Sinner.

A psalm of David, Maschil, a contemplation, written probably after David had been restored to the grace of God, a little more than a year after his great sin with Bathsheba, 2Sa 11:21. The psalm pictures sin in the fullness of its terror and shows that no man may be just before God in his own person, being dependent entirely upon the grace and mercy of God in Christ Jesus.

v. 1. Blessed is he, literally, “O the blessings of him,” those which he possesses, whose transgression is forgiven, not condoned, but taken away, whose sin is covered, so that the just and holy God no longer sees it, as it were. In what sense this is possible is shown in the next verse.

v. 2. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, does not regard him as having committed the transgression, although sin in every form and manifestation cannot be undone, and in whose spirit there is no guile, no deceit and insincerity, which tries to cover up the wickedness, to excuse the transgression. Forgiveness of sins means that sin has lost its character as a debt and guilt still lying upon man by the fact that it was imputed to another, to the Redeemer. This remission of sins is here rightly called a blessing, for it is the greatest gift of God to sinful man. At the same time it should be noted that a full and free confession of sin does not merit forgiveness, but is a condition of remission in the sense that a denial of guilt shuts a person out from justification on the part of God.

v. 3. When I kept silence, during that long year when he was conscious of his sin, but refused to acknowledge it, my bones waxed old, wasting away, withering like a flower during the time of drought, through my roaring all the day long, the howling and whining which went on in his inmost heart as the voice of his conscience drove him to despair.

v. 4. For day and night Thy hand was heavy upon me, as long as he refused to turn to the Lord in true repentance; my moisture is turned into the drought of summer, all his vitality having left him. As long as sin is unforgiven, it devours the very marrow of the bones and kills all joy of life, like a canker or blight. Selah. Such is the condition of the unrepentant: the wrath of God rests upon them, giving them a foretaste of the terrible punishment which will strike them in hell. But all this finally had its effect upon David.

v. 5. I acknowledged my sin unto Thee, in a full and free confession, and mine iniquity have I not hid. He had finally realized the guilt and damnableness of his crime; he had become conscious of the fact that he had transgressed against the great God in heaven. This sorrow of his heart he then made known. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord, openly acknowledging his iniquity, this state of mind being brought about by the visit of the prophet Nathan, 2Sa 12:13; and Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin, the guilt which he had heaped upon himself by his transgression. As soon as the first evidences of divine sorrow are present in the heart, forgiveness of sins is immediately dispensed by the Lord. He that is truly repentant longs for forgiveness and receives the forgiveness, as it has been gained for all men, with a believing heart. The comfort of forgiveness is eagerly accepted by a broken heart. Selah. David now sings a Song of praise in honor of God for the forgiveness he has experienced, in which he now lives.

v. 6. For this shall every one that is godly, every true believer, as a saint in the eyes of God, pray unto Thee in a time when Thou mayest be found; for all repentant, believing sinners constantly entreat the Lord to grant them His grace. Surely in the floods of great waters, when God in His anger dispenses His judgments, they shall not come nigh unto him, the righteous being spared such manifestations of God’s anger, all their tribulations being mere merciful chastisements in the hand of God. With this assurance, David, and every believer with him, prays,

v. 7. Thou art my hiding-place, God’s mercy being the protection against the anger which strikes the unrepentant; Thou shalt preserve me from trouble, from all terror and fear of damnation; Thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance; because his soul is saved by the mercy of God, the believer sings songs of joy and exultation. Selah. The Lord now, on the basis of David’s experience, gives some earnest advice to all whom His words can reach, especially to all sinners who have accepted His grace and are trying to walk in His ways.

v. 8. I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go, the eye of the Lord being directed upon every believer; I will guide thee with Mine eye, counseling him with His eye upon him. That is a consequence of the sinner’s justification, the new obedience, his willingness to walk in the ways of the Lord.

v. 9. Be ye not as the horse or as the mule, irrational brutes, which have no understanding; whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee, that is, without the aid of such means, without force, it is impossible to control and direct brute animals. The obedience of the believers, repentant sinners as they are, is a ready and willing obedience.

v. 10. Many sorrows shall be to the wicked, who are continually opposing the will of the Lord; but he that trusteth in the Lord, relying upon Him and following His guidance readily, mercy shall compass him about, the loving kindness of Jehovah surrounding him on all sides and showing itself in many deeds of goodness, as wonderful pledges of His mercy.

v. 11. Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, ye righteous, the grace of God which they have experienced being the motive for continual joy; and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart, thanking the Lord for all the blessings of His favor and compassion, as shown in the forgiveness of sins. Thus the entire life of the believers is spent in thanking the Lord for His grace and mercy, in humble preparation for the eternal rejoicing in heaven.

Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann

EXPOSITION

THIS psalm has been selected by the Church for one of the “seven penitential psalms.” It forms a part of the service of the synagogue on the great Day of Atonement. Yet it is almost as much jubilant as penitent. It opens with two beatitudes. The writer, while very sensible of his sin (Psa 32:3-5), is still more sensible of the fact that his sin is pardoned (Psa 32:1, Psa 32:2, Psa 32:7, Psa 32:10). While his first words breathe content and gratitude, his last are a shout of rejoicing (Psa 32:10). It is allowed generally that the psalm is David’s. Written probably soon after his repentance, but not immediately after, it expresses at once his sorrow for his grievous lapse, and his joy when he dwelt in thought upon the words, “The Lord also hath put away thy sin” (2Sa 12:13). It likewise tells us something of his state of feeling during the interval between the commission of the sin and Nathan’s coming to him (Psa 32:3, Psa 32:4).

The last word of the title, “Maschil,” is thought to mean that the psalm was intended for instruction, warning, or admonition; the word maschil, or rather maskil, being formed from askil,” to instruct”the opening word of the eighth versoused also in Psa 2:10; Psa 53:2, etc. There are thirteen psalms thus inscribed, all more or less of a didactic character.

Rhythmically, the psalm seems to be composed of six strophes, each of two verses; but in the third strophe the two verses have been joined in one.

Psa 32:1

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, and whose sin is covered. There are three aspects under which sin is viewed in Holy Scripture:

1. As an offence against God’s Law. This is “transgression”.

2. As an offence against the eternal and immutable rule of right. This is “sin”.

3. As an internal depravation and defilement of the sinner’s soul. This is “iniquity “ (comp. Exo 34:7). Each aspect of sin has its own especial remedy, or manner of removal. The “transgression” is “lifted up,” “taken away,” more vaguely . The “sin” is “covered, . hidden” . The “iniquity” is “not imputed” . The union of all three, as here in Psa 32:1, Psa 32:2, is complete remission or forgiveness.

Psa 32:2

Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity. “Iniquity”the defilement of the sinner’s own soul by sinis not at once removable; if removable at all, it is only so by long lapse of time, and God’s special mercy. But God can, at his own will and at any moment, “not impute” itnot count it against the sinner to his detriment. Then in God’s sight the man is clean; it is as though the iniquity were not there. And in whose spirit there is no guile; i.e. no false seemingno hypocrisywhere repentance has been sincere and real.

Psa 32:3

When I kept silence; i.e. so long as I did not acknowledge my sinwhile I remained silent about it, quite aware that I hod sinned grievously, suffering in conscience, but not confessing it even to myself. The time spoken of is that which immediately followed the commission of the adultery, and which continued until Nathan uttered the words, “Thou art the man!” (2Sa 12:7). My bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long; i.e. I suffered grievous pain, both bodily and mental. My bones ached (comp. Psa 6:2; Psa 31:10); and I “roared,” or groaned, in spirit, all the day long.” Unconfessed sin rankles in the heart of a man who is not far gone in vice, but has been surprised into a wicked action, no sooner done than regretted. Such a one, in Archbishop Leighton’s words, “Vulnus alit venis et caeco carpitur igne.”

Psa 32:4

For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me. David sees now that his sufferings at this time came from God, and were a part of the punishment of his sin. They continued without intermission both by day and by night. His conscience was never wholly at rest. My moisture is turned into the drought of summer; literally, my sap was changed through summer drought; i.e. the vital principle, which had been strong in him, was changedburnt up and exhaustedby the heat of God’s wrath.

Psa 32:5

I acknowledged my sin unto thee. Conscience once fully awakened, all reticence was broken down. David confessed his sin fully and freelyconfessed it as “sin,” as “transgression,” and as “iniquity” (compare the comment on Psa 32:1). And mine iniquity have I not hid; rather, did I not hide. I did not attempt to gloss over or conceal the extent of my guilt, but laid my soul bare before thee. Hengstenberg well remarks that the psalmist is probably not speaking of a “making known by the mouth,” but of “an inward confession, such as is accompanied with painful repentance and sorrow, with begging of pardon for sin and for the offence rendered to the Divine Majesty.” I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Upon David’s confession, whether it were inward or outward, followed without any interval God’s forgivenessforgiveness which, however, did not preclude the exaction of a penalty required for the justification of God’s ways to man (2Sa 12:14), and also, perhaps, for proper impressing of the offender himself, who would have been less sensible of the heinousness of his sin, if it had gone unpunished.

Psa 32:6

For this; or, because of this; i.e. on account of this experience of minethis immediate following of the grant of forgiveness upon confession of sinshall every one that is godlyi.e; that is sincere and earnest in religion, though he may be overtaken in a fault or surprised into a sinpray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found; literally, in a time of finding, which some understand as a time when God “finds,” and visits, some iniquity in his servants, and others, as the Authorized Version, “in a time when thou art gracious, and allowest thyself to be found by those who approach thee.” Surely in the floods of great waters they (i.e. the waters) shall not come nigh unto him; i.e. shall not approach such a man to injure him.

Psa 32:7

Thou art my hiding-place (comp. Psa 17:8; Psa 27:5; Psa 31:20; Psa 143:9); thou shalt preserve me from trouble. Hidden in God, there can no harm happen to him. Thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. “Songs of deliver-ante” are such songs as men sing when they have been delivered from peril. God will make such songs to sound in the psalmist’s ears or in his heart.

Psa 32:8, Psa 32:9

St. Jerome, and others after him, including Dr. Kay, have regarded this passage as an utterance of God, who first admonishes David, and then passes on to an admonition of the Israelites generally. But such a sudden intrusion of a Divine utterance, without any notice of a change of speaker, is without parallel in the Psalms, and should certainly not be admitted without some plain necessity. Here is no necessity at all. The words are quite suitable in the mouth of David, as an admonition to the Israelites of his time; they accord with the title, which he himself seems to have prefixed to the psalm, and explain it; and they fulfil the promise made in Psa 51:15.

Psa 32:8

I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go. We must suppose the “godly man” of Psa 32:6 addressed, if we regard David as the speaker. Such a man was not beyond the need of instruction and teaching, since he was liable to sins of infirmity, and even to grievous falls, as had been seen by David’s example. I will guide thee with mine eye; i.e. “I will keep watch over thee with mine eye, and guide thee as I see to be necessary.”

Psa 32:9

Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding. The singular is exchanged for the plural, since the “instruction” is now intended, not for the godly man only, but for all. Israel had been always stiff-necked (Exo 32:9; Exo 33:3, Exo 33:5; Exo 34:9; Deu 9:6, Deu 9:13; Deu 10:16; 2Ch 30:8; Act 7:51), like a restive horse or mule. David exhorts them to be so no more. The horse and mule are excusable, since they “have no understanding “or, “no discernment”Israel would be inexcusable, since it had the gift of reason. Whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle; rather, whose adornings are with bit and bridle to hold them in (compare the Revised Version). Lest they come near unto thee. This clause is obscure. It may mean, “Lest they come too near to thee,” so as to do thee damage, as when a riding horse tosses his head and strikes the rider in the face, or when a chariot horse rears and falls back upon the driver; or it may mean, “Else they will not come near to thee,” i.e. until they are trapped with bit and bridle, they will refuse to come near to thee.

Psa 32:10

Many sorrows shall be to the wicked. A further warning to those addressed in the preceding verse. The LXX. emphasize this by substituting for the generic “sorrows” the specific , “lashes,” the usual punishment of the horse and mule. But he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about (comp. Deu 32:10).

Psa 32:11

Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous. David’s psalms almost always end with a note of joy, or at any rate in a tone that is cheerful and encouraging. The present psalm, though reckoned among the penitential ones, both begins and ends with joyful utterances. In Psa 32:1, Psa 32:2 David pours forth the feeling of gladness which fills his own heart. Here he calls upon the “righteous” generally, who yet need forgiveness, to rejoice with him. And shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart. All ye, i.e; who are honest and sincere in your endeavours after well-doing. The phrase explains the “righteous” of the preceding hemistich.

HOMILETICS

Psa 32:1

The blessedness of pardon.

“Blessed is he,” etc. The Old Testament Scriptures contain what we may call moral prophecies, no less striking than the historical and typical prophecies. This verse is among them. Beginning with this grand Bible word “blessed” (like Psa 1:1-6.), it resembles an echo, a thousand years beforehand, of the Sermon on the Mount. We find here, not only “the shadow of good things to come,” but “the very image” of the gospel promises of pardon and justification. Accordingly, St. Paul quotes and argues from these words (Rom 4:5-8).

(1) In what does this blessedness consist?

(2) How is it attained?

I. IN WHAT DOES THIS BLESSEDNESS CONSIST?

1. In the actual fact of deliverance from the guilt and punishment of transgression. Forgiveness is a reality on God’s part, because sin is a reality on our part. Forgiveness, or justification, is sometimes spoken of as “treating the sinner as though he had not sinned.” This is but loose, figurative language. The reverse is the case. Forgiveness implies sin (Rom 4:5). Sin may have alleviationsignorance, overpowering temptation, constitutional infirmity, and so forthbut as sin it is disobedience to God’s Law. Therefore if God has really given a moral law to men, he is bound as righteous (Gen 18:25) to take account of sin-of every sin of every sinner. Men have sinned (Rom 3:23). Therefore (innocence being lost)every one must necessarily be either forgiven or condemned. Accordingly, our Saviour always speaks of forgiveness as a definite act (Mat 9:2, Mat 9:6; Luk 7:47). His apostles in like manner (1Jn 2:12; Act 2:38; Act 13:38, Act 13:39).

2. In the joyful consciousness of pardon and reconciliation to God. These twothe fact and the consciousnessought always to go together; but, as matter of fact, they do not. It is a great mistake to confound faith with assurance. Perfect, undoubting faith in God’s promise, if that promise be rightly understood, must needs bring with it the blessed and joyful certainty of the fulfilment of the promise. But faith may be real, yet far from perfect; clouded by ignorance or error; enfeebled by doubt and fear shadowed by self-distrust, yet real, like the faith of sinking Peter.

3. In the holy and happy influence of this belief and sense of forgiveness on the heart and life; making God loved, sin hated, self humbled, obedience happy and free from bondage. Deliver-ante from the punishment of sin is not to be overrated as the chief element in this blessedness; yet it is a real and powerful source.

II. HOW OBTAINED?

1. The first step is a true sense of sin and of the need of pardon. This height of joy is reached at a rebound from the dust of self-abasement.

2. Personal reliance on Christ, acceptance of his atonement, and of God’s offer and promise of pardon through him.

3. The study of God‘s Word, with prayer for the Holy Spirit‘s teaching. (2Co 4:6; Eph 1:17-19.) Make sure, first, what God’s Word really declares; then take God at his word. Beware of the subtile delusion of putting your own faith in place of Christ.

Psa 32:1

(Second outline.)

The blessedness of pardon

may belong to widely different stages of Christian experience. Take, e.g; those of which we have images in Bunyan’s ‘Pilgrim’s Progress ‘in Christian’s entering the wicket-gate, losing his burden, escaping from the dungeon of Giant Despair. First faith; full faith; recovered faith.

I. THE BLESSEDNESS OF A FIRST FAITH. A first conscious, undoubting reception of God’s promisethe glad tidings (Luk 24:47; Act 13:32, Act 13:38); and personal acceptance of Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord (Act 16:30-34).

II. THE BLESSEDNESS OF FULL FAITH. Unlimited trust in all that God has pro raised, and acceptance of all that he has given us in Christ. Christian was in the path of salvation, the way of life, from the moment he entered the gate; but he was not quit of his burden till he came in full view of the cross of Christ (1Jn 4:16, 1Jn 4:19; 1Jn 5:12).

III. THE BLESSEDNESS OF FAITH RESTORED AFTER FAILURE, The joy of forgiveness, forfeited by sin, recovered; and love, faith, hope, again kindled by the Holy Spirit, in place of gloom and despair. Christian was far on in his journey when he and his comrade strayed into By-path Meadow and fell into the clutches of the giant. This is the psalmist’s experience. He had fallen into gross sin, and long as he “kept silence,” refused to confess to God and to humble himself, he had no rest or peace. (Psa 32:3, Psa 32:4). When he turned in penitence and trust to God, the fount of joy was at once reopened in his heart. He escaped from bondage into freedom (Psa 32:5; 1Jn 1:8, 1Jn 1:9; 1Jn 2:1, 1Jn 2:2).

Psa 32:3

Hindrances to confession of sin.

“I kept silence.”

I. PRIDE. Men cannot bear to think themselves wrongto put themselves down on the common level; still less, below those who have sought and obtained pardon. This pride is itself a great sin (Jas 4:6; 1Ti 3:4),

II. WANT OF HONESTY OF CONSCIENCE. Even proper self-respect should make one say, “Anything rather than self-deception! Let me know the truth of myself!”

III. INDOLENCE. Many are busy enough outwardly, but mentally indolent, spiritually stagnant.

IV. SOME ARE TOO BUSY. Too much occupied with the appendages of life ever to know what it is truly to live I

V. CARELESSNESS. Two kinds of hardness of heart noted in Scripture.

1. Stubborn self-will.

2. Want of feeling (“fat,” Isa 6:10).

VI. INSENSIBILITY TO GOD‘S CLAIMS. Their greatness, urgency, inevitableness, the blessedness of yielding to them. This lies deep at the root of all the rest. Were these felt, pride would bow, conscience wake, indolence and carelessness vanish; all worldly concerns and aims appear in comparison as “less than nothing, and vanity.”

VII. HENCE LOW VIEWS OF GOD‘S LAW, of the absolute necessity of righteousness, and the infinite evil of sin.

Psa 32:5

Confession of sin.

Let men argue as they please against the Bible; they cannot deny or alter the fact that this book has a power of laying hold on the heart and conscience, unrivalled and unique. One reason is its penetrating knowledge of human nature; another, its deep and wide sympathy. Oar interest is quickened, sympathy roused, because we are presented, not with abstract truth, dry dogma, but with living experience. Conscience can be impartial, judgment cool, because it is another’s case, not our own, we contemplate. Suddenly, when we thought we were looking at a picture, we find it is a mirror. The still small voice says, “Thou art the man!”

I. A BURDENED SPIRIT HIDING ITSELF BEHIND DUMB LIPS. David “kept silence” would not acknowledge his sins even to himself, therefore, of course, not to God. Forget them, he could not. But he excused themlaid the blame (as we so easily do) on temptation and circumstance and nature. Besides, was a king to be bound within as strict limits as an ordinary person? Had not his blackest crimethe murder of his brave, faithful generalbeen in a manner forced on him? He “kept silence” before others,perhaps was specially exemplary in public worship and pious ceremony; “kept silence” before God.perhaps keeping up rigidly the form of prayer, but, through his lips prayed, his heart was numb. Wonderful is the deceitfulness of sin; the self-ignorance into which it betrays us. (Jas 1:14, Jas 1:15.)!

II. THE BROKEN HEART AND CONTRITE SPIRIT POURING OUT ITS PENITENT CONFESSION TO GOD. As long as David “kept silence,” the Lord had a controversy with him. His “hand was heavy.” Possibly in some stroke of sickness; perhaps only in the bodily disorder which springs from mental suffering. The ghastly secret refused to be buried in silence and oblivion. The burden grew intolerable. At last he said, “I will confess my transgressions.”

1. To his own conscience. “The first step is the hardest;” and perhaps the hardest thing in frank confession is to acknowledge sin to one’s self. It is easy to say, “We have erred and strayed,” when everybody else says so; quite another thing to say, in the lonely Silence of your own thought, “I am wrong.” No one likes that. No one ought to like it. But it has to be done, or confession to Godor to manis a vain form.

2. What next? The carrying out of the purpose; the soul alone with God, saying, “Father, I have sinned!” Many a man blames himself inwardly, bitterly, proudly; but it leads to nothing. He does not acknowledge his sin to God. Here are three words which give three views of sin.

(1) Sin. The Hebrew word properly means “error,” “failure,” “missing the mark.”

(2) Iniquity: perverseness, depravity, with the added idea of guilt: “The iniquity [or, ‘guilt’] of my sin.“

3. Transgression: breaking away, viz. from obedience to God’s Law; rebellion. (In Psa 32:1, Psa 32:2 same words in different order.)

III. THE IMMEDIATE RELIEF AND INFINITE COMFORT FOUND IN TURNING TO GOD. The guilty silence is broken. The veil of self-delusion is rent off. The sinner takes his right attitude, his true position before God. Not the same as though he had not sinned,that is impossible; but that which belongs to him in fact. There is a dawn of comfort in this. At least we have done with falsehood, come on to the firm ground of truth. But the only real comfort is, not in our penitence, but in God’s promises. Confession and repentance do not lay the ground of forgiveness, or of the hope and certainty of it. God has laid that (2Co 5:19-21). The name of God is significant here: not “God” the Almighty Creator, but, “the Lord,” i.e. JehovahGod’s covenant name with Israel. Nature holds out no inducement to confess sin, no hope of pardon. Its law is, “Reap what you have sown.” If the ground of acceptance were our repentance, we never could be assured that it was adequate. But God’s faithfulness and justice are pledged to grant what his love has already provided in the gift of his Son (1Jn 1:9). Confession is just the breaking down of the barrier raised, not by our sin, but by impenitence and unbelief; at once the stream of Divine mercy flows unhindered, “Thou forgavest,” etc.

Conclusion. This experience was too exemplary, too instructive, too precious, to be permitted to perish in forgetfulness. The Holy Spirit (as we said) does not merely paint a picture, but holds up a mirror. David’s experience may be ours.

HOMILIES BY C. CLEMANCE

Psa 32:1-11

Divine forgiveness.

This psalm is one of those historically established as David’s. It has long been a favourite with the greatest saints, who are the very ones that own themselves the greatest sinners. Luther referred to it as one of his special psalms. So Dr. Chalmers, who, it is said, could scarcely read its first three verses without tears filling his eyes. The compression necessary to keep this work within moderate limits renders it impossible to do more than point out how it might profitably be expanded and expounded in a course of sermons. It is headed, “a Psalm, giving instruction;” i.e. a didactic psalma doctrinal one, in fact, and as such is to be one of the songs of the sanctuary. Note: They fall into error who do not regard the rehearsal of Divine truth as a fitting method of sacred song. We may not only sing praise to God, but may speak “to one another in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in our hearts to the Lord.” This psalm is a grateful rehearsal of the blessedness of Divine forgiveness. We see therein

I. FORGIVENESS NEEDED. Here, indeed, the expositor must be clear, firm, direct, swift, pointed. We have:

1. Sin committed. The Hebrew language, poor as is its vocabulary in many directions, is abundant in the terms used in connection with sin. It is and ever will remain the differential feature of the education of the Hebrew people, that they were taught so emphatically and constantly the evil of sin. For this purpose the Law was their child-guide with a view to Christ (Gal 3:24). Of the several terms used to express sin, three are employed here. One, which denotes “missing the mark;” a second, which denotes “overstepping the mark;” a third, which denotes “crookedness or unevenness.” Over and above corresponding terms in the New Testament, we have two definitions of sin. One in 1Jn 3:4, “Sin is the transgression of law;” another in 1Jn 5:1, “All injustice is sin.” We can never show men the value of the gospel until they see the evil of sin. Some minds are most effectively reached by one aspect of truth, and others by another; but surely from one or other of these Scripture terms or phrases the preacher may prepare a set of arrows that by God’s blessing will pierce some through the joints of their armour. Nor can the reality or evil of sin be fairly evaded by any plea drawn from the modern doctrine of evolution; since, even if that theory be valid, the emergence of consciousness and of moral responsibility at a certain stage of evolution is as certain a phenomenon as any other. Men know they have done wrong, and it behoves the preacher not to quit his hold of them till he has driven conviction of the evil of sin against God deeply into the soul!

2. Sin concealed. (1Jn 5:2.) “I kept silence,” i.e. towards God. In the specific case referred to here, sin had disclosed its fearful reality by breaking out openly; it was known, yet unacknowledged. Hence:

3. Sin rankled within (1Jn 5:2, “my bones,” etc.). Remorse and self-reproach succeeded to the numbness which was the first effect of the sin. There was a reactionrestlessness seized on the guilty one. The action of a guilty conscience brings within a man the most terribly consuming of all agitation. He cannot flee from himself, and his guilt and dread pursue him everywhere (Job 15:20-25; Job 18:11; Job 20:11-29; Pro 28:1). Hence it is a great relief to note the next stage.

4. Sin confessed. (1Jn 5:5.) What a mercy that our God is one to whom we can unburden our guilt, telling him all, knowing that in the storehouse of infinite grace and love there is exhaustless mercy that wilt “multiply pardons” (Isa 55:7, Hebrew)!

5. Sin put away. (1Jn 5:2.) “In whose spirit there is no guile;” i.e. no deceit, no reserve, no concealment, no continuing in the sin which is thus bemoaned, but, at the moment it is confessed towards God, honestly and entirely putting it away. And when once the sin and guilt are thus put away before God, it will not be long ere the penitent has to recount the experience of

II. FORGIVENESS OBTAINED AND ENJOYED. He who guilelessly puts away sin by repentance will surely find that God lovingly’ puts it away by pardon (1Jn 5:5). And as the Hebrew is ample in its terms for sin, so also is it in the varied words and phrases to express Divine forgiveness. Three of these are used here; but in the Hebrew there are, at least, ten others,

1. “Forgiven.” (1Jn 5:1.) The Hebrew word means “lifted off;” in this case the LXX. render “remitted,” but sometimes they translate the Hebrew term literally, by a word which also means “to lift off,” “to lift up,” “to bear,” and “to bear away.” (cf. Joh 1:29; 1Jn 3:5; Mat 9:5, Mat 9:6). In Divine forgiveness, the burden of sin is lifted off from us and borne away by the Son of God; the penitent is also “let go.” His indictment is cancelled, and from sin’s penalty he is set free.

2. Covered; as with a lid, or a veil: put out of sight. God looks on it no more (Mic 7:18).

3. “Iniquity not imputed.“ It is no more reckoned to the penitent. With absolution there is complete and entire acquittal, and with the non-imputation of sin there is the imputation of righteousness (Rom 3:1-31; Rom 4:1-25; Rom 5:1-21.), or the full and free reception of the pardoned one into the Divine favour, in which a standing of privilege, that in his own right he could not claim, is freely accorded to him through the aboundings of Divine grace.

III. FORGIVENESS BEARING FRUIT. This psalm is itself the product of a forgiven man’s pen. It would be a psychological impossibility for an unregenerate and unpardoned man ever to have written it. The psalmist’s experience of forgiving love bears fruit:

1. In grateful song. (1Jn 5:7.) “Songs of deliverance” will now take the place of consuming remorse and penitential groans.

2. In new thoughts of God. (1Jn 5:7.) “Thou art my Hiding-place” etc. In the God whose pardoning love he has known, he will now find a perpetual Protector and Friend.

3. In joyous declaration to others. (1Jn 5:1, 1Jn 5:2.) “Blessed blessed,” etc. The emphasis is doubly intense.

(1) There is a blessedness in forgiveness itself. To have the burden of guilt lifted off, and the sentence of condemnation cancelled, what blessedness is here!

(2) There is blessedness which follows on forgiveness. New freedom. New joy in God. New ties of love. New citizenship. New heirship. New prospects. Oh! the blessedness!

4. In exhortation. (1Jn 5:8, 1Jn 5:9.) We regard these as the psalmist’s words, in which he uses his own experience to counsel others. Broken-hearted penitents make the best evangelists. The exhortation is threefold.

(1) He bids us not to be perverse and obstinate, i.e. in attempting to conceal our guilt; but rather to show the reason of reasonable men in confessing and abandoning it (1Jn 5:9).

(2) He reminds us that, while resistance to God will only surround us with woes, trust in God will ensure our being encompassed with mercies (1Jn 5:10).

(3) He bids truly sincere, upright, penitent soulsmen without guileto rejoice in God, yea, even to shout for joy, because of that forgiving love which buries all the past guilt of the penitent in the ocean of redeeming grace, and enriches the pardoned one with the heirship of everlasting life.C.

HOMILIES BY W. FORSYTH

Psa 32:1

The blessedness of forgiveness.

What our Lord said to Simon before his fall, seems to have been said to David after his great transgression, “When thou art converted, strengthen the brethren” (Luk 22:32; Psa 51:12, Psa 51:13). Nobly was the duty performed. Many who were walking in darkness have here found light. Many who were deluding themselves with false hopes have here been taught the way of peace; many who have been hardening their hearts in sin have here been laid hold of, and led, as with cords of love, back to God. The burden of the psalm is the blessedness of forgiveness.

I. In the first place, we are taught that this is a DOCTRINE ACCORDING TO GODLINESS. (Psa 32:1, Psa 32:2.) Three things are set forth.

1. What sin is. The terms used are very significant, and deserve the deepest study: “transgression,’ “sin,” “iniquity.“ The evil is traced to the root. Our unhappiness is caused by sin (Psa 32:3, Psa 32:4).

2. Then we are shown how sin may be taken away. This is God’s doing. There is a twofold worksomething done for us, and something done in us. God thus meets the necessities of our case by not only removing guilt, but by renovating character.

3. The result is blessedness. This is the doctrine of the Law and the prophets (Exo 34:6, Exo 34:9; Le Exo 16:21; Isa 53:5, Isa 53:6; Dan 9:24). It is also the doctrine of the New Testament. The Law is fulfilled in Christ. In him God is reconciled to us, and we are reconciled to God. Paul and David agree (Rom 4:6, Rom 4:7). Justification is not of works, but of grace. There can be no true happiness till with all frankness and sincerity we confess our sins, and cast ourselves with simple faith on the mercy of God in Christ Jesus (Pro 28:13; Psa 139:1-24 :28, 24; 2Co 5:19, 2Co 5:21).

II. In the second place, THE BLESSEDNESS OF FORGIVENESS IS ILLUSTRATED FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE. The Bible contains both doctrines and facts, and while the doctrines explain the facts, the facts enforce the doctrines. When a man speaks of what he knows, when he tells of what he has himself gone through, when he sets forth facts bearing on our personal life and needs, we readily listen to his story.

1. First, we are shown the misery of the man who keeps silence as to his sins before God. (Psa 32:3, Psa 32:4.) For long David kept his sins to himself, in pride and sullenness. This was not only doing an injury to his own soul, but it was lying to men, and grievously offending against God. The result was wretchedness. He suffered in body and spirit. He could find no rest. Every effort that he made to better himself, so long as he refused to humble his heart before God by confession, only aggravated his pain. Wherever he went, his sins haunted him. Whatever he did, he could not rid himself of the terrible thought that God’s judgments would fall upon him. How vividly does this bring out the evil of sin and the mercy of God! If left to ourselves, our sins would be our ruin; but God mercifully will not let us alone, His hand is laid upon us, in loving counsel and chastisement, till we are brought to repentance.

2. We are next shown the way of recovering the blessedness we haw lost. (Psa 32:5, Psa 32:6.) There had been a long and painful struggle. Now it is ended. Instead of pride, there is humility. Instead of hiding of sin, there is frank and full confession. Instead of holding back in sullenness from God, there is absolute surrender to his righteous judgment. The relief is instantaneous. What a blessed change! It is coming out of the dark into the light. It is abandoning all concealment and guile, and finding peace in God’s love and mercy. How beautifully does the picture here agree with that other picture drawn by the hand of our Saviour!”I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord;” “I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee.” “Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin;” “When he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him” (Psa 32:5; Luk 15:18-20).

III. In the third place, THE BLESSEDNESS or FORGIVENESS IS COMMENDED BY THE TESTIMONY OF GOD‘S SAINTS. Augustine and others have given us their Confessions. These are not only a tale, but a testimony. They not only agree as witnessing for God, but they are a directory for the benefit of all anxious inquirers. So it was with David. We speaks not only for himself, but for others. He as much as says, “My case is not singular; God has dealt with others in the same way; this is the law of the kingdom.” “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper; but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall find mercy.” The lessons arethat forgiveness is a blessing greatly to be desired; that it is surely attainable by all who seek it in the right way; and that when enjoyed it brings new and abiding joys into life. There is both counsel and warning. God has his own way and his own time for showing mercy. There is a limit (Isa 55:6, Isa 55:7; Heb 3:1). Every pain of body, every remonstrance of reason, every compunction of conscience, are premonitions of judgment, and call for instant action. God in his providence and in his Word saith, “Now is the accepted time,”

IV. In the last place, we are shown how THE BLESSEDNESS OF FORGIVENESS IS IN AGREEMENT WITH GOD‘S GRACIOUS PURPOSES TOWARDS HIS PEOPLE, When God begins, he will make an end. Forgiveness is the first thing, but it is introductory to other and greater blessings. Among men, when a criminal is released, he goes forth into society as with the brand of Cain on his brow. But God’s ways are not as our ways. When he brings the sinner into a right relation to himself, he not only fully forgives, but he continues his love and mercy to the end. Life henceforth is divinely guided. Obedience is no longer a restraint, but a delight. The future is bright with hope, and will bring new blessings, calling for ever new gratitude and joy. When we can truly say, like Paul, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” then we can look on without fear to the end.W.F.

Psa 32:8

God’s guidance.

Learn

I. THE PLACE OF GUIDANCE. Unless we are able to see God’s eye, we cannot be guided. What hinders? Our sins. “Mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up” (Psa 40:12). The great thing, therefore, is to confess our sins, that they may be put away, and then, “accepted in the Beloved,” we can “look up” with childlike trust, and cry, “Abba, Father!”

II. THE MANNER OF GUIDANCE.

1. Authoritative. As master and servant (Psa 123:2).

2. Kindly. Loving as a father, gentle as a mother (Jer 24:6; Pro 4:3).

3. Sure. Moses knew the desert well, but he might err. He was glad, therefore, of the help of Hobab, “Thou mayest be to us instead of eyes” (Num 10:31). How much more surely may we depend upon God in our wilderness journey! “Except the eye of the Lord be put out, we cannot be put out of his sight and care” (Donne).

