Repentance and faith: Seeing our sin and savoring Christ

Psalm 32 – Seeing our sin and savoring Christ: repentance and faith

Introduction

Jack Miller said, “Cheer up! You're a worse sinner than you ever dared imagine, and you're more loved than you ever dared hope.”

Have we lost our joy in life? Are we dragging around a big ball and chain of guilt? Are we living with active guilt or shame because of things we have done? Are we living in constant anxiety or depression? Is every day difficult? Do we feel weak and unable to continue?

Background

This psalm has been identified by the church as one of seven penitential psalms. It gives us an idea of the release we feel when we finally confess sins we are holding onto and are forgiven.

Exposition

In Psalm 32, the psalmist, who is David, asks a simple question and gives us a challenge. Are we living a life of active repentance? If not, we should be so that we can experience the joy of the Lord.

Let’s look at this under four headings. First, the joy of the forgiveness of our sin (vv. 1-2). Second, the misery of unconfessed sin (vv. 3-4). Third, the good news of Jesus about our sin (vv. 5-7). Fourth, how to keep our joy and keep from sin (vv. 8-10).

First, the joy of the forgiveness of our sin (vv. 1-2)

In verse 1a, David declares that the person who has been forgiven of their transgression is blessed or happy. A transgression is a crime or wrongdoing that we have done that is wrong and we stand in need of punishment for. It is the violation of a duty, a law, or a moral principle. David is saying that the one who has stepped over the line, transgressed, and the sentence of the crime has been carried away, forgiven, is blessed or happy (think of a great weight that you are carrying around that someone finally grabs and takes away).

Verse 1b says that the person who has their sin covered is also blessed or happy. Sin is an act or feeling that transgresses something forbidden or ignores something that is required by God’s law or character whether that be in thought, feeling, speech, or action. It is missing any of God’s requirements. The one who has missed the mark of God’s perfect requirements is blessed or happy if the failure is covered (think of a bullseye that was completely missed, and afterward someone covers up the target so no one can see your failure).

Finally, verse 2a says that the person who Yahweh counts no iniquity against is blessed or happy. Iniquity is guilt, an act or mistake that is not right. It is the guilt that is caused by sin (think of the way you feel when you have done something wrong against someone you love, now imagine they tell you that they don’t hold it against you).

Here the psalmist uses three words to describe our sins, our crimes against God. These three words came from Exodus 34:7, the revelation of God's person or name to Moses. David uses the same covenant name, Yahweh, that God used of himself in this revelation to Moses.

But David goes further in verse 2b. He says that the person who is blessed or happy not only has their weight lifted, their failures covered, and their guilt not held over them, but also they have no deceit in their spirit. The word spirit refers to our innermost being. The psalmist is saying that the person who is happy has been forgiven and does not have as a life principle deceit or treachery, they are trustworthy or honest (think of Nathaniel in John 1:47).

So, what is the point? That all of this must be covered by the work of God in Jesus Christ on the cross. This is the only way for a human to be truly happy or truly free. True joy or happiness will never come if we are living under the weight of our own transgression, sin, and iniquity. We will never be truly happy when our spirit has a principle of treachery or untrustworthiness in it.

Second, the misery of our unconfessed sin (vv. 3-4)

David knows the misery of hiding his sin and bearing the consequences of it. He committed adultery in his heart when he gazed on a woman bathing from his palace and desired her. Next, he committed actual adultery when he had his servants send for her and had sex with her. He thought it would blow over until he found out she was pregnant. After failed attempts to cover it up, he realized he would be caught, so he had her husband essentially executed in a battle by having him fight in a spot where his death was likely. He thought he got away with it, but he didn't.

David knew he was guilty. But, instead of repenting and confessing his transgression, sin, and iniquity to God, he kept silent about it. When he did, his bones wasted away. This might simply refer to his feeling physical manifestations of his suffering for the evil he has done. He was physically wasting away because of the unconfessed darkness in his life.

This led to him groaning, or crying in distress, all day long. The pain in his body and soul was so great because God's conviction of his guilt was weighing heavily upon him by the Holy Spirit. Because of this he lost his strength. In fact, he describes his strength as completely dried up like the way things are in a summer drought.

