Of David. A maskil.
Blessed is the one
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the one
whose sin the Lord does not count against them
and in whose spirit is no deceit.When I kept silent,
my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
For day and night
your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was sapped
as in the heat of summer.Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, ‘I will confess
my transgressions to the Lord.’
And you forgave
the guilt of my sin.Therefore let all the faithful pray to you
while you may be found;
surely the rising of the mighty waters
will not reach them.
You are my hiding-place;
you will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance.I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.
Do not be like the horse or the mule,
which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle
or they will not come to you.
Many are the woes of the wicked,
but the Lord’s unfailing love
surrounds the one who trusts in him.Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous;
(Ps. 32:1-11 NIV)
sing, all you who are upright in heart!
The outline of the Psalm is show below:
A. Blessing of forgiveness (v1-2)
B Lesson from experience (v3-5)
C God’s protection (v6-7)
D. Promise of wisdom (v8)
B’ Lesson from experience (v 9)
C’ God’s protection (v10)
A’ Rejoicing in forgiveness (v11)
D Promise of Wisdom
V8 is the key verse of the Psalm and key to the Psalmist’s experience. In v8 we have a word from the Lord. The Lord promises to instruct, teach and counsel. This teaching comes from the Lord with His loving eye upon His people. This is the teaching with regard to God’s wise way of living which was a principle outlined for the whole 150 Psalms in Psalm 1.
B’ Lesson from experience (v9)
God instructs the godly in the way of godliness. God instructs in the way of wisdom and the wise person will pursue that path, but the foolish or ungodly person is like a horse or mule which has no understanding and needs to be controlled by a bit and bridle. The godly ought not to live like that.
C’ God’s protection (v. 10)
The Lord assures the one who trusts in Him of His unfailing love (hesed). We are surrounded by covenant love.
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
(1 Jn. 3:1 NIV)
This verse goes back to the distinction in Psalm 1 between the blessed person and the wicked. Many are the woes of the wicked. While the godly enjoy the blessings of covenant love (hesed), the wicked experience covenant curses.
A’ Rejoicing in forgiveness
The way of wisdom provides the blessings of the assurances of God’s love (hesed), God’s protection, guidance and forgiveness. The wise way of living produces rejoicing. They are instructed to rejoice in the Lord.
Prayer
Dear God we thank You for the instruction that we receive through Your word. Help us to grasp that this is the blessed and wise way to live. We thank You that we can live in the joy of our sins forgiven. Continue to bless us and help us to rejoice in the God of our salvation, for it is in the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.