EXPOSITION OF PSALM 32 (2)
Psalm 32:3-11

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This psalm may be divided into five divisions: 1. the blessed man's identification (vv.1f); 2. the blessed man's state prior to his blessedness (vv.3-5); 3. the blessed man's response to his blessing (vv.6f); 4. the blessed man's instruction from his blesser (vv.8f); 5. the blessed man's instruction to others (vv.10f). Having expounded the first division in the preceding message, we now move to the second:

II. The blessed man's state prior to his blessedness (vv.3-6). David here describes his condition following his sin with Bathsheba and against her husband Uriah (2 Samuel ch.11).

32:3 "When I kept silent, my bones grew old / Through my groaning all the day long." The saint may be silent regarding the confession of his sin, but not regarding sorrow over it. His sorrow will be expressed in incessant groaning in his soul, perhaps from his mouth as well. This will lead to a weakening of his body, even of the bones that are the strongest part of it. A fuller description of this condition is given in Psalm 102:3-5. The reason for this condition is cited in the next verse:

32:4 "For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; ..." God severely afflicts the soul that refuses to seek forgiveness for its sin. Be very concerned if you are not troubled by Him after you have sinned against Him: "'For whom the LORD loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.' If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons" (Hebrews 12:6-8).

"... My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. ..." Unconfessed sin results not only in bones aging (v.3), but also in the body being sapped of its strength. A fuller description of the condition found in this verse is found in Psalm 38:2-8.

"... Selah" Pause and think about that!

32:5 "I acknowledged my sin to You, ..." Sins, when viewed in their true and real character, are offenses against God alone. The psalmist has therefore said, "Against You, You only, have I sinned" (Psalm 51:4; cp; 2 Samuel 12:13; also Genesis 39:9b). Furthermore, "Who can forgve sins but God alone?" (Mark 2:7) – for none but He can remove the sinner's guilt. Therefore, confession of sin in the hope of obtaining forgiveness is to be made to God alone - not to a mortal priest or to anyone else. (This does not negate confession of sin to others whom we have offended, as in James 5:16.)

"... And my iniquity I have not hidden. ..." Wise is the man who acknowledges that nothing can be hidden from the eyes of omniscience, and who confesses, "O God, You know my foolishness; and my sins are not hidden from You" (69:5). It is best to confess sin to Him in private before He exposes it in public – as when God sent Nathan the prophet to David to tell him, "You are the man!" (2 Samuel 12:7).

"... I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,' / And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. ..." "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). He is "ready to pardon" because He is "gracious and merciful" and "abundant in kindness" (Nehemiah 9:17). "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon" (Isaiah 55:7). Confession to mortal priests is worthless!

III. The blessed man's response to his blessing (vv.6f).

32:6 "For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You ..." Two meanings may be given to this statement. First, because God alone forgives sin confessed, every saint will pray to Him alone for forgiveness from his sins. Second, because saints see how readily and freely God forgave David's grave offense, we are encouraged to pray to Him as David did. While the second was probably the meaning intended by the psalmist, his readers would not discard the first. I rejoice in both meanings!

"... In a time when You may be found; ..." That "time" is "today" (Hebrews 3:7ff), and "now" (2 Corinthians 6:2). "Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon" (Isaiah 55:7).

"... Surely in a flood of great waters / They shall not come near him." He whose sins are forgiven by Jehovah will not suffer the loss of his soul in any cataclysm or catastrophe. The God who spared Noah in The Deluge is the same to His people today.

32:7 "You are my hiding place; ..." The "hiding place" of the wicked is "the refuge of lies [i.e., the lies in which they seek refuge, including their lying prophets, their vain idols, their self-righteousness, and so forth], and the waters will overflow the hiding place" (Isaiah 28:17; cp. v.15). But the "hiding place" of the saint is Jehovah in the person of Jesus Christ (Proverb 18:10): "The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe" (cp. Psalm 31:1-3).

"... You shall preserve me from trouble; ..." Believers in Christ are hidden in "the secret place of Your presence" (Psalm 31:20). They are therefore in Christ safe from the justice of God against their sin, safe from Satan and all their other enemies, and safe from the wrath to come.

"... You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. ..." These "songs of deliverance" are sung by the Deliver, for "The LORD your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; ... He will rejoice over you with singing" (Zephaniah 3:17). And they are sung by the delivered - as when they sang at the Red Sea, "I will sing to the LORD, for He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea! The LORD is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation; ..." (Exodus ch.15). And they are sung by holy angels, who sing the praises of the Deliverer.

"... Selah" Pause and think about that!

IV. The blessed man's instruction from his blesser (vv.8f). Christ instructs His people as to what He will do for them (v.8), and how they must respond (v.9).

32:8 "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; ..." Christ is not only the believer's Savior, but also His Teacher - "for One is your Teacher, the Christ" (Matthew 23:8, 10). Christ does not save His people and then leave them to be ignorant or taught by another. He today teaches His people through His Holy Spirit (John 14:26) and His pastors (Ephesians 4:11ff). He through them teaches "the way you should go" – and Christ is this Way (John 14:6).

"... I will guide you with My eye." Followers of Christ obey even His slightest hint. In sharp contrast is the rebellious unbeliever, who is described in the next verse:

32:9 "Do not be like the horse or like the mule, / Which have no understanding, / Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, / Else they will not come near you." Do not be like a brute beast: stubborn as a mule; void of understanding (1 Corinthians 2:14); guided by forceful harness (James 3:3) rather than hinting eye; kicking against the authority of its master (Acts 9:5; 26:14); refusing to come when called. "A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the fool's back" (Proverb 26:3). Rebels against God are making donkeys of themselves!

V. The blessed man's instruction to others (vv.10f). He who is instructed by God (as in vv.8f) will be an instructor to others (as here in vv.10f; cp. Psalm 51:12f). The psalmist instructs by contrasting the wicked and the believer (v.10), and then exhorting the believer (v.11).

32:10 "Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; ..." They may appear to be prosperous in this life, but everlasting sorrows are in store for them (as with Dives in Luke 16:23ff).

"... But he who trusts in the LORD, mercy shall surround him." Christ will do for all believers what He did for their father Jacob (Deuteronomy 32:11): "He encircled him, ... He kept him as the apple of His eye" (see also v.7 here).

32:11 "Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous; / And shout for joy, all you upright in heart!" Three things are required: "be glad in Jehovah", "rejoice", "shout for joy". None can comply except those who are "righteous", "upright in heart" through the imputed righteousness of their Lord. Will you obey?

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