III. THE HAPPY RESULTS OF GUIDANCE.

1. Peace. We cannot guide ourselves; nor can we trust to others, even the wisest and the best, to guide us; but when we put ourselves under the care and direction of God, we feel that all is well (Jer 10:23; Psa 119:165).

2. Freedom. God does not take pleasure in “the bit and bridle.” He would have us be guided through our reason and heart rather than by restraint and force. He works in us both “to will and to do.” He makes us free by the truth, that our service may be not from fear, but love.

3. Courageousness. (2Ch 20:12.) God’s eye upon us is an inspiration. Gideon felt a new man when the Lord looked upon him (Jdg 6:14). Paul had a heart for any fate when Christ stood by him in the storm (Act 27:23). Stephen went to a cruel death with love and joy under the eye of his Master (Act 7:56-60).

4. Hope. In humble, trustful self surrender and love we can go forward with confidence. God’s eye upon us, and our eye upon God, we are safe for time and for eternity,W.F.

HOMILIES BY C. SHORT

Psa 32:1-5

From great misery to greater blessedness.

There can be little doubt that David composed this psalm after Nathan came to him. Psa 51:1-19. was the confession of his great sin, and the prayer for forgiveness. This is the record of the confession made and the forgiveness obtained, and the blessedness of his position as a son restored to his Father’s house.

I. THE GREATEST MISERY.

1. The knowledge that we have sinned. That we have been guilty of one great sin leading on to another, as David had been; and not of some isolated sin of infirmity, or of some transient temper that spends itself at the moment. None but a good man would feel the awful misery here described. Bad, burdened men sin and feel no burden of shame or guilt.

2. The attempt to reason away our guilt. “In whose spirit there is no guile,” or self-deception. David was an Eastern monarch, whose temptation would be to think he might do as he pleased, and thus to reduce his sin to the minimum point. We extenuate our evil deeds by pleading circumstances, temptation, temperament, and we deceive ourselves.

3. The attempt to suppress the consciousness of guilt. We “keep silence,” and try to hide from ourselves our sin, and relapse into only a dull consciousness of it. But there was a smouldering fire beneath that dried up the vital moisture of his being and consumed his very bones. Afraid to confess his sin either to God or to himself, he could not escape the burden which the Divine hand laid upon his conscience; and hence his misery. He “roared” all the day long under it. This is God’s mercy and anger towards our sinto drive us to seek release and forgiveness.

II. THE GREATEST BLESSEDNESS.

1. We must begin by the fullest acknowledgment of our sin to ourselves. This must be done before we can sincerely make confession to God. We must be angry with ourselves before we can feel God’s auger or his mercy towards us.

2. The fullest, most penitent confession to God. (Psa 51:5.) “Against thee, thee only, have I sinned.” Most sins have a threefold aspectas done against another, against ourselves, and against God, the Fatherly Lawgiver.

3. The consciousness of forgiveness. This includes two thingsthe free remission and the inner cleansing.

(1) The transgression is taken away;

(2) covered by God, not by the sinner; and

(3) not imputed, because taken away. It is throughout a real transaction, nor a fictitious one.

Then is a man blessed with the peace of God.S.

Psa 32:6-11

The attitude of the penitent.

Because of the grace thus vouchsafed to every penitent, David would encourage all the godly to seek him who deals so graciously with sinners. Out of his past and present experience he will now counsel others, and especially those who are still impenitent, and the tenor of his counsel is that they should not, like brutes, refuse submission till they are forced into it. The passage may be divided into two parts:

(1) the attitude of the forgiven penitent towards God;

(2) his attitude as a teacher of the impenitent.

I. THE ATTITUDE OF THE FORGIVEN PENITENT TOWARDS GOD. (Psa 32:6, Psa 32:7.)

1. Confidence in God for others. (Psa 32:6.) What God has done for him, he will do for all the penitent and godly. Not a partial God, but his principles of action are universal. God can always be found by the truly penitent; i.e. he always hears them when they call upon him (Psa 32:6). Its averts from them the judgments (“great waters”) that threaten to overwhelm the wicked (Psa 32:6).

2. Confidence in God for himself. (Psa 32:7.) He lives in God as his Castle or Hiding-place, secure from danger and trouble. This idea is enlarged and exalted by Christianity. “Your life is bid with Christ in God.” The security is all the greater because we are joined with Christ in God. God will surround him with abundant causes of thankful songssongs of deliverance. Turn where he may, he finds the delivering hand of God at work on his behalf.

II. HIS ATTITUDE AS A TEACHER OF THE IMPENITENT. (Psa 32:8-11.)

1. His experience qualifies him to show men the way they should go. “Thenafter thou hast delivered mewill I teach transgressors thy ways, and sinners shall be converted unto thee.” He knew the road which he urged them to takeknew it from experience, not from any theory.

2. This made him a gentle, sympathetic guide. He will guide them with the gentle guidance of the eye. A look is enough for those who are willing to go in the right waya look in the direction which is to be pointed out. Experience taught him to be pitiful.

3. He exhorts men against a brutish and stubborn impenitence. (Psa 32:9.) Do not be like the brute, which must be compelled to service, “who doth not willingly come unto thee;” but as reasonable religious creatures, be willing for the service which is great and blessed.

4. He sums up the whole question. (Psa 32:10.) The sorrows which encompass the wicked, and the mercy that follows those who trust in God. “Mercy;” equivalent to “loving-kindness.” A tremendous contrast.

5. An exhortation to the righteous to realize their blessed estate. (Psa 32:11.)S.

Fuente: The Complete Pulpit Commentary

Psalms 32.

Blessedness consisteth in remission of sins. Confession of sins giveth ease to the conscience. God’s promises bring joy.

A Psalm of David, Maschil.

Title. Maschil It is thought that David in this psalm, being awakened to a fresh sense of his sin in the affair of Uriah by his son Absalom’s rebellion, expresses his deep repentance for having thus heinously offended God; and therefore it is called in the Hebrew, ” ledavid maskil, The Maschil of David; i.e. David’s instruction; and in the LXX, David’s , ” or his return to a right understanding of himself. Psalms with this title are generally of a moral nature, and designed to dispose the mind to attention and reflection. The Arabic title asserts, that David spoke this prophetically of the redemption of mankind; and the Syriac informs us, that it treats of the sin and fall of Adam, and contains a prophecy of Christ, by whom we are delivered from hell. And St. Paul gives great support to this assertion by his quotation, Rom 4:8. Though composed upon a particular occasion, the psalm was afterwards adapted to public use by the Jewish church, and was solemnly repeated on the great day of expiation, when the whole nation made a general confession of their sins.

Psa 32:1. Whose sin is covered Namely, by God, and not by man; who ought to confess and not to hide it. See Psa 32:5. Covered from the wrath of God; who will not, upon man’s repentance, and unfeigned belief in the great Mediator take any cognizance of it. This seems to be a metaphor, taken from writers who obliterate what is faulty. In whose spirit there is no guile, in the next verse, or prevarication, means, “whose sorrow for sin is sincere, and deeply affects his mind.”

Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke

Psalms 32

A Psalm of David, Maschil

1Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

2Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity,

And in whose spirit there is no guile.

3When I kept silence, my bones waxed old

Through my roaring all the day long.

4For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me:

My moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.

5I acknowledged my sin unto thee,

And mine iniquity have I not hid.
I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord;

And thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.

6For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found:

Surely in the floods of great waters
They shall not come nigh unto him.

7Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble;

Thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.

8I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go:

I will guide thee with mine eye.

9Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding:

Whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle,
Lest they come near unto thee.

10Many sorrows shall be to the wicked:

But he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about.

11Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous:

And shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.

EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL

Its Contents and Composition. Respecting maskil vid. Introduction. This is the second of the seven Penitential Psalms [vid.Psalms 6]. It was a favorite of Augustine. It is cited by the Apostle Paul in Rom 4:6-8. According to Luther it is an extraordinary doctrinal Psalm, which teaches us what sin is, how we may be free from it and be righteous before God. For the reason knows not what sin is and thinks to render satisfaction for it with works; but he says here that all the saints are likewise sinners, and can be holy and blessed in no other way, than by recognizing that they are sinners before God, and that they are regarded as righteous before God by faith alone without merit and without works. The doctrine however does not appear here as a result of universal religious consideration, but as an immediate result of personal experience. For the blessedness of the justified sinner (Psa 32:1-2) is based upon the description of a twofold experience, first the pain and distress of the Psalmist so long as he held back his confession of sins (Psa 32:3-4); then the forgiveness of sins, directly received with the confession of sins. On this foundation likewise arises not only an encouragement of all those in the covenant of grace to similar action in behalf of similar blessings (Psa 32:5), but it takes directly in Psa 32:6, a thoroughly personal turn in the description of the saving consequences which are to be expected in the future. Then comes the exhortation and warning (Psa 32:8-9), that they may not be compelled to, but may of their own accord take this way to Go; and then the general contrast in the consequences of pious and ungodly conduct (Psa 32:10). These form the transition to the final summons to rejoice (Psa 32:11), which is in a form which refers back to the beginning of the Psalm and thus rounds off the whole.The assertion of some after Amyraldus, that this Psalm which like Psalm I. begins with blessed is yet in irreconcilable conflict with it, because the blessedness there appears as a reward of righteousness, but here as a consequence of forgiveness of sins, leaves out of view the circumstance, not only that the same thing may be represented from different stand-points without internal conflict, but that already in the Old Testament the intermediate members of these different representations, are in many ways brought into view, e.g. that no flesh is righteous before God and no one could stand before God if He should impute sin; that all human innocence and righteousness is merely relative; that righteousness is not the work of merit of the man himself, but a gracious work of God, etc. However we must not overlook that side of the Old Testament economy of salvation which is here very striking, which is related to the Gospel and in its direction. Hupfeld very properly remarks, that the confession of sins in itself, and indeed publicly expressed, was an ancient legal part of the sin offering (Lev 5:5; Lev 16:21; Num 5:7), and that here this requirement of the law is merely made more internal, as a requirement of the conscience, and is shown in its internal necessity.Related thoughts are found in Pro 28:13; 1Jn 1:8-9.There are no tenable grounds for giving up its composition by David and with Hitzig hit upon Jeremiah. The prevailing supposition, that this Psalm refers particularly to the great sin of David with Bathsheba and against her husband, is less certain. Venema already regarded its circumstances as more general, and Stier, Clauss, and Hitzig with De Wette find the circumstance doubtful from the fact, that here the emphasis is put upon the anxiety of conscience and the free confession of sins which sprang from it, whilst in 1Sa 12:7 sq. this anxiety is not described, and the confession follows the disclosure of Nathan which shook him and chastised him. Yet we may say with Hengst., that the address of Nathan was not the cause, but the occasion of the confession of David. Many particular features of that history correspond entirely with the Psalm, and the Psalm has grown entirely from personal experience.3 Delitzsch very well remarks that the words of Augustine might be placed as the motto of the Psalm: intelligentia prima est, ut te noris peccatorem. Selnekker narrates of Augustine, that he often read this Psalm with weeping heart and eyes, and before his death had it written upon the wall which was over against his sick bed, that he might be exercised and comforted by it in his sickness. There is no historical support for the conjecture of Grotius that this Psalm was the prayer of the Jewish people on the great day of atonement.

Str. I. Psa 32:1-2. Blessed is he whose transgression is taken away,etc.Sin is here designated by those three names, after Exo 34:7, whose etymologies lead to the ideas of falling away or breaking faith, deviation or failure and perversion (in usage frequently of guilt). Their forgiveness is likewise mentioned in three forms as lifting up, (to take away their burden), as covering (whereby they are removed from the eyes of the judge and therefore from punishment), as not imputing (with reference to their guilt). According to the grammatical form, however, that which is designated as taken away and covered is not, as usually elsewhere, the sin, but the person of the sinner, because the forgiveness of sins is not merely a transaction with men, but in men, in their personal life. (Delitzsch). Psa 32:2 b. mentions not the sanctification of the heart (some more ancient interpreters) as a fruit of justification, but contains actually already the statement of the condition of forgiveness of sins, particularly carried out in the following verses, and is regarded by some (Isaki, Flamin., Seb. Schmidt, Stier) as a conditional clause, but usually as a relative clause.

Str. II. Psa 32:3-4. For I kept silence,etc. This silence is not the quiet and patience of contrition as the internal beginning of penitence (Venema), but the holding back of confession of sins as an effect and a manifestation of the guile just mentioned. For although the Psalmist howled and groaned (the same word is used as in Psa 22:1; hence there might be included likewise lamentation and prayer in the cries of anxiety and pain), during the long time in which the chastening hand of God was heavy upon him without interruption (day and night), yet he failed to admit his guilt; and this silence was the cause as well of the continuance of the Divine chastisement as of the increase of his torment of soul. It makes no essential difference whether the of Psa 32:3, is translated like the of Psa 32:4 as giving the reason and explanation for (Stier, Hengst., Hupf.) or as introducing the following clause because or since (Hitzig, Delitzsch). [The Rabbins, Olsh., Ewald and the A. V. translate when which gives a better sense.C. A. B.]. In any case Psa 32:3 carries out more clearly the fundamental thought expressed in Psa 32:1-2, so far as it is based on personal experience. The for takes up directly the thought involved in the mention of guile and Psa 32:4 at all events gives the reason of Psa 32:3. The Divine hand is the efficient cause of the sufferings which affect at the same time the body and the soul, the silence is the conditional cause. In this connection it is not probable, that the decay of the bones was occasioned by the roaring (Delitzsch), or crying, that is the bodily sickness by the violent expressions of sorrow (Hupf.); or that the anxiety of conscience had produced in the Psalmist a violent fever (Hitzig). The heat of summer into which the sap of life becomes changed, might much more easily be taken as a figurative designation of anxiety and heat, which would afterwards be regarded as the heat of Divine anger (Stier; similarly Calvin, Geier, De Wette, Hengst.). Yet it is more natural to supply a of comparison (Luther after Symm., Chald.); or to suppose a silent comparison (Hupf.); unless it is preferred with Delitzsch to take the as that of the condition, in which the change, that is the deterioration, took place (Job 20:14) The meaning sap of life which most interpreters after the Chald. and Aben Ezra, give to and derive from the Arabic, is disputed by Hengst. and Olsh. The former explains the word of the heart, comp. Psa 102:4, properly, a compact mass according to Num 11:8; the latter explains it of the tongue. The Vulgate after the Sept. translates entirely different: conversus sum in rumnam (corrected reading instead of rumna mea) in infigendo spinam.

Str. III. Psa 32:5. [My sin I will make known to Thee, and my guilt I did not conceal,etc. Alexander: Most interpreters explain the future verb of the first clause as a preterite, because all the other verbs of the first clause are preterites; but this only renders the future form of the first verb more remarkable, and makes it harder to explain why a past tense was not used in this, as in all the other cases, if the writer intended to express past time. The only consistent method of solution is to understand the first clause as a reminiscence of the Psalmists resolution in the time of his distress, repeated in the second clause, and in both cases followed by a recital of the execution of his purpose. (I said,) my sin I will make known to Thee and my guilt I (accordingly) did not conceal, I said, I will make confession to Jehovah. And Thou didst take away the guilt of my sin. Moll translates as past with most interpreters.4 The clauses of this verse stand in beautiful contrast with those of Psa 32:1-2 in an inverse order. The sin is acknowledged that it may not be imputed, the iniquity is uncovered that it may be covered, the transgression is confessed that it may be taken away, which latter the closing clause of the verse expresses with emphasis: And Thou, Thou takest away, etc., thus turning back to the opening clause of the Psalm.C. A. B.] At the close of this verse many ancient Psalteries after Cod. Alex. of the Sept. have instead of impietatem peccati mei, impietatem cordis mei.

Str. IV. Psa 32:6. Therefore let every favoured one supplicate Thee at the time of finding,that is so long as it may be found, namely that which is sought, here grace (Ruding., De Wette, Hupf.),=time of grace (Psa 69:13; Isa 49:8; Isa 60:1-2), in which sense the Arabic version translates: time of hearing; or Jehovah, (Isaki, Calv., most interpreters), according to Isa 55:6, comp Deu 4:29; Jer 29:12-14; Psa 145:18, with essentially the same sense, yet to be preferred on this account, because, what Hupfeld overlooks, this object may easily be supplied from the which is very near, and prayer is a seeking God (Hitzig). Luther after the Sept. explains, at the right time Ewald, at the time of reaching, comp. aptus,. Knapp after Schrder, Schnurrer and Michlis, leaving the connection of words given by the accents, still seek the object of the finding in the following , to which after an Arabic etymology they give the meaning of compassion. But this verb is the usual adverb, yet not merely a particle of limitation and exception, but likewise of general contrast and hence of contrary assertion or assurance (Hupfeld).That the flood and waves in general have become a figure of great trouble and danger, particularly of Divine punishments, has with the geographical position and geological formation of Palestine, its ground and reason in the Flood. There is no occasion however with Hengst. to think particularly of that, here.The therefore at the beginning of the verse is usually after the Chald. and Calvin regarded as a statement of the motive; others however after the Vulg. and Luther find expressed here the object of the supplication and translate: for this.

Psa 32:7. Here there is an assonance scarcely to be mistaken. If is genuine and not to be derived from the last three letters of as a repetition according to J. D. Mich., Jahn and Hitzig, then we must suppose, that the infinitive Job 38 has here been treated as a substantive and that the , which is likewise made a substantive, is the second member of the stat. const. The expression, surrounded with shouts of deliverance is unusual, it is true, yet it is inadmissible to seek in shouting a metonymy instead of salvation or grace (Olsh., Hupfeld). We may either think of the congratulations and songs of praise of those who participate in the celebration (or even who share in the deliverance) (Stier), or of the manifold deliverances with the occasions for shouting which flow together at the same time from all sides (Calvin, Geier, Hengst.). The Vulg. and Sept. are entirely different: Thou art my exultation, deliver me from those who surround me.

Str. V. Psa 32:8. I will instruct thee.Most of the older interpreters, even Luther and Seb. Schmidt, among recent interpreters Clauss, Stier, finally Hitzig, regard Psa 32:8-9, Ewald at least Psa 32:8, as the words of God, wherein the most particular protection and the most faithful spiritual preservation and guidance are promised to the sinner who has turned to God and received pardon. Almost all recent interpreters however, with Calvin and Geier, regard these verses as the words of David, which point all sinners to the God, who has pardoned him, comp. Psa 51:14.Will give advice (directing) mine eye upon thee.Ewald translates this with the Sept. I will fix my eye upon thee, and rejects the meaning of advice, here. [Hupfeld contends that there is here an instance of a double subject of the person and the instrument, as in Psa 3:5. The use of comes from a verb of watching, preserving and protecting which is understood. He translates, mine eye is to advise (watch advising) over thee. Perowne, regards the words mine eye upon thee as merely added as a further explanation of the manner in which the counsel would be given. According to the accents, however must be connected with , I will consult upon, or concerning thee, i.e. for thy good; and then , with mine eye, will be equivalent to watching thee with mine eye. The translation of Moll is, however, better.C. A. B.]

Psa 32:9. In bridle and bit (consists) its harness to tame it, (they will) not approach thee.Hitzig again upon Eze 16:7 contends for the meaning of cheek for and translates here with Sept., Vulg., Aben Ezra; whose cheek to constrain with bridle and bit, (then he changes the vowels and translates: rather draw thyself in, rein thyself in). Luther has, in the mouth as he renders the same word in Psa 103:5, likewise as mouth, where the Sept. reads and others advise otherwise, sometimes even to accept two entirely different words in these two passages. Ewald, who would change the vowels and explain by the Arabic, Delitzsch who translates the ambiguous bit, waver, yet incline to the same explanation. Ewald translates: bit and bridle must shut the cheeks of those who draw near to thee unfriendly, and finds in the second supplementary clause likewise the easier transition in the address to God, which formerly most interpreters found here, yet it is very improbable, since the expression leads much more to the continuance of the description of that natural shyness and wildness, which prevents animals from approaching men. There is certainly no reference here to an approach for the purpose of injuring, which some after the Rabbins find here, but of a warning and exhortation not to be like the irrational and obstinate animals, which do not approach men unless tamed by compulsory means. The application of the figure is left to the reader, and the address, which in Psa 32:9 a had gone over into the plural, has returned to the singular, in order that every individual may be referred with the more emphasis to his own person and experience Since is used elsewhere only with the finite verb, but here follows an infinitive or a noun, perhaps the verb has been left off; thus, (they will) not approach thee; or, approach to thee (does) not (occur). The first is preferable, because with the second, an else must be inserted in order to be clear, as already Seb. Schmidt. If it were not for the difficulty of the construction of , the asyndet. clause might be resolved simply by: because or, if. Calvin finds very properly in the comparison, actually two things: shaming by the reproachful comparison and at the same time the fruitlessness of the opposition. As concerns the disputed , it may be derived with Hupfeld from (=draw in) and means then not so much ornament (in connection with which ancient interpretation Stier and Hengst. find an irony expressed) as rather harness, as already the Chald. paraphrases. Jerome shares with the other more ancient translators the view of fastening together the jaws of those who do not approach thee, with bit and bridle. Instead of the imperative, which most ancient interpreters have after the Cod. Vatic. of the Sept., the Psalter Roman. reads after the Cod. Alex. of the Sept., the finite verb, namely constringes=.

Str. VI. Psa 32:10. Many pains,etc.Instead of pains, that is, plagues, as Exo 3:7, many older interpreters, after the Sept. and Vulgate, have scourges. [Perowne: The usual contrast between the lot of the ungodly and that of the righteous, as the sum of all that has been said, and as a great religious axiom.C. A. B.]

DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL

1. Those are truly to be considered happy who really have received Gods forgiveness of sins, so that the burden of their transgressions no longer presses them to the ground and their conscience is no longer troubled, because punishment for them is no longer threatened and their guilt is no longer imputed to them. How unhappy then must those be who retain this burden, are in constant expectation of the coming judgment, and must regard the punishment as well-deserved and unavoidable, because the sinner cannot himself blot out his guilt, but God is the impartial Judge and the infallible Rewarder, and even now before the final judgment does not allow men to sin unpunished and deceive themselves, although the sinner may cherish deceit in his spirit and hypocritical excuses.

2. The deceit, with which a sinner would cover over, conceal and excuse either the presence or the greatness, or the ill-desert of his sins from himself and others, does not afford any real relief or any true justification, but brings on the opposite of the blessed experience of forgiveness of sins, namely the painful feeling of the pressure of the strong hand of God, pressing upon him, and the torment of anxiety of conscience, which consumes the sap of life. For sins can not be brought to a dead silence, and the conscience cannot be hushed up by false pretences. Even prayer no longer comforts and refreshes the man who cries to God in his anguish, yet is silent before God respecting his sins. He will only become the weaker, even in body, the more he toils in this inconsistency, that he strives to conceal the true cause of his misery from the Omniscient Searcher of hearts, and yet craves relief from his troubles. His sins will not be brought into forgetfulness by intentionally not thinking of them; and they will not remain unpunished although he is full of self-deception and does not consider or weigh the consequences of deception. Hengstenberg remarks very properly: Deception found in David; notwithstanding the enormity of his transgressions, sufficient points of contact, as always, where the heart is inclined to rely upon them. He had not sought the first sin, but the first occasion to it had been afforded him. It must have been very natural for a king, especially an Oriental, to measure himself in this respect by a special rule. That which was connected with this transgression might very easily present itself more in the light of a sad event than of a severe guilt. The following remarks of the same scholar are likewise worthy to be pondered: The roots of this deception, which we meet immediately after the Fall, are pride, lack of trust in God and love of sin. Many are thereby prevented from any knowledge of their sins; in their misery they are satisfied in a Pelagian self-deception and regard themselves as very excellent. Others exhibit the first beginnings of true knowledge of sin, but do not attain the desired end, because deception does not allow them to attain to the knowledge of the great extent of their evil. Likewise those who really have attained to a state of grace are very much troubled by deception in the salvation of forgiveness of sins, in the possession of which they have come by sincerity of heart. What exposes them particularly to this temptation, is their stern view of sin and its condemnation by God and the consciousness of the grace received from God and their condition. Nature struggles violently against the great humiliation which accompanies to them the knowledge and confession of their sins. Therefore it is necessary to take deeply to heart these words: Well for those whose sins are taken away, etc., which David utters from his own painful experience of the misery, which accompanies the sins which are not forgiven on account of deception of heart.

3. The only way to gain true forgiveness of sins, and the sure way, is therefore, the thorough knowledge and penitent confession of sin; for this leads first to seek and then to find the grace of God. Since I would not confess that I was nothing but a sinner, my conscience had no rest, so that I must confess and trust alone in the goodness of God. (Luther, marginal note).This must, however, take place with true sincerity of heart, and indeed in all things, that we are altogether guilty before God, that we must stop our mouths and charge ourselves as great sinners before God, in accordance with all the commandments of God, that we are ruined altogether, through and through and in and out. (Bogatzki). Such a feeling of true contrition and entire condemnation before God in a penitent sinner is very different from the anxiety of soul in a despairing man, as Cain and Judas, where the confession of sin is entirely separated from faith in the possibility of forgiveness, and which, moreover, has not the character of a penitent confession of sin flowing forth from an awakened heart, but more that of an admission forced by circumstances and anguish. Let us make it very clear, that faith is a necessary part of true and genuine penitence, that without some remnant of trust and faith in God the penitent sinner could never approach God in prayer; then will we see that there is still another kind of impenitence (namely rudeness and dullness of conscience), where not so much the bites of conscience as faith is lacking, where the terrified conscience feels the guilt very well, and even on this account, because it is so deeply felt, fears to make confession of it before God (Tholuck). Sometimes there is a long interval before the internal conflict is ended and the interchange ceases of those conditions of soul in which accusations and excuses struggle with one another (Rom 1:15). But God Himself comes to the help of the struggling soul by at once awarding forgiveness, by His grace, to the sincere confession of sin; that is, adjudging it and imparting it. Absolution follows confession. But where there is forgiveness of sins there is likewise life and blessedness.

4. The personal experience of these states of the soul impels first to an impressive description of them, and then has in itself already not only an interesting, touching and edifying, but even a typical character. Moreover, if the subject of these experiences regards himself on the one side as a member of the congregation, on the other side as a servant and instrument of God, this description will be enlarged in part to a representation of the general and similar condition of all who are similarly disposed, partly will pass over into a direct claim upon his companions, as well in admonition and warning as in consolation and encouragement, yes, will change into a punitive and threatening address to stiff-necked and stubborn sinners. Hengst. very properly remarks, that it must have been infinitely more difficult under the Old Covenant to elevate oneself to the confidence of forgiveness than under the New Covenant, where we behold the mercy of God in Christ and the ground of our justification in His merits. He draws this earnest conclusion from the above: If we delay to take our refuge in the pardoning grace of God, our guilt is far greater than that of David.

5. Since Gods infallible punishment follows upon unforgiven sins, which like a flood will break irresistibly upon the sinner, they must seek the forgiveness of sins at the right time, that is, whilst grace is to be found. And since the pains which are prepared for the ungodly are great and numerous, and man as such is not an irrational and senseless beast, it is as foolish as it is ruinous, and as unworthy as it is unwise, to seek the gracious hand of God only after the arm of the Lord has laid hold upon us in punishment. Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, Manasseh are historical examples, how God compels and subdues those who will not hearken to His word. It is better to follow willingly than by compulsion.

6. He who uses sincerely the time appointed for penitence, seeks and finds the forgiveness of sins in the way pointed out to him by God, and as a man now justified puts his trust immovably and truly upon God, will not only find one deliverance, but will remain preserved in the future likewise, surrounded and protected by grace, and will make his joyful thanks to be heard, sounding forth and rechoing without cessation in the shouts of a company surrounding him and praising God. The joyful exclamation of Psa 32:1 is only a feeble beginning of the song which resounds after the preservation from the last anxiety. We can see, finally, how the selah, strikingly placed thrice, Psa 32:4-5; Psa 32:7, divides exactly the three stages of anxiety, before the wrath of God, the confession unto forgiveness, the joy in complete deliverance (Stier). There is opened for those who are justified by grace an unlimited prospect of an abiding salvation and an eternal joy.

HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL

How God awakens the slumbering conscience, comforts it when terrified, blesses it when calmed. The threefold confession of the pious: 1) that he is punishable for his sins and liable to the Divine judgment; 2) that he has obtained forgiveness of sins through the grace of God; 3) that he is to thank God forever for this.The forgiveness of sins: 1) who need it? 2) who imparts it? 3) who receive it?The wretchedness of those who conceal their sins; the blessedness of those who confess them.Deception and sincerity of heart: 1) their characteristics, 2) their consequences.As we have appropriated our sins, in confessing them as our own, so we must likewise appropriate grace, that we may thereby be justified and blessed.How necessary and salutary it is to confess our sins, 1) sincerely, 2) at the right time, 3) in trust in Gods mercy.The salutary comparison of our spiritual experience in the state of forgiveness with those which we previously experienced under the pressure of sin.It is well for those who do not deceive themselves, 1) with respect to their guilt, 2) with respect to their forgiveness.

Starke: Instruction respecting the justification of a poor sinner: 1) the advantageous condition of justification; 2) the way in which it is attained; 3) the necessary conduct afterwards.There is no greater treasure than forgiveness of sins; for where there is no sin there is no wrath of God, no curse of the law, the devil cannot injure, death cannot strangle, hell cannot swallow up.Our righteousness is not that we have no sins, or have sufficient good works, but that God forgives our sins (Isa 44:22).God alone makes the righteous blessed in heaven, and penitence alone makes the sinner blessed on earth.All the pious know from their own experience that it is not so easy to suppress the wickedness of the heart; hence their daily crying and murmuring against sin.Sin is like a violent fever; as long as its heat remains within it consumes the bowels; but when it breaks out upon the lips, it is a sure sign of health.Do not postpone your penitence, but take heed of the right time; for the time of grace is not in the power of any man, the enemy is not idle, death does not tarry.Peace with God causes a pious man in all his adversities to be comforted and joyous.The sincere in heart can never lack reason and impulse to glorify and praise God.Lange: Although man cannot by his own will make himself fit for the kingdom of God, yet he should not misuse prevenient grace by resisting it.It is a well-deserved punishment to be chastised by anxiety of conscience; it is a good thing when it leads to penitent knowledge, consequently likewise to the forgiveness of sins.

Osiander: There is no more certain help and no stronger protection than to have a gracious God.Selnekker: Silence injures the soul and has no consolation.An evil conscience, which feels its sins and the wrath of God, is a pain of all pains.The true joy of the godly is the Lord Himself.Menzel: To be holy and pray for forgiveness of sins appears to be almost absurd, yet we must learn properly to understand it.Christians should be instructed by the word of God: 1) to know themselves, 2) to believe in Christ, 3) to lead a godly life.Frisch: Of the blessedness of a justified sinner: 1) In what it consists; 2) whence it arises; 3) to whom it properly belongs; 4) what particularly are its consequences.With earthly judges it is: repent and be hanged. But it is very different with Gods judgment.He who would be saved, must betake himself to the order of salvation.Francke: He who imagines that he has faith and yet has not tasted of any true penitence of heart, has no real faith, but is deceived. But where there is no faith, there is likewise no forgiveness of sins.Umbreit: The impenitent heart of the sinner must be broken, the deceit with which he conceals his transgressions from God and seeks to palliate and excuse to himself by lying thoughts, must depart from his spirit ere he can be entirely sure of forgiveness of sins in his own soul.Diedrich: Not to be willing to trust in the Lord God, since He has promised complete forgiveness, is the worst kind of ungodliness; but to confess all to Him in confidence is well-pleasing to Him.Taube: Our God is much more inclined to forgive us our sins, than we are inclined to confess them and pray for His grace.

[Matth. Henry: The forgiveness of sin is that article of the covenant which is the reason and ground of all the rest.Some inward trouble is required in repentance, but there is much worse in impenitency.We must confess sin with shame and holy blushing, with fear and holy trembling.You may as soon find a living man without breath, as a living Christian without prayer.It is our honor and happiness that we have understanding, that we are capable of being governed by reason, and of reasoning with ourselves. Let us, therefore, use the faculties we have and act rationally.Where there is renewing grace, there is no need of the bit and bridle of restraining grace.Barnes: The pardoned man has nothing to fear, though flood or fire should sweep over the world.The feeling that we are pardoned fills the universe with melody, and makes the heaven and the earth seem to us to be glad. The Christian is a happy man; and he himself being happy all around him sympathizes with him in his joy.Wordsworth: God is deaf to the howlings of the impenitent, but the least whisper, and even the unexpressed aspiration of the contrite heart, are a roaring to Him.God covereth the sin of him who doth not cover his own sin.The effect of Gods eye on the tender heart, is expressed in the touching words of the Evangelist, The Lord turned and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord; and Peter went out and wept bitterly (Luk 22:61-62). St. Peters eyes streamed with tears, responsive to the piercing glance of the Divine eye of Christ.Spurgeon: What a killing thing is sin! It is a pestilent disease! A fire in the bones! While we smother our sin it rages within, and like a gathering wound swells horribly and torments terribly.Alas for a poor soul when it has learned its sin but forgets its Saviour, it goes hard with it indeed.When the soul determines to lay low and plead guilty, absolution is near at hand.O, dear reader, slight not the accepted time, waste not the day of salvation.We ought to be as a feather in the wind, wafted readily in the breath of the Holy Spirit; but alas! we lie like motionless logs, and stir not with heaven itself in view. Those cutting bits of affliction show how hard mouthed we are, those bridles of infirmity manifest our headstrong and wilful manners.Reader, what a delightful Psalm! Have you, in perusing it, been able to claim a lot in the goodly land? If so, publish to others the way of salvation.C. A. B.]

Footnotes:

[3][Ewald: We must in any case suppose that the poet does not speak during the change itself, but some time afterwards, after having gained complete internal rest and cheerfulness, looking over all that had transpired and the entire Divine ordinances of grace. With this song he concludes the entire tragedy through which his soul has passed. In this respect the Psalm is particularly distinguished from Psalms 51 which was spoken during the change, before he was entirely calmed. Delitzsch: David was for an entire year after his sin of adultery as one damned in hell. In this hell Psalms 51 was composed, Psalms 32 however after his deliverance, the former in the midst of his penitential struggle, the latter after having gained internal peace.C. A. B.]