Have we lost our joy because we have forgotten what it is like to be forgiven of our sins? Have we forgotten the joy of being cleared of our guilt and living honestly with God and ourselves? Are we living in active disobedience so we cannot find or experience joy anymore, and we feel dead on the inside?

Third, the good news of Jesus about our sin (vv. 5-7)

Then the psalm completely changes its tone. It goes from dismal and depressing to joyful and thankful. The reason is because this is what faith and repentance do for us. Faith and repentance restore our joy.

In verse 5a David acknowledges his sin to God. What does this mean? The Hebrew verb is yada, which carries with it the idea of making known or telling. He is making known or telling God explicitly what he has done, how he has sinned. I don't think this is simply saying something like, "Forgive my adultery and murder." I think it is getting to the root or heart of the matter. He tells God that he coveted another man's wife because he wasn't satisfied with what God had given him. He violated God's character in thought, feeling, speech, and action. He sinned against God. This is not a general confession, but a heart-felt, making known to God of his evil.

In verse 5b, we see that David did not try to conceal any of his guilt. He made known to God all the ways he knew that he violated God's law or character. He did not try to hide his iniquity from God to make himself feel better or think of himself any better than he truly is. Rather, he threw his whole self before God exposing the evil and wickedness of who he was. The real David, sinful and evil, met the real God, holy and pure, and he didn’t leave any part hidden from God.

In verse 5c, David says he will confess or speak his crime or wrongdoing to God. He verbally admitted his wrong and recognized or acknowledged that he truly was deserving of judgment for what he had done. He confessed his transgression to God.

The good news then comes in verse 5d. The Lord forgave the iniquity of his sin! What does this mean? Yahweh forgave, lifted, or took away the actual guilt of his wrongdoing that he committed in thought, word, and deed. This isn't because God just turned a blind eye to what David did, but because Jesus Christ would come some 1,200 years later and be the sacrifice to pay for the actual crime that David committed. In fact, all that we have done.

The work of Jesus Christ on the cross is what allows God to extend forgiveness when we come to him and acknowledge our evil, expose our guilt to God, and confess how we truly are deserving of eternal punishment for our treason against God. When we do this, we are freed from our guilt, as it is applied to Christ. We are then given Christ's righteousness. We are counted as righteous or perfect before God.

The psalmist has great news for us if we draw near to God, stop trying to hide our guilt from him, and confess all our sin to him, he will forgive us and take our guilt away. We will again be free to live in a meaningful relationship with God and experience the true joy of our salvation.

And this isn't something that we just do one time. We must live a life of continual faith and repentance. Because we are continually rebelling against God. We are continually doing things that are breaking us and taking our joy away. Though our salvation is a one-time act, our repentance must be daily, because we are continually doing things that destroy us and sap the joy out of our loving relationship with God.

In verse 6a, David realizes that when he hid his sins from God, he experienced God's judgment and ultimately distanced himself from God. He should have come sooner and prayed in faith and repentance. When God first brings conviction of our sin, we should repent then and there. This conviction is the time when God may be found.

When we ignore the conviction, we push God further away and move deeper and deeper into our rebellion. The sound of God's gentle convicting voice gets softer and softer. We experience more angst and turmoil, and if we do not cry out to God seeking forgiveness, we can wander far away from him. The time of repentance is the time of the conviction. Don't wait. Live in repentance. Repent early, repent often. Otherwise, we will experience judgment. We will be overwhelmed and overtaken by the floodwaters of judgment because of our sin and the judgment that comes with it. Repent while the repenting is good.

In verse 7, we see that when we repent, God is our hiding place. He delivers us from the overwhelming guilt and judgment of our sin. We are surrounded by God's shouts of deliverance. He has rescued us from the enemy that is seeking to destroy us. He has rescued us from ourselves as well. He is our deliverance.

Today is the day to stop and pray to God while we have not gone too far and will be in need of severe judgment. We don't have to fear coming to God in faith and repentance. God will be our shelter, our place of safety. He will protect us from trouble and give us victory against our own sin. But we must actively seek him in faith and repentance.

