A Psalm of David, Maschil
1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
2 Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.
3 When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long.
4 For day and night Thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.
5 I acknowledged my sin unto Thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD: and Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.
6 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.
7 Thou art my hiding place: Thou shalt preserve me from trouble: Thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.
8 I will instruct Thee and teach Thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with Mine eye.
9 Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.
10 Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about.
11 Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.
Confession of sin leads to God’s forgiveness, assurance of God’s preserving hand, and tremendous rejoicing.
Nothing troubles the human soul like the heavy weight of sin. Just as one who carries 300 pounds up a one mile hill will groan and fret under the weight every inch of the way, the weight of our sin makes it almost impossible for us to continue along minute by minute. But as we confess our sins to our God, the rush of relief sweeps over our souls as those sins are released and forgiven by God. Once again we begin to feel the security of God’s presence and acceptance and our grief is turned into shouts of joy. Yes, shouts of joy!
Verses 1–2. The first two verses serve as an introduction to this beautiful psalm, expressing the blessedness of forgiveness. Of all the things our souls desire in life, what is more blessed than having our sins forgiven and being accepted by God? It would be better than getting a new bicycle for your birthday or your first car. We desire acceptance from our friends and family members, but broken fellowship with God is the worst predicament of all, and the renewal of that relationship is the best thing we could ever experience. It is the picture of the pilgrim who loses his heavy burden at the cross. What joy! What lightness of spirit is ours when that burden rolls down the hill! The realization that the Lord will not hold our sins against us produces in us a blessed joy.
Verses 3–4. These verses describe the horrible condition of unconfessed sins. Evidently David has delayed his confession of sin and “kept silent,” and while he is silent his conscience rages. Now it comes to the point that his bones ache, his body is weak, and he loses the joy and vitality of life. He knows he has sinned against God, and he even cries over his sins: day and night he agonizes over that sin. This is conviction of sin.
Not everyone experiences deep conviction of sin. Those whose consciences have been seared are not particularly bothered by their sins. Either they have learned to ignore the conscience, hide from it by constant diversions, or they cover their sins with their own system of atonement. But David faces his sin in all of its stark horror and the sight of it is nothing less than unbearable.
Verse 5. Resolution comes in the fifth verse, upon his confession of sin to God. As he opens his mouth and confesses his sins to Yahweh, the assurance of forgiveness sweeps over him. Police detectives tell us that when a first-time murderer (who is not a career criminal) confesses his crime for the first time, huge relief sweeps over him. Sometimes he may even request food, as it is not uncommon for these men to go without food for weeks while they pine over their crime. But this is nothing but sin confessed to mere men, as if the offense was only against another man. Indeed, what makes a sin a matter of deep concern to the conscience is that it is committed in violation of the holy law of God, the transcendent God of heaven and earth, the God with whom every man, woman, and child has to do. For God’s interest in our obedience is far more intensive and extensive, and the hell of His wrath burns far hotter than any retribution man could invent. Therefore, confession to God is the most critical confession of all. Now we are confessing the root of our failures before the Source of all ethics, the great Determiner of right and wrong. Whereas the civil magistrate has no power to forgive our sins, indeed the God of heaven and earth has that power, and is willing to do so, because of the provision He made for those sins.
Verses 6–10. The consequences of our confession of sin follow in the remaining verses of the psalm. First, a renewed relationship with God brings about an open ear to our prayers. We are once again secure in God’s protecting hand during the trials of life. Not only does He save us from the guilt of our sins, but He protects us in times of persecution, temptation, and trial. What comforting words are contained in this reminder that we are surrounded by songs of deliverance! You must picture a thousand Miriams surrounding us, singing their songs of deliverance on the crushing of Pharaoh’s army at the Red Sea.
An admonition and a warning is appended to verses 8 through 10. When a man is in fellowship with God, he is directed by God. Everyday we need to know our priorities, how to handle this or that, where to go, and what to think, say, and do. The decisions and actions of our lives will flow from the character of our hearts, which forms according to the Spirit’s working of the Word within us. Therefore God Himself exhorts us to maintain an open ear and a soft heart to His instructions. He tells us not to be like a stubborn mule that always wants to go his own way and do his own thing. The mule must be held by bit and bridle and forced to go this way or that. Oh, that we would be willing servants, needing neither bit nor bridle, but always attentive to the slightest indication of His directing will for us! Those that refuse to walk in God’s ways will have many troubles, but he that trusts in the Lord and His Word and receives the instructions of God’s Word will swim in a sea of mercy.
Verse 11. The psalm ends with a rallying cry to God’s people to rejoice in this blessed state. After confessing our sin to God and receiving the assurance of God’s forgiveness, protection, and mercy, we cannot help but rejoice in all of that. Our hearts are warmed in gladness, so we rejoice and shout for joy!
Do not harden your heart against God and His Word. A soft heart is bothered when it sees its sins. In fact, sometimes it even cries about that sin. A soft heart will always be ready to confess its sins to the Lord. A proud, hard heart resists this. Proud people do not like to confess sins. A soft heart listens to God’s Word and commits to obey it, like Josiah of old (2 Kings 22:19).
Keep your heart open to the direction of the Spirit working through the Word, today and everyday. When the Spirit indicates that we are acting out of fleshly intent, stop and listen to the Spirit’s direction. Of course, the Spirit works through the Word and that Word must “dwell in us richly,” if the Spirit does His work. How does this psalm teach us to worship God?
Confession of sins is a very important part of our worship, both public and private. It is a necessary part of the Christian life. In public worship, we confess our sins and after confession of sins, we are assured of God’s forgiveness. That is why we read verses like 1 John 1:9 that assure us that God forgives all of our sins. This reminder that God forgives our sin should produce great joy and even shouts of joy. As a congregation, it is appropriate to raise our voices in worship to a shout of praise. This shouting could come during a song, or it might be an “amen” shouted out after the congregation is reminded of God’s merciful pardon.
1. Why is the Psalmist in such agony toward the beginning of the psalm?
2. What great blessing do we find in this psalm?
3. How does a mule teach us a lesson in this psalm?
4. How does God guide us in our daily lives?
1. How would a soft heart manifest itself? Do you have a soft heart?
2. Do you understand what it is to confess your sins? Think for a moment of a sin that you should confess and let us humbly confess our sins to God right now. Suggestion: Have the family kneel before the Lord and confess your sins either out loud or quietly.