[4][Perowne translates similarly to Alexander: I cannot see why it may not be designedly employed not to express the past action, but the past resolve, the sentence being somewhat elliptical: (Then I thought, then I resolved) I would acknowledge.C. A. B.]

Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange

DISCOURSE: 547
TRUE BLESSEDNESS DECLARED

Psa 32:1-6. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long: (for day and night thy hand was heavy upon me:) my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid: I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found.

TO have the experience of David in all the diversified conditions of life faithfully submitted to us, is an advantage for which we can never be sufficiently thankful. There was scarcely any trouble, either of a temporal or spiritual nature, which he was not called to endure, and under which he has not stated to us the workings of his mind. We are accustomed to hear of his sins and his penitence, his sorrows and his joys: but there is one particular frame of mind, in which he continued for many months, which we are apt, for the most part, to overlook, or to pass by with a mere transient observation; I mean, his state of impenitence and hardness of heart after the commission of his sin in the matter of Uriah. But this is an exceedingly profitable point of view in which to behold him, because of the general tendency of sin to harden the heart: and to see how he obtained peace at last is also of great advantage, inasmuch as it will shew us, how we may obtain peace, even after the commission of the greatest transgressions. When he wrote this psalm he had regained that happy state from which he had fallen: and he here records, for the instruction of the Church in all future ages,

I.

Wherein true blessedness consists

A man who has no prospects beyond this present world, will seek happiness in the things of time and sense. But a mans life consisteth not in the abundance of the things that he possesseth. We are immortal beings, and are hastening to a state, where a period will arrive, at which our present existence, even though it should have been continued a thousand years, will have been only as the twinkling of an eye. In that state either happiness or misery awaits us, according as we enter upon it under the guilt of our former sins, or with our sins forgiven. We may justly say, therefore, True happiness consists, as our text informs us, in having our sins forgiven. To elucidate this topic, let us consider the blessing here spoken of,

1.

As a non-imputation of sin

[Who that is in the smallest degree conscious of the number and heinousness of his transgressions, and of the awful punishment due to him on account of them, must not regard it as an unspeakable mercy to have them all blotted out from the book of Gods remembrance? What in the whole universe can in his estimation be compared with this? If he could possess the whole world, yea, if he could possess ten thousand worlds, what comfort would the acquisition give him, if he had the melancholy prospect of being speedily plunged into the bottomless abyss of hell? If there were a large company of condemned criminals, some rich and noble, others poor and ignoble, and one of the meanest of them had received the kings pardon whilst all the rest were left for execution; who among them would be accounted the happiest? How much more then, when the death to which unpardoned sinners are consigned is an everlasting death in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone! No one who reads the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, and sees the termination of their respective states, can for a moment hesitate to pronounce Lazarus, with all his miseries and privations, far happier in a sense of reconciliation with his God, than the rich worldling in the enjoyment of all his pomp and luxury.]

2.

As a positive imputation of righteousness

[In the words of David we should not have seen the doctrine of imputed righteousness, if St. Paul had not expressly told us that that doctrine was contained in them. He tells us [Note: Rom 4:6-8.], that in these words David describeth the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. Now this idea goeth much farther than mere forgiveness: forgiveness exempts from punishment; but an imputation of the Redeemers righteousness to us insures to us an eternal great reward [Note: 2Co 5:21.]. O how happy must that man be who is clothed in the unspotted robe of Christs righteousness, and can, on the footing of that righteousness, claim all the glory and felicity of heaven! He may look forward to death and judgment, not only without fear but with holy confidence and joy, assured, that in Gods sight he stands without spot or blemish. Who, we would ask, can be happy, like the man who has been begotten to a lively hope, that in and through Christ, there is reserved for him an incorruptible, and undefiled, and never-fading inheritance in heaven?]

3.

As a renovation of soul consequent on reconciliation with God

[Though sin is pardoned, and righteousness is imputed, purely through the free grace of God to the chief of sinners, without any good works already performed by them [Note: Mark the expressions, the ungodly, without works, Rom 4:5-6.], yet no pardoned sinner is left in an unholy state: on the contrary, he is renewed in the spirit of his mind: a new heart is given unto him: and he is made an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile. If this were not the case, pardon itself could not make him happy. A soul under the dominion of sin could not be happy, even if it were in heaven: sin would eat his vitals, as doth a canker. It is the restoration of the soul to the Divine image that constitutes a very principal part of its felicity: for when we are holy, as God is holy, then are we happy, as God is happy. We must be careful however not to confound those different sources of happiness. St. Paul was so jealous on this head, that when quoting the words of our text, be omitted these at the close of it, lest any one should imagine that our sanctification were in any respect the ground of our justification before God. Sanctification is the fruit and consequence of our having received a justifying righteousness: and, though it in no respect procures our reconciliation with God in the first instance, (for that is procured solely through faith in Christ,) yet it is as inseparably connected with justifying faith, as good fruit is with a good tree: nor can the soul be happy in a sense of the Divine favour, till it has this evidence of its acceptance with him.]

But David proceeds to inform us,

II.

How he himself attained unto it

For a long time he was altogether destitute of it
[Partly through stoutness of heart, and partly through unbelief, he for a long time refused to humble himself for his heinous iniquities. But was he happy during that period? Hear his own representation of his state and feelings: When I kept silence, my bones waxed old, through my roaring all the day long; my moisture was turned into the drought of summer. The state of an impenitent sinner is fitly compared to the troubled sea, which cannot rest, but incessantly casts up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith God, to the wicked. We have a striking elucidation of this point in the history of Judas and of Peter. Both of them had sinned grievously: but Peter, through the influence of faith, repented; whilst Judas, under the influence of unbelief, sought refuge in suicide from the accusations of his own mind. Thus it is with many who are haunted with a sense of guilt, but will not abase themselves before God: they roar all the day long; and howl upon their beds, like dogs; but they cry not unto God from their inmost souls [Note: Hos 7:14.]. Hence they can find no rest, or peace; and often precipitate themselves into the torments of hell, to get rid of the torments of a guilty conscience. Ignorant people impute these acts to religion: but it is the want of religion that produces them: it is the want of true contrition that causes their guilt so to prey upon their minds. Gods hand is heavy upon them, because they will not humble themselves before him: and the longer they continue to set him at defiance, the more may they expect to feel the pressure of his righteous indignation [Note: See Psa 38:1-8; Psa 102:3-7.] ]

At last through penitence he attained unto it
[He at last acknowledged his sin, and confessed his transgressions unto the Lord: and then God, who delighteth in mercy, spoke peace unto his soul. The transition was indeed surprisingly rapid: for he only said, I will confess my transgressions, and instantly God forgave the iniquity of his sin [Note: See 2Sa 12:13.]. Doubtless God saw the sincerity of his heart: he saw not only that David mourned over his past offences, but was determined through grace to give himself up in future wholly and unreservedly to the Lord: and therefore he would not delay to restore to him the light of his countenance, and the joy of his salvation. We have a beautiful instance of this rich display of mercy in the parable of the Prodigal Son as also in the converts on the day of Pentecost and in the jailer [Note: Act 16:34.] And similar displays of mercy may we ourselves hope for, if only we humble ourselves before him, and seek to be clothed in the Redeemers righteousness: for he is rich in mercy unto all who call upon him.]

Having stated thus his own experience, David proceeds to tell us,

III.

What improvement we should make of it

Unspeakably encouraging is the record here given us. We should take occasion from it,

1.

To seek the Lord for ourselves

[The godly will make their prayer unto God; and the ungodly also should do it. If any man ever had reason to despair, David had, after having so grievously departed from his God. But he cried unto the Lord, and obtained mercy at his hands. Shall the ungodly then say, My sins are too great to be pardoned? Or shall the godly, after the most horrible backslidings, sit down in despair, and say, There is no hope? No: the example of David absolutely forbids this At the same time it shews the folly of delaying repentance: for there is no peace to the soul in an impenitent state: neither here nor hereafter can we be happy in any other way than that which God has marked out for us. If penitential sorrow be painful, it never corrodes like impenitent obduracy: there is in it a melting of soul that participates of the nature of holy joy: and, if weeping do endure for a night, joy is sure to come in the morning. If then we would be truly happy, let us flee to Christ as the Refuge set before us: he is the Lord our Righteousness; and the vilest sinner upon earth shall find his blood able to cleanse from all sin, and his righteousness sufficient to clothe our souls, so that the shame of our nakedness shall never appear. But let us take care,]

2.

To seek him whilst he may be found

[There is a time wherein he may be found of every one of us; and a time wherein he may not be found. This is an awful truth; but it is attested by many passages of Holy Writ: O that thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things that belong unto thy peace! said our Lord to Jerusalem; but now they are hid from thine eyes. God may, and does, give over many to a reprobate mind, and to final impenitence: So I gave them up. But if you have the least desire of mercy, we are warranted to say, Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation. O then improve the present hour: Seek ye the Lord whilst he may be found; call ye upon him whilst he is near. If you cover your sins, you cannot prosper; but if you confess and forsake them, you shall find mercy. If you say that you have no sin, you deceive yourselves; but if you confess your sins, he is faithful and just to forgive you your sins, and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness.]

Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)

CONTENTS

The blessedness of having sin cancelled, and the blessedness of being brought into a state where there is no iniquity, are here both set forth. The joy and comfort of having favour with God, and having God for a hiding place, are also set forth in strong expressions of delight.

A Psalm of David. Maschil.

Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

It is our mercy that we are not left to make our own comment upon this Psalm without a guide. The Holy Ghost, by his servant the apostle Paul, hath done it to our hands. In the fourth chapter of his Epistle to the Romans, in the person and character of Abraham, the great truth here set forth is explained. The blessedness here spoken of, in pardoned sin, and iniquity not imputed, is expressly said to be to that man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works. Hence, therefore, nothing can be more plain, from the Holy Ghost’s own explanation, as instanced in the case of Abraham, the great father of the faithful, than that every believer in Christ, as Abraham was, hath his sins, covered and Christ’s righteousness imputed unto him, though he himself hath wrought no righteousness to entitle him to such mercy. In confirmation of these things so infinitely momentous as they are, I very earnestly beg the Reader to peruse these scriptures: Rom 4 throughout; Joh 8:56 .

Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

Psa 32:3-4

We all of us know that repentance of our sins is necessary for us, if we hope to be saved in the next world. True repentance is the path, the only path, of forgiveness, of restoration to God’s favour, of becoming good and holy. But

I. What is Repentance? It is the breaking off with our sins. It is not merely being sorry for them; not merely looking them in the face, and admitting the truth, when conscience convinces us that we have done wrong. All this is very necessary; confession of sin is part of repentance, it is the beginning, and without it there can be no true repentance; but it is not the whole; sorrow and self-reproach, the broken and humbled heart, is a part of repentance, but it may stop short of repentance itself. Only when we break off from our sin is repentance fulfilled in earnest. There are several points which we might consider in connexion with repentance; there is the benefit of repentance; its necessity. Here we will consider only

II. Its comfort. Besides all the other good things there are in repentance, there is great and solid comfort. There is a comfort in the feeling sorry for our sins, however deep and sharp the pain may be which goes with it; but this sort of comfort by itself is not abiding, and will not profit us much. There is a better and truer comfort, in being able honestly to confess our sins. As long as the Psalmist tried to hide from himself that he was doing wrong he was miserable; as long as he tried to shelter himself under vain excuses, as long as he was too proud to own his sin, there was a load on his heart. ‘For while I held my tongue my bones consumed away through my daily complaining. For Thy hand is heavy upon me day and night: and my moisture is like the drought in summer.’ Then he resolved to be bold and honest to own his sin: ‘I will acknowledge my sin unto Thee, and mine unrighteousness have I not hid. I said, I will confess my sins unto the Lord.’ And then came comfort, the comfortable sense of being at peace with the Father, Who forgives the sins of His children when they own their sin, ‘And so Thou forgavest the wickedness of my sin’; the comfort of feeling that there was no longer a war between him and the mercy and righteousness of God; that, having confessed all, he had nothing more to make him ashamed, and he could venture to think of God’s nearness and power. ‘For this shall every one that is godly make his prayer unto Thee in a time when Thou mayest be found; but in the great water-floods they shall not come nigh Him.’ Then did comfort come to the sinner, who without flinching and making excuses, dared to look his sins in the face, gave up hiding them, and laid them before the eyes of God. But this comfort is not to be depended upon, and will not last unless something more follow. People can confess their wrongdoings, and yet make no real attempt to put an end to them. If we rest on the comfort of confession alone, it may become a very dangerous delusion. Seeing, feeling, owning, confessing, all this will not of itself mend our condition or relieve our conscience. There is only one way breaking off for good what is wrong. Repentance is, after we have seen and felt and confessed and bewailed our misdeeds, really giving them up. This will not only bring us safety, forgiveness, the favour of God, the hope of everlasting rest; it will bring us, besides this, comfort. We can bear much when we are at peace within. Repentance, with its trials, its sacrifices, its self-denials, has also comfort, which outweighs them all the comfort of being at peace not only with God, but with our own hearts. That which gives a sting to our difficulties, and makes trouble so dreadful and hard to bear, is the secret knowledge that we are unfaithful to our duty and to Christ, that we have not yet made our honest choice between right and wrong, that we are attempting a double service. Let us break the yoke. Let us not only be sorry for our sin, but seek God’s grace to have done with it for ever. Let us turn our backs on it, not looking behind, but with undivided heart giving it up for ever. The wrench, however painful, will soon be forgotten. The sacrifice, whatever it may be, will soon be made up for an hundredfold. But the consolation will come and go on increasing for ever to the end. The beginning of repentance may be with clouds and storms, with perplexity and distress of heart; but let it be in earnest, the honest breaking off from what is evil, and the clouds will soon give way to calm and sunshine, and it will be to us the path leading us, through peace and contentment here, to the rest of glory in God’s kingdom in heaven.

Reference. XXXII. 6. S. Baring-Gould, Village Preaching for a Year (2nd Series), vol. i. p. 174.

Sins of Scripture Saints

Psa 32:5

David was far from being a character of spotless purity. So greatly indeed was his life disgraced by bloodshed and by sin, that the same God who chose him to reign over Israel, refused to receive from his hands the dedication of his intended Temple.

I. It is not our duty to attempt to excuse or palliate crimes like those of David, or of any other person mentioned in Holy Writ. We should confess that there is scarcely a Scripture character without a stain nor need we be at any pains to excuse this fact We should, indeed, give the same justice to them that we do to others, but there is nothing in the Bible requiring us to regard sin differently or as less aggravated whether seen in a Prophet, Minister, Christian, or Infidel.

II. Suppose that the believers mentioned in Scripture had all been represented as faultless, would the Bible have been any more credible? Here in the world we see, as a rule, good men overcoming their sins. At times, however, they may have been overcome by them and if we turn to the Bible we find just such characters drawn there. Every one must feel that the Scriptures are, therefore, much more credible when they describe believers as but imperfectly sanctified, than they would have been had they represented them as perfect.

III. Admitting the guilt of those Scripture Saints, we should observe the severity of God’s justice against them. In the ordinary course of things their crimes would have been in a great measure concealed had not God displayed them. Does not this show God’s confidence in truth? Nor let it be supposed that those sins were passed over without punishment. So far was it otherwise that, in David’s case, even when the pardon of his soul was pronounced, yet heavy were the inflictions laid upon him. Let none then make the example of illustrious men of old, as mentioned in Scripture, encouragements or excuses to sin, when we see, as in David’s case, how severely these sins were punished.

E. J. Brewster, Scripture Characters, p. 193.

References. XXXII. 8. J. Baldwin Brown, The Sunday Afternoon, p. 278. C. Kingsley, The Good News of God, p. 137. XXXII. 9, 10. F. J. Hort, Village Sermons (2nd Series), p. 194. XXXII. 10. G. Brooks, Outlines of Sermons, p. 178. A. Watson, Sermons for Sundays, etc. (1st Series), p. 63.

Psa 32

‘Blessed is the man whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.’ This was the favourite Psalm of Augustine. With reference to it he says, Intelligentia prima est ut te nris peccatorem . ‘The beginning of understanding is to know thyself a sinner.’

When Luther was asked which were the best Psalms, he replied, Psalmi Paulini, ‘The Pauline Psalms’; and being asked to name them, he gave the 32nd, 51st, 130th, and 143rd. These all belong, it will be observed, to the penitential Psalms.

Verse 2 contains the spiritual ideal which quaint old Izaak Walton set up for the model of his life. In closing his biography of Bishop Sanderson, he says: ‘Tis now too late to wish that my life may be like his, for I am in the eighty-fifth year of my age; but I humbly beseech Almighty God that my death may be, and I earnestly beg of every reader to say, Amen. ‘Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.’

This Psalm was also a favourite with Alexander Peden. One little incident of his life in connexion with this Psalm helps us to come close to him. ‘On one occasion,’ says the narrative, ‘when the service was ended, he and others that were with him lay down in the sheep-house and got some sleep. He rose early, and went up by the burnside and stayed long. When he came in to them, he did sing the 32nd Psalm from the 7th verse to the end.

Thou art my hiding-place, thou shalt

From trouble keep me free:

Thou with songs of deliverance

About shalt compass me.

Ye righteous, in the Lord be glad,

In him do ye rejoice:

All ye that upright are in heart,

For joy lift up your voice.’

When he had ended, he repeated the 7th verse again, and said, ‘These and what follow are sweet lines which I got at the burnside this morning, and I will get more tomorrow, and so we shall have daily provision.’

John Ker.

References. XXXIII. International Critical Commentary, vol. i. p. 284. XXXIII. 1 . Preacher’s Monthly, vol. iii. p. 355. XXXIII. 2, 3. J. M. Neale, Occasional Sermons, p. 108. XXXIII. 5. G. Bainton, Christian World Pulpit, vol. xviii. p. 378. XXXIII. 6. J. Keble, Sermons from Ascension Day to Trinity, p. 384.

Fuente: Expositor’s Dictionary of Text by Robertson

XVI

THE MESSIANIC PSALMS AND OTHERS

We commence this chapter by giving a classified list of the Messianic Psalms, as follows:

The Royal Psalms are:

Psa 110 ; Psa 2 ; Psa 72 ; Psa 45 ; Psa 89 ;

The Passion Psalms are:

Psa 22 ; Psa 41 ; Psa 69 ;

The Psalms of the Ideal Man are Psa 8 ; Psa 16 ; Psa 40 ;

The Missionary Psalms are:

Psa 47 ; Psa 65 ; Psa 68 ; Psa 96 ; Psa 100 ; Psa 117 .

The predictions before David of the coming Messiah are, (1) the seed of the woman; (2) the seed of Abraham; (3) the seed of Judah; (4) the seed of David.

The prophecies of history concerning the Messiah are, (1) a prophet like unto Moses; (2) a priest after the order of Melchizedek; (3) a sacrifice which embraces all the sacrificial offerings of the Old Testament; (4) direct references to him as King, as in 2Sa 7:8 ff.

The messianic offices as taught in the psalms are four, viz: (1) The Messiah is presented as Prophet, or Teacher (Psa 40:8 ); (2) as Sacrifice, or an Offering for sin (Psa 40:6 ff.; Heb 10:5 ff.) ; (3) he is presented as Priest (Psa 110:4 ); (4) he is presented as King (Psa 45 ).

The psalms most clearly presenting the Messiah in his various phases and functions are as follows: (1) as the ideal man, or Second Adam (8); (2) as Prophet (Psa 40 ); (3) as Sacrifice (Psa 22 ) ; (4) as King (Psa 45 ) ; (5) as Priest (Psa 110 ) ; (6) in his universal reign (Psa 72 ).

It will be noted that other psalms teach these facts also, but these most clearly set forth the offices as they relate to the Messiah.

The Messiah as a sacrifice is presented in general in Psa 40:6 . His sufferings as such are given in a specific and general way in Psa 22 ; Psa 41 ; Psa 69 . The events of his sufferings in particular are described, beginning with the betrayal of Judas, as follows:

1. Judas betrayed him (Mat 26:14 ) in fulfilment of Psa 41:9 .

2. At the Supper (Mat 26:24 ) Christ said, “The Son of man goeth as it is written of him,” referring to Psa 22 .

3. They sang after the Supper in fulfilment of Psa 22:22 .

4. Piercing his hands and feet, Psa 22:16 .

5. They cast lots for his vesture in fulfilment of Psa 22:18 .

6. Just before the ninth hour the chief priests reviled him (Mat 27:43 ) in fulfilment of Psa 22:8 .

7. At the ninth hour (Mat 27:46 ) he quoted Psa 22:1 .

8. Near his death (Joh 19:28 ) he said, in fulfilment of Psa 69:21 , “I thirst.”

9. At that time they gave him vinegar (Mat 27:48 ) in fulfilment of Psa 69:21 .

10. When he was found dead they did not break his bones (Joh 19:36 ) in fulfilment of Psa 34:20 .

11. He is represented as dead, buried, and raised in Psa 16:10 .

12. His suffering as a substitute is described in Psa 69:9 .

13. The result of his crucifixion to them who crucified him is given in Psa 69:22-23 . Compare Rom 11:9-10 .

The Penitential Psalms are Psa 6 ; Psa 32 ; Psa 38 ; Psa 51 ; Psa 102 ; Psa 130 ; Psa 143 . The occasion of Psa 6 was the grief and penitence of David over Absalom; of Psa 32 was the blessedness of forgiveness after his sin with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah; Psa 38 , David’s reference to his sin with Bathsheba; Psa 51 , David’s penitence and prayer for forgiveness for this sin; Psa 102 , the penitence of the children of Israel on the eve of their return from captivity; Psalm 130, a general penitential psalm; Psa 143 , David’s penitence and prayer when pursued by Absalom.

The Pilgrim Psalms are Psalms 120-134. This section of the psalter is called the “Little Psalter.” These Psalms were collected in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah, in troublous times. The author of the central psalm of this collection is Solomon, and he wrote it when he built his Temple. The Davidic Psalms in this collection are Psa 120 ; Psa 122 ; Psa 124 ; Psa 131 ; Psa 132 ; Psa 133 . The others were written during the building of the second Temple. They are called in the Septuagint “Songs of the Steps.”

There are four theories as to the meaning of the titles, “Songs of the Steps,” “Songs of Degrees,” or “Songs of Ascents,” viz:

1. The first theory is that the “Songs of the Steps” means the songs of the fifteen steps from the court of the women to the court of Israel, there being a song for each step.

2. The second theory is that advanced by Luther, which says that they were songs of a higher choir, elevated above, or in an elevated voice.

3. The third theory is that the thought in these psalms advances by degrees.

4. The fourth theory is that they are Pilgrim Psalms, or the songs that they sang while going up to the great feasts.

Certain scriptures give the true idea of these titles, viz: Exo 23:14-17 ; Exo 34:23-24 ; 1Sa 1:3 ; 1Ki 12:27-28 : Psa 122:1-4 ; and the proof of their singing as they went is found in Psa_42:4; 100; and Isa 30:29 . They went, singing these psalms, to the Feasts of the Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. Psa 121 was sung when just in sight of Jerusalem and Psa 122 was sung at the gate. Psa 128 is the description of a good man’s home and a parallel to this psalm in modern literature is Burns’s “Cotter’s Saturday Night.” The pious home makes the nation great.

Psa 133 is a psalm of fellowship. It is one of the finest expressions of the blessings that issue when God’s people dwell together in unity. The reference here is to the anointing of Aaron as high priest and the fragrance of the anointing oil which was used in these anointings. The dew of Hermon represents the blessing of God upon his people when they dwell together in such unity.

Now let us look at the Alphabetical Psalms. An alphabetical psalm is one in which the letters of the Hebrew alphabet are used alphabetically to commence each division. In Psalms 111-112, each clause so begins; in Psa 25 ; Psa 34 ; Psa 145 ; each verse so begins; in Psa 37 each stanza of two verses so begins; in 119 each stanza of eight verses so begins, and each of the eight lines begins with the same letter. In Psa 25 ; 34 37 the order is not so strict; in Psa 9 and Psa 10 there are some traces of this alphabetical order.

David originated these alphabetical psalms and the most complete specimen is Psa 119 , which is an expansion of the latter part of Psa 19 .

A certain group of psalms is called the Hallelujah Psalms. They are so called because the word “Hallelujah” is used at the beginning, or at the ending, and sometimes at both the beginning and the ending. The Hallelujah Psalms are Psalm 111-113; 115-117; 146-150. Psa 117 is a doxology; and Psalms 146-150 were used as anthems. Psa 148 calls on all creation to praise God. Francis of Assisi wrote a hymn based on this psalm in which he called the sun his honorable brother and the cricket his sister. Psa 150 calls for all varieties of instruments. Psalms 113-118 are called the Egyptian Hallel. They were used at the Passover (Psalm 113-114), before the Supper and Psalm 115-118 were sung after the Supper. According to this, Jesus and his disciples sang Psalms 115-118 at the last Passover Supper. These psalms were sung also at the Feasts of Pentecost, Tabernacles, Dedication, and New Moon.

The name of God is delayed long in Psa 114 . Addison said, “That the surprise might be complete.” Then there are some special characteristics of Psa 115 , viz: (1) It was written against idols. Cf. Isa 44:9-20 ; (2) It is antiphonal, the congregation singing Psa 115:1-8 , the choir Psa 115:9-12 , the priests Psa 115:13-15 and the congregation again Psa 115:16-18 . The theme of Psa 116 is love, based on gratitude for a great deliverance, expressed in service. It is appropriate to read at the celebration of the Lord’s Supper and Psa 116:15 is especially appropriate for funeral services.

On some special historical occasions certain psalms were sung. Psa 46 was sung by the army of Gustavus Adolphus before the decisive battle of Leipzig, on September 17, 1631.Psa 68 was sung by Cromwell’s army on the occasion of the battle of Dunbar in Scotland.

Certain passages in the Psalms show that the psalm writers approved the offering of Mosaic animal sacrifices. For instance, Psa 118:27 ; Psa 141:2 seem to teach very clearly that they approved the Mosaic sacrifice. But other passages show that these inspired writers estimated spiritual sacrifices as more important and foresaw the abolition of the animal sacrifices. Such passages are Psa 50:7-15 ; Psa 4:5 ; Psa 27:6 ; Psa 40:6 ; Psa 51:16-17 . These scriptures show conclusively that the writers estimated spiritual sacrifices as more important than the Mosaic sacrifices.

QUESTIONS

1. What are the Royal Psalms?

2. What are the Passion Psalms?

3. What are the Psalms of the Ideal Man?

4. What are the Missionary Psalms?

5. What are the predictions before David of the coming Messiah?

6. What are the prophecies of history concerning the Messiah?

7. Give a regular order of thought concerning the messianic offices as taught in the psalms.

8. Which psalms most clearly present the Messiah as (1) the ideal man, or Second Adam, (2) which as Prophet, or Teacher, (3) which as the Sacrifice, (4) which as King, (5) which as Priest, (6) which his universal reign?

9. Concerning the suffering Messiah, or the Messiah as a sacrifice, state the words or facts, verified in the New Testament as fulfilment of prophecy in the psalms. Let the order of the citations follow the order of facts in Christ’s life.

10. Name the Penitential Psalms and show their occasion.

11. What are the Pilgrim Psalms?

12. What is this section of the Psalter called?

13. When and under what conditions were these psalms collected?

14. Who is the author of the central psalm of this collection?

15. What Davidic Psalms are in this collection?

16. When were the others written?

17. What are they called in the Septuagint?

18. What four theories as to the meaning of the titles, “Songs of the Steps,” “Songs of Degrees,” or “Songs of Ascents”?

19. What scriptures give the true idea of these titles?

20. Give proof of their singing as they went.

21. To what feasts did they go singing these Psalms?

22. What was the special use made of Psa 121 and Psa 122 ?

23. Which of these psalms is the description of a good man’s home and what parallel in modern literature?

24. Expound Psa 133 .

25. What is an alphabetical psalm, and what are the several kinds?

26. Who originated these Alphabetical Psalms?

27. What are the most complete specimen?

28. Of what is it an expansion?

29. Why is a certain group of psalms called the Hallelujah Psalms?

30. What are the Hallelujah Psalms?

31. Which of the Hallelujah Psalms was a doxology?

32. Which of these were used as anthems?

33. Which psalm calls on all creation to praise God?

34. Who wrote a hymn based on Psa 148 in which he called the sun his honorable brother and the cricket his sister?

35. Which of these psalms calls for all varieties of instruments?

36. What is the Egyptian Hallel?

37. What is their special use and how were they sung?

38. Then what hymns did Jesus and his disciples sing?

39. At what other feasts was this sung?

40. Why was the name of God delayed so long in Psa 114 ?

41. What are the characteristics of Psa 115 ?

42. What is the theme and special use of Psa 116 ?

43. State some special historical occasions on which certain psalms were sung. Give the psalm for each occasion.

44. Cite passages in the psalms showing that the psalm writers approved the offering of Mosaic animal sacrifices.

45. Cite other passages showing that these inspired writers estimated spiritual sacrifices as more important than the Mosaic sacrifices.

Fuente: B.H. Carroll’s An Interpretation of the English Bible

PSALMS

XI

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF PSALMS

According to my usual custom, when taking up the study of a book of the Bible I give at the beginning a list of books as helps to the study of that book. The following books I heartily commend on the Psalms:

1. Sampey’s Syllabus for Old Testament Study . This is especially good on the grouping and outlining of some selected psalms. There are also some valuable suggestions on other features of the book.

2. Kirkpatrick’g commentary, in “Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges,” is an excellent aid in the study of the Psalter.

3. Perowne’s Book of Psalms is a good, scholarly treatise on the Psalms. A special feature of this commentary is the author’s “New Translation” and his notes are very helpful.

4. Spurgeon’s Treasury of David. This is just what the title implies. It is a voluminous, devotional interpretation of the Psalms and helpful to those who have the time for such extensive study of the Psalter.

5. Hengstenburg on the Psalms. This is a fine, scholarly work by one of the greatest of the conservative German scholars.

6. Maclaren on the Psalms, in “The Expositor’s Bible,” is the work of the world’s safest, sanest, and best of all works that have ever been written on the Psalms.

7. Thirtle on the Titles of the Psalms. This is the best on the subject and well worth a careful study.

At this point some definitions are in order. The Hebrew word for psalm means praise. The word in English comes from psalmos , a song of lyrical character, or a song to be sung and accompanied with a lyre. The Psalter is a collection of sacred and inspired songs, composed at different times and by different authors.

The range of time in composition was more than 1,000 years, or from the time of Moses to the time of Ezra. The collection in its present form was arranged probably by Ezra in the fifth century, B.C.

The Jewish classification of Old Testament books was The Law, the Prophets, and the Holy Writings. The Psalms was given the first place in the last group.

They had several names, or titles, of the Psalms. In Hebrew they are called “The Book of Prayers,” or “The Book of Praises.” The Hebrew word thus used means praises. The title of the first two books is found in Psa 72:20 : “The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.” The title of the whole collection of Psalms in the Septuagint is Biblos Psalman which means the “Book of Psalms.” The title in the Alexandrian Codex is Psalterion which is the name of a stringed instrument, and means “The Psalter.”

The derivation of our English words, “psalms,” “psalter,” and “psaltery,” respectively, is as follows:

1. “Psalms” comes from the Greek word, psalmoi, which is also from psallein , which means to play upon a stringed instrument. Therefore the Psalms are songs played upon stringed instruments, and the word here is used to apply to the whole collection.

2. “Psalter” is of the same origin and means the Book of Psalms and refers also to the whole collection.

3. “Psaltery” is from the word psalterion, which means “a harp,” an instrument, supposed to be in the shape of a triangle or like the delta of the Greek alphabet. See Psa 33:2 ; Psa 71:22 ; Psa 81:2 ; Psa 144:9 .

In our collection there are 150 psalms. In the Septuagint there is one extra. It is regarded as being outside the sacred collection and not inspired. The subject of this extra psalm is “David’s victory over Goliath.” The following is a copy of it: I was small among my brethren, And youngest in my father’s house, I used to feed my father’s sheep. My hands made a harp, My fingers fashioned a Psaltery. And who will declare unto my Lord? He is Lord, he it is who heareth. He it was who sent his angel And took me from my father’s sheep, And anointed me with the oil of his anointing. My brethren were goodly and tall, But the Lord took no pleasure in them. I went forth to meet the Philistine. And he cursed me by his idols But I drew the sword from beside him; I beheaded him and removed reproach from the children of Israel.

It will be noted that this psalm does not have the earmarks of an inspired production. There is not found in it the modesty so characteristic of David, but there is here an evident spirit of boasting and self-praise which is foreign to the Spirit of inspiration.

There is a difference in the numbering of the psalms in our version which follows the Hebrew, and the numbering in the Septuagint. Omitting the extra one in the Septuagint, there is no difference as to the total number. Both have 150 and the same subject matter, but they are not divided alike.

The following scheme shows the division according to our version and also the Septuagint: Psalms 1-8 in the Hebrew equal 1-8 in the Septuagint; 9-10 in the Hebrew combine into 9 in the Septuagint; 11-113 in the Hebrew equal 10-112 in the Septuagint; 114-115 in the Hebrew combine into 113 in the Septuagint; 116 in the Hebrew divides into 114-115 in the Septuagint; 117-146 in the Hebrew equal 116-145 in the Septuagint; 147 in the Hebrew divides into 146-147 in the Septuagint; 148-150 in the Hebrew equal 148-150 in the Septuagint.

The arrangement in the Vulgate is the same as the Septuagint. Also some of the older English versions have this arangement. Another difficulty in numbering perplexes an inexperienced student in turning from one version to another, viz: In the Hebrew often the title is verse I, and sometimes the title embraces verses 1-2.

The book divisions of the Psalter are five books, as follows:

Book I, Psalms 1-41 (41 chapters)

Book II, Psalms 42-72 (31 chapters)

Book III, Psalms 73-89 (17 chapters)

Book IV, Psalms 90-106 (17 chapters)

Book V, Psalms 107-150 (44 chapters)

They are marked by an introduction and a doxology. Psalm I forms an introduction to the whole book; Psa 150 is the doxology for the whole book. The introduction and doxology of each book are the first and last psalms of each division, respectively.

