Blessed Is He Whose Transgression Is Forgiven

Scripture: Psalm 32

Sermon preached at Gospel Light Christian Church, Singapore
by Pastor Dr Paul Choo
on 25 October 1992

Psalm 32 is a "Maschil Psalm" ie psalm of instruction, to instruct the hearer on how to be blessed. It was probably sung to a gentle melody.

V 1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered - God's forgiveness is of all things the most important of all because it reconciles us to God who is the source of every other blessedness.

Forgiven - literally means taken away, taken off

Cover - from God's punishment against sin (but not from His knowledge nor ours - in fact, we become more conscious of our sins and aware of God's forgiveness of them after we are saved.)

V2 Blessed - In Hebrew "blessed" is in the plural, ie blessedness - as it were bundles of joy!
is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity - This is God's method of salvation. God, the judge, allows our sins to be imputed (ie put to the account of) to His Son. The practice of substitution is an acceptable part of common law (1 Peter 3:18) "For Christ also hath once suffer for sins, the just for the unjust")

and in whose spirit there is no guile - This forgiveness is given to those who sincerely (ie "no guile") confess their sins and trust in Jesus' substitutionary sacrifice, not to those who pretend to repent of their sins or pretend to trust in Him.

V3 When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long - When the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sins, and we do not confess them to God, the weight of our conscience is so heavy that even our bones (which are the strongest parts of our body) are crushed under its weight (v4). Our sighing and groaning resemble "roaring".

V5 I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD - Proud man is very slow to confess his sins. Confession is not for God's information, He already knows our sins - it is for our benefit, to humble our proud hearts. Confession must first and foremost be made unto God.

and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin - Man is slow to confess his sins, but God is quick to forgive! (1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness").

V6 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 - There is one universal need amongst men - that of God's forgiveness. We must pray for our own forgiveness and that of others. We should not delay, because there comes a time when it may be too late eg sudden illness, infirmities of old age.

V7 Thou art my hiding place - Jesus is our refuge from God's judgment.

Thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance - This refers to protection from eternal judgments, and daily trials.

V8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with my eye - God not only saves us from the guilt of sin but also from the grip of sin. A born-again man desires to obey God, and is guided not by force but by "God's eye", as an obedient child is guided by the mere movements of his mother's eyes.

V9 Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle - Man who has the ability to reason should not be like the mule which is unreasonably stubborn.

V10 Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about - The "wicked" is contrasted with "he that trusteth" - because trusting in Jesus is the only source of true goodness (John 3:16) "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life").

V11 Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart - Christians are not only privileged to be blessed with joy but are commanded to demonstrate their joy. Don't miss out on the peace and joy, through Jesus, that is beyond all human understanding!