Psalm 32
One of the penitential psalms
The psalm
has an interesting structure:
A. vv. 1-2 are written in 3rd person
B. vv. 3-5
are written in 1st person
A’. v. 6 is written in 3rd person
C. v. 7 is
written in 2nd person
D. v.8
is written in 1st person
C’. v. 9
are written in 2nd person (imperative)
D’. v.
10 is written in 3rd person
C”. v. 11 is written in 2nd
person
A. The psalm begins with a double
blessing:
a.
transgression is forgiveness
a’. sin is covered
b.
man with no iniquity
b’. spirit with no deceit
We’ve met
word blessed before – psalm 1 begins with it. Ash’rei – can be
translated as blessed but also as happy or lucky. Overall,
it is a man who feels lucky and happy because his life resembles the
providential blessing of God. There is no more blessing that being in the right
relationship with God or having a right standing before God.
To be
blessed is to recognize the need of forgiveness. This right standing before God
can’t be achieved by our paying back or “reimbursement” for the mischiefs.
Everyone needs forgiveness.
St. Paul
uses the first three lines in his Letter to Romans discussing the grace apart
from works – for God’s forgiveness is a gift (Romans 4:7-8).
B. After a general introduction David
goes into a personal account of the realization of the need for Confession and
Absolution. An attempt to conceal sin led to inner distress – psychosomatic
effect.
All day long
at the end of verse three is paired up with “day and night” in the fourth –
meaning that the consequences of sin haunted him not only during the sunlight
part of the day but disturbed his sleep too. One of the reasons – the heavy
hand of the Lord (your hand). Heavy can also be translated as “glorious” [same
word]. There is a glory of God in leading sinners to repentance. Then he adds a
very detailed picture of that – my strength dried as by the heat of the summer.
We live here on Central Coast enjoying the mid-temperature climate. But think
about the desert areas – Bakersfield, or Arizona, or New Mexico… You can put a
juicy apple on the sun and it will dry up pretty fast.
After a
serious push by God David acknowledges his sin – he did not cover his iniquity
– an opposite action compared to the action of God – see v. 1:b-2a. Therefore,
when we un-cover our sin, He covers it. What He covers it with? Blood of
Christ.
Liturgical
use:
LSB, Divine
service (setting 3) uses verse 5 as an introduction to the Confession and
Absolution.
A’. God promised to us His forgiveness – we don’t
need to beg for it, we don’t need to buy it, we don’t need travel to special
place where God will hear us better – He hears us as we pray.
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