There were smaller collections before the final one, as follows:

Books I and II were by David; Book III, by Hezekiah, and Books IV and V, by Ezra.

Certain principles determined the arrangement of the several psalms in the present collection:

1. David is honored with first place, Book I and II, including Psalms 1-72.

2. They are grouped according to the use of the name of God:

(1) Psalms 1-41 are Jehovah psalms;

(2) Psalms 42-83 are Elohim-psalms;

(3) Psalms 84-150 are Jehovah psalms.

3. Book IV is introduced by the psalm of Moses, which is the first psalm written.

4. Some are arranged as companion psalms, for instance, sometimes two, sometimes three, and sometimes more. Examples: Psa 2 and 3; 22, 23, and 24; 113-118.

5. They were arranged for liturgical purposes, which furnished the psalms for special occasions, such as feasts, etc. We may be sure this arrangement was not accidental. An intelligent study of each case is convincing that it was determined upon rational grounds.

All the psalms have titles but thirty-three, as follows:

In Book I, Psa 1 ; Psa 2 ; Psa 10 ; Psa 33 , (4 are without titles).

In Book II, Psa 43 ; Psa 71 , (2 are without titles).

In Book IV, Psa 91 ; Psa 93 ; Psa 94 ; Psa 95 ; Psa 96 ; Psa 97 ; Psa 104 ; Psa 105 ; Psa 106 , (9 are without titles).

In Book V, Psa 107 ; III; 112; 113; 114; 115; 116; 117; 118; 119; 135; 136; 137; 146; 147; 148; 149; 150, (18 are without titles).

The Talmud calls these psalms that have no title, “Orphan Psalms.” The later Jews supply these titles by taking the nearest preceding author. The lack of titles in Psa 1 ; Psa 2 ; and 10 may be accounted for as follows: Psa 1 is a general introduction to the whole collection and Psa 2 was, perhaps, a part of Psa 1 . Psalms 9-10 were formerly combined into one, therefore Psa 10 has the same title as Psa 9 .

QUESTIONS

1. What books are commended on the Psalms?

2. What is a psalm?

3. What is the Psalter?

4. What is the range of time in composition?

5. When and by whom was the collection in its present form arranged?

6. What the Jewish classification of Old Testament books, and what the position of the Psalter in this classification?

7. What is the Hebrew title of the Psalms?

8. Find the title of the first two books from the books themselves.

9. What is the title of the whole collection of psalms in the Septuagint?

10. What is the title in the Alexandrian Codex?

11. What is the derivation of our English word, “Psalms”, “Psalter”, and “Psaltery,” respectively?

12. How many psalms in our collection?

13. How many psalms in the Septuagint?

14. What about the extra one in the Septuagint?

15. What is the subject of this extra psalm?

16. How does it compare with the Canonical Psalms?

17. What is the difference in the numbering of the psalms in our version which follows the Hebrew, and the numbering in the Septuagint?

18. What is the arrangement in the Vulgate?

19. What other difficulty in numbering which perplexes an inexperienced student in turning from one version to another?

20. What are the book divisions of the Psalter and how are these divisions marked?

21. Were there smaller collections before the final one? If so, what were they?

22. What principles determined the arrangement of the several psalms in the present collection?

23. In what conclusion may we rest concerning this arrangement?

24. How many of the psalms have no titles?

25. What does the Talmud call these psalms that have no titles?

26. How do later Jews supply these titles?

27. How do you account for the lack of titles in Psa 1 ; Psa 2 ; Psa 10 ?

XII

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF PSALMS (CONTINUED)

The following is a list of the items of information gathered from the titles of the psalms:

1. The author: “A Psalm of David” (Psa 37 ).

2. The occasion: “When he fled from Absalom, his son” (Psa 3 ).

3. The nature, or character, of the poem:

(1) Maschil, meaning “instruction,” a didactic poem (Psa 42 ).

(2) Michtam, meaning “gold,” “A Golden Psalm”; this means excellence or mystery (Psa 16 ; 56-60).

4. The occasion of its use: “A Psalm of David for the dedication of the house” (Psa 30 ).

5. Its purpose: “A Psalm of David to bring remembrance” (Psa 38 ; Psa 70 ).

6. Direction for its use: “A Psalm of David for the chief musician” (Psa 4 ).

7. The kind of musical instrument:

(1) Neginoth, meaning to strike a chord, as on stringed instruments (Psa 4 ; Psa 61 ).

(2) Nehiloth, meaning to perforate, as a pipe or flute (Psa 5 ).

(3) Shoshannim, Lilies, which refers probably to cymbals (Psa 45 ; Psa 69 ).

8. A special choir:

(1) Sheminith, the “eighth,” or octave below, as a male choir (Psa 6 ; Psa 12 ).

(2) Alamoth, female choir (Psa 46 ).

(3) Muth-labben, music with virgin voice, to be sung by a choir of boys in the treble (Psa 9 ).

9. The keynote, or tune:

(1) Aijeleth-sharar, “Hind of the morning,” a song to the melody of which this is sung (Psa 22 ).

(2) Al-tashheth, “Destroy thou not,” the beginning of a song the tune of which is sung (Psa 57 ; Psa 58 ; Psa 59 ; Psa 75 ).

(3) Gittith, set to the tune of Gath, perhaps a tune which David brought from Gath (Psa 8 ; Psa 81 ; Psa 84 ).

(4) Jonath-elim-rehokim, “The dove of the distant terebinths,” the commencement of an ode to the air of which this song was to be sung (Psa 56 ).

(5) Leannoth, the name of a tune (Psa 88 ).

(6) Mahalath, an instrument (Psa 53 ); Leonnoth-Mahaloth, to chant to a tune called Mahaloth.

(7) Shiggaion, a song or a hymn.

(8) Shushan-Eduth, “Lily of testimony,” a tune (Psa 60 ). Note some examples: (1) “America,” “Shiloh,” “Auld Lang Syne.” These are the names of songs such as we are familiar with; (2) “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” and “There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood,” are examples of sacred hymns.

10. The liturgical use, those noted for the feasts, e.g., the Hallels and Hallelujah Psalms (Psalms 146-150).

11. The destination, as “Song of Ascents” (Psalms 120-134)

12. The direction for the music, such as Selah, which means “Singers, pause”; Higgaion-Selah, to strike a symphony with selah, which means an instrumental interlude (Psa 9:16 ).

The longest and fullest title to any of the psalms is the title to Psa 60 . The items of information from this title are as follows: (1) the author; (2) the chief musician; (3) the historical occasion; (4) the use, or design; (5) the style of poetry; (6) the instrument or style of music.

The parts of these superscriptions which most concern us now are those indicating author, occasion, and date. As to the historic value or trustworthiness of these titles most modern scholars deny that they are a part of the Hebrew text, but the oldest Hebrew text of which we know anything had all of them. This is the text from which the Septuagint was translated. It is much more probable that the author affixed them than later writers. There is no internal evidence in any of the psalms that disproves the correctness of them, but much to confirm. The critics disagree among themselves altogether as to these titles. Hence their testimony cannot consistently be received. Nor can it ever be received until they have at least agreed upon a common ground of opposition.

David is the author of more than half the entire collection, the arrangement of which is as follows:

1. Seventy-three are ascribed to him in the superscriptions.

2. Some of these are but continuations of the preceding ones of a pair, trio, or larger group.

3. Some of the Korahite Psalms are manifestly Davidic.

4. Some not ascribed to him in the titles are attributed to him expressly by New Testament writers.

5. It is not possible to account for some parts of the Psalter without David. The history of his early life as found in Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, and 1and 2 Chronicles, not only shows his remarkable genius for patriotic and sacred songs and music, but also shows his cultivation of that gift in the schools of the prophets. Some of these psalms of the history appear in the Psalter itself. It is plain to all who read these that they are founded on experience, and the experience of no other Hebrew fits the case. These experiences are found in Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, and 1 and 2 Chronicles.

As to the attempt of the destructive critics to rob David of his glory in relation to the Psalter by assigning the Maccabean era as the date of composition, I have this to say:

1. This theory has no historical support whatever, and therefore is not to be accepted at all.

2. It has no support in tradition, which weakens the contention of the critics greatly.

3. It has no support from finding any one with the necessary experience for their basis.

4. They can give no reasonable account as to how the titles ever got there.

5. It is psychologically impossible for anyone to have written these 150 psalms in the Maccabean times.

6. Their position is expressly contrary to the testimony of Christ and the apostles. Some of the psalms which they ascribe to the Maccabean Age are attributed to David by Christ himself, who said that David wrote them in the Spirit.

The obvious aim of this criticism and the necessary result if it be Just, is a positive denial of the inspiration of both Testaments.

Other authors are named in the titles, as follows: (1) Asaph, to whom twelve psalms have been assigned: (2) Mosee, Psa 90 ; (3) Solomon, Psa 72 ; Psa 127 ; (4) Heman, Psa 80 ; (5) Ethem, Psa 89 ; (6) A number of the psalms are ascribed to the sons of Korah.

Not all the psalms ascribed to Asaph were composed by one person. History indicates that Asaph’s family presided over the song service for several generations. Some of them were composed by his descendants by the game name. The five general outlines of the whole collection are as follows:

I. By books

1. Psalms 1-41 (41)

2. Psalms 42-72 (31)

3. Psalms 73-89 (17)

4. Psalms 90-106 (17)

5. Psalms 107-150 (44)

II. According to date and authorship

1. The psalm of Moses (Psa 90 )

2. Psalms of David:

(1) The shepherd boy (Psa 8 ; Psa 19 ; Psa 29 ; Psa 23 ).

(2) David when persecuted by Saul (Psa 59 ; Psa 56 ; Psa 34 ; Psa 52 ; Psa 54 ; Psa 57 ; Psa 142 ).

(3) David the King (Psa 101 ; Psa 18 ; Psa 24 ; Psa 2 ; Psa 110 ; Psa 20 ; Psa 20 ; Psa 21 ; Psa 60 ; Psa 51 ; Psa 32 ; Psa 41 ; Psa 55 ; Psa 3:4 ; Psa 64 ; Psa 62 ; Psa 61 ; Psa 27 ).

3. The Asaph Psalms (Psa 50 ; Psa 73 ; Psa 83 ).

4. The Korahite Psalms (Psa 42 ; Psa 43 ; Psa 84 ).

5. The psalms of Solomon (Psa 72 ; Psa 127 ).

6. The psalms of the era of Hezekiah and Isaiah (Psa 46 ; Psa 47 ; Psa 48 )

7. The psalms of the Exile (Psa 74 ; Psa 79 ; Psa 137 ; Psa 102 )

8. The psalms of the Restoration (Psa 85 ; Psa 126 ; Psa 118 ; 146-150)

III. By groups

1. The Jehovistic and Elohistic Psalms:

(1) Psalms 1-41 are Jehovistic;

(2) Psalms 42-83 are Elohistic Psalms;

(3) Psalms 84-150 are Jehovistic.

2. The Penitential Psalms (Psa 6 ; Psa 32 ; Psa 38 ; Psa 51 ; Psa 102 ; Psa 130 ; Psa 143 )

3. The Pilgrim Psalms (Psalms 120-134)

4. The Alphabetical Psalms (Psa 9 ; Psa 10 ; Psa 25 ; Psa 34 ; Psa 37 ; 111:112; Psa 119 ; Psa 145 )

5. The Hallelujah Psalms (Psalms 11-113; 115-117; 146-150; to which may be added Psa 135 ) Psalms 113-118 are called “the Egyptian Hallel”

IV. Doctrines of the Psalms

1. The throne of grace and how to approach it by sacrifice, prayer, and praise.

2. The covenant, the basis of worship.

3. The paradoxical assertions of both innocence & guilt.

4. The pardon of sin and justification.

5. The Messiah.

6. The future life, pro and con.

7. The imprecations.

8. Other doctrines.

V. The New Testament use of the Psalms

1. Direct references and quotations in the New Testament.

2. The allusions to the psalms in the New Testament. Certain experiences of David’s life made very deep impressions on his heart, such as: (1) his peaceful early life; (2) his persecution by Saul; (3) his being crowned king of the people; (4) the bringing up of the ark; (5) his first great sin; (6) Absalom’s rebellion; (7) his second great sin; (8) the great promise made to him in 2Sa 7 ; (9) the feelings of his old age.

We may classify the Davidic Psalms according to these experiences following the order of time, thus:

1. His peaceful early life (Psa 8 ; Psa 19 ; Psa 29 ; Psa 23 )

2. His persecution by Saul (Psa 59 ; Psa 56 ; Psa 34 ; Psa 7 ; Psa 52 ; Psa 120 ; Psa 140 ; Psa 54 ; Psa 57 ; Psa 142 ; Psa 17 ; Psa 18 )

3. Making David King (Psa 27 ; Psa 133 ; Psa 101 )

4. Bringing up the ark (Psa 68 ; Psa 24 ; Psa 132 ; Psa 15 ; Psa 78 ; Psa 96 )

5. His first great sin (Psa 51 ; Psa 32 )

6. Absalom’s rebellion (Psa 41 ; Psa 6 ; Psa 55 ; Psa 109 ; Psa 38 ; Psa 39 ; Psa 3 ; Psa 4 ; Psa 63 ; Psa 42 ; Psa 43 ; Psa 5 ; Psa 62 ; Psa 61 ; Psa 27 )

7. His second great sin (Psa 69 ; Psa 71 ; Psa 102 ; Psa 103 )

8. The great promise made to him in 2Sa 7 (Psa 2 )

9. Feelings of old age (Psa 37 )

The great doctrines of the psalms may be noted as follows: (1) the being and attributes of God; (3) sin, both original and individual; (3) both covenants; (4) the doctrine of justification; (5) concerning the Messiah.

There is a striking analogy between the Pentateuch and the Psalms. The Pentateuch contains five books of law; the Psalms contain five books of heart responses to the law.

It is interesting to note the historic controversies concerning the singing of psalms. These were controversies about singing uninspired songs, in the Middle Ages. The church would not allow anything to be used but psalms.

The history in Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, and 1 and 2 Chronicles, and in Ezra and Nehemiah is very valuable toward a proper interpretation of the psalms. These books furnish the historical setting for a great many of the psalms which is very indispensable to their proper interpretation.

Professor James Robertson, in the Poetry and Religion of the Psalms constructs a broad and strong argument in favor of the Davidic Psalms, as follows:

1. The age of David furnished promising soil for the growth of poetry.

2. David’s qualifications for composing the psalms make it highly probable that David is the author of the psalms ascribed to him.

3. The arguments against the possibility of ascribing to David any of the hymns in the Hebrew Psalter rests upon assumptions that are thoroughly antibiblical.

The New Testament makes large use of the psalms and we learn much as to their importance in teaching. There are seventy direct quotations in the New Testament from this book, from which we learn that the Scriptures were used extensively in accord with 2Ti 3:16-17 . There are also eleven references to the psalms in the New Testament from which we learn that the New Testament writers were thoroughly imbued with the spirit and teaching of the psalms. Then there are eight allusions ‘to this book in the New Testament from which we gather that the Psalms was one of the divisions of the Old Testament and that they were used in the early church.

QUESTIONS

1. Give a list of the items of information gathered from the titles of the psalms.

2. What is the longest title to any of the psalms and what the items of this title?

3. What parts of these superscriptions most concern us now?

4. What is the historic value, or trustworthiness of these titles?

5. State the argument showing David’s relation to the psalms.

6. What have you to say of the attempt of the destructive critics to rob David of his glory in relation to the Psalter by assigning the Maccabean era as the date of composition?

7. What the obvious aim of this criticism and the necessary result, if it be just?

8. What other authors are named in the titles?

9. Were all the psalms ascribed to Asaph composed by one person?

10. Give the five general outlines of the whole collection, as follows: I. The outline by books II. The outline according to date and authorship III. The outline by groups IV. The outline of doctrines V. The outline by New Testament quotations or allusions.

11. What experiences of David’s life made very deep impressions on his heart?

12. Classify the Davidic Psalms according to these experiences following the order of time.

13. What the great doctrines of the psalms?

14. What analogy between the Pentateuch and the Psalms?

15. What historic controversies concerning the singing of psalms?

16. Of what value is the history in Samuel, 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles, and in Ezra and Nehemiah toward a proper interpretation of the psalms?

17. Give Professor James Robertson’s argument in favor of the Davidic authorship of the psalms.

18. What can you say of the New Testament use of the psalms and what do we learn as to their importance in teaching?

19. What can you say of the New Testament references to the psalms, and from the New Testament references what the impression on the New Testament writers?

20. What can you say of the allusions to the psalms in the New Testament?

XVII

THE MESSIAH IN THE PSALMS

A fine text for this chapter is as follows: “All things must be fulfilled which were written in the Psalms concerning me,” Luk 24:44 . I know of no better way to close my brief treatise on the Psalms than to discuss the subject of the Messiah as revealed in this book.

Attention has been called to the threefold division of the Old Testament cited by our Lord, namely, the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms (Luk 24:44 ), in all of which were the prophecies relating to himself that “must be fulfilled.” It has been shown just what Old Testament books belong to each of these several divisions. The division called the Psalms included many books, styled Holy Writings, and because the Psalms proper was the first book of the division it gave the name to the whole division.

The object of this discussion is to sketch the psalmist’s outline of the Messiah, or rather, to show how nearly a complete picture of our Lord is foredrawn in this one book. Let us understand however with Paul, that all prophecy is but in part (1Co 13:9 ), and that when we fill in on one canvas all the prophecies concerning the Messiah of all the Old Testament divisions, we are far from having a perfect portrait of our Lord. The present purpose is limited to three things:

1. What the book of the Psalms teaches concerning the Messiah.

2. That the New Testament shall authoritatively specify and expound this teaching.

3. That the many messianic predictions scattered over the book and the specifications thereof over the New Testament may be grouped into an orderly analysis, so that by the adjustment of the scattered parts we may have before us a picture of our Lord as foreseen by the psalmists.

In allowing the New Testament to authoritatively specify and expound the predictive features of the book, I am not unmindful of what the so-called “higher critics” urge against the New Testament quotations from the Old Testament and the use made of them. In this discussion, however, these objections are not considered, for sufficient reasons. There is not space for it. Even at the risk of being misjudged I must just now summarily pass all these objections, dismissing them with a single statement upon which the reader may place his own estimate of value. That statement is that in the days of my own infidelity, before this old method of criticism had its new name, I was quite familiar with the most and certainly the strongest of the objections now classified as higher criticism, and have since patiently re-examined them in their widely conflicting restatements under their modern name, and find my faith in the New Testament method of dealing with the Old Testament in no way shattered, but in every way confirmed. God is his own interpreter. The Old Testament as we now have it was in the hands of our Lord. I understand his apostle to declare, substantially, that “every one of these sacred scriptures is God-inspired and is profitable for teaching us what is right to believe and to do, for convincing us what is wrong in faith or practice, for rectifying the wrong when done, that we may be ready at every point, furnished completely, to do every good work, at the right time, in the right manner, and from the proper motive” (2Ti 3:16-17 ).

This New Testament declares that David was a prophet (Act 2:30 ), that he spake by the Holy Spirit (Act 1:16 ), that when the book speaks the Holy Spirit speaks (Heb 3:7 ), and that all its predictive utterances, as sacred Scripture, “must be fulfilled” (Joh 13:18 ; Act 1:16 ). It is not claimed that David wrote all the psalms, but that all are inspired, and that as he was the chief author, the book goes by his name.

It would be a fine thing to make out two lists, as follows:

1. All of the 150 psalms in order from which the New Testament quotes with messianic application.

2. The New Testament quotations, book by book, i.e., Matthew so many, and then the other books in their order.

We would find in neither of these any order as to time, that is, Psa 1 which forecasts an incident in the coming Messiah’s life does not forecast the first incident of his life. And even the New Testament citations are not in exact order as to time and incident of his life. To get the messianic picture before us, therefore, we must put the scattered parts together in their due relation and order, and so construct our own analysis. That is the prime object of this discussion. It is not claimed that the analysis now presented is perfect. It is too much the result of hasty, offhand work by an exceedingly busy man. It will serve, however, as a temporary working model, which any one may subsequently improve. We come at once to the psalmist’s outline of the Messiah.

1. The necessity for a Saviour. This foreseen necessity is a background of the psalmists’ portrait of the Messiah. The necessity consists in (1) man’s sinfulness; (2) his sin; (3) his inability of wisdom and power to recover himself; (4) the insufficiency of legal, typical sacrifices in securing atonement.

The predicate of Paul’s great argument on justification by faith is the universal depravity and guilt of man. He is everywhere corrupt in nature; everywhere an actual transgressor; everywhere under condemnation. But the scriptural proofs of this depravity and sin the apostle draws mainly from the book of the Psalms. In one paragraph of the letter to the Romans (Rom 3:4-18 ), he cites and groups six passages from six divisions of the Psalms (Psa 5:9 ; Psa 10:7 ; Psa 14:1-3 ; Psa 36:1 ; Psa 51:4-6 ; Psa 140:3 ). These passages abundantly prove man’s sinfulness, or natural depravity, and his universal practice of sin.

The predicate also of the same apostle’s great argument for revelation and salvation by a Redeemer is man’s inability of wisdom and power to re-establish communion with God. In one of his letters to the Corinthians he thus commences his argument: “For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? -For after that in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preach-ing to save them that believe.” He closes this discussion with the broad proposition: “The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God,” and proves it by a citation from Psa 94:11 : “The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.”

In like manner our Lord himself pours scorn on human wisdom and strength by twice citing Psa 8 : “At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight” (Mat 11:25-26 ). “And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children that were crying in the temple and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore displeased, and said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?” (Mat 21:15-16 ).

But the necessity for a Saviour as foreseen by the psalmist did not stop at man’s depravity, sin, and helplessness. The Jews were trusting in the sacrifices of their law offered on the smoking altar. The inherent weakness of these offerings, their lack of intrinsic merit, their ultimate abolition, their complete fulfilment and supercession by a glorious antitype were foreseen and foreshown in this wonderful prophetic book: I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices; And thy burnt offerings are continually before me. I will take no bullock out of thy house, Nor he-goat out of thy folds. For every beast of the forest is mine, And the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all of the birds of the mountains; And the wild beasts of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee; For the world is mine, and the fulness thereof. Will I eat the flesh of bulls, Or drink the blood of goats? Psa 50:8-13 .

Yet again it speaks in that more striking passage cited in the letter to the Hebrews: “For the law having a shadow of good things to come, not the very image of the things, can never with the same sacrifices year by year, which they offer continually, make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshipers, once purged should have no more consciousness of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance made of sins year by year. For it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldst not, But a body didst thou prepare for me; In whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hadst no pleasure: Then said I, Lo, I am come (In the roll of the book it is written of me) To do thy will, O God. Saying above, Sacrifice and offering and whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou wouldst not, neither hadst pleasure therein, (the which are offered according to the law), then hath he said, Lo, I am come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second” (Heb 10:1-9 ).

This keen foresight of the temporary character and intrinsic worthlessness of animal sacrifices anticipated similar utterances by the later prophets (Isa 1:10-17 ; Jer 6:20 ; Jer 7:21-23 ; Hos 6:6 ; Amo 5:21 ; Mic 6:6-8 ). Indeed, I may as well state in passing that when the apostle declares, “It is impossible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins,” he lays down a broad principle, just as applicable to baptism and the Lord’s Supper. With reverence I state the principle: Not even God himself by mere appointment can vest in any ordinance, itself lacking intrinsic merit, the power to take away sin. There can be, therefore, in the nature of the case, no sacramental salvation. This would destroy the justice of God in order to exalt his mercy. Clearly the psalmist foresaw that “truth and mercy must meet together” before “righteousness and peace could kiss each other” (Psa 85:10 ). Thus we find as the dark background of the psalmists’ luminous portrait of the Messiah, the necessity for a Saviour.

2. The nature, extent, and blessedness of the salvation to be wrought by the coming Messiah. In no other prophetic book are the nature, fullness, and blessedness of salvation so clearly seen and so vividly portrayed. Besides others not now enumerated, certainly the psalmists clearly forecast four great elements of salvation:

(1) An atoning sacrifice of intrinsic merit offered once for all (Psa 40:6-8 ; Heb 10:4-10 ).

(2) Regeneration itself consisting of cleansing, renewal, and justification. We hear his impassioned statement of the necessity of regeneration: “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts,” followed by his earnest prayer: “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me,” and his equally fervent petition: “Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean; wash me and I shall be whiter than snow” (Psa 51 ). And we hear him again as Paul describes the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputes righteousness without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, And whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not reckon sin Psa 32:1 ; Rom 4:6-8 .

(3) Introduction into the heavenly rest (Psa 95:7-11 ; Heb 3:7-19 ; Heb 4:1-11 ). Here is the antitypical Joshua leading spiritual Israel across the Jordan of death into the heavenly Canaan, the eternal rest that remaineth for the people of God. Here we find creation’s original sabbath eclipsed by redemption’s greater sabbath when the Redeemer “entered his rest, ceasing from his own works as God did from his.”

(4) The recovery of all the universal dominion lost by the first Adam and the securement of all possible dominion which the first Adam never attained (Psa 8:5-6 ; Eph 1:20-22 ; Heb 2:7-9 ; 1Co 15:24-28 ).

What vast extent then and what blessedness in the salvation foreseen by the psalmists, and to be wrought by the Messiah. Atoning sacrifice of intrinsic merit; regeneration by the Holy Spirit; heavenly rest as an eternal inheritance; and universal dominion shared with Christ!

3. The wondrous person of the Messiah in his dual nature, divine and human.

(1) His divinity,

(a) as God: “Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever” (Psa 45:6 and Heb 1:8 ) ;

(b) as creator of the heavens and earth, immutable and eternal: Of old didst thou lay the foundation of the earth; And the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure; Yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; As a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed. But thou art the same, And thy years shall have no end Psa 102:25-27 quoted with slight changes in Heb 1:10-12 .

(c) As owner of the earth: The earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof; The world, and they that dwell therein, Psa 24:1 quoted in 1Co 10:26 .

(d) As the Son of God: “Thou art my Son; This day have I begotten thee” Psa 2:7 ; Heb 1:5 .

(e) As David’s Lord: The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, Until I make thine enemies thy footstool, Psa 110:1 ; Mat 22:41-46 .

(f) As the object of angelic worship: “And let all the angels of God worship him” Psa 97:7 ; Heb 1:6 .

(g) As the Bread of life: And he rained down manna upon them to eat, And gave them food from heaven Psa 78:24 ; interpreted in Joh 6:31-58 . These are but samples which ascribe deity to the Messiah of the psalmists.

(2) His humanity, (a) As the Son of man, or Son of Adam: Psa 8:4-6 , cited in 1Co 15:24-28 ; Eph 1:20-22 ; Heb 2:7-9 . Compare Luke’s genealogy, Luk 3:23-38 . This is the ideal man, or Second Adam, who regains Paradise Lost, who recovers race dominion, in whose image all his spiritual lineage is begotten. 1Co 15:45-49 . (b) As the Son of David: Psa 18:50 ; Psa 89:4 ; Psa 89:29 ; Psa 89:36 ; Psa 132:11 , cited in Luk 1:32 ; Act 13:22-23 ; Rom 1:3 ; 2Ti 2:8 . Perhaps a better statement of the psalmists’ vision of the wonderful person of the Messiah would be: He saw the uncreated Son, the second person of the trinity, in counsel and compact with the Father, arranging in eternity for the salvation of men: Psa 40:6-8 ; Heb 10:5-7 . Then he saw this Holy One stoop to be the Son of man: Psa 8:4-6 ; Heb 2:7-9 . Then he was the son of David, and then he saw him rise again to be the Son of God: Psa 2:7 ; Rom 1:3-4 .

4. His offices.

(1) As the one atoning sacrifice (Psa 40:6-8 ; Heb 10:5-7 ).

(2) As the great Prophet, or Preacher (Psa 40:9-10 ; Psa 22:22 ; Heb 2:12 ). Even the method of his teaching by parable was foreseen (Psa 78:2 ; Mat 13:35 ). Equally also the grace, wisdom, and power of his teaching. When the psalmist declares that “Grace is poured into thy lips” (Psa 45:2 ), we need not be startled when we read that all the doctors in the Temple who heard him when only a boy “were astonished at his understanding and answers” (Luk 2:47 ); nor that his home people at Nazareth “all bear him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth” (Luk 4:22 ); nor that those of his own country were astonished, and said, “Whence hath this man this wisdom?” (Mat 13:54 ); nor that the Jews in the Temple marveled, saying, “How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?” (Joh 7:15 ) ; nor that the stern officers of the law found their justification in failure to arrest him in the declaration, “Never man spake like this man” (Joh 7:46 ).

(3) As the king (Psa 2:6 ; Psa 24:7-10 ; Psa 45:1-17 ; Psa 110:1 ; Mat 22:42-46 ; Act 2:33-36 ; 1Co 15:25 ; Eph 1:20 ; Heb 1:13 ).

(4) As the priest (Psa 110:4 ; Heb 5:5-10 ; Heb 7:1-21 ; Heb 10:12-14 ).

(5) As the final judge. The very sentence of expulsion pronounced upon the finally impenitent by the great judge (Mat 25:41 ) is borrowed from the psalmist’s prophetic words (Psa 6:8 ).

5. Incidents of life. The psalmists not only foresaw the necessity for a Saviour; the nature, extent, and blessedness of the salvation; the wonderful human-divine person of the Saviour; the offices to be filled by him in the work of salvation, but also many thrilling details of his work in life, death, resurrection, and exaltation. It is not assumed to cite all these details, but some of the most important are enumerated in order, thus:

(1) The visit, adoration, and gifts of the Magi recorded in Mat 2 are but partial fulfilment of Psa 72:9-10 .

(2) The scripture employed by Satan in the temptation of our Lord (Luk 4:10-11 ) was cited from Psa 91:11-12 and its pertinency not denied.

(3) In accounting for his intense earnestness and the apparently extreme measures adopted by our Lord in his first purification of the Temple (Joh 2:17 ), he cites the messianic zeal predicted in Psa 69:9 .

(4) Alienation from his own family was one of the saddest trials of our Lord’s earthly life. They are slow to understand his mission and to enter into sympathy with him. His self-abnegation and exhaustive toil were regarded by them as evidences of mental aberration, and it seems at one time they were ready to resort to forcible restraint of his freedom) virtually what in our time would be called arrest under a writ of lunacy. While at the last his half-brothers became distinguished preachers of his gospel, for a long while they do not believe on him. And the evidence forces us to the conclusion that his own mother shared with her other sons, in kind though not in degree, the misunderstanding of the supremacy of his mission over family relations. The New Testament record speaks for itself:

Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto them. How is it that ye sought me? Knew ye not that I must be in my Father’s house? And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them Luk 2:48-51 (R.V.).

And when the wine failed, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. And Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come. Joh 2:3-5 (R.V.).

And there come his mother and his brethren; and standing without; they sent unto him, calling him. And a multitude was sitting about him; and they say unto him. Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee. And he answereth them, and saith, Who is my mother and my brethren? And looking round on them that sat round about him, he saith, Behold, my mother and my brethren) For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother Mar 3:31-35 (R.V.).

Now the feast of the Jews, the feast of tabernacles, was at hand. His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judea, that thy disciples also may behold thy works which thou doest. For no man doeth anything in secret, and himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou doest these things, manifest thyself to the world. For even his brethren did not believe on him. Jesus therefore saith unto them, My time is not yet come; but your time is always ready. The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that its works are evil. Go ye up unto the feast: I go not up yet unto this feast; because my time is not fulfilled. Joh 7:2-9 (R.V.).

These citations from the Revised Version tell their own story. But all that sad story is foreshown in the prophetic psalms. For example: I am become a stranger unto my brethren, And an alien unto my mother’s children. Psa 69:8 .

(5) The triumphal entry into Jerusalem was welcomed by a joyous people shouting a benediction from Psa 118:26 : “Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord” (Mat 21:9 ); and the Lord’s lamentation over Jerusalem predicts continued desolation and banishment from his sight until the Jews are ready to repeat that benediction (Mat 23:39 ).

(6) The children’s hosanna in the Temple after its second purgation is declared by our Lord to be a fulfilment of that perfect praise forecast in Psa 8:2 .

(7) The final rejection of our Lord by his own people was also clear in the psalmist’s vision (Psa 118:22 ; Mat 21:42-44 ).

(8) Gethsemane’s baptism of suffering, with its strong crying and tears and prayers was as clear to the psalmist’s prophetic vision as to the evangelist and apostle after it became history (Psa 69:1-4 ; Psa 69:13-20 ; and Mat 26:36-44 ; Heb 5:7 ).

(9) In life-size also before the psalmist was the betrayer of Christ and his doom (Psa 41:9 ; Psa 69:25 ; Psa 109:6-8 ; Joh 13:18 ; Act 1:20 ).

(10) The rage of the people, Jew and Gentile, and the conspiracy of Pilate and Herod are clearly outlined (Psa 2:1-3 ; Act 4:25-27 ).

(11) All the farce of his trial the false accusation, his own marvelous silence; and the inhuman maltreatment to which he was subjected, is foreshown in the prophecy as dramatically as in the history (Mat 26:57-68 ; Mat 27:26-31 ; Psa 27:12 ; Psa 35:15-16 ; Psa 38:3 ; Psa 69:19 ).

The circumstances of his death, many and clear, are distinctly foreseen. He died in the prime of life (Psa 89:45 ; Psa 102:23-24 ). He died by crucifixion (Psa 22:14-17 ; Luk 23 ; 33; Joh 19:23-37 ; Joh 20:27 ). But yet not a bone of his body was broken (Psa 34:20 ; Joh 19:36 ).

The persecution, hatred without a cause, the mockery and insults, are all vividly and dramatically foretold (Psa 22:6-13 ; Psa 35:7 ; Psa 35:12 ; Psa 35:15 ; Psa 35:21 ; Psa 109:25 ).

The parting of his garments and the gambling for his vesture (Psa 22:18 ; Mat 27:35 ).

His intense thirst and the gall and vinegar offered for his drink (Psa 69:21 ; Mat 27:34 ).

In the psalms, too, we hear his prayers for his enemies so remarkably fulfilled in fact (Psa 109:4 ; Luk 23:34 ).

