So blessed is the man Whose sins are forgiven, Whose sins are covered, And he is cleansed within. So blessed is the man Whose sins will never count, Never against him, No lies, that’s paramount! When I kept silent My bones wasted away, Through all my groaning Forever and a day. All day and all night Your heavy hand on me. My strength is gone, sapped, As summer heat can be. Then I acknowledged My sinfulness to You. Transgressions confessed. You forgave me anew. So let everyone Who’s godly, pray to You While You may be found, While You can help them through. When the waters rise Rescue will be too late. They will not reach him. Their freedom will abate. You will protect me. You are my hiding place. You will surround me. Salvation songs embrace. You will instruct me, Teach me the way to go. Counsel and watch me, Over me, have control. Don’t be like the horse Who doesn’t understand, Who must be controlled By bridle and command. Woes of the wicked Are numerous disgusts. But the Lord’s true love Surrounds the man who trusts. Rejoice in the Lord! Righteousness You’ll impart. Be glad and sing praise, All you honest in heart. (Interpreted from Psalm 32)
There is great joy in knowing that God forgives. First, do not keep silent when you are burden with your sins. Satan tells us that God will not forgive us, that our sins are too great, that we must bear them alone, or that we are unworthy of His forgiveness. Those are lies. There is nothing that God will not forgive when we confess it. There is no guilt, only joy, when we are forgiven and covered by Christ’s blood.
When we keep silent and cover up our sin, we are miserable – physically, mentally, and emotionally. We have trouble sleeping, as if God’s heavy hand is on us. As believers, our sin doesn’t destroy our relationship to God, but does harm our fellowship with Him.
This psalm compares unconfessed sin to great floodwaters that come and overtake us. We are then in danger of drowning, but God’s grace saves us. Not only should we confess our sins, but also follow God’s plan to live a sin-free life and be holy. How do we do that? We can be safe under God’s protection of salvation songs, instruction, and counsel. Compared to a horse, we need a bridle and commands from God’s Word to guide us. We can then learn what it means to be righteous, forgiven, and blessed.