Fourth, how to keep our joy and keep from sin (vv. 8-11)

In verses 8-9, we see that David wants to help us. David has learned a valuable lesson. He is going to teach a little class on not being stupid. He is going to tell us the right thing to do. Don't be stubborn. Don't be foolish. Go where God tells you to go. Listen to what God is telling you. If you don't listen, then just like a horse or mule has to have a bridle put in its mouth to cause them pain if they refuse to do what they are told, so we will have to experience judgment if we refuse to repent of our sin and turn to God.

Who is talking in verse 8-9? Is it God talking to David or is it David talking to his people? The idea of “my eye upon you” seems to show us that it is God who is teaching us with his loving and watchful eye upon us.

God's word warns us to keep from sin. We are going to sin, yes. But we usually experience the conviction of the Holy Spirit. We are to take that conviction immediately and turn to God in faith and repentance. If we live in faith and repentance, taking our correction and the discipline of the Lord, then we will stay near to our master, God.

Coming to God in faith and repentance will restore the loving relationship that we have with God and will allow us to begin listening to him again. When we do this, he will guide us on the best path for our lives. He will give us advice and watch over us, so we don't do stupid things. But this won't happen if we are in rebellion against him and out of true relationship with him because of unconfessed sin. If we are living in a state of rebellion against God, we will be under his discipline and will have to be controlled with strict measures, like a bit in a horse’s mouth. Our life will be filled with sorrow and pain. And we will be far from God.

Verse 10 tells us that living in active rebellion against God will produce many sorrows or much suffering. But, if we live in faith and repentance, trusting in Yahweh to forgive us of our unrighteousness and guide us on the path of life, then we will be surrounded with steadfast or unfailing love. This love comes from the Maker of heaven and earth, the eternal God, I Am.

And so, we as we see in verse 11, we can be glad in Yahweh, we can rejoice because we are counted righteous in Christ. So, we can shout and proclaim to all because in Christ we are upright or right in the very core of our being.

As we live in continual faith and repentance, living in trust and obedience, we will be surrounded by God's unfailing love. In other words, as we live a life of continual repentance and faith, we will continually experience the deep joy of right relationship with our creator and will be able to sing and shout for joy with pure hearts, because we keep walking in step with God, continually being reminded that we are washed clean by the blood of the lamb.

Applying Christ

Continual repentance is not at odds with the Gospel, it is the logical conclusion of it, for we are now right with God, but because of indwelling sin, we need to keep repenting and continually drawing near to God, because our natural man wants to run and hide in guilt and shame when we sin, like a child running to their room who hides under a blanket.

Jesus Christ's entire life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension was for the purpose of redeeming us from our transgression, sin, and iniquity. But it wasn't to just redeem us one time. We know that we drift away from God as we allow the old man to have control or maintain control in certain areas of our lives. Thus, it is necessary to constantly live in repentance. We must continually come back to the forgiveness and grace of Christ. We must remember that we have been saved from the penalty of sin, we are being saved from the power of sin, and one day when we die, we will be saved from the presence of sin. So, we must live a life of active war against the darkness that remains in us. We must be killing sin, or sin will be killing us.

We must continually look to Christ. We must remember that we are covered by his blood so that we no longer have to fear the final judgment. But we must remember that in order to live a life that pleases God and aligns with who we are in Christ, that we must abide in Christ. This abiding is an active life of repentance. Continually running back to God to be forgiven for our active rebellion. This will keep us in close communion with God, so we are near him and living for his purposes on a daily basis, and in so doing we will have a life full of joy.

Yet, we can't forget that we not only have the covering for our sin, but we stand in Christ's righteousness. We are seen by God as holy and without spot. Christ's perfection is ours. So, we must allow that perfection and that standing to empower us to avoid sin in the present. A major motivator to keep from sin is the reality of our righteousness that is found in Christ.

Drink that righteousness in today. We must remember our standing in Christ and act out of that standing. But, if we fall and fail, which we will, we simply return to God in repentance and faith. He will then restore us and we will once again experience the joy that is found in Christ.