His spiritual death was also before the eye of the psalmist, and the very words which expressed it the psalmist heard. Separation from the Father is spiritual death. The sinner’s substitute must die the sinner’s death, death physical, i.e., separation of soul from body; death spiritual, i.e., separation of the soul from God. The latter is the real death and must precede the former. This death the substitute died when he cried out: “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me.” (Psa 22:1 ; Mat 27:46 ).

Emerging from the darkness of that death, which was the hour of the prince of darkness, the psalmist heard him commend his spirit to the Father (Psa_31:35; Luk 23:46 ) showing that while he died the spiritual death, his soul was not permanently abandoned unto hell (Psa 16:8-10 ; Act 2:25 ) so that while he “tasted death” for every man it was not permanent death (Heb 2:9 ).

With equal clearness the psalmist foresaw his resurrection, his triumph over death and hell, his glorious ascension into heaven, and his exaltation at the right hand of God as King of kings and Lord of lords, as a high Driest forever, as invested with universal sovereignty (Psa 16:8-11 ; Psa 24:7-10 ; Psa 68:18 ; Psa 2:6 ; Psa 111:1-4 ; Psa 8:4-6 ; Act 2:25-36 ; Eph 1:19-23 ; Eph 4:8-10 ).

We see, therefore, brethren, when the scattered parts are put together and adjusted, how nearly complete a portrait of our Lord is put upon the prophetic canvas by this inspired limner, the sweet singer of Israel.

QUESTIONS

1. What is a good text for this chapter?

2. What is the threefold division of the Old Testament as cited by our Lord?

3. What is the last division called and why?

4. What is the object of the discussion in this chapter?

5. To what three things is the purpose limited?

6. What especially qualifies the author to meet the objections of the higher critics to allowing the New Testament usage of the Old Testament to determine its meaning and application?

7. What is the author’s conviction relative to the Scriptures?

8. What is the New Testament testimony on the question of inspiration?

9. What is the author’s suggested plan of approach to the study of the Messiah in the Psalms?

10. What the background of the Psalmist’s portrait of the Messiah and of what does it consist?

11. Give the substance of Paul’s discussion of man’s sinfulness.

12. What is the teaching of Jesus on this point?

13. What is the teaching relative to sacrifices?

14. What the nature, extent, and blessedness of the salvation to be wrought by the coming Messiah and what the four great elements of it as forecast by the psalmist?

15. What is the teaching of the psalms relative to the wondrous person of the Messiah? Discuss.

16. What are the offices of the Messiah according to psalms? Discuss each.

17. Cite the more important events of the Messiah’s life according to the vision of the psalmist.

18. What the circumstances of the Messiah’s death and resurrection as foreseen by the psalmist?

Fuente: B.H. Carroll’s An Interpretation of the English Bible

Psa 32:1 [A Psalm] of David, Maschil. Blessed [is he whose] transgression [is] forgiven, [whose] sin [is] covered.

A Psalm of David, Maschil ] i.e. Giving instruction, or making prudent; for David here, out of his own experience, turneth teacher, Psa 32:7 , and the lesson that he layeth before his disciples is the doctrine of justification by faith, that ground of true blessedness, Rom 4:6-7 . Docet igitur hic Psalmus vere preciosus praecipuum et proprium fidei Christianae caput, saith Beza, This most precious psalm instructeth us in the chief and principal point of Christian religion; and it differeth herein from the first psalm, that there are set forth the effects of blessedness; but here the cause: Quomodo etiam est Paulus cum Iacobo conciliandus, saith he.

Ver. 1. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven ] The heavy burden of whose trespasses is taken off, as the word importeth, and he is loosed, eased, and lightened. Sin is an intolerable burden, Isa 1:3 , such as presseth down, Heb 12:1 ; a burden it is to God, Amo 2:13 ; to Christ it was, when it made him sweat water and blood; to the angels, when it brake their backs, and sunk them into hell; to men, under whom the very earth groaneth, its axle tree is even ready to crack, &c.; it could not bear Korah and his company; it spewed out the Canaaanites, &c. Oh, then, the heaped-up happiness of a justified person, disburdened of his transgressions! The word here rendered transgression signifieth treachery, and wickedness with a witness. Aben Ezra saith, David hereby intends his sin with Bathsheba; and surely this psalm and the one and fiftieth may seem to have been made upon the same occasion, they are tuned so near together.

Whose sin is covered ] As excrements and ordure are covered, that they may not be an eyesore or annoyance to any. Sin is an odious thing, the devil’s drivel or vomit, the corruption of a dead soul, the filthiness of flesh and spirit. Get a cover for it, therefore ( sc. Christ’s righteousness, called a propitiation, or coverture, and raiment, Rev 3:18 ), Ut sic veletur, ne in iudicio reveletur, that the shame of thy nakedness may not appear.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

There is another want of the soul still deeper than the distress we have seen, deeper than death; the need that transgression be forgiven, that sin be covered by God, and that Jehovah should impute no iniquity. Thus only is guile effaced from the spirit. This is now prophetically announced; for it is not actually enjoyed till they look on their pierced Messiah: see Zec 12:13 . Self-justification on the contrary hinders all blessing.

It is indeed an “instruction.” The Jew had long resisted genuine confession, without which as there is no truth of heart, no integrity, so also there can be no sense of divine forgiveness, though of course all were vain without Messiah made sin on the cross. But at length he does confess, and Jehovah forgives plenteously, verses 3, 4 showing how painfully he was forced by grace to that point. If verse 7 gives the heart’s consequent expression of confidence in Jehovah, verse 8 is the consoling and strengthening answer. Verses 9, 10 are an exhortation which the assured Jew addresses to all around, closing with a call to the righteous and upright in heart to rejoice and be glad in Jehovah. – We know how the apostle in Rom 4 was led to use the introductory verses in the most unrestricted way to illustrate the gospel of God. Its blessedness through Christ dead and risen comes on all that believe. It is in reserve for Israel in the latter day, when they bowing to Jesus at length confess their sins.

Fuente: William Kelly Major Works (New Testament)

Psalms

A THREEFOLD THOUGHT OF SIN AND FORGIVENESS

Psa 32:1 – Psa 32:2 .

This psalm, which has given healing to many a wounded conscience, comes from the depths of a conscience which itself has been wounded and healed. One must be very dull of hearing not to feel how it throbs with emotion, and is, in fact, a gush of rapture from a heart experiencing in its freshness the new joy of forgiveness. It matters very little who wrote it. If we accept the superscription, which many of those who usually reject these ancient Jewish notes do in the present case, the psalm is David’s, and it fits into some of the specific details of his great sin and penitence. But that is of very small moment. Whoever wrote it, he sings because he must.

The psalm begins with an exclamation, for the clause would be better translated, ‘Oh! the blessedness of the man.’ Then note the remarkable accumulation of clauses, all expressing substantially the same thing, but expressing it with a difference. The Psalmist’s heart is too full to be emptied by one utterance. He turns his jewel, as it were, round and round, and at each turn it reflects the light from a different angle. There are three clauses in my text, each substantially having the same meaning, but which yet present that substantially identical meaning with different shades. And that is true both in regard to the three words which are employed to describe the fact of transgression, and to the three which are employed to describe the fact of forgiveness. It is mainly to these, and the large lessons which lie in observing the shades of significance in them, that I wish to turn now.

I. Note the solemn picture which is here drawn of various phases of sin.

There are three words employed-’transgression,’ ‘sin,’ ‘iniquity.’ They all mean the same thing, but they mean it with a different association of ideas and suggestions of its foulness. Let me take them in order. The word translated ‘transgression’ seems literally to signify separation, or rending apart, or departure, and hence comes to express the notion of apostasy and rebellion.

So, then, here is this thought; all sin is a going away. From what? Rather the question should be-from whom ? All sin is a departure from God. And that is its deepest and darkest characteristic. And it is the one that needs to be most urged, for it is the one that we are most apt to forget. We are all ready enough to acknowledge faults; none of us have any hesitation in saying that we have done wrong, and have gone wrong. We are ready to recognise that we have transgressed the law; but what about the Lawgiver? The personal element in every sin, great or small, is that it is a voluntary rending of a union which exists, a departure from God who is with us in the deepest recesses of our being, unless we drag ourselves away from the support of His enclosing arm, and from the illumination of His indwelling grace.

So, dear brethren! this was the first and the gravest aspect under which the penitent and the forgiven man in my text thought of his past, that in it, when he was wildly and eagerly rushing after the low and sensuous gratification of his worst desires, he was rebelling against, and wandering far away from, the ever-present Friend, the all-encircling support and joy, the Lord, his life. You do not understand the gravity of the most trivial wrong act when you think of it as a sin against the order of Nature, or against the law written on your heart, or as the breach of the constitution of your own nature, or as a crime against your fellows. You have not got to the bottom of the blackness until you see that it is flat rebellion against God Himself. This is the true devilish element in all our transgression, and this element is in it all. Oh! if once we do get the habit formed and continued until it becomes almost instinctive and spontaneous, of looking at each action of our lives in immediate and direct relation to God, there would come such an apocalypse as would startle some of us into salutary dread, and make us all feel that ‘it is an evil and a bitter thing’ and the two characteristics must always go together, ‘to depart from the living God.’ The great type of all wrongdoers is in that figure of the Prodigal Son, and the essence of his fault was, first, that he selfishly demanded for his own his father’s goods; and, second, that he went away into a far country. Your sins have separated between you and God. And when you do those little acts of selfish indulgence which you do twenty times a day, without a prick of conscience, each of them, trivial as it is, like some newly-hatched poisonous serpent, a finger-length long, has in it the serpent nature, it is rebellion and separation from God.

Then another aspect of the same foul thing rises before the Psalmist’s mind. This evil which he has done, which I suppose was the sin in the matter of Bathsheba, was not only rebellion against God, but it was, according to this text, in the second clause, ‘a sin,’ by which is meant literally missing an aim . So this word, in its pregnant meaning, corresponds with the signification of the ordinary New Testament word for sin, which also implies error, or missing that which ought to be the goal of our lives. That is to say, whilst the former word regarded the evil deed mainly in its relation to God, this word regards it mainly in its relation to ourselves, and that which before Him is rebellion, the assertion of my own individuality and my own will, and therefore in separation from His will, is, considered in reference to myself, my fatally missing the mark to which my whole energy and effort ought to be directed. All sin, big or little, is a blunder. It never hits what it aims at, and if it did, it is aiming at the wrong thing. So doubly, all transgression is folly, and the true name for the doer is ‘Thou fool!’ For every evil misses the mark which, regard being had to the man’s obvious destiny, he ought to aim at. ‘Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him for ever’; and whosoever in all his successes fails to realise that end is a failure through and through, in whatever smaller matters he may seem to himself and to others to succeed. He only strikes the target in the bull’s eye who lets his arrows be deflected by no gusts of passion, nor aimed wrong by any obliquity of vision; but with firm hand and clear eye seeks and secures the absolute conformity of his will to the Father’s will, and makes God his aim and end in all things. ‘Thou hast created us for Thyself, and only in Thee can we find rest.’ O brother! whatever be your aims and ends in life, take this for the surest verity, that you have fatally misunderstood the purpose of your being, and the object to which you should strain, if there is anything except God, who is the supreme desire of your heart and the goal of your life. All sin is missing the mark which God has set up for man.

Therefore let us press to the mark where hangs the prize which whoso possesses succeeds, whatsoever other trophies may have escaped his grasp.

But there is another aspect of this same thought, and that is that every piece of evil misses its own shabby mark. ‘A rogue is a round-about fool.’ No man ever gets, in doing wrong, the thing he did the wrong for, or if he gets it, he gets something else along with it that takes all the sweet taste out of it. The thief secures the booty, but he gets penal servitude besides. Sin tempts us with glowing tales of the delight to be found in drinking stolen waters and eating her bread in secret; but sin lies by suppression of the truth, if not by suggestions of the false, because she says never a word about the sickness and the headache that come after the debauch, nor about the poison that we drink down along with her sugared draughts. The paltering fiend keeps the word of promise to the ear, and breaks it to the hope. All sin, great or little, is a blunder, and missing of the mark.

And lastly, yet another aspect of the ugly thing rises before the Psalmist’s eye. In reference to God, evil is separation and rebellion; in reference to myself, it is an error and missing of my true goal; and in reference to the straight standard and law of duty, it is, according to the last of the three words for sin in the text, ‘iniquity,’ or, literally, something twisted or distorted. It is thus brought into contrast with the right line of the plain, straight path in which we ought to walk. We have the same metaphor in our own language. We talk about things being right and wrong, by which we mean, in the one case, parallel with the rigid law of duty, and in the other case, ‘wrung,’ or wavering, crooked and divergent from it. There is a standard as well as a Judge, and we have not only to think of evil as being rebellion against God and separation from Him, and as, for ourselves, issuing in fatal missing of the mark, but also as being divergent from the one manifest law to which we ought to be conformed. The path to God is a right line; the shortest road from earth to Heaven is absolutely straight. The Czar of Russia, when railways were introduced into that country, was asked to determine the line between St. Petersburg and Moscow. He took a ruler and drew a straight line across the map, and said, ‘There!’ Our Autocrat has drawn a line as straight as the road from earth to Heaven, and by the side of it are ‘the crooked, wandering ways in which we live.’

Take these three thoughts then-as for law, divergence; as for the aim of my life, a fatal miss; as for God, my Friend and my Life, rebellion and separation-and you have, if not the complete physiognomy of evil, at least grave thoughts concerning it, which become all the graver when we think that they are true about us and about our deeds.

II. And so let me ask you to look secondly at the blessed picture drawn here of the removal of the sin.

There are three words here for forgiveness, each of which adds its quota to the general thought. It is ‘forgiven,’ ‘covered,’ ‘not imputed.’ The accumulation of synonyms not only sets forth various aspects of pardon, but triumphantly celebrates the completeness and certainty of the gift.

As to the first, it means literally to lift and bear away a load or burden. As to the second, it means, plainly enough, to cover over, as one might do some foul thing, that it may no longer offend the eye or smell rank to Heaven. Bees in their hives, when there is anything corrupt and too large for them to remove, fling a covering of wax over it, and hermetically seal it, and no foul odour comes from it. And so a man’s sin is covered over and ceases to be in evidence , as it were before the divine Eye that sees all things. He Himself casts a merciful veil over it and hides it from Himself. A similar idea, though with a modification in metaphor, is included in that last word, the sin is not reckoned. God does not write it down in His Great Book on the debit side of the man’s account. And these three things, the lifting up and carrying away of the load, the covering over of the obscene and ugly thing, the non-reckoning in the account of the evil deed; these three things taken together do set forth before us the great and blessed truth that a man’s transgressions may become, in so far as the divine heart and the divine dealings with him are concerned, as if nonexistent.

Men tell us that that is not possible and that it is immoral to preach a doctrine of forgiveness. O dear brethren! there is no gospel to preach that will touch a man’s heart except the gospel that begins with this-God bears away, covers over, does not reckon to a man, his rebellions, his errors, his departures from the law of right. Sin is capable of forgiveness, and, blessed be God! every sin He is ready to forgive. I should be ashamed of myself to stand here, and not preach a gospel of pardon. I know not anything else that will touch consciences and draw hearts except this gospel, which I am trying in my poor way to lay upon your hearts.

Notice how my text includes also a glance at the condition on our part on which this absolute and utter annihilation of our wicked past is possible. That last clause of my text, ‘In whose spirit there is no guile,’ seems to me to refer to the frank sincerity of a confession, which does not try to tell lies to God, and, attempting to deceive Him, really deceives only the self-righteous sinner. Whosoever opens his heart to God, makes a clean breast of it, and without equivocation or self-deception or the palliations which self-love teaches, says, ‘I have played the fool and erred exceedingly,’ to that man the Psalmist thinks pardon is sure to come.

Now remember that the very heart and centre of that Jewish system was an altar, and that on that altar was sacrificed the expiatory victim. I am not going to insist upon any theory of an atonement, but I do want to urge this, that Christianity is nothing, if it have not explained and taken up into itself that which was symbolised in that old ritual. The very first words from human lips which proclaimed Christ’s advent to man were, ‘Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world,’ and amongst the last words which Christ spoke upon earth, in the way of teaching His disciples, were these, ‘This is My blood, shed for many for the remission of sins.’ The Cross of Christ explains my psalm, the Cross of Christ answers the confidence of the Psalmist, which was fed upon the shadow of the good things to come. He has died, the Just for the unjust, that the sins which were laid upon Him might be taken away, covered, and not reckoned to us.

Brethren! unless my sins are taken away by the Lamb of God they remain. Unless they are laid upon Christ, they crush me. Unless they are covered by His expiation, they lie there before the Throne of God, and cry for punishment. Unless His blood has wiped out the record that is against us, the black page stands for ever. And to you and me there will be said one day, in a voice which we dare not dispute, ‘Pay Me that thou owest!’ The blacker the sin the brighter the Christ. I would that I could lay upon all your hearts this belief, ‘the blood of Jesus Christ,’ and nothing else, ‘cleanses from all sin!’

III. I will touch in a word only upon the last thought suggested by the text, and that is the blessedness of this removal of sin.

As I said, my text is really an exclamation, a gush of rapture from a heart that is tasting the fresh-drawn blessedness of pardon. And the rest of the psalm is little more than an explanation of the various aspects and phases of that blessedness. Let me just run over them in the briefest possible manner.

If we receive this forgiveness through Jesus Christ and our faith in Him, then we have manifold blessedness in one. There is the blessedness of deliverance from sullen remorse and of the dreadful pangs of an accusing conscience. How vividly, and evidently as a transcript from a page in his own autobiography, the Psalmist describes that condition, ‘When I kept silence my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long’! When a man’s heart is locked against confession he hears a tumult of accusing voices within himself, and remorse and dread creep over his heart. The pains of sullen remorse were never described more truly and more dreadfully than in this context. ‘Day and night Thy hand was heavy upon me, my moisture is turned into the drought of summer.’ Some of us may know something of that. But there is a worse state than that, and one or other of the two states belongs to us. If we have not found our way into the liberty of confession and forgiveness, we have but a choice between the pains of an awakened conscience and the desolation of a dead one. It is worse to have no voice within than to have an accusing one. It is worse to feel no pressure of a divine Hand than to feel it. And they whose consciences are seared as with a hot iron have sounded the lowest depths. They are perfectly comfortable, quite happy; they say all these feelings that I am trying to suggest to you seem to them to be folly. ‘They make a solitude and call it peace.’ It is an awful thing when a man has come to this point, that he has got past the accusations of conscience, and can swallow down the fiercest draughts without feeling them burn. Dear brethren! there is only one deliverance from an accusing conscience which does not murder the conscience, and that is that we should find our way into the peace of God which is through Christ Jesus and His atoning death.

Then, again, my psalm goes on to speak about the blessedness of a close clinging to God in peaceful trust, which will ensure security in the midst of all trials, and a hiding-place against every storm. The Psalmist uses a magnificent figure. God is to him as some rocky island, steadfast and dry, in the midst of a widespread inundation; and taking refuge there in the clefts of the rock, he looks down upon the tossing, shoreless sea of troubles and sorrows that breaks upon the rocky barriers of his Patmos, and stands safe and dry. Only through forgiveness do we come into that close communion with God which ensures safety in all disasters.

And then there follows the blessedness of a gentle guidance and of a loving obedience. ‘Thou shalt guide me with Thine eye.’ No need for force, no need for bit and bridle, no need for anything but the glance of the Father, which the child delights to obey. Docility, glad obedience unprompted by fear, based upon love, are the fruits of pardon through the blood of Christ.

And, lastly, there is the blessedness of exuberant gladness; the joy that comes from the sorrow according to God is a joy that will last. All other delights, in their nature, are perishable; all other raptures, by the very necessity of their being and of ours, die down, sometimes into vanity, always into commonplace or indifference. But the joy that springs in the pardoned heart, and is fed by closeness of communion with God, and by continual obedience to His blessed guidance, has in it nothing that can fade, nothing that can burn out, nothing that can be disturbed. The deeper the penitence the surer the rebound into gladness. The more a man goes down into the depths of his own heart and learns his own evil, the more will he, trusting in Christ, rise into the serene heights of thankfulness, and live, if not in rapture, at least in the calm joy of conscious communion and unending fellowship. Every tear may be crystallised into a diamond that shall flash in the light. And they, and only they, who begin in the valley of weeping, confessing their sins and imploring forgiveness through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ our Lord, will rise to heights of a joy that remains, and remaining, is full.

Fuente: Expositions Of Holy Scripture by Alexander MacLaren

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Psa 32:1-2

1How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,

Whose sin is covered!

2How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity,

And in whose spirit there is no deceit!

Psa 32:1 The term blessed (BDB 80, cf. Psa 1:1, is used 26 out of 45 times in Psalms, see Special Topic: Blessed [OT]) is recurrent in Wisdom Literature and describes the faithful followers.

1. Job 5:17; Psa 94:12 disciplined by Shaddai

2. Psa 1:1 studies and walks in God’s word

3. Psa 2:12 takes refuge in YHWH

4. Psa 32:1-2 sin is forgiven

5. Psa 40:4; Psa 84:12; Pro 16:20 trusts in YHWH

6. Psa 41:1-3; Pro 14:21 considers the poor

7. Psa 84:5 strength is in YHWH

8. Psa 89:15 know joy and walk in the light of YHWH’s countenance

9. Psa 119:2 seek Him with whole heart, observe His testimony

10. Psa 112:1; Psa 128:1 fears YHWH, walks in His ways

11. Psa 146:5 YHWH is his help

12. Pro 3:13 finds wisdom

13. Pro 8:32; Pro 8:34 listens to YHWH, keeps His ways

14. Pro 28:14 fears YHWH

15. Pro 29:18 keeps YHWH’s laws

The first two verses of this Psalm from the LXX are quoted by Paul in Rom 4:7-8 in his example of David as a blessed man because his sin was forgiven.

Notice the different words used to describe rebellion against YHWH (cf. Psa 32:5).

1. transgression BDB 833, KB 981; it denotes an intentional breaking of that which is God’s will (i.e., covenant)

2. sin BDB 308, KB 306; it denotes missing (BDB 306) a set target, again not by ignorance but willfully

3. iniquity BDB 730, KB 799; misdeed, guilt (#1,2,3 appear together in Exo 34:7; Lev 16:21; Job 12:23; here; Isa 59:12; Eze 21:24; Dan 9:24)

4. deceit BDB 941, KB 636; means treachery, trickery, fraud (cf. Psa 52:2; Psa 101:7; Psa 120:2-3)

The UBS Handbook mentions that the psalmist purposely alternated masculine, feminine (twice) to show completeness (p. 303).

YHWH’s (note the passive participles) forgiveness is described as righteousness given to sinners based on God’s mercy and their repentance (this is the theological concept of imputed [cf. BDB 362, KB 359, Gen 15:6; Rom 4:3; Gal 3:6]).

1. forgiven (lit. lifted and taken away) BDB 669, KB 724, Qal passive participle, cf. Exo 32:32; Exo 34:7; Num 14:18-19; Mic 7:18; same word negated in Exo 23:21; Jos 24:19; Job 7:21; Isa 2:9

2. covered (i.e., puts out of sight, theological concept in Isa 38:17; Isa 43:25; Mic 7:19) BDB 491, KB 487, Qal passive participle

The result is a person with no deceit/guile (cf. Joh 1:47). This does not mean sinless, but repentant.

Psa 32:2 man This is the Hebrew word Adam (BDB 9). In the early parts of Genesis (Genesis 1-3) it refers to Adam, the original human creation, but it took on the sense of humanity in general.

Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley

Maschil = giving instruction. This is the first of thirteen “Maschil” Psalms. These are Psa 32:42, Psa 32:44, Psa 32:45, Psa 32:52, Psa 32:53, Psa 32:54, Psa 32:55, Psa 32:74, Psa 32:78, Psa 32:88, Psa 32:89; Psa 32:142; some in each Book, except Book IV. See App-65.

Blessed = How happy. See App-63. Quoted in Rom 4:7, Rom 4:8.

he. Left to be supplied by any one who has this experience.

transgression = breaking away, rebellion. Hebrew. pasha’, referring to thought. App-44.

forgiven = taken up and carried away.

sin = erring, transgression. Hebrew. chata’. App-44.

covered = atoned (by the death and merit of a substituted sacrifice).

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

Psa 32:1-11

Now this next psalm is thought to have been written at the time of David’s sin with Bathsheba. After the prophet of God, Nathan, had come to him and spoken to him of that sin. We will get another psalm that relates to this same situation in Psa 51:1-19 . Another of the Penitent psalms.

David had many wives, and yet, one day while standing on the roof of his house and looking over the city of Jerusalem, he saw on the roof of a house nearby a beautiful lady bathing. And he was attracted to her, and he sent his servants over to her house to bid her to come to him. And David had an adulterous affair with her; her husband at the time was out fighting with the armies of David, under the leadership of Joab. David received in a few weeks a message from her, “I am pregnant.” And David ordered that her husband be brought home from war and he sort of just said, “Well, how are things going? How is the battle going? How are the men? How is the morale?” and all. And then he expected the guy to go home and spend the night with his wife. What he was hoping is that the guy would go to bed with his wife and later on when she says, “I am pregnant,” the guy would never know the difference. But it didn’t quite work out that way because this fellow, rather than going home, spent the night on the porch of David’s palace with David’s servants. And in the morning it was told David, “He didn’t go home last night. He spent the night here.” And David called him in and said, you know, “Why didn’t you go home? You had this wonderful opportunity to be with your wife.” And the fellow said, “Well,” he said, “all of my buddies are out there in the trenches and it wouldn’t be right for me to enjoy a night with my wife when all of my buddies are still out there in the field fighting.”

So David that day got him pretty drunk, thinking that if he gets drunk enough he will stagger home and still never know the difference. But he only staggered to David’s porch and again spent the night there, and so David was faced with a dilemma and he took a tragic way out. A horrible way out. For David ordered Joab, his general, to put this fellow into the thick of the battle and then to withdrawal the other troops from him that he might be killed. And the ploy worked; Uriah was killed. And David then took Bathsheba as his wife. The child that was born became very sick. David prayed; the child died.

And then the prophet Nathan came to David, and the prophet said, “David, there was a man in your kingdom who is an extremely wealthy man. He had many servants, many flocks. Now next door to him there lived a very poor man who had just one lamb. And the lamb was like a child. It went to bed with him. It ate at his table, and it was just a pet, a family pet. Now this very wealthy man had friends come for dinner and he ordered his servants to go and by force take the one lamb from his poor neighbor and kill it in order that he might feed his guests.” And David became very angry and he said to the prophet, “That man shall surely be put to death.” And Nathan said, “David, thou art the man!”

Now David’s response to that was that of repentance. David’s actions were terrible. The scripture in no wise seeks to excuse the actions of David, but they also do point out the repentance of David. This is thought to be a psalm that relates to that period of David’s life when he was going through this guilt of sin. When he was trying to carry it. He was trying to hide it. He was trying to bury it, and going through the guilt of this illicit affair. And this particular psalm relates to this period.

And David begins the psalm by saying,

Blessed [which is, Oh how happy] is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered ( Psa 32:1 ).

Oh, what a happy moment it is when I have that assurance that my transgression has been forgiven, that my sin has been covered.

Now there is a difference between a transgression and a sin. A sin is not always a willful act. The word sin comes from a root word which means, “to miss the mark.” God says, “Here is the mark. I want you to hit it.” All right. And I take aim, and I miss. Now I may not deliberately miss. I may be trying to hit it. I might just be a poor shot. That is still a sin. I have missed the mark. Whether it is deliberate or just a lack of weakness or failure, it is still missing the mark that God has set. That is why the Bible says, “All have sinned.” The Bible calls you a sinner. You may get uptight about that, but God said that you have all missed the mark.

Now when I tell you the mark is perfection, that is what God wants you to be, then, is there anyone here who is willing to stand up and say, “I have hit the mark. I am perfect. Look at me. I am Mister Perfect”? No, I think we will all confess, “I have missed the mark.” Not always willingly. I have sought to be a better person than I really am. I am not as good as I would like to be. I have missed the mark.

A transgression is a little different, because a transgression is a willful, a deliberate missing of the mark. It is a deliberate action of disobedience on my part. God says, “Here is the line. Now, Chuck, I don’t want you to go over that line.” And I get busy with my activities, I am not paying any attention, and all of a sudden I am over here on the other side of the line. And God says, “Hey, hey wait a minute. There is the line I told you not to go over.” “Oh Lord, I’m sorry. I forgot all about it. I, hmm, didn’t mean to.” I still went over it. It was a sin; it was a missing of the mark. It wasn’t really a deliberate, willful kind of a transgression. Whereas if God says, “Here is the line, Chuck. Now don’t you cross over it.” And I step over it and say, “Okay, God, what are You going to do about it?” That is a deliberate, willful transgression. Many times sins compound into transgressions. I start off innocently enough. But then rather than repenting and turning, I seek to try to cover it and hide it and all, and it compounds until it becomes a transgression. But either way, oh how happy I am when it is all forgiven. When it is all over. When it is all covered.

O how happy is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, in whose spirit there is no deceit ( Psa 32:2 ).

Now David had done his best to deceive. I mean, he was trying to set up Uriah. You know, “Go home and spend the night with your wife.” And he was trying this whole deceitful little scheme. But he is talking now about an interesting experience here, “Oh how happy is the man to whom God does not impute iniquity.”

Now I think that many people, because of Santa Claus, have gotten a wrong concept of God, and many people think of God as a glorified Santa Claus. That, just anything I want, all I have to do is come to God and just tell Him what I want Him to lay under my tree this Christmas, and God will give me anything that I insist on. Anything that I believe for. Anything that I will confess God will give to me, because after all, He’s just a Santa Claus waiting to hear my request. And in carrying this concept of God as Santa Claus, we know that Santa Claus is making out a list and checking it twice, and going to find out who is naughty and nice. And if you have been naughty you are going to get a bundle of sticks. You know, he doesn’t bring toys to bad little boys. Making this list, keeping the records.

Now, he is speaking about a man, “Oh how happy is the man to whom God does not impute, or account, iniquity.” Who in the world would that be? A man that God isn’t even making a black list on his deeds. Not imputing iniquity. Paul tells us in Romans that that happy man is the man who is in Christ Jesus. “For there is therefore now no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus” ( Rom 8:1 ). Oh how happy is my life in Christ, this glorious life I have in Him. For if we walk in the light as He is in the light we have fellowship one with the other, and the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, is continually cleansing me from all sin. God is not even keeping a record of my failure, of my sin. Oh what a happy man I am. Not only has He forgiven my transgressions, not only has He blotted out my sins, but He’s not even keeping a record of my current failings. Oh how happy is the man to whom God does not impute iniquity, that man who is in Christ Jesus.

Now David goes on to express when he was trying to cover the whole thing and hide the whole thing and the reaction that it had upon him.

When I kept silence ( Psa 32:3 )

That is, when I was trying to hide it, when I would not confess, when I would not bring it out and confess.

When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long ( Psa 32:3 ).

Did you know, you may try to hide your sins, you may try to cover your guilt, but it will find a way out. With guilt there is always the developing subconscious desire for punishment, which, if I cannot find a relief for this guilt, I will begin some abnormal behavioral pattern by which I am seeking to be punished. And I will start just doing weird things because I am feeling guilty and I want someone to punish me. I want someone to say, “Hey, man, you are weird. You’re crazy. Something is wrong with you. You ought to go jump off of the pier.” “Oh, thank you, brother. I needed that.” Now I feel relieved from my guilt; someone has punished me.

When I was a kid I had no problem. My father took care of my guilt complexes very efficiently. And the old apricot tree, those switches always stung, but it sure got rid of my guilt complex. It was healthy, psychologically. But now I am older, no one to take me into the bedroom and apply the psychology. And so I have to do things, abnormal things, neurotic things, in order to be punished. Get people to punish me. Don’t tell Romaine I said it, but this is why he is such a fantastic counselor. I mean you come in and he will lay it on ya! If you are wrong, I mean, he will tell you. And you go home relieved. You get angry with him because he is so straightforward, but I mean he will just tell you what a rat you are, you know. And he doesn’t realize it, I am sure, but from a psychological standpoint it is very healthy. We see them storming out of here sometimes, steam coming out of the top of their head. And we say, “Well, they have been counseling with Romaine.” He is so good.

But when you are trying to hide and cover your guilt, there is an inward roaring that is going on all the time. This inward turmoil. “When I sought to keep silent, my bones were waxing old because of the roaring all the day long.”

For day and night thy hand was heavy on me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer ( Psa 32:4 ).

“Boy, I will tell you. My life just became all dry. Just like a drought in summertime, no moisture, no life. Felt like I was dying.” The Selah brings an end to that strophe of the psalm, and now we move into a new direction.

The first is the endeavor to cover the sin, the endeavor to hide the guilt. But now as we move into the new direction.

I acknowledged my sin ( Psa 32:5 )

Now the Bible says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” ( 1Jn 1:9 ). So,

I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin ( Psa 32:5 ).

Now, in the Hebrew language there is here the intimation of an immediate process. In other words, “The moment in my heart I said, ‘I am going to confess my transgressions,’ in my heart. Before I could ever get the words out of my lips, God had already forgiven me.” God is only looking for the change of the attitude of your heart. The moment in your heart you say, “Oh God, I am sorry. I am going to confess. I am going to get it right with God.” In that very moment, God’s grace comes flowing over your life and the sins are all obliterated. Why should we carry guilt, why should we carry the sins, when God is so ready to forgive, so ready to cleanse, so ready to pardon? “The moment I said, ‘I’m gonna confess,’ Thou forgavest my transgressions.”

Now we enter into the third strophe.

For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when you may be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come near unto him ( Psa 32:6 ).

Surely all of us ought to be seeking God, because of His love, of His grace, and of His preserving power. In the times of these great waters, in the times of tragedy, it shall not touch you.

For thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance ( Psa 32:7 ).

So another Selah. We enter into a new strophe of the psalm. “God is my hiding place. He is my preserver from trouble. He encircles me with songs of deliverance.”

Now in verse Psa 32:8 we have a whole change of voice, and God is now responding to the psalmist. Up till now David has been speaking of God and his relationship to God, but now God responds to David, and David writes God’s response to him. Now this is God speaking to David. God said,

I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way in which thou shalt go: I will guide you with my eye ( Psa 32:8 ).

