Psalm 32 A Maskil (special or clever psalm) by David (Contemporary English Version)
1 Our God, you bless everyone whose sins you forgive and wipe away.
2 You bless them by saying, "You told me your sins,
without trying to hide them, and now I forgive you."
3 Before I confessed my sins, my bones felt limp,
and I groaned all day long.
4 Night and day your hand weighed heavily on me,
and my strength was gone as in the summer heat.
5 So I confessed my sins and told them all to you.
I said, "I'll tell the LORD each one of my sins."
Then you forgave me and took away my guilt.
6 We worship you, Lord,
and we should always pray
whenever we find out that we have sinned.
Then we won't be swept away by a raging flood.
7 You are my hiding place!
You protect me from trouble,
and you put songs in my heart because you have saved me.
8 You said to me, "I will point out the road that you should follow.
I will be your teacher and watch over you.
9 Don't be stupid like horses and mules
that must be led with ropes to make them obey."
10 All kinds of troubles will strike the wicked,
but your kindness shields those who trust you, LORD.
11 And so your good people should celebrate and shout.
Context: Along with Psalm 51 and five others (7, 38, 102,130, and 143) Psalm 32 is one of the seven penitential psalms and shares several characteristics with them: acknowledgement of sin, the knowledge that sin is against God, there is a desire not just to be forgiven but also to change, and a plea for God to help the psalmist change. It is traditional to recite the penitential psalms as an expression of sorrow for sins committed or to confess a sinful way of life on the way to change. They are recited often during Lent, the season of self-examination. The word penance, which is a physical expression of sorrow, is closely related and one would expect that some form of penance would accompany a personal psalm reading. Fasting, wearing sackcloth, and dusting ashes on the head are forms of penance. Hebrew people expressed deep sorrow and repentance through these acts when they desired forgiveness for their sins.
Psalm 32 follows a classic form for a prayer of confession: 1-assurance of joy in the Lord (verse 1),
2-confession of sin (verses 2-5), 3-deliverance (verses 6-7), 4-living with the Torah as instruction (verses 8-9) and 5-living in the joy of the Lord (verses 10-11). At the same time, Psalm 32 is far more than a prayer of confession. It is essentially a psalm of forgiveness and restoration. The first verse, with its assurance of forgiveness, sets the context and invites us into the same examination of ourselves that the Psalmist, David appears unafraid to engage in … this Jewish King who is the man after God’s own heart. If we confess our sins, we will be forgiven! David shows a deep amount of contrition but also a deep trust in God’s mercy.
Paul refers to Abraham’s relationship with God, and interprets Psalm 32:1, 2 in the book of Romans (4:7-8) as he defends justification by faith and not by works. He says, “David speaks of the blessedness of those to whom God reckons righteousness irrespective of works: ‘Blessed are those whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the one against whom the Lord will not reckon sin.’ If we confess our sins, we will be forgiven! Justification by faith focuses on God, whereas justification by works focuses on the human being. Read Romans 4 to see how Paul uses Psalm 32 to illuminate his thoughts on forgiveness.
Going Deeper: Most people struggle with some form of sinful behavior … from laziness to cheating to gossiping to lying to even deeper sin … perhaps overlooking the abuse of one human being by another or even exhibiting some kind of abusive behavior yourself. King David certainly struggled with the need for instant gratification. In the end, sin is sin and there must be as many ways to fall victim to sinful behavior as there are people in the world.
The biblical way of defining sin is “missing the mark.” This is a rather vague way of talking about something that is so important in our spiritual life. How do you define “sin?” What sinful behaviors do you or have you battled in your own life? Are you winning that battle these days? David seems to have learned that offering his brokenness to God was a way to be set free from the bondage of sin. Letting Go! How hard it is for you to “let go?” How do you express your sorrow over sin in your life? Have you asked God to forgive you and to help you overcome your struggles? How is God working in your life to bring you freedom from your brokenness?
What about confession and joy? The writer of Psalm 32 makes a connection that many of us modern people fail to make. We begin in sorrow for sin, but we confess. As a result, we receive mercy, we are blessed with forgiveness. This brings us joy for our relationship with God has been restored. God becomes our “hiding place.” How has God become your hiding place? How is your joy expressed?
Pondering: Perhaps the most famous penitential psalm is Psalm 51 which was written after King David schemed to have a good and decent soldier named Uriah killed so that he could take his wife Bathsheba. Nathan has confronted him with his sin and Psalm 51 seems to be his immediate response. It is very closely related to Psalm 32 as they both show David to be a very emotional and passionate man … this man after God’s own heart! Take a few moments to engage the first few verses of Psalm 51 with Lectio Divina … as you read allow the Spirit of God to flow over you and fill you … remember a time when you really needed forgiveness in the way King David does. Allow the psalm to draw you deeper into God’s heart!
Psalm 51 To the leader. A Psalm of David, when the prophet Nathan came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgment.
Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me.
You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.
Lectio=Listen to the words with the ear of your heart. Read the words slowly, repeating them again and again, allowing them to linger on the tongue, savoring their beauty ...
Meditatio=Prayerfully listen as you read until a small portion of the psalm (a word or a thought or a phrase) begins to draw you deep within. Turn your “portion” over and over in your mind and consider what God may be inviting you to think or feel or do or be … Write down what Spirit has given you so you can remember. Stay with your “portion” and commit it to memory as your thought for the day …
Praying:
Oratio=Spend some time in prayer responding to God’s invitation … allow prayers of confession, petition, intercession, thanksgiving, praise, or ... to emerge in this time you are spending with God.
Contemplatio=When you runs out of words to say, simply rest in the presence of God, lingering with God in loving companionship … Amen!
You can find a good youtube video online “God is my hiding place.”
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