At the end of Exodus chapter 2 we observed that the groaning of Israel and their crying out to God because of their bondage was connected to the deliverance God promised for Israel. This foreshadows the misery of a sinner under guilt who can find true relief in the deliverance God only can provide.
It isn’t pleasant to face sin within ourselves, but if we deny the truth of the bondage and misery of sin we will not embrace the provision God has graciously provided. The sinfulness of sin is no barrier to deliverance; the denial of it is. In this psalm, David guides us through his own experience from the weight of guilt and his stubbornness in not confessing his sin, to the blessedness of forgiveness.
The psalm begins with the joy and blessedness of being forgiven sin. The different words David uses for sin point us to how great a deliverance he is rejoicing in. The first word he uses is translated transgressions; “blessed his he whose transgressions are forgiven.” This word means rebellion or revolt; the refusal of subjection to a lawful authority. It is sometimes used of going beyond a boundary; here meaning disobeying God’s prohibitions.
The second phrase is “whose sins are covered.” This word for sin means to miss the mark; not meeting God’s requirements according to God’s laws. You can think of a basketball player shooting at the basket and not hitting the rim, completely missing. In our case as sinners, we have an inability and a disinclination to hit the mark of God’s righteousness. Nevertheless, the air balls are counted against us.
The word David uses for sin in verse two is iniquity: a perverseness, twisted or distorted. It is contrary to that which God says is good. As a whole, these three terms cover the dimensions of human depravity. There are other descriptions of sin in the Scriptures, but the point is this is the situation from which a person must be delivered from through divine forgiveness to find happiness.
David then takes us through his experience of guilt due to his sinfulness and acts of sin. He says: “when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.” God’s hand was heavy upon him (verse 4). We see that David was resistant to confessing his sin. Resistance springs from vanity and self-righteousness which blinds us to our sin, but also can be from an unwillingness to want to be delivered from sin.
God, however, in his grace makes us to be uncomfortable in sin or miserable so that we might see it for the evil it is. God does give some people over to the hardness of their hearts and perversity, but if he places the weight of guilt upon us, he is being gracious in shaking us up to seek the deliverance we need. He did not leave David content with his sin. His hand made David miserable.
In verse 5 we see that David finds relief from guilt by acknowledging and exposing his sin before God. He confesses his sin. He takes the fig leaves away, and says in effect, “Here I am Lord; have mercy on me a sinner.” Confessing and turning away from sin doesn’t hurt us as we think it will. It leads to blessedness; the misery of guilt is taken away. David says to the Lord; “you forgave the guilt of my sin.
The confession of sin is not the cause of forgiveness (God forgives), but it is the condition. It’s like having gangrene. If you refuse to admit it, it will just continue to eat away. Even admitting it is not treatment. Yet, admitting it is a pre-requisite to seeking treatment. It smells, it’s rotten, and you want an end to its misery. You won’t ignore it any longer.
Sin is different than gangrene in that we are guilty. It is a moral issue. If we aren’t forgiven we will die, and it will be just that we do. Interestingly, David the forgiven sinner concludes in verse 10, “Many are the woes of the wicked.” He doesn’t consider himself in that category of the wicked because he has been forgiven.
You can test yourself easily enough. Do you know what David speaks of in the weight of guilt and the relief/joy of forgiveness? When Peter says Christ carried ours sins in his body to the cross, does that change everything for you? Or are you willing to continue unjustified, unforgiven? Better the day of reckoning be here and now, than later.