The steps of a righteous man are order of the Lord. God said, “I will teach you and instruct you in the way that you shall go. I will guide you with My eye.”

Be not as a horse, or a mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in a bit and a bridle, lest he comes near to you ( Psa 32:9 ).

So God is saying, “Don’t be like stubborn mule where you got to put a bit in its mouth in order to guide it.” Now a bit is painful when you jerk on it. But the bit is put in the mouth of a mule or a horse in order that he might be led. That you might have control. So that he doesn’t walk or step all over you. You put the bit in their mouth, and if they don’t hearken or respond to your reign upon them, then you pull on the bit and it jerks the mouth. And it is painful, but you get the message. You are led.

Now God is saying, “Hey, I don’t want to lead you that way. Don’t be stubborn like a mule. Where I have to use harsh methods to lead and guide you. I want to guide you with My eye. Okay, that way, son.” We are the ones that make it tough on ourselves when we rebel against God. When we won’t listen to God. When we are insensitive to God, then He has to get rough. God doesn’t delight in the painful processes. God didn’t want to send a whale after Jonah; it was just that was the only way that He could get his attention. God doesn’t want to lead you in a painful process. He doesn’t want to bring painful experiences into your life in order to get your attention, in order to change your directions. So He is saying, “Look, be sensitive. You’ll beat him. I will guide you in the right way. I will guide you with My eye. Don’t be like a horse or a mule; you’ve got to put a bit into its mouth in order that you might lead so that it won’t step on you and all.”

Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusts in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about. Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart ( Psa 32:10-11 ).

As I said, when you are in your own reading of the psalms, it might be an interesting experience for you to, as you read, just sort of follow the exhortations. When it says, “Be glad in the Lord,” just be glad in the Lord. When it says, “Rejoice,” then you should rejoice. And if it says, “Shout for joy,” try it sometime. Just shout for joy unto the Lord. “

Fuente: Through the Bible Commentary

A Psalm of David. You can see David all through this Psalm; here we have Davids sin, Davids confession of sin, Davids pardon. It is a Psalm of David. Oh, that we might each one make it our own! It is entitled- Maschil. This is an instructive Psalm. The experience of one man is instructive to another. We learn the way in which we should walk, and sometimes the way in which we should not walk, by observing the footsteps of the flock.

The Psalm begins with blessing.

Psa 32:1. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

I think I hear a sort of sigh of relief, as if the man had been burdened with a load of guilt, and now at last his sin is put away; and his sigh has more solemn joy in it than if it had been a song: Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Beloved, you must know the bitterness of sin before you can know the blessedness of forgiveness; and you must have such a sight of sin as shall break your heart before you can understand the blessedness of the divine covering, that sacred coverlet which hides sin effectually, blots it out, and even makes it cease to be. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Would you not think so, dear burdened heart, if it ever came to your lot? I hope that it will be so tonight. Do not we think so, who remember the day when almighty mercy forgave us our transgression, and covered our sin? Indeed we do. This is one of the greatest blessednesses out of heaven. Perhaps, for a sort of still soft melody with much of the minor in it, this is the sweetest music in the whole Book, Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Now David must put the same truth in another form. He loves to reduplicate, to repeat again and again a truth which is very precious to him.

Psa 32:2. Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.

Here are two reasons for the mans blessedness: sin is not laid to his charge, and he is no longer deceitful; he no longer tries to palliate and to excuse his sin; he makes a clean breast of it; and God, in a higher sense, gives him a clean breast. He acknowledges the justice of God, and God displays his infinite mercy to him. Now David tells us how he learned this sacred blessedness; what were the ways by which he went, which ended at last in this divine sweetness.

Psa 32:3-4. When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.

I understand this to have been the feeling of David after his great sin, before he confessed it. He tried to excuse it to his conscience. It has been thought by some that David was, for at least nine months, in a very insensible state; but he does not appear to have been so. All the time until his sin was confessed and acknowledged, he was miserable. Because there was divine grace in his heart, sin could not dwell there with comfort. As he would not own his sin before the bar of God, pleading guilty, and waiting for judgment, as he kept silence, it preyed upon him so, that he seemed to grow prematurely old, and that, not only in his skin and his flesh, but his very bones were affected: My bones waxed old. Those solid pillars of the house of manhood trembled and were shaken under his awful sense of sin. You cannot be a child of God and sin, and then be happy. Other men may sin cheaply, but you cannot. If you are a man after Gods own heart, and you venture into uncleanness, it will sting you as does a viper it will burn within your bones like coals of juniper.

When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. David did pray, but he did not dare to call it prayer. It was like the moaning and groaning of a beast that is wounded, and faint, and near to die; and this terrible pain was upon him always: For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me. God has a heavy hand for his sinful children. Other fathers may spoil their children with indulgence; but the Lord will not spoil his children. If we sin, we shall feel the weight of Gods hand. We ought to thank him for this; for though it brings great sorrow, yet it brings great safety to us. The worst thing that can happen to a man is to be allowed to sin, and yet to be happy in it. One of the best things for an erring believer is a taste of his Fathers rod. Thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. All Davids joy was squeezed out, pressed out, by the heavy hand of God. His flowers ceased to bloom; his fruit was withered; his experience was nothing but a hard drought, without a drop of moisture. When David had gone so far, and had played only on the bass strings so long, he said, Selah, that is, Screw up the harp strings, let us put them in tune again. We are going up to something better now.

Psa 32:5. I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.

Oh, how swift is the divine compassion! Quick upon the heels of confession came that word from Nathan, The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die. I can fancy David standing there, with the hot tears in his eyes, never so broken down as when his sin was all forgiven. Before he knew that he was pardoned, he stood tremblingly fearful, brokenhearted before God; but when Nathan had said (I will repeat those gracious words), The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die, oh, what gratitude he felt, and what tenderness, and what hatred of sin! Dear hearer, if you are burdened under a sense of sin, go and make confession to God straight away. If you feel very heavy tonight at the recollection of some great and grievous offense, if some scarlet spot is on your hand, and you cannot get rid of it, go and show it to God. With penitential honesty confess the sin, and it shall be forgiven you. Selah. Now David puts the harp strings right again. They still seem to suffer from the previous strain; and so he says Selah once more. Sursum corda. Lift up the heart; let the whole soul go up to God.

Psa 32:6-7. For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him. Thou art my hiding place;

He had talked, in the first verse, of his sin being covered. Now he not only hides his sin beneath the divine covering, but he hides himself beneath the divine shelter: Thou art my hiding place. Thus does the believer sing Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in thee.

Psa 32:7. Thou shalt preserve me from trouble;

Lord, if thou hast taken away the greatest of all troubles, that is, guilt on the conscience, if thou hast really forgiven me, what trouble have I to be afraid of? Thou shalt preserve me from trouble.

Psa 32:7. Thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah,

If thou hast pardoned me, there is the making of all manner of music in the fact of my pardon. He that is washed by the precious blood of Jesus is the man to sing. Has not God made a chorister of him? John tells us, in the Revelation, that one of the elders said to him, concerning the white- robed throng, These are they, which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple. Selah. David must tune the strings of his harp again, for now he wishes to exult in God, and to magnify his holy name, as he listens to his Lords gracious words.

Psa 32:8. I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way, which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.

Here is another blessing. The God who has forgiven the errings of the past, will preserve us from erring again. Gods flowers always bloom double. He gives us justification; but he adds sanctification. He pardons our sins; but he also makes disciples and scholars of us, and teaches us the art of holiness, which is the noblest art that man can learn: I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way, which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. When we are willing to be guided, we hardly need a word from God; a look is enough, just a glance of his eye: I will guide thee with mine eye.

Psa 32:9. Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.

Do you want bits and bridles? If you want them, you shall have them. If you will be a horse or a mule, you shall be treated as horses and mules are. There are some Christians that need to be driven with a very sharp snaffle; and they need to have their mouth made very tender, for now they are hard-mouthed; and, sometimes, they take the bit between their teeth, and try to run away instead of doing Gods bidding. Usually, the rods with which God scourges us are made of reeds grown in our own gardens. When God hides his face from his people, it is almost always behind clouds of dust, which they have themselves made. You will have sorrow enough in the ordinary way to heaven; do not make an extra rod for your own back.

Psa 32:10. Many sorrows shall be to the wicked:

This refers to you who are outside the family of God, who do not come under his rod, you are not in his love and favor, for you have no faith in his dear Son. Do not think that you will escape punishment. If the Lord scourgeth every son whom he receiveth, what will he do with his enemies? Many sorrows shall be to the wicked.

Psa 32:10. But he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about.

He always wants mercy; for he is a sinner still. He shall always have mercy; for his Saviour lives still. Mercy shall compass him about.

Psa 32:11. Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.

Be demonstrative; let men see that you are happy: Shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart. The Psalm is a joyful one, after all. Davids experience has taken him through a deep sense of his own sin; but it has brought him out into an elevated sense of Gods mercy; so he closes the Psalm with the jubilant exhortation, Shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart. So let us do this night, and for ever. Amen.

Fuente: Spurgeon’s Verse Expositions of the Bible

Psa 32:1-2

BLESSED IS HE WHOSE TRANSGRESSION IS FORGIVEN

This psalm was immortalized by the Apostle Paul who quoted the opening verses here as follows:

“Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven,

And whose sins are covered.

Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not reckon sin” (Rom 4:7-8).

A warning should be sounded here to the effect that many of the things written by commentators regarding this psalm are incorrect. This psalm is not “The Old Testament outcropping of the Pauline doctrine of salvation by `faith alone.'” As a matter of basic truth there is no New Testament doctrine of ‘salvation by faith only,’ either by Paul or any other New Testament writer.

Despite the appearance in the ancient inscription of the word “Maschil,” meaning “didactic,” that is, “intended to instruct,” it is certainly not any form of instruction on “how to be saved.” “This meaning of the psalm cannot be maintained.

It is sufficient here to point out that David, who is usually received as the author of this psalm, was already in covenant relationship with God at the time of his great sin; and his forgiveness is here unrelated in any sense whatever to the salvation of alien sinners. Any New Testament application must find its parallel in the “Second Law of Pardon,” as expounded by the apostle Peter in Act 8:22, where that law is announced, `Repentance and Prayer,’ being revealed as the basic elements of it.

Paul’s quotation of this psalm was for the purpose of stressing the “happiness” of persons whose sins God has remitted, or forgiven. Another purpose appears in the necessary deduction that God’s forgiveness is never on the basis of human merit. Paul’s proposition that “salvation is not of works,” simply means “not from keeping the Law of Moses,” and has no reference at all to “the work of faith.” The great New Testament doctrine of salvation “By Faith,” is valid indeed; but it should be understood as “Salvation by an OBEDIENT FAITH.” The New Testament flatly declares that, “One is not justified by faith alone” (Jas 2:24).

The authorship of this psalm, as stated in the ancient inscription is, “A Psalm of David”; and, as Leupold said, “This cannot be brushed aside lightly. Against the background of 2 Samuel 12, everything stated here fits excellently into place.

However, in fairness, it must be pointed out that many scholars fail to find David anywhere in this psalm. Yates, Ash, Dahood, and others make no mention of him in their comment on this chapter. There are also some statements in the psalm itself which, in our view, do not exactly fit the behavior of David in his affair with Bathsheba.

Nevertheless, some of the best Bible students of the ages still insist that this is one of the seven Penitential Psalms, unhesitatingly ascribing it to David at a time following his forgiveness for adultery and murder.

Halley’s analysis of this psalm is as follows:

“Occasioned, no doubt, by David’s sin with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11-12), he can find no words to express his shame and humiliation. Yet this is the same David who repeatedly avowed his righteousness (Psa 7:3; Psa 7:8; Psa 17:1-5; Psa 18:20-24; and Psa 6:1-10).

How can we reconcile these paradoxical features of David’s life?

(1) His claims of righteousness may have been made before his great sin.

(2) In most things he was really righteous.

(3) There is a difference between “willful sin and sin through weakness.” Even a good man may sin through weakness.

There is also a fourth consideration which we shall add to Halley’s three. (4) David’s “righteousness” was a relative thing. Absolutely righteous? No! Like Noah, “He was righteous in his generation,” meaning that in comparison with all the people of his day, he was relatively righteous.

David was an absolute monarch; and when his response to Nathan the prophet, wherein he freely admitted that, “I have sinned against the Lord,” is compared with what any other king in that whole millennium would certainly have done in the same situation, we may see the relative nature of David’s righteousness. Any other king of that era would have beheaded Nathan and continued in his sin.

This is usually included in the “Penitential Psalms” as follows: Psalms 6; Psalms 25; Psalms 32; Psalms 38; Psalms 51; Psalms 102; Psalms 130; and Psalms 143. Sequentially, “In the order of history, it seems to follow the 51Psalm. Rawlinson also agreed that it was written, “Soon after his repentance, but not immediately after.

The following paragraphing of the psalm is that of Baigent:

(1) joy of having received God’s forgiveness (Psa 32:1-2);

(2) the effects of unconfessed sin (Psa 32:3-5);

(3) an exhortation for men to pray to God while they have the opportunity (Psa 32:6-7);

(4) Divine instructions for the people (Psa 32:8-9); and

(5) a call for God’s people to make the sanctuary resound with their songs of praise (Psa 32:10-11).

THE JOY RESULTING FROM GOD’S FORGIVENESS

Psa 32:1-2

“Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,

Whose sin is covered.

Blessed is the man unto whom Jehovah imputeth not iniquity,

And in whose spirit there is no guile.”

The point of these verses is the happiness that comes from the knowledge that God has indeed forgiven our sins. From the New Testament, it will be remembered that when the Ethiopian eunuch was baptized into Christ, “He went on his way rejoicing” (Act 8:39). So it was also with the Philippian jailer, who after his baptism, along with his household, “Rejoiced greatly, with all his house” (Act 16:34). This great rejoicing that always comes from the consciousness of God’s forgiveness has been personally experienced by every person who ever obeyed the gospel.

There is not a word in these two verses with regard to the basis upon which God forgave David or to anything that David did before God forgave him.

“Blessed is he” (Psa 32:1). “One hesitates to abandon the classical rendition in the word ‘blessed,’ here”;[7] but Yates affirmed that the Hebrew here is, “Literally, O how happy. Kidner also preferred the word “Happy,” stating that, “It is a more exuberant word than ‘blessed.’

Note that sin is mentioned here under four names: (1) transgression, which means breaking the law; (2) sin, which means missing the mark; (3) iniquity, which is gross wickedness; and (4) guile, which is deceitfulness, or hypocrisy.

Notice also that sin is stated here to have been: (1) forgiven; (2) covered; and (3) not imputed to the sinner. Paul’s deduction from this in Rom 4:7-8, “Implies that when God treats us as righteous, it is God’s gift to us apart from what we merit or deserve. This, of course, is profoundly true; but the foolish notion that God’s gift is “unconditional,” or that it is in no manner connected with human behavior is absolutely false.

“Any idea that we are free to ‘continue in sin that grace may abound’ is firmly excluded by the emphasis upon ‘sincerity’ at the close of Psa 32:2. Thus there appears in these two verses, one of the conditions absolutely prerequisite to God’s forgiveness of any person whomsoever, sincerity. There are also other preconditions.

Some of the comments one encounters on this psalm suggest that all one has to do to be saved is to shout, “God I’m a sinner”! and presto! automatically, God accounts him as a righteous man. It did not work for King Saul (1Sa 26:11); and we do not believe it will work for anyone.

“In whose spirit there is no guile” (Psa 32:2). The person whose sin is forgiven and covered, as promised in this passage, however, “Is only he in whose spirit there is no deceit that denies and hides or extenuates and excuses this or that favorite sin. One such sin designedly retained is a secret ban that stands in the way of justification.

E.M. Zerr:

Psa 32:1. This verse is cited in Rom 4:7-8. Sinless perfection is not expected of man in this life and blessedness is nowhere based on it. But God has always had some system whereby a, man could obtain the forgiveness of his sins and thus be permitted to have the divine blessing. Sin be covered means it is put out of sight by the plan of atonement that is in force at the time.

Psa 32:2. This verse is about the same in thought as the first one. To impute means to hold it against one. If man complies with the law of pardon that he is under, the Lord will not hold his iniquity against him. Guile a special kind of sin, meaning is something in the nature of deceit. however, if a man comes up to the arms of forgiveness that God lays down to him, it will indicate his sincerity and show him to be free of guile.

Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary

This is known as the second of the penitential psalms. It is the song of a man who is rejoicing in the assurance of restoration. Opening with a burst of praise which reveals the experimental knowledge of the happiness of forgiveness (1, 2), it proceeds to describe the bitterness of the soul’s experience while sin is unconfused (3, 4). Then the way of restoration by confession and the readiness of Jehovah to forgive are declared (5). On the basis of such restoration the soul has access to God and the assurance of His succor in trouble (6, 7). Then is sung the message of Jehovah to His child, in which the promise of guidance is made and the condition of submission is stated (8, 9). All ends with an affirmation of the safety of those who bust in Jehovah and a call to men to praise Him.

Among all the psalms there is none which touches deeper things in the life of the soul or more perfectly reveals the method of Jehovah in sin, sorrow, and guidance. He is ready to pardon, able to deliver, and willing to guide.

Fuente: An Exposition on the Whole Bible

the Song of the Forgiven

Psa 32:1-11

David wrote this psalm, Rom 4:6-8. Maschil means to give instruction. We are deeply instructed as to the working of conscience. Compare with Psa 51:1-19. This was one of Luthers favorites.

For some time after his sin, David withheld confession and suffered terribly. But when the wound was opened and the poison pressed from it, he burst out in the words with which the psalm opens: Oh, the blessedness! Sin means missing the mark; iniquity is that which is turned aside from its course. Forgiven, covered, not imputed-each of these is true in Jesus.

The presence of God is always appreciably nearer when floods are running high. Note those three precious promises of instruction, teaching, and guidance, Psa 32:8. Throw on God the responsibility of indicating your path. Dont wait for the sharp jerk of bit or bridle; let love prompt and inspire your every movement. Haydn said: When I think on God, the notes dance from my pen. Remember the music and dancing that welcomed the prodigal!

Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary

In the fourth chapter of the Epistle to the Romans when the Apostle Paul is establishing the great doctrine of justification by faith alone, he cites two Old Testament scriptures as proof that in all dispensations every one who was ever saved was saved by grace through faith, altogether apart from human merit. In the third chapter, verse 21, we read, But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed-or borne testimony to-by the law and the prophets. Those terms, The law and the prophets, refer not to individuals so much, but to the two divisions of the Old Testament. The books of Moses were called by the Hebrews the Law. All the rest of the books, beginning with Joshua and running right on to the end, they called the Prophets. Sometimes they divided the second group into three and called them the Former Prophets (that is, the early historical books all written by prophets) and then the Writings (books like Job, Psalms, Song of Solomon, etc.), and the Latter Prophets, from Isaiah to Malachi. What the Apostle Paul is telling us in the third chapter of Romans is that upon the proven unrighteousness of all men, God is making known His righteousness which He Himself has provided for guilty sinners, which is not based on obedience to the law of Moses, but yet is borne witness to by the Law, those first five books, and by the Prophets, all the remaining books of the Old Testament. In other words, the entire Old Testament bears witness to the fact that God was going to bring His righteousness near to men who had none of their own.

If we had an orthodox Jew here, one thoroughly familiar with his Bible and the history of his people, and we said to him, Who is the most important person in all the books of the Law? he would answer without a moments hesitation, Abraham, because Abraham was the father of the Hebrew people, and the one with whom God made the covenant of grace. Very well, the Apostle Paul says in the fourth of Romans, let us take the most important person out of the books of the Law and see how he is justified, and he cites Abraham and says that the Scripture declares that Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness (verse one). That was justification by faith; that was righteousness apart from works.

Then if we had this orthodox Jew here and were to say to him, Who is the most important personage mentioned in all the other books of the Old Testament, the Prophets? He would answer without a moments hesitation, Our great King David, because God confirmed His covenant with David saying, I will give you the sure mercies of David, and Messiah is to come through Davids line. Well, the apostle says in the fourth of Romans, let us call in the most important man in the books of the Prophets and see how he was justified, see what he has to say about the way a guilty sinner finds life and peace, and so he quotes from the thirty-second Psalm. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered (Rom 4:6-7). He refers us to the thirty-second Psalm as the outstanding scripture setting forth the way God justifies ungodly sinners. And so when we turn back to consider it we find that it fits in wonderfully with the New Testament opening up of the gospel of the grace of God.

When Augustine of Hippo was dying, he had somebody paint this Psalm in large letters on a big placard, and he kept it right at the foot of his bed. As he lay there he had those beautiful words before him and went out into eternity dwelling upon the message of this thirty-second Psalm. It was one of Luthers favorite Psalms, because it sets forth the gospel more clearly perhaps than any other Old Testament scripture except the fifty-third chapter of the book of the prophet Isaiah.

In the first two verses of the Psalm we have the consummation. That is a peculiar thing about the structure of many of these Psalms. Often you get the climax in the very beginning and then in the verses that follow, the Psalmist, guided by the Holy Spirit, shows how it was reached. So here in the first two verses you have the fourfold blessedness of the believer, and in the rest of the Psalm you learn how David was brought into the enjoyment of this blessedness. We know that it was David, because we have the inspired heading, A Psalm of David, and after that you have an untranslated Hebrew word, Maschil. This word literally means, giving instruction. It links with the statement found in the twelfth chapter of Daniel, They that be wise among the people shall instruct many. The expression they that be wise is really in Hebrew, the Maskilim, i.e., the instructors; and so this Psalm is a Maschil Psalm, a Psalm giving instruction. Whenever reading the book of Psalms you come across that word, you will be wise if you say to yourself, I must read this portion with special care because God is calling my attention to it by putting that word at the top. There is some special instruction here that He does not want me to miss; and as we go into it we can see what that instruction really is.

Notice first the fourfold blessedness. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven. That is the first thing. Whose sin is covered. That is the second. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity. That is the third. And in whose spirit there is no guile. That is the fourth. The Hebrews called this an Asher Psalm. The name of one of the tribes of Israel was called Asher. It means happy or blessed, and we have a number of Psalms beginning with this word in the Hebrew. The first Psalm begins with that word, Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly. The blessing of the first Psalm is the blessing of the Man who never went astray. You and I cannot claim that blessing. The blessed Man of Psalm 1 is our Lord Jesus Christ, no one else. Now we see that Psalm 32 is another Asher Psalm, but here we get the blessing of the man who did go astray but has been brought back to God; and you and I may know the blessedness of that. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven. Who is that man? He is the man who has come to God owning his guilt and putting his trust in the message that God has given. In Old Testament times that message was not as full, as complete as the message that He has given today. Today He gives us the full, clear gospel of His own blessed Son who died for our sins; and when we put our trust in Him we know that through what Jesus did on Calvary all our iniquities are forgiven. The Apostle Peter makes that very plain when he says, To Him give all the prophets witness, that through His name whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins (Act 10:43). Remission, of course, is forgiveness, and so we receive forgiveness of sins through believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. Every poor sinner who believes what God has testified concerning His Son is forgiven.

But notice the second thing: Blessed is hewhose sin is covered. This word translated covered is just one form of the word that is used throughout the Old Testament for atonement. What he is really saying here is this, Blessed is he whose sin is atoned for. The real meaning of atonement is covering. God found a covering for sin when He gave the Lord Jesus Christ to die in our room and stead, and so now He says, Blessed is he whose sin is covered. The precious blood blots out all the record, and his sin is covered.

Then look at the third thing, Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity. What is it to impute iniquity? It is to mark iniquity down. If the Lord Jesus blotted out all my sins the night He saved me and immediately began putting down more against me, I would not be much better off in the future than in the past but the Psalmist says, Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity. God is not marking down sin against LI is people as something they must face in the day of judgment. The moment I trust in Jesus, the precious blood covers the whole record from the cradle to the grave. Does that mean that I can sin and it does not make any difference? No, the moment my responsibility as a sinner having to do with the God of judgment ended for eternity, my responsibility as a child having to do with my Father began. 1 will never have to do with the God of judgment again, but I do have to do with my Father, and as a child I am to be an obedient child. If a naughty child, my Father will have to whip me for it. Whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth (Heb 12:6). But He never imputes iniquity to His people. Instead of imputing iniquity He imputes righteousness. Every believer is made the righteousness of God in Christ.

Then look at the fourth thing. Blessed is the manin whose spirit there is no guile. A man in whose spirit there is no guile is not a sinless person. There are no sinless people on earth. There was one and that was our blessed Lord Jesus Christ, but since the fall of Adam there has never been another. All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23). There is not a just man that doeth good and sinneth not. In many things we offend all. This is true of believers as well as of unbelievers. Even believers offend in many things but the man in whose spirit there is no guile is the man who is not trying to cover up and hide. He has owned up that he is just what God says he is. As long as a man is covering his sin, there is guile there. When David kept on covering his sin there was guile but when David came out frankly and acknowledged it and said, I have sinned against the Lord, there was no more guile.

Years ago in Great Britain there was a young man working in a counting house. He sat on one of those high old-fashioned stools and worked on his books. He was a very nervous young man. Every time the door would open he wanted to see who was coming in. When he got ready to go out at noon or at night he would go to the door and open it and look up and down the street, and if he saw a military man or a police officer he would dodge back until they passed. One day while at work another of the clerks stepped over to him and leaning across the desk said, I say, Jock, I am not making enough to keep me going as I live; let me have a couple of shillings to tide me over the week.

I cannot do it, said Jock, my wages are so small.

Well, let me tell you something, and he whispered in his ear.

Poor Jock turned pale, reached in his pocket and said, For Gods sake, dont tell anybody!

The other fellow, walking away, said to himself, Well, I guess I have struck a silver mine, and every week or so he would come back and say, Let me have a half crown or something like that, and poor Jock gave it to him, till he was almost destitute himself.

One day, sitting in a little restaurant where he went for a cup of tea, Jock happened to notice a newspaper in another mans hand and he saw the heading, Free pardon offered to all deserters of Her Majestys Forces. Oh, he said, I must get that paper! It was Queen Victorias Jubilee, and they had decreed that in order to celebrate that date a free pardon should be granted to all deserters, but it went on to tell the terms of the pardon. The deserter must write in to headquarters, must tell what ship or regiment he belonged to, tell why he had deserted and give his present address, and if satisfactory, he would get a pardon. This was Jocks secret. He went home and wrote a letter to headquarters telling them that he was so glad to see that Her Majesty was giving a pardon to deserters, that he had not meant to be a deserter but when ordered to Egypt he was anxious to see his mother, and when he got back the ship was gone, etc. He waited. Then one day a large envelope was handed to him with the letters, O. H. M. S. How eagerly he opened it. There was just a curt little note. Mr. So and So, Dear Sir, Your letter is received. Evidently you did not read the proclamation carefully. The pardon is for deserters but according to your letter you never intended to desert. Respectfully, General W. What a fool I have been, said Jock. I missed the pardon by trying to make out too good a case for myself. So he went home and sat down and wrote another letter: I was attached to such and such a regiment. I deserted, and I can be found at such and such a place. If there is a pardon for me I will appreciate getting it. A few days later along came another large envelope. He opened it and was just looking at the paper it contained when his tormentor slipped up and said, I say, Jock, I havent had anything from you for a week.

You have had the last bit of silver you will get from me, said Jock.

Oh, we are getting awfully highty-tighty all of a sudden. If it isnt worth your while to keep me quiet I can tell your secret.

Go and tell everybody you like; shout it everywhere. Tell them I am a deserter. Tell them all about it.

Are you going crazy?

No; I am not, but before you go and tell them, read this, and he held the letter up: it was a free pardon.

Oh, I guess my silver mine is dried up, said the other.

Jock now was a man in whose spirit there was no guile. All through those weary months he had been hiding, cover- ing up, covering up, covering up, but there was nothing now to hide. It is a good thing when everything is out between you and God. Blessed is the manin whose spirit there is no guile.

In the next three verses David tells how he got to know this. He first tells of the time he did not know it. When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. If there is anything on earth that will make you feel like an old man it is unconfessed sin, trying to be so nice outside while inside there is such a roaring going on. For day and night Thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Just like the burning hills, so green and beautiful in winter, so dried up in summer. All his joy was gone; he was desolate, and he could not stand it any longer, and so he says, I acknowledged my sin unto Thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. He had been hiding it, but it brought him nothing but sorrow.

I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord. And the very next thing is a free pardon, And Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Have you been there? If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1Jn 1:9). Now everything is different. Now he is on praying ground. A lot of people think it is necessary to pray in order to be saved. David says, I could not pray in those old days, but I can now. For this shall every one that is godly pray unto Thee in a time when Thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him. Because he knows what it is to be forgiven, be- cause he knows what it is to be without guile, he can pray with glad, happy assurance and know that the Lord will protect him in every time of trial.

See how beautifully he expresses himself in verse 7, Thou art my hiding place; Thou shalt preserve me from trouble; Thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. In verses 3 and 4 David was hiding from God, but in verse 7 he is hiding in God. Which are you doing? It makes such a difference. Some of us remember when we were hiding from God and were so miserable and unhappy; and then instead of hiding from Him we turned roundabout face and went directly to Him to find our hiding place in Him.

Rock of Ages, cleft for me,

Let me hide myself in Thee;

Let the water and the Mood,

From Thy wounded side which flowed,

Be of sin the double cure,

Cleanse me from its guilt and powr.

In the next three verses you hear the Lord speaking to David. David has been speaking so far, but now God speaks, and first He promises guidance. He says, I have forgiven you, now I will undertake for you and will guide you through this scene-I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with Mine eye. Or, with Mine eye upon thee. In another place we read, As the eyes of a maiden [look] unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the Lord, our God (Psa 123:2). In other words, if you live in such close fellowship with God that you can always see His face, He will show you just how to go, and you wont be left to blunder. The reason people have such difficulty getting the mind of the Lord is that they know so little of what it is to live in fellowship with Him. If therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light (Mat 6:22).

Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee. How do you guide a horse or a mule? With your eye? Oh, no; Whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, or they will not come near thee (R. V.). A lot of Christians have to have bit and bridle guidance, because they will not keep their eyes on Jesus. The difference between a horse and a mule is, the horse gets the bit in his teeth and says, I will, and you have a hard job to hold him back. The mule plants his feet and says, I wont. You will find these two kinds of folk in the Christian Church. Many of them are just like a horse, ready to run away any time with anything you trust them with. They do not want to be guided or directed but off they go when only half prepared. But there are others-and they are the hardest to handle-who get so well established that you cannot move them. It is not lawful to use a whip to them. God says, Do not be like that.

And then a little word of warning, Many sorrows shall be to the wicked. If men will not come to God and judge their sins, if they will not come and confess their wrong, if they will not get right with God, then they have to face grief and pain. They are bringing it upon their own heads. But he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about. Mercy enwraps him on every side, it may be translated.

And so he concludes with a song of praise, Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.

Fuente: Commentaries on the New Testament and Prophets

Psa 32:1-2

There are here a privilege, a character, and a blessing

I. The privilege is that of the “man unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works” (Rom 4:6). (1) “Whose transgression is forgiven.” This assurance is fitted to relieve that awful sense of guilt, that terrible apprehension of merited wrath, under which you labour when first your sin really finds you out. The first thing you need is to believe in the forgiveness of sin. (2) “Whose sin is covered.” If your conviction of sin is genuine, it works in you, not fear only, but deepest shame, How then may you welcome the intimation that there is not only forgiveness for your transgression, but a covering for your sin! (3) “To whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity.” No forgiveness of your transgression, no covering of your sin, will fully satisfy your anxious spirit unless you see how your iniquity itself, your transgression, your sin, bodily, as it were, can be dealt with, disposed of, got rid of, in terms of strictest law, demanding satisfaction and redress. (4) Now we reach the crowning and comprehensive summary of the Apostle: “to whom the Lord imputeth righteousness without works.”

II. Such being the nature of the privilege, it is not difficult to see how it is connected with, and indeed dependent upon, the grace or qualification of a guileless spirit. The description here is one of complete peace. What is required of us but the laying aside of guile, what but honest dealing? God is true in His dealing with us. Let us be true in dealing with Him, as “the man in whose spirit there is no guile.”

III. The blessedness flowing from the state and character of the man to whom the Lord imputeth righteousness without works, and in whose spirit there is no guile. (1) “Thou art my hiding-place.” It is mutual and reciprocal confidence that warrants and prompts this exclamation. (2) “I will guide thee with Mine eye.” This is a most benignant, gracious, kindly mode of guidance. It is fatherly guidance apprehended by a filial heart.

R. S. Candlish, The Gospel of Forgiveness, p. 182.

References: Psa 32:1, Psa 32:2.-J. A. Sellar, Church Doctrine and Practice, p. 69. Psa 32:1-7,-C. Kingsley, Town and Country Sermons, No. 29.

Psa 32:8

I. The text sets God before us as the Instructor and Guide of men.

II. Notice the moral condition of various men and classes of men with regard to the rule of God. (1) There are the unbridled, the men who care for no restraint. God rules them with a rod of iron. (2) Those who are chiefly glanced at in ver. 9 are God’s children, whom He loves not to treat as servants, but whose sluggish and lazy hearts will not lift themselves to the sympathy and concert of friends. The instruments, the bit and bridle, which we compel Him to employ, are (a) adversity; (b) the prison of circumstances; (c) inward terrors; (d) death.

III. The text describes those in whom the Lord finds full sympathy, and sees the end of His culture fulfilled. “I will guide thee with Mine eye.” This implies that (1) sympathy is already established; (2) vigilant duty; (3) perfect delight.

J. Baldwin Brown, The Sunday Afternoon, p. 278.

References: Psa 32:1-11.-Preacher’s Monthly, vol. i., p. 99. Psa 32:2.-Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xxiii., No. 1366; S. Martin, Westminster Chapel Pulpit, 2nd series, No. 7; R. Heber, Parish Sermons, vol. i., p. 78. Psa 32:3.-Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xxiii., No. 1346. Psa 32:3, Psa 32:4.-Ibid., vol. vi., No. 313. Psa 32:4.-Homiletic Magazine, vol. viii., p. 322. Psa 32:5.-Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xi., No. 641; Ibid., Evening by Evening, p. 260; Clergyman’s Magazine, vol. x., p. 84; J. Wells, Bible Echoes, p. 33; J. Jackson, Repentance: its Necessity, Nature, and Use, p. 53. Psa 32:7.-Outline Sermons to Children, p. 51; J. Baldwin Brown, The Sunday Afternoon, p. 410; J. G. Rogers, Christian World Pulpit, vol. iv., p. 417; J. Martineau, Hours of Thought, vol. ii., p. 237.

Psa 32:8

(1) The first thought that occurs to the mind about this strange and lovely compass is its gentleness. God draws us with a silken cord. (2) The second thought is, how it honours a man, recognises within him intellectual and moral powers which can respond to such silent government. (3) Notice the wonderful variety there must be in such guidance. For the eye has infinite capability of expression, and speaks all languages. (4) And yet it is actually personal. The look of the eye is essentially individual. (5) It is characteristically loving, for the eye is the expression of the heart.

I. How will the guiding come? God has made three great revelations of His will: the Bible; Christ’s life; the Holy Ghost’s teaching. But in each there is the same underlying principle and central fact. That principle, that fact, is the mind of God. The mind of God shining through these things into a man is God’s eye. It emits God to him. Faith is the inner eye of man. It is made to see, and to receive, and to follow truth. The eye of God and the eye of man must meet. Prayer clears the vision. Religious study clears the vision. Contemplation, the very looking into God’s eye, clears the vision. More light streams in; and light used makes light again, till it grows so distinct and bright, that the eye of the man is an actual reflector of the mind of God.

II. See now how it works, and with what result. We all know how through the eye the mind of one man can so pass into the mind of another man, that the two minds become one. So it is between God and us. We see as God sees. We judge as God judges. And the more pious we grow, the greater the assimilation and the more intuitive our sense of God’s will becomes about everything. In heaven we shall be holy, because we shall see Him face to face; that eye of God which lured us at the beginning, and never left us, has done it all.

J. Vaughan, Sermons, 13th series, p. 37.

References: Psa 32:8.-C. Kingsley, The Good News of God, p. 137. Psa 32:8, Psa 32:9.-G. Calthrop, Temptation of Christ, p. 177; H. Melvill, Sermons on Less Prominent Facts, vol. ii., p. 233. Psa 32:9, Psa 32:10.-F. D. Maurice, Christmas Day, and Other Sermons, p. 339. Psa 32:10.-G. Brooks, Outlines of Sermons, p. 178; A. Watson, Sermons for Sundays, Festivals, and Fasts, 1st series, p. 53. Psalm 32-A. Maclaren, Life of David, p. 227; Sermons for Boys and Girls, p. 143.

Psalm 32

In this Psalm David gives to the world his experience as a sinner.

I. He tells us of the blessedness of forgiveness. He is blessed (1) because his sins are taken away; (2) because his sins are covered or hidden, and that from God, not from men; (3) because he is treated as innocent.

II. He tells us of the result of his attempts to cover his sin. (1) His body suffered from the terrors of remorse. (2) The old freshness of his heart was gone, like a running stream dried up in the sickening heat of the Eastern sun.

III. He tells us of the remedy which he found. It was confession. (1) True confession implies your viewing the fact of your sin in the same light in which God views it. (2) Confession implies renunciation.

IV. How does the remedy work in David’s case? He sums up the result in a single sentence: “Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.”

V. The legitimate result of every such experience is to make its subject a teacher. “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go”-this way of repentance and confession in which I have walked.

M. R. Vincent, Gates into the Psalm Country, p. 109.

Reference: Psalm 32-M. G. Pearse, Some Aspects of the Blessed Life, p. 34.

Fuente: The Sermon Bible

Psalm 32

Fullest Blessing

1. The blessedness of righteousness imputed (Psa 32:1-5)

2. The blessedness of hiding-place (Psa 32:6-7)

3. The blessedness of guidance and preservation (Psa 32:8-11)

Psa 32:1-5. This is the first of the 13 Maschil Psalms, the Psalms of special instruction. They tell us of the understanding which the godly in Israel will have in spiritual things (Dan 12:10). All these Maschil Psalms have reference to the last days. The foundation of this Psalm is Davids own experience. See the application of it in Rom 4:1-25. This blessedness of being justified by faith, and all that is included, will be the portion also of the godly in Israel during the end of the age, after the true Church has been caught up. They will pass through Davids experience and enjoy the sure mercies of David.

Psa 32:6-7. And the Justifier is the hiding-place, the refuge. As He is now the hiding-place for His trusting people, so will He be their hiding-place. The floods of great waters point clearly to the great tribulation. They will be preserved as it is written concerning this godly remnant by Isaiah: Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee; hide thyself as if it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast (Isa 26:20).

Psa 32:8-11. Then the blessedness of guidance and preservation. His eye will rest upon them and with His eye He will guide them, as He watches over and guides all His people. And finally the righteous kept and delivered will shout for joy.

Fuente: Gaebelein’s Annotated Bible (Commentary)

The Beatitude of Forgiveness

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity,

And in whose spirit there is no guile.Psa 32:1-2.

These words form the preface to a psalm generally understood to have been written in connexion with the great sin of Davids life. It sings of that happy time when he had repented of his iniquity, when he had sought mercy and had found it, and then poured out the joy of his heart. It is no marvel that his pent-up feelings burst forth in such words as these, for the experience through which he had passed had been peculiarly dark and bitter. He tells here of the misery which he had undergone. He had kept silence, he says, with the result that his very bones had waxed old, and his moisture had been turned into the drought of summer. He would not confess, he would not repent. To a man with the open nature of David that would mean unspeakable wretchedness, but he persevered in it month after month till the mission of Nathan the prophet broke through his sulky reserve, and let loose the springs of his being. And then how measureless his peace and joy! Probably no man has ever felt more deeply than he the blessing of forgiveness. He entered into a new world, and being a poet he could not refrain from giving expression to his bliss in this beautiful poem, which begins with the outburst, Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

This psalm has been selected by the Church for one of the seven penitential psalms. It forms a part of the service of the synagogue on the great Day of Atonement. Yet it is almost as much jubilant as penitent. The writer, while very sensible of his sin, is still more sensible of the fact that his sin is pardoned. While his first words breathe content and gratitude, his last are a shout of rejoicing (Psa 32:10).1 [Note: G. Rawlinson.]

Ewald says: The song is manifestly ancient, original throughout, evidencing a strong spirit. Hardly could the inner misery of a lacerated heart, together with the higher happiness of one again reconciled and healed, be described with more inwardness, impressiveness, and power than here. The harder the struggle in his heart, so much more glorious is the victory, so much more limpid and joyous is the stream of the earnest word. The colour also of the language is Davidic, and there is no reason to doubt that it was sung after the transaction recorded in 2 Samuel 12.

I

The Reality of Forgiveness

Forgiveness is a reality on Gods part, because sin is a reality on our part. Forgiveness, or justification, is sometimes spoken of as treating the sinner as though he had not sinned. This, however, is but loose, figurative language. Forgiveness implies sin, disobedience to Gods law. Therefore God is bound, as the Righteous One, to take account of sin. He must condemn or pardon it. And our Lord Himself speaks of forgiveness as a definite act. Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.

1. The Psalmist views sin under three aspects.

(1) First, he calls it transgression. In its literal sense this means separation, or rending apart, or departure, and so comes to express the notion of apostasy and rebellion. All sin is a departure from God. It is treacherous rebellion. That is to say, it has relation not only to a law, but to a Lawgiver. It is not merely a departure from what is right, it is treason against God. It not only breaks some impersonal ideal of duty, but it is an act of rebellion against a loving Will which is in definite relations to me. And so it assumes a far graver and more solemn aspect than when we think of it as being merely a breach of law, a traversing of duty, a crime against conscience, or society, or public opinion, or expediency, or some abstract idea of morality. It is all these, but it is something much worse than these. The inmost recesses of the ugliness and wickedness of the wicked and ugly thing is this, that it throws into disorder our relations to a living person, that it is rebellion against the Living God.

There is in man an instinct of revolt, an enemy of all law, a rebel which will stoop to no yoke, not even that of reason, duty, and wisdom. This element in us is the root of all sindas radicale Bse of Kant. The independence which is the condition of individuality is at the same time the eternal temptation of the individual. That which makes us beings makes us also sinners. Sin is, then, in our very marrow, it circulates in us like the blood in our veins, it is mingled with all our substance. Or rather I am wrong: temptation is our natural state, but sin is not necessary. Sin consists in the voluntary confusion of the independence which is good with the independence which is bad; it is caused by the half-indulgence granted to a first sophism. We shut our eyes to the beginnings of evil because they are small, and in this weakness is contained the germ of our defeat. Principiis obstathis maxim dutifully followed would preserve us from almost all our catastrophes. We will have no other master but our capricethat is to say, our evil self will have no God, and the foundation of our nature is seditious, impious, insolent, refractory, opposed to and contemptuous of all that tries to rule it, and therefore contrary to order, ungovernable and negative. It is this foundation which Christianity calls the natural man. But the savage which is within us, and constitutes the primitive stuff of us, must be disciplined and civilized in order to produce a man. And the man must be patiently cultivated to produce a wise man, and the wise man must be tested and tried if he is to become righteous. And the righteous man must have substituted the will of God for his individual will, if he is to become a saint.1 [Note: Amiels Journal (trans, by Mrs. Humphry Ward), 164.]

(2) Then another aspect of sin rises before the Psalmists mind. This evil which he has done, which probably was the sin in the matter of Bathsheba, was not only rebellion against God, but it was, according to this text, in the second clause, a sin, by which is meant literally missing an aim. So this word, in its pregnant meaning, corresponds with the signification of the ordinary New Testament word for sin, which also implies error, or missing that which ought to be the goal of our lives. That is to say, whilst the former word regarded the evil deed mainly in its relation to God, this word regards it mainly in its relation to ourselves, and that which before Him is rebellionthe assertion of our own individuality and our own will, and therefore in separation from His willis, considered in reference to ourselves, fatally missing the mark to which our whole energy and effort ought to be directed. All sin, big or little, is a blunder. It is a blunder even if it hits what it aims at, for it aims at the wrong thing. So doubly, all transgression is folly, and the true name for the doer is Thou fool! For every evil misses the mark which, regard being had to the mans obvious destiny, he ought to aim at. Mans chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him for ever; and whosoever in all his successes fails to realize that end is a failure through and through, in whatever smaller matters he may seem to himself and to others to succeed.

Full of far deeper love for what I remember of Turner himself, as I become better capable of understanding it, I find myself more and more helpless to explain his errors and his sins. His errors, I might say, simply. Perhaps, some day, people will again begin to remember the force of the old Greek word for sin; and to learn that all sin is in essenceMissing the mark; losing sight or consciousness of heaven; and that this loss may be various in its guilt; it cannot be judged by us.1 [Note: Ruskin, Modern Painters, v. pt. ix. chap. xii. (Works, vii. 441).]

(3) But the Psalmist sees in his own past behaviour not only rebellion and failure, but iniquitythat is, something twisted or distorted. His conduct is thus brought into contrast with the right line of the plain, straight path in which we ought to walk. We have the same metaphor in our own language. We talk about things being right and wrong, by which we mean, in the one case, parallel with the rigid law of duty, and in the other case, wrung, or wavering, crooked and divergent from it. There is a standard as well as a Judge, and we have to think of evil not only as being rebellion against God and separation from Him, and as, for ourselves, issuing in fatal missing of the mark, but also as being divergent from the one manifest law to which we ought to be conformed. The path to God is a right line; the shortest road from earth to Heaven is absolutely straight.

Every person of a mature age, and in his right mind, remembers turns or crises in his life, where he met the question of wrong face to face, and by a hard inward struggle broke through the sacred convictions of duty that rose up to fence him back. It was some new sin to which he had not become familiar, so much worse perhaps in degree as to be the entrance to him consciously of a new stage of guilt. He remembers how it shook his soul and even his body; how he shrunk in guilty anticipation from the new step of wrong; the sublime misgiving that seized him, the awkward and but half-possessed manner in which it was taken, and then afterward, perhaps even after years have passed away, how, in some quiet hour of the day or the wakeful hour of night, as the recollection of that deednot a public crime, but a wrong, or an act of vicereturned upon him, the blood rushed back for the moment on his fluttering heart, the pores of his skin opened, and a kind of agony of shame and self-condemnation, in one word of remorse, seized his whole person. This is the consciousness, the guilty pang, of sin; every man knows what it is.1 [Note: T. T. Munger, Horace Bushnell, 218.]

2. Corresponding to the three terms for sin, there are three expressions to signify its removal. The first word means taken away or lifted off, as a burden from aching shoulders. It implies more than holding back penal consequences; it is the removal of sin itself, and that not merely in the multitudinousness of its manifestations in act, but in the depth of its inward source. This is the metaphor which Bunyan has made so familiar by his picture of the pilgrim losing his load at the cross. The second (covered) paints pardon as Gods shrouding the foul thing from His pure eyes, so that His action is no longer determined by its existence. The third describes forgiveness as Gods not reckoning a mans sin to him, in which expression hovers some allusion to cancelling a debt.

(1) Sin is here pictured as a burden, lying on the soul. Every sin we commit is making that burden larger and heavier. We do not say it is felt to be heavier; that would be the sense of sin. The burden is there, whether it be felt or not, and it always grows. If the burden of his sin remains on any sinner it will sink him into ruin. Surely, then, he is a happy man whose burden of sin is lifted off. Oh, the blessedness of the man whose burden of sin is lifted off! Why is he a blessed man? Because when the burden of sin goes, other things must go with it. When this burden is lifted off, the sentence of death against the sinner is cancelled for ever, the gates of hell are closed against him and will never open to admit him, and heavens gates are open in a new sense, in that they never can be closed till he is inside.

The most persistent symbol of Conscience in this first stage is the burdena simple but picturesque emblem of a sense of guilt. It is on him, though behind him; it is oppressive, though it leaves his limbs all free for action or advance; it is rather felt than seen. Somewhat characteristic it is of Bunyans Christian that this burden of his is great.1 [Note: J. A. Kerr Bain, The People of the Pilgrimage, i. 51.]

In 1881, when he was nearing his end, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, though an agnostic, became very anxious for confession and absolution. It was suggested to him that absolution was contrary to his pronounced views. But he said, I dont care about that. I can make nothing of Christianity, but I only want a confessor to give me absolution of my sins, adding, I believe in a future lifewhat I want now is absolution for my sins, thats all,2 [Note: A. C. Benson, Life of D. G. Rossetti, 71.]

(2) Again, sin is pictured as inward pollution and filthiness, which must be covered before there can be true blessedness. But not every kind of covering will suffice. Many ways of covering sins bring no blessing, but a curse. Some people spend much time and trouble, and exercise great ingenuity, in covering up their sins. They dig deep graves in which they seek to bury them, but every sin they bury is going to have a resurrection. Such coverings never bring any blessedness. He that covereth his sins shall not prosper. The Psalmist tried for a year to bury his sin. Did he succeed? Was it a happy year? Note what he says about that time: When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. When he is brought to a right frame of mind he no longer tries to cover up his sin, but says, My sin is ever before me. I acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid.

Bees in their hives, when there is anything corrupt and too large for them to remove, fling a covering of wax over it, and hermetically seal it, and no foul odour comes from it. And so a mans sin is covered over and ceases to be in evidence, as it were, before the Divine Eye that sees all things. He Himself casts a merciful veil over it and hides it from Himself.3 [Note: A. Maclaren.]

(3) The third picture of sin is perhaps the most striking of all. It means: I am a debtor, over head and ears in debt, but the debt is not charged or reckoned against me at all. Still more, it means: I am guilty, yet the righteous Judge justly pronounces me not guilty. How can that be possible? Let the Apostle Paul explain. He says that David describes the blessedness of the man to whom the Lord imputeth righteousness without works, and he quotes the text to prove this. David did not say one word about righteousness without works. What does St. Paul mean by saying he did? The simple fact is that St. Paul supplements David; he gives the positive side, in addition to Davids negative side of the double transaction. St. Paul has his eye on Christ. If sin is not reckoned or charged against, or put to the account of, the believing sinner, it is because it has been imputed, reckoned, charged against, or put to the account of Christ. And if righteousness without works is imputed, reckoned to, or put to the account of, the believing sinner, it is because of what Christ had done. Him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf; that we [who knew no righteousness] might become the righteousness of God in him.

A very common idea of the object of the gospel is, that it is to show how men may obtain pardon; whereas, in truth, its object is to show how pardon for men has been obtained, or rather to show how God has taken occasion, by the entrance of sin into the world, to manifest the unsearchable riches of holy compassion. I have observed that even the phrase free offer of pardon is so interpreted that the very existence of the pardon is made to depend on the acceptance of the offer. The benefit of the pardon does most assuredly depend on its being accepted, but the pardon itself is laid up in Christ Jesus, and depends on nothing but the unchangeable character of God.1 [Note: Letters of Thomas Erskine of Linlathen, i. 379.]

3. The condition of forgiveness.The last clause of the text, In whose spirit there is no guile, seems to refer to the frank sincerity of a confession. He is not like the self-righteous sinner who tries to tell lies to God, and, attempting to deceive Him, really deceives only himself. Whoever opens his heart to God, makes a clean breast of it, and without equivocation or self-deception or the palliations which self-love teaches, says, I have played the fool and erred exceedinglyto that man, the Psalmist thinks, pardon is sure to come.

The great question before the mind of the Psalmist is how the burden of sin may be removed not from the Divine side, but from the human, and so he states one necessary condition to that removalconfession: I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin (Psa 32:5). Sin must be confessed before it is removed. Till a man confesses his sins he hugs them to himself, and refuses to part with them. When he truly confesses them he puts them away by an act of will. Not till then are they removed. God cannot forgive the man who is impenitent, for that man will presently sin again. He cannot forgive, much as He longs so to do, because there is an obstacle in the way. Repentance removes that obstacle; it opens the door to the exercise of Gods forgiving grace. The moment we repent we are pardoned.

Excellent as repentance may be in itself, and quite independent of all results, yet the one ultimate test of it is amendmentamendment, and nothing else. We have done wrong and are sorry for it. What is the test of the value of our sorrow? Our doing the same thing no more. We desire to be forgiven. We pray to God for that forgiveness. What is to us the certain seal that He has heard our prayer, and by the power of His Sons Cross has finally forgiven us? The seal is that we have been enabled to sin so no more. Put it how you will, you must always come back to that. I do not say that no repentance is worth anything which is followed by further falls. God forbid. I do not say that God never forgives until He also makes the sin impossible. God forbid. But I do say that to usto us there is no other proof either of the genuineness of our repentance, or of the certainty of Gods forgiveness.1 [Note: Archbishop Temple.]

II

The Blessedness of Forgiveness

In all the benedictions of the Bible the thing brought prominently into notice is not the outward circumstances but the inner state or life of the man who is blessed. Blessedness does not depend on outward possessions, such as worldly goods, or lands, or high birth, or erudite culture. Indeed, there are words of Christ which suggest that they who stand possessed of these things will find it harder to enter that Paradise which has not yet faded from our world, and to pass through the gates of that city which are before our eyes, if only they were opened to discern them. When He repeated the Sermon of the Mountain-Heights and of the Dawn to the multitudes that stood breathless beneath its spell, He said, Woe unto you that are rich. Woe unto you that are full. Woe unto you, ye that laugh. He did not mean that such would be necessarily excluded, but that entrance into blessedness would be hard for them.

1. The forgiven soul enjoys the blessedness of deliverance. The very essence of the benediction is the exquisite sense of transgression forgiven, sin covered. This royal sinner knew the felicity in its full range. Through all those weary months of sullen silence which followed Davids murder and adultery, he was a most miserable man. He knew that his Divine Judge had not pardoned him. He was conscious all the time of lying under the withering condemnation of God. He felt that his iniquity lay naked and open to the eye of Him with whom he had to do. He might to some extent conceal his fault from his fellows, but in all its hideous enormity it was exposed to the gaze of the Searcher of hearts. Could the king have any peace or comfort under that continual sense of the silent sentence of Heaven on his conduct? O what a joyful man he was when the grace of God enabled him to confess, I have sinned, and the sweet response came, The Lord also hath put away thy sin! When he contrasted the sordid wretchedness of the preceding months with his condition, now that the springs of his better nature had found vent, would he not feel that he was in the seventh heaven? It was not enough for him to say that his transgression was forgiven: he had to supplement that with this other word, that his sin was covered, in order to utter fully his felicity. His Judge had pardoned him, how much was that! But was it not even more that his Heavenly Father had blotted out his foul guilt, so that it should be never seen or remembered more?

Whatever I have studied of the Epistles of St. Paul, and this has been for many years, and with as much yearning eagerness and breathless awe as I have felt in nothing except the words of the Lord Jesus, has tended to the confirmation of the old evangelic interpretation of them, in which perhaps I should not have seen my way so clearly but for their accordance with my own experience. All that unutterable sense of sin, that terrible deadly fight with evil, those strivings of the Spirit I went through, and more; all that deliverance, that liberty of the Gospel, that being justified by faith in Christ, that peace with God, that shedding abroad by the Holy Ghost of the love of God in the heart, that coming in of the new creation; all the shades and lights of experience since then. Twenty-three years of such experience, which inwardly is as great and as simple a fact as the facts of seeing and hearing, make me unable to receive, even to perceive, any other interpretation. And I have met with such scores and hundreds who strike hands with me in life and death on these great matters that it is settled without controversy to me.1 [Note: Letters of James Smetham, 234.]

When Saul Kane, the ill-living prodigal whose rakes progress John Masefield has so vividly set forth in his poem The Everlasting Mercy, suffered his instant conversion, an immediate and wonderful glory filled his soul.

I did not think, I did not strive,

The deep peace burnt my me alive;

The bolted door had broken in,

I knew that I had done with sin.

I knew that Christ had given me birth

To brother all the souls on earth,

And every bird and every beast

Should share the crumbs broke at the feast.

O glory of the lighted mind,

How dead Id been, how dumb, how blind.

The station-brook to my new eyes,

Was babbling out of Paradise,

The waters rushing from the rain

Were singing, Christ has risen again.

I thought all earthly creatures knelt

From rapture of the joy I felt.

The narrow station-walls brick ledge,

The wild hop withering in the hedge,

The lights in huntsmans upper storey

Were parts of an eternal glory,

Were Gods eternal garden flowers.

I stood in bliss at this for hours.

O clover tops, half-white, half-red,

O beauty from beyond the dead,

O blossom, key to earth and heaven,

O souls that Christ has new forgiven.

2. The forgiven soul is blessed, because the whole character and life are lifted to a higher plane. No man can pass from darkness to light, from alienation to reconciliation, without being marvellously transformed by the experience. His whole nature is changed. That is what we mean when we contrast the effect on the human soul of the gospel of grace with that produced by the preaching of mere morality and legality. Sinai thunders at us in vain, and the most eloquent exposition of the beauty of virtue is apt to leave a soul very much where it found it; but let a sinner come to believe that Christ died for him, that God so loved Him that He spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for the transgressor, and that in the fountain thus opened for sin and for uncleanness his sins have been washed away for ever, then that forgiven soul will become a living mass of gratitude, of love, of devotion to Him whose grace has saved him. Through all his subsequent life he will be a changed man. He will hate iniquity and love holiness. We cannot say that he will never sin again, but never again can he feel toward sin as he did in the days before he had drunk this wine of heaven. His character will be radically altered, and the life will answer, more or less truly, to the character.

You stand in some valley, and however brightly the sun may shine, there are shadows; you climb to the summit of some lofty hill, and it is all sunshine, and no shadows there. Even so, if you rest satisfied with forgiveness of sins merely, brightly as that exhibits Gods love, and wonderful as is the grace of it, your peace, and joy, and rest will be all imperfect. Come up into the heavenly places in Christ Jesus; get upon the high tableland of a really Christ-life; go on to the realization of all the happinesses which are linked on to forgiveness; be a little child, and take God at His word about them, without cavil or question; and then your whole life will be sunlit indeed. Difficulties and sorrows and temptations you may have, and they may multiply as you go on; but you will look down upon them, instead of being overshadowed by them: and you will see, what in the valley of a low life you cannot see, how Gods love lights them all up, and how in very truth they all work together for your good.1 [Note: A. C. Price.]

3. Happy is he whose sin is forgiven, because new relations are established between God and the soul. To have passed through this experience not only changes a mans character, it puts him permanently on a new footing with God. The pardon comes to him as but one part of what we call the Divine scheme of salvation. Henceforth he does not think of the Almighty as his Judge, but rather as his Heavenly Father. He has been adopted into the family of the Most High, and he knows that all the privileges of adoption, in time and eternity, are secured to him. Christ has become to him as an elder Brother, who is preparing a place for him in that region of the blessed which is to be hereafter their common home.

This is a side of Christian truth which has not always received the attention it deservesa neglect the more to be regretted that the doctrine furnishes the reply to the objection sometimes made, that justification presents our relations with God in salvation in too exclusively legal a light. It would do so if it stood alone; but it does not stand alone. Adoption, by certain writers, has been treated as part of justificationas the positive side of it, in acceptance. But this is not warranted. If it is wrong to merge, as many do, Gods character as Judge in that of Father, it is as wrong to merge His character as Father in that of Judge, and to overlook the fact that Gods relation to us is personal as well as judicial. God does not merely pardon the sinner by way of legal acquittal. There is the outflow of paternal tenderness, paternal forgiveness, paternal grace (cf. the Prodigal, Luk 15:20-24); and the soul that comes to Him is received by Him into a relation of sonshipnot merely that forfeited sonship which was its destination by creation, but a relation of honour, nearness, and privilege, analogous to Christs own. If children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ (Rom 8:17).

Here are we dark and weak, yet are we not

Excluded from Thy glorious family;

Pain to Thy children is a transient lot;

We suffer, that from sin we may be free.

Angels and men, the prophet and the child,

These all are what they are by gift of Thine;

No break or gulf is there; the undefiled

Are tenderly made one by birth divine.

If but a letter of the all-perfect name,

If but a mark of the celestial pen,

Distinguish us, we will, despising shame,

Abjuring self, live boldly among men.

Named after God! a little like to Him,

In whom the entireness of the name divine

Brightly involved was once by woes made dim,

But now unfolded shines, yet more to shine.1 [Note: T. T. Lynch, The Rivulet, 202.]

Literature

Adams (J.), Sermons in Syntax, 45.

Dunbar (J. W.), The Beatitudes of the Old Testament, 129.

Keble (J.), Sermons for the Christian Year: Lent to Passiontide, 260.

Mackay (J. J.), Recent Letters of Christ, 124.

Meyer (F. B.), The Directory of the Devout Life, 15.

Price (A. C), Fifty Sermons, i. 345.

Ritchie (A.), Sermons from St. Ignatius Pulpit, 42.

Smellie (A.), In the Hour of Silence, 303.

Wilmot-Buxton (H. J.), In Many Keys, 102.

Childrens Pulpit: Second Sunday after Christmas, ii. 204.

Church of England Pulpit, xxviii. 301.

Church Year Book, 1912, p. 49.

Fuente: The Great Texts of the Bible

Blessed: Psa 1:1, Psa 1:2, Psa 40:4, Psa 84:12, Psa 89:15, Psa 106:3, Psa 119:1, Psa 119:2, Psa 128:1, Jer 17:7, Jer 17:8, Mat 5:3-12, Mat 16:17, Luk 11:28, Rev 22:14

transgression: Isa 1:18, Isa 43:25, Isa 44:22, Mic 7:18, Mic 7:19, Act 13:38, Act 13:39, Rom 4:6-8

covered: Psa 85:2, Neh 4:5

Reciprocal: Lev 4:10 – peace offerings 2Sa 12:13 – The Lord Psa 25:18 – forgive Psa 37:22 – Blessed Psa 103:3 – forgiveth Pro 17:9 – that covereth Isa 40:2 – that her iniquity Eze 18:22 – his transgressions Zec 3:4 – I have Mat 6:12 – forgive Mat 9:2 – be Mat 11:6 – blessed Mar 2:5 – sins Luk 7:42 – he Luk 11:4 – forgive us Act 3:19 – that Act 26:18 – that they Rom 4:7 – General 2Co 5:19 – not Eph 1:7 – the forgiveness Col 1:14 – the Col 2:13 – having Heb 12:6 – whom Jam 5:20 – hide 1Pe 4:14 – happy 1Jo 2:12 – your

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Psalms 32

Proper Psalm for Ash Wednesday (Morning).

Psalms 32-34 = Day 6 (Evening).

Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary

The soul cleansed and God its sanctuary.

[A psalm] of David, Maskil.

{Verse 1, ‘he’. A mere change of the vowel points would make this plural, as in the apostle’s quotation, Rom 4:7.}

The psalm to which we now come is a bright testimony to the terms upon which, even under the shadow of the legal covenant, the souls of His true people were with God. It is striking also as the first of the Maskil psalms, of which there are thirteen altogether, a title which means, according to the margin of our common Bibles, “giving instruction.” The Revised Version omits this, and the meaning is disputed.* Delitzsch objects that “there are only two (32 and 78) which can be regarded as didactic poems;” but it is not necessary, as we shall see, that they should be, in any formal way, didactic. There are many lessons to be learned apart from the professional schoolmaster.

{*”The meaning is questioned, but the old interpretation, which connects it with the word askil, which occurs ver. 8, ‘I will instruct thee,’ is probably correct. A didactic song, intended for instruction; thus the LXX., suneseos; Jerome, ‘eruditio.'” (Speaker’s Commentary.)}

It is, I have no doubt, to prophecy, and to prophecy of the times we are considering so often in the Psalms, the prophecy of the days of Israel’s final tribulation which God uses to bring her to Himself, that we must look for light as to the proper significance of the title. From the prophet Daniel, to whom the Lord refers in His own picture of the times preceding His coming (Mat 24:15; Mat 24:21), we learn much of this time (cp. 12: 1) and he speaks of “those that understand” the same word, maskilim -“among the people” (11: 33, 35), who “shall instruct many,” the “wise” (margin, “teachers”) -still the same word -who “shall shine as the brightness of the firmament,” and who, according to the parallelism, and what is said of them before, are the same “that turn many to righteousness” (12: 3). Of these it is further said (ver. 10), that while “none of the wicked shall understand,” “the wise shall understand.” The word maskilim means either “those who understand” or who “make (others) to understand” and thus we realize the connection between the way it occurs in Daniel and in the titles of the psalms.

Thus we see -what, indeed, is simple enough in itself, when we realize the mercy of God to His people -that, in the midst of the darkness and confusion of the terrible troubles of which we are speaking, God raises up helpers for them, men gifted with special wisdom for the times, realizing what the word of prophecy predicts, and seeking to turn the people to their God. They must get for themselves the instruction they impart to others, and (however God may come in to give direct oracular testimony) this, one would say, according to His regular methods of dealing with His people, through His precious -to those in such straits, how precious -Word.

Now, apart from the direct prophecy such as we find in Daniel, where should we expect such help to be provided, rather than in these very psalms? And why should not these Maskil psalms be marked thus as special instruction for these Maskil men so linked together by the inspired word for each, -whether instruction for themselves, or for others through them?

If we take up the Lord’s prophecy of this very period already referred to (Mat 24:1-51) we find clearly directions given by Him, which, of course, are to be recognized and acted on by the remnant of those days: “when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place (whoso readeth, let him understand), then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains.” Notice the special, Daniel-like, reference, -nay, the appeal to be “men of understanding,” maskilim, -certain to arouse the attention of those exercised in that time of trial, and acquainted with Daniel.

This involves, of course, the recognition of Christ, and the use of the New Testament among the Jews of that day; and this is most natural, and what, one would say, would be certainly the case. How could the taking away of the multitudes of Christians to be with their Lord have transpired,* and they be ignorant altogether of Him and the Christian Revelation? And yet the light they have may be very partial and uncertain; and we have full reason to expect this. With all God’s word open to us today, -open for nearly two millennia, -and with the gift of the Spirit bestowed upon us in a manner and with a Pleasure they will not have -how contradictory are the thoughts of Christians, even on well-nigh fundamental points, in spite of this! In the day we speak of, those whose case we are considering will be permitted to go through thorough exercise of heart as to all the questions of the past, and learn of Him who meets their need as the need itself is realized. Amid all this individual exercise of heart so necessary for them we may be able to give little account to ourselves of their progress in divine truth -different, as it will naturally be, in different persons -until they look upon Him whom they have pierced, and one repentant wave of sorrow prostrates the whole people before God.

{*See pp. 13, 22, 23, and Notes in the beginning of Ruth. For fuller and more orderly detail, consult the prophetic writings of J. N. Darby, W. Trotter, W. Kelly, T. B. Baines, and others.}

But when we turn to the book of Revelation, which* from Rev 6:1-17; Rev 7:1-17; Rev 8:1-13; Rev 9:1-21; Rev 10:1-11; Rev 11:1-19; Rev 12:1-17; Rev 13:1-18; Rev 14:1-20; Rev 15:1-8; Rev 16:1-21; Rev 17:1-18; Rev 18:1-24; Rev 19:1-21 occupies itself with the same scenes as those in Daniel and in the prophecy of the Lord, we find another significant connection with Daniel, and another sign of the use of the New Testament by these Jewish saints. The picture of the “beast” in Rev 13:1-18 must inevitably attract the students of Daniel’s prophecy, and there, at the close of the chapter, they will find this special note for the maskilim: “Here is the mind which has wisdom: let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast.” No plainer address could there be to those specially marked out in this way by the Old Testament prophet; no inquiry more significant for such as to the signs of the times, than this as to the great enemy and oppressor of the people. Hence the reference is too plain to need any further insistence on it.

{*In chapters 1 -3 we have the Lord’s judgment of the churches, the present Christian state toward the close of which His coming is announced with more and more urgency. In the beginning of the fourth chapter the apostle is caught up to heaven, as the saints will be, and there sees the crowned elders before the Throne, and hears them sing the song of redemption (Rev 5:1-14). The Lamb is now the Lion of Judah (King of the Jews), and with chapter 6 the judgments of the day of the Lord begin on earth. (See Kelly, Baines, and the so often referred to “Synopsis of the Books of the Bible,” by J. N. Darby.)}

All this surely, then, prepares us to understand the maskil psalms; and when we take up these individually, we shall find the view that they contain special “instruction” for the last days abundantly sustained. Thus the present psalm is, as such, of the most vital importance, speaking of God’s way of forgiveness and a hiding-place with Him, before the forty-second, the second of these, gives the comfort of those cast away from the earthly sanctuary. Next, the forty-fifth celebrates Messiah and His victory, and Israel’s blessing under Him. Then a series of four (52 -55) describe the wicked one and his followers; the seventy-fourth pleads for the violated sanctuary itself; the seventy-eighth recounts the cause of it, the many wanderings of the people from their God; the seventy-ninth mourns again over the desolation of Jerusalem; the eighty-eighth expresses the terror of the broken law; the eighty-ninth reveals “the sure mercies of David;” while the 142d closes the list with the thankful acknowledgment that when other refuge failed and none cared for their souls, Jehovah Himself had known and cared.

Thus, though we may not be able to recognize the distinctive value of each psalm in this way, as a whole they certainly give us what is needed wisdom for the day of Israel’s trial. The other psalms link readily with these, for complete “instruction.”

The eleven verses of the psalm divide into five parts, in which we learn how God can be with man; not, however, atonement, which we have had before, but the consequences of it. Of these fifteen remnant psalms which come together in the three series, it is the middle one, and the hinge upon which all turns.

1. It is the doctrine of “righteousness without works” that David, as the apostle says (Rom 4:6), here declares. There is no such text as “happy is the man that keepeth the law,” because such a man cannot be found, and the law cannot be satisfied with fragmentary obedience. On the contrary, it proclaims, “Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things written in the book of the law to do them.” (Gal 3:10.) Nor is this altered when it is given the second time; for the returning sinner, though met with forgiveness, must still “do that which is lawful and right” to “save his soul alive.” (Eze 18:27.) Thus faith it is that establishes the law (Rom 3:31), when it owns the impossibility of being righteous by it, and flees for refuge to the hope set before men in the gospel.

And after all the happiness of the sinner saved by grace is far beyond that that could have been known by any one standing in his own righteousness, though this were stainless and flawless in its perfection. For if, in the one, man were exalted and honored, in the other all the heart of God has been poured out upon him. Christ’s work it is that has opened heaven to us, and given us blessedness beyond possibility of creature claim. How much is lost by speculations as to the future of an unfallen Adam, going quite beyond the record, and to the constant belittling of the “fifth part more” of the trespass-offering, the exceeding glory of Christ and of His blessed work!

Happy then, indeed, is he whose revolt* is forgiven, whose sin is covered! First, we have that which God’s heart would feel first, and which sin is, in its essence, a “revolt” from Him. It is this, therefore, which specially needs, and is met with, forgiveness; then the outcome, the full sad issue of it all, is “covered,” -put out of sight. We know how God has provided for this in that precious “blood that maketh atonement for” -covereth -“the soul.” But the word used here is not the same as this, for our attention here is fixed, not upon what covers, but upon the fact itself, what leads to it, and what follows from it. The heart is appealed to in the forgiveness; the shame and occasion for charge are removed by the covering. Happy then, again, the man to whom Jehovah imputeth not iniquity, -or perversity,” as the word literally is, and surely in direct connection with what follows, that in his spirit there is now no longer “guile,” which is perversity. The latter is the effect of the former: the non-imputation is the moral remedy; grace is that which sets the soul right, enabling it for the honest judgment of sin, and winning it to God, so as to divorce it from this. Such is the power of the gospel! Such is its sweet ministry of salvation, certified in the experience of the saved soul.

{Verse 5, A plural in the original; but I take it that “my revolting” has the force of a plural.

{*In the common and revised versions “transgression.” The Septuagint has (in the plural) anomai, “lawlessness.” There is no necessary implication of transgression of the law: it is rather the root from which all sin springs, -what sin is, therefore, in its essence, as in 1Jn 4:1-21 (R.V.), “sin is lawlessness.”}

2. But the psalmist is not satisfied with declaring the blessedness of grace: he goes on to tell us how he attained this blessedness, -just where grace met him and conquered him, after stubborn resistance to it. He tells us of the conviction that pressed on him to confession, and he would not confess. He kept silence, yet with the deep in his soul roaring for the tumult, till the very bones, the most solid parts of the body, wasted under the strife. It was with God, too, as he knew; God’s hand lay heavy upon him, and his sap was dried up as by a drought in summer. Truth in the inward parts was wrought at last: “I acknowledged my sin unto Thee, and my perversity have I not covered: I said, I will confess my revolting to Jehovah: and Thou forgavest the perversity of my sin.” How the promptness of this mercy reminds us of the Lord’s illustration of His Father’s love to the returning prodigal! Not even, “I did confess, and Thou forgavest,” but the forgiveness anticipating the confession itself. Just as when he who, far off indeed from his father, turned in his need to him with words prepared, seeking but a servant’s place, -to find his father’s kiss anticipating in like manner the confession, and forbidding the thought of that which denied him a father’s heart.

3. Thus the sanctuary is found: for God, as we know, will give full way to His grace, and justify it against all cavils of those who will dispute it. What another reminiscence is it of the Lord’s parable, “Thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance”! Wherever we find God really, be it in the Old Testament or the New, we find Him the same. And so here at once is it declared that this is no exceptional mercy to a David, but a way common to all the “godly,” who by grace alone are won and rendered such. “For this shall every godly one pray unto Thee in a time when Thou mayest be found.” A time may come, it is implied, when He may not be found, and thus “the floods of many waters” which we are now warned of remind us of the ark and of those alone saved when the Lord shut them in. To these no flood could reach; while no others could escape them. Between those inside and the flood,by this that Jehovah had done for them, there stood pledged for their security all the power of Jehovah’s arm, all the glory of Jehovah’s Name. Thus He was really their hiding-place. Could any flood of waters break through such a barrier? And now that we know Christ as the Antitype of this ark, the glorious Refuge upon whom the storms beat and the floods raged, but who has borne His full freight of blessing safely to the shore, -the soul in Christ can triumphantly say this. In Christ, as Christ: living because He lives; accepted in His acceptance; privileged to turn away even from ourselves, to rejoice in His perfection and delight ourselves in unchanging love. Here all that God is is indeed pledged to us, and with what songs of deliverance are not they encompassed, whom the Ark of their salvation has thus already brought to shore!

But still there comes a flood of waters for the earth, a day of tribulation such as never was, -a day of doom for the rebellious, such as these Psalms continually warn us of, when (the saints of the present already safely sheltered with their Lord above) it will be said to Israel: Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee; hide thyself for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.” And the rescued nation will sing, after the manner of this thirty-second psalm, of the Lord their hiding-place: For Thou hast been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.” (Isa 26:20; Isa 25:4.) Whatever the day of need may be, there is one way of blessing only, -One only in whom refuge is ever found.

4. According to the constant order in Scripture, which is the moral order also, after the lesson of the sanctuary comes the lesson for the way. “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way thou goest: I will counsel thee with mine eye upon thee.” The last part of the verse is variously rendered and understood by commentators; and even as to the former part, according to Moll, “almost all recent interpreters, with Calvin and Geier, regard these verses as the words of David, which point all sinners to the God who has pardoned him.” But this reduces “mine eye upon thee” to a mean and paltry pleonasm. David’ s eye upon the person he is instructing is of very small account God’s, of immense significance. Here, too, the numerical structure gives decisive help in favor of the fuller meaning. Even when God is rightly taken as the instructor, all commentators breaking the last part into two -“I will counsel thee; mine eye shall be upon thee” -while unnaturally affecting the structure of the verse, impoverishes the meaning; while the fuller is also the simpler rendering of the words. How blessed, as well as inevitable, is it, that He in whom the soul has found its rest and shelter, must now concern Himself with all its future course. He to whom it is come is now its Lord, but also its most tender Counsellor. It is to act in freedom, but yet in subjection, -two things which go most perfectly together. God’s eye is upon the blest and happy object of His favor; and this implies His perfect interest, true; but if the last clause reads, as naturally it should, as a connected whole, this Eye that occupies itself continually with us -with all that concerns us -becomes at the same time a positive guidance for us, which sheds light upon all the intimacy and responsibility of the new relationship. It implies not only on His side the interest of love, which is holy and purposeful; but, on ours, nearness to Him, intelligence of His mind, and prompt responsive activity: things which are full of comfort for us, and as full of earnest admonition.

His interest is the first thing to consider: “He never withdraweth His eyes from the righteous.” And this even a Job might find, in the time of his strait, a sore trial rather than a gain: “What is man,” he cries in his anguish, “that Thou shouldst magnify him? and that Thou shouldst set Thy heart upon him? and that Thou shouldst visit him every morning, and try him every moment? How long wilt Thou not depart from me, nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle?” (Job 7:17-19.) But Job, with all his outward perfection, had not yet seen God as he was to see Him; and the whole process by which we are won to delight in His constant occupation with us, the 139th psalm will by and by reveal. How blessed, then, when we have seen Him indeed, to know that every step we take in the way is a matter of concern to Him! -that there is not an hour of the day but He has some thought as to how we should spend it!

This is not legality, though it is true we may turn it into this. But he who knows best the folly and misery of his own ways will be most profoundly thankful for the love that has shown itself in this constant care, for a wisdom of which we are free ever to avail ourselves, and which is as perfect and far-seeing as the heart can crave to know.

In the wilderness “there is no way,” except as it is marked out for us by the Living Guide Himself. Our path, therefore, must not be merely one of “righteousness,” but one of “faith,” all through. (2Ti 2:22.) We can see, therefore, how unceasing prayer must be with us, and how God would nurture in us a constant dependence, most helpful to our whole development in the new life that is ours. That “we had turned every one to his own way” is the scripture account of sin. (Isa 53:6.) Alas, naturally we prize this, and count it freedom; but that “in Him we live and move and have our being” is the necessary creature condition, violated by every act of independency, and conformity to which is rest and blessedness.

But this dependency must be free and intelligent, as well as in the intimacy to which He has called us with Himself; and all this is implied in guidance with the eye. Nearness: for the glance of the eye is not intended for those far off, and cannot be read by them. Intelligence: for such guidance supposes that already we have a knowledge of His mind, or we shall not be able to interpret a look. With all this, a constant promptness of attention, as of those waiting to anticipate His will, or we shall not be ready for, or catch it. All this is plain: but how it speaks of our need of acquaintance with Scripture, that we may be “filled with the knowledge of His will”; and of our greater need even of a devotedness which shall make God the real object of our life continually, and fill it with and sanctify it wholly to Himself.

And this gives force to the exhortation following, in which is contrasted the unintelligent intractability of horse or mule who need the restraint of bit and bridle, or you cannot make them approach or yield themselves to your guidance. And how many of the people of God have lives as little yielded up to Him, who must be governed by circumstances, rather than by the eye of God. His desire for us is not the drudgery of a stopped will, but the freedom of a changed one.

5. The next verse speaks plainly of God’s governmental dealings with the wicked and the man of faith; which put a song of praise into the mouth of the righteous, exultation and a shout of joy into that of the upright in heart.

Fuente: Grant’s Numerical Bible Notes and Commentary

Psa 32:1. Blessed is the man, &c. We are here taught wherein true happiness consists, and what is the cause and foundation of it. It consists not in the possession of the wealth or honours of the world, or in the enjoyment of its pleasures, but in those spiritual blessings which flow from the favour and grace of God; whose transgression is forgiven He does not say, Blessed is the man who never transgressed. For he knew no such man could be found; all having sinned and come short of the glory of God, and consequently of that happiness conferred on man at his first creation. But he lays the foundation of fallen and sinful mans happiness on the only foundation on which it can be laid, and that is on the pardon of sin. For as all our misery came in by sin, so it is not likely, nay, it is not possible, it should be removed, or even alleviated, without the forgiveness of sin. It is true that, in the first Psalm, David pronounces the man blessed who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, &c., but delights in, and meditates on, Gods law: and that, Psa 119:1, he terms the undefiled in the way blessed who walk in the law of the Lord. But it must be observed that in these and such like passages he is describing the character of the truly blessed man, and it is certain he that has not that character cannot be happy. But here he is showing the ground of the righteous mans blessedness, the fundamental privilege from which all the other ingredients of this blessedness flow. Sin is here termed transgression, for it is the transgression of the law, 1Jn 3:4; and when it is forgiven, the obligation to punishment which we lay under, by virtue of the sentence of the law: is vacated and cancelled. It is lifted off, as , nasui, may be rendered; so that the pardoned sinner is eased of a burden, a heavy burden which lay on his conscience, and of the weight of which he began to be sensible when he began to be awakened out of his spiritual lethargy, and to be truly convinced of his sinfulness and guilt, and of the sentence of condemnation gone out against him. The remission of his sins gives rest and relief to his weary and heavy-laden soul, Mat 11:28. Whose sin is covered Namely, by God, and not by man; who ought to confess, and not to hide it, Psa 32:5. Sin makes us loathsome, filthy, and abominable in the sight of God, and utterly unfit for communion with him; and when our consciences are truly enlightened and awakened, it makes us loathsome and abominable in our own sight. But when it is pardoned, it is covered, as it were, by the mantle of the divine mercy, in and through the sacrifice and intercession of Him who is made of God to believers righteousness; who is the true propitiatory, or mercy-seat, where mercy may be found in a way consistent with justice, Rom 3:24. Our sins, when forgiven, are covered, not from ourselves, no: my sin, says David, is ever before me: not from Gods omniscience, but from his vindictive justice; when he pardons sin he remembers it no more; he casts it behind his back, it shall be sought for, and not found. And the sinner, being reconciled to God, begins to be reconciled to himself. The metaphor, Dr. Dodd thinks, is taken from writers who obliterate what is faulty in their writing.

Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

This Psalm, as well as Psalms 51., is generally understood to have been composed after the prophet Nathan had alarmed the conscience of David for the sin against Uriah. It is a psalm of praise for pardoning grace, though a pardon connected with punishment.

Psa 32:1. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven. nesui, carried away, alluding to the scape-goat, and to the sin-offerings, on which the sin of the culprit was laid, and borne away. By consequence, the socinian notion of pardon without atonement, is altogether illusive. The iniquity of us all was laid on the Saviour; and our sin being imputed to him, shall no longer be imputed to us, who fly for refuge to his wounds. It is covered in his grave, and when sought for it shall not be found. All the promises of pardon are couched in diversified language, which operates as balm to the wounded conscience. This text is the more remarkable, being cited by St. Paul against the pharisees, to show that the Lord imputes righteousness without works. It is God that justifieth; it is Christ that died; and whom he justifies, those he also glorifies by sanctifying grace, and by investiture with all the privileges of the sons of God.

Psa 32:3. When I kept silence, dreading the disclosure of sin. Yet his heart swelled like a tumor, seeking to discharge its anguish in confessions to God and men, that the wound might be washed and healed.

Psa 32:6. For this (pardon) shall every one that is godly pray unto thee. Hebrews Every one that is merciful; for if we forgive not men their trespasses, our heavenly Father will not forgive us. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. No man can ask a pardon with confidence, without the fruits meet for repentance. The word godly quite destroys the spirit of the text.

REFLECTIONS.

David uniformly connected his sins and his troubles; and it is safe and happy so to do, for though there may not on many occasions be any particular or obvious connection between our sin and our punishment, yet it is salutary at all times to be humbled by the recollection of our sins. Blessed and happy indeed is the man whose transgressions are forgiven, for the sense of Gods displeasure is removed by a sense of his pardoning love; terror and anguish of conscience are superseded by serenity and peace. Yea, he is doubly blessed, for his sin is not only forgiven, but pardon is accompanied with the gift of righteousness by faith.

The blessedness of pardon is farther apparent from the remarkable expressions in which it is conveyed. Is sin attended with shame; is it loathsome as a wound? The Lord will cover our sin by the cloud of his mercy, and cast it as a burden into the depth of the sea. Does it criminate us at his bar? Having laid on Jesus the iniquity of us all, he will enable us by faith to embrace the atonement, and consequently our sin shall not be imputed. And so great is his mercy that he will blot out our transgressions as a cloud, and our iniquities as a thick cloud. Does sin exclude us from the church? God, after true repentance, will be our hidingplace. Gross backsliders must expect little mercy from the dogs; but He whose mercy is as his majesty, will be our hidingplace, and will guard us from a relapse. How admirably is the language of pardon adapted to the anguish of the conscience.

The blessing of pardon is very great, because when God cleanses the conscience from guilt, he purifies the heart from guile, and makes the soul as a little child full of simplicity and love. Thus the rich doctrines of pardoning grace are guarded by the sanctity of justice. Hence pardon is always preceded by sorrow, by prayer, and sometimes by roaring or crying for mercy in deep distress.

The way to obtain remission and deliverance is, to make Christ our hidingplace and sure defence; so will he preserve us, and compass us about with songs of salvation.

Men who have found pardon, have the best right to warn the wicked not to go on stubbornly, as the horse and the mule, for sorrow shall come upon them; while they, who on repentance have obtained mercy, shall shout for joy, and exult in the Lord.

This is an ode or a new song, composed after some victory, as appears from Psalm 32:16, 17, 19. The words were also accompanied with a grand concert of music. They went not to war without consulting God; therefore he says, Psa 32:4, The word of the Lord is right. For the Lord is merciful in all his ways, and just in all his works. Psa 145:17.

Fuente: Sutcliffe’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

XXXII. Pardon of Sin.

Psa 32:1 f. The joy of Divine pardon.

Psa 32:3-5. Sin remitted on confession.

Psa 32:6 f. The security of the godly. Read, in time of stress and omit surely.

Psa 32:8. Their guidance by God. The general sense is Do not wait till affliction compels recourse to God.

Psa 32:9. Read, Be not like horse and mule which have no understanding, which must be brought to thee by bit and bridle. The rest of the verse is probably a gloss.

Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible

PSALM 32

The blessedness of the man whose sin is forgiven, and in whose spirit there is no guile.

The full confession of sin to God, leading to forgiveness, is the leading principle of this psalm. As Christians we know that on the ground of the death of Christ – the precious blood – this principle is true whether it be eternal forgiveness in the case of a sinner drawing nigh to God, or governmental forgiveness in the case of a failing child drawing near to the Father. In the psalm, the forgiveness is strictly the governmental forgiveness of the godly remnant in Israel.

(vv. 1-2) The opening verses give the theme of the psalm – the blessedness of the man whose transgression is forgiven and whose sin is covered. The blessedness is not that there is no sin, but that it is covered – not imputed. The sin is not denied, or excused, or belittled – that would be guile; it is fully confessed.

(vv. 3-5) Verses 3 to 5 give the experiences of the psalmist by which this blessedness was reached. When the soul kept silent, refusing to confess his sins, God’s hand was heavy upon him; day and night conscience gave him no rest. At length, under the pressure of God’s hand, there is full confession. Sin is acknowledged to God, nothing is hid from God, with the result all is forgiven.

(vv. 6-7) The results of knowing God as a forgiving God follow. For that reason – because God is a forgiving God – the godly can ever turn to God in confidence, in a time when He can be found. There is a time coming when men will seek God but He will not be found. Today is the acceptable time when, on the ground of Christ’s work, He may be found. But grace rejected will lead to judgment, when God will be no longer found of men, but men will be found out by God.

Turning in confidence to God the psalmist realizes how safe he is even though surrounded by enemies and difficulties like a flood of great waters. Acquainted with God as a forgiving God he confides in God and finds Him to be One that shelters from the storm, preserves from trouble, and gives songs of deliverance.

(vv. 8-11) Furthermore the one that prays to God finds not only preservation, but guidance for the way. God guides in His way and with His eye upon us as One that is deeply interested in His people. Moreover God gives intelligence in His mind so that we should not be as the horse or mule, without understanding. They are indeed guided but with no intelligence on their part. If in the way that God would have us to tread we shall be compassed about with mercy; and uprightness of heart will lead to gladness in the Lord and joy.

Fuente: Smith’s Writings on 24 Books of the Bible

32:1 [[A Psalm] of David, {a} Maschil.] Blessed [is he whose] transgression [is] {b} forgiven, [whose] sin [is] covered.

(a) Concerning the free remission of sins, which is the chief point of our faith.

(b) To be justified by faith, is to have our sins freely remitted, and to be declared just, Rom 4:6.

Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes

Psalms 32

In this psalm of wisdom and thanksgiving, David urged those who sin against the Lord to seek His pardon, with the encouragement that He is gracious with the penitent. He will, however, chasten the unrepentant.

Different scholars have identified different psalms as wisdom psalms. Bullock regarded 32, 34, 37, 47, 73, 112, 127-28, and 133 as wisdom psalms. Some literary distinctives of wisdom psalms are proverbs, admonitions (often taken from nature), similes, "blessed," "son" or "children," and "better." [Note: Bullock, p. 202.] They are not prayers as such but reflections on life and life’s problems. The wisdom psalms are a subset of the didactic psalm genre, other subsets being Torah psalms and historical psalms. Wisdom psalms can be subdivided into psalms of proverbial wisdom and psalms of reflective wisdom.

"The proverb represents a concentrated expression of the truth. It teaches the obvious because it is a slice out of real life. . . . This proverbial type of wisdom teaching is sometimes called lower wisdom.

"The second type of wisdom, the type represented by Job and Ecclesiastes, is basically reflective. This reflective wisdom puts forth problems that arise out of real life, but it does not have the pat answers that proverbial wisdom offers. . . . This type of wisdom teaching is sometimes called higher wisdom. The Psalms actually contain both types." [Note: Ibid., p. 200.]

Students of this penitential psalm have often linked it with David’s adultery with Bathsheba and his murder of her husband Uriah (2 Samuel 11). While that identification seems probable in view of the content of the psalm, the connection is not indisputable. Psalms 51 was David’s prayer for pardon for having committed those acts. If Psalms 32 looks back on these very sins, David probably composed it later than Psalms 51. Psalms 32 stresses God’s forgiveness and the lesson David learned from not confessing his sin quickly. Other penitential psalms are 6, 38, 51, 102, 130, and 143.

"While they are not all strictly ’penitential,’ Psalms 51, 130 are definitely prayers of penitence, and Psalms 32, 102 are laments related to an illness, perhaps stemming from the psalmist’s sin (Psa 32:3). The tone of all seven penitential psalms, however, is one of submission to the almighty God, a necessary disposition for anyone who would seek God’s forgiveness" [Note: Ibid., p. 207.]

Thirteen psalms contain the word "Maskil" in their titles (Psalms 32, 42, 44-45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88-89, , 142; cf. Psa 47:7). The meaning of this term is still uncertain.

"The word is derived from a verb meaning ’to be prudent; to be wise’ (see BDB 968). Various options are: ’a contemplative song,’ ’a song imparting moral wisdom,’ or ’a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.’" [Note: The NET Bible note on the title of Psalms 32. "BDB" is Francis Brown, S. R. Driver, and Charles A. Briggs, The New Brown-Driver-Briggs-Gesenius Hebrew and English Lexicon.]

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)

1. The blessing of forgiveness 32:1-2

This psalm begins like Psalms 1. "Blessed" (happy) means having received blessings from the Lord, one of which is joy. David described divine forgiveness in several ways in these verses. Under the Mosaic economy an innocent animal that suffered death, the punishment for sin, took the guilt of the sinner in his or her place. This provision was only temporary, however, until God would provide a perfect human being whose substitute death would atone for sin fully (Heb 9:11-14; cf. Rom 4:7-8).

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)

Psa 32:1-11

ONE must have a dull ear not to hear the voice of personal experience in this psalm. It throbs with emotion, and is a burst of rapture from a heart tasting the sweetness of the new joy of forgiveness. It is hard to believe that the speaker is but a personification of the nation, and the difficulty is recognised by Cheeses concession that we have here “principally, though not exclusively, a national psalm.” The old opinion that it records Davids experience in the dark time when, for a whole year, he lived impenitent after his great sin of sense, and was then broken down by Nathans message and restored to peace through pardon following swiftly on penitence, is still defensible, and gives a fit setting for this gem. Whoever was the singer, his song goes deep down to permanent realities in conscience and in mens relations to God, and therefore is not for an age, but for all time. Across the dim waste of years, we hear this man speaking our sins, our penitence, our joy; and the antique words are as fresh, and fit as close to our experiences, as if they had been welled up from a living heart today. The theme is the way of forgiveness and its blessedness; and this is set forth in two parts; the first (Psa 32:1-5) a leaf from the psalmists autobiography, the second (Psa 32:6-11) the generalisation of individual experience and its application to others. In each part the prevailing division of verses is into strophes of two, each containing two members, but with some irregularity.

The page from the psalmists confessions (Psa 32:1-5) begins with a burst of rapturous thankfulness for the joy of forgiveness (Psa 32:1-2), passes to paint in dark colours the misery of sullen impenitence (Psa 32:3-4), and then, in one longer verse, tells with glad wonder how sudden and complete was the transition to the joy of forgiveness by the way of penitence. It is a chart of one mans path from the depths to the heights, and avails to guide all.

The psalmist begins abruptly with an exclamation (Oh, the blessedness, etc.). His new joy wells up irrepressibly. To think that he who had gone so far down in the mire, and had locked his lips in silence for so long, should find himself so blessed! Joy so exuberant cannot content itself with one statement of its grounds. It runs over in synonyms for sin and its forgiveness, which are not feeble tautology. The heart is too full to be emptied at one outpouring, and though all the clauses describe the same things, they do so with differences. This is true with regard to the words both for sin and for pardon. The three designations of the former present three aspects of its hideousness. The first, rendered (“transgression,”) conceives of it as rebellion against rightful authority, not merely breach of an impersonal law, but breaking away from a rightful king. The second (“sin”) describes it as missing a mark. What is in regard to God rebellion is in regard to myself missing the aim, whether that aim be considered as that which a man is, by his very make and relations, intended to be and do, or as that which he proposes to himself by his act. All sin tragically fails to hit the mark in both these senses. It, is a failure as to reaching the ideal of conduct, “the chief end of man,” and not less so as to winning the satisfaction sought by the deed. It keeps the word of promise to the ear, and breaks it to the hope, ever luring by lying offers; and if it gives the poor delights which it holds out, it ever adds something that embitters them like spirits of wine methylated and made undrinkable. It is always a blunder to do wrong. The last synonym (“iniquity”) means crookedness or distortion, and seems to embody the same idea as our words “right” and “wrong,” namely the contrast between the straight line of duty and the contorted lines drawn by sinful hands. What runs parallel with law is right; what diverges is wrong. The three expressions for pardon are also eloquent in their variety. The first word means taken away or lifted off, as a burden from aching shoulders. It implies more than holding back penal consequences; it is the removal of sin itself, and that not merely in the multitudinousness of its manifestations in act, but in the depth of its inward source. This is the metaphor which Bunyan has made so familiar by his picture of the pilgrim losing his load at the cross. The second (“covered”) paints pardon as Gods shrouding the foul thing from His pure eyes, so that His action is no longer determined by its existence. The third describes forgiveness as Gods not reckoning a mans sin to him, in which expression hovers some allusion to cancelling a debt. The clause “in whose spirit is no guile” is best taken as a conditional one, pointing to sincerity which confesses guilt as a condition of pardon. But the alternative construction as a continuation of the description of the forgiven man is quite possible; and if thus understood, the crowning blessing of pardon is set forth as being the liberation of the forgiven spirit from all “guile” or evil. Gods kiss of forgiveness sucks the poison from the wound.

Retrospect of the dismal depth from which it has climbed is natural to a soul sunning itself on high. Therefore on the overflowing description of present blessedness follows a shuddering glance downwards to past unrest. Sullen silence caused the one; frank acknowledgment brought the other. He who will not speak his sin to God has to groan. A dumb conscience often makes a loud-voiced pain. This mans sin had indeed missed its aim; for it had brought about three things: rotting bones (which may be but a strong metaphor or may be a physical fact), the consciousness of Gods displeasure dimly felt as if a great hand were pressing him down, and the drying up of the sap of his life, as if the fierce heat of summer had burned the marrow in his bones. These were the fruits of pleasant sin, and by reason of them many a moan broke from his locked lips. Stolid indifference may delay remorse, but its serpent fang strikes soon or later, and then strength and joy die. The Selah indicates a swell or prolongation of the accompaniment, to emphasise this terrible picture of a soul gnawing itself.

The abrupt turn to description of the opposite disposition in Psa 32:5 suggests a sudden gush of penitence. As at a bound, the soul passes from dreary remorse. The break with the former self is complete, and effected in one wrench. Some things are best done by degrees; and some. of which forsaking sin is one, are best done quickly. And as swift as the resolve to crave pardon, so swift is the answer giving it, We are reminded of that gospel compressed into a verse, “David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin.” Again the three designations of sin are employed, though in different order; and the act of confession is thrice mentioned, as that of forgiveness was. The fulness and immediateness of pardon are emphatically given by the double epithet “the iniquity of thy sin” and by the representation that it follows the resolve to confess, and does not wait for the act. The Divine love is so eager to forgive that it tarries not for actual confession, but anticipates it, as the father interrupts the prodigals acknowledgment with gifts and welcome. The Selah at the end of Psa 32:5 is as triumphant as that at the close of Psa 32:4 had been sad. It parts the autobiographical section from the more general one which follows.

In the second part the solitary soul translates its experience into exhortations for all, and wooes men to follow on the same path, by setting forth in rich variety the joys of pardon. The exhortation first dwells on the positive blessings associated with penitence (Psa 32:6-7), and next on the degradation and sorrow involved in obstinate hardheartedness (Psa 32:8-10). The natural impulse of him who has known both is to beseech others to share his happy experience, and the psalmists course of thought obeys that impulse, for the future “shall pray” (R.V.) is better regarded as hortatory “let pray because of this” does not express the contents of the petitions, but their reason. The manifestation of God as infinitely ready to forgive should hearten to prayer; and since Gods beloved need forgiveness day by day, even though they may not have fallen into such gross sin as this psalmist, there is no incongruity in the exhortation being addressed to them. “He that is washed” still needs that feet fouled in muddy ways should be cleansed. Every time of seeking by such prayer is a “time of finding”; but the phrase implies that there is a time of not finding, and, in its very graciousness, is heavy with warning against delay. With forgiveness comes security. The penitent, praying, pardoned man is set as on a rock islet in the midst of floods, whether these be conceived of as temptation to sin or as calamities. The hortatory tone is broken in Psa 32:7 by the recurrence of the personal element, since the singers heart was too full for silence; but there is no real interruption, for the joyous utterance of ones own faith is often the most winning persuasive, and a devout man can scarcely hold out to others the sweetness of finding God without at the same time tasting what he offers. Unless he does, his words will ring unreal. “Thou art a shelter for me” (same word as in Psa 27:5; Psa 31:20), is the utterance of trust; and the emphasis is on “my.” To hide in God is to be “preserved from trouble,” not in the sense of being exempt, but in that of not being overwhelmed, as the beautiful last clause of Psa 32:7 shows, in which “shouts of deliverance” from trouble which had pressed are represented by a bold. but not harsh, metaphor as ringing the psalmist round. The air is filled with jubilant voices, the echoes of his own. The word rendered “songs” or preferably “shouts” is unusual, and its consonants repeat the last three of the preceding word (“shalt preserve me”). These peculiarities have led to the suggestion that we have in it a “dittograph.” If so, the remaining words of the last clause would read, “Thou wilt compass me about with deliverance,” which would be a perfectly appropriate expression. But probably the similarity of letters is a play upon words, of which we have another example in the preceding clause where the consonants of the word for “trouble,” reappear in their order in the verb “wilt preserve.” The shout of joy is caught up by the Selah.

But now the tone changes into solemn warning against obstinate disregard of Gods leading. It is usual to suppose that the psalmist still speaks, but surely “I will counsel thee, with mine eye upon thee,” does not fit human lips. It is to be observed, too, that in Psa 32:8 a single person is addressed, who is most naturally taken to be the same as he who spoke his individual faith in Psa 32:7. In other words, the psalmists confidence evokes a Divine response, and that brief interchange of clinging trust and answering promise stands in the midst of the appeal to men, which it scarcely interrupts. Psa 32:9 may either be regarded as the continuance of the Divine voice, or perhaps better, as the resumption by the psalmist of his hortatory address. Gods direction as to duty and protection in peril are both included in the promise of Psa 32:8. With His eye upon His servant, He will show him the way, and will keep him ever in sight as he travels on it. The beautiful meaning of the A.V., that God guides with a glance those who dwell near enough to Him to see His look, is scarcely contained in the words, though it is true that the sense of pardon binds men to Him in such sweet bonds that they are eager to catch the faintest indications of His will. and “His looks command, His lightest words are spells.”

Psa 32:9-10, are a warning against brutish obstinacy. The former verse has difficulties in de tail, but its drift is plain. It contrasts the gracious guidance which avails for those made docile by forgiveness and trust with the harsh constraint which must curb and coerce mulish natures. The only things which such understand are bits and bridles. They will not come near to God without such rough outward constraint, any more than an unbroken horse will approach a man unless dragged by a halter. That untamableness except by force is the reason why “many sorrows” must strike “the wicked.” If these are here compared to “bit” and “bridle,” they are meant to drive to God, and are therefore regarded as being such mercies as the obstinate are capable of receiving. Obedience extorted by force is no obedience, but approach to God compelled by sorrows that restrain unbridled license of tempers and of sense is accepted as a real approach and then is purged into access with confidence. They who are at first driven are afterwards drawn, and taught to know no delight so great as that of coming and keeping near God.

The antithesis of “wicked” and “he that trusteth in Jehovah” is significant as teaching that faith is the true opposite of sinfulness. Not less full of meaning is the sequence of trust, righteousness, and uprightness of heart in Psa 32:10-11. Faith leads to righteousness, and they are upright, not who have never fallen, but who have been raised from their fall by pardon. The psalmist had thought of himself as compassed with shouts of deliverance. Another circle is cast round him and all who, with him, trust Jehovah. A ring of mercies, like a fiery wall, surrounds the pardoned, faithful soul, without a break through which a real evil can creep. Therefore the encompassing songs of deliverance are continuous as the mercies which they hymn, and in the centre of that double circle the soul sits secure and thankful.

The psalm ends with a joyful summons to general joy. All share in the solitary souls exultation. The depth of penitence measures the height of gladness. The breath that was spent in “roaring all the day long” is used for shouts of deliverance. Every tear sparkles like a diamond in the sunshine of pardon, and he who begins with the lowly cry for forgiveness will end with lofty songs of joy and be made, by Gods guidance and Spirit, righteous and upright in heart.

Fuente: Expositors Bible Commentary