February 15, 2017
SPEAK UP VERSUS BEING SILENT
Psalm 32
Stacy Littrell
Central Truth
God is the only one strong enough to lift the weight of our sin from us and willingly does so when we confess it to Him.
Key Verse | Psalm 32:5
I acknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not cover my iniquity;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.
(Psalm 32:5)
Psalm 32
Blessed Are the Forgiven
A Maskil 1 32:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term of David.
1
Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
2
Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
3
For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
4
For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was dried up
2
32:4
Hebrew my vitality was changed
as by the heat of summer. Selah
5
I acknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not cover my iniquity;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,”
and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah
6
Therefore let everyone who is godly
offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found;
surely in the rush of great waters,
they shall not reach him.
7
You are a hiding place for me;
you preserve me from trouble;
you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah
8
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
9
Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding,
which must be curbed with bit and bridle,
or it will not stay near you.
10
Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the LORD.
11
Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, O righteous,
and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
Dive Deeper | Psalm 32
All too often we buy the lie that our sin isn’t a big deal. We justify our actions and try to minimize our sins as not “serious” sins. “It was only a white lie.” “I know it was gossip, but I had to tell someone.” “I just had one drink too many.” These are all ways we justify or minimize our sin. Why is sin serious? Sin is rebellion against God: a perfect, holy, and loving God. When we sin, we are essentially telling God, “I think my way is better than Yours.”
David understood the consequences of sin and felt the weight of his sin: “For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.” (Psalm 32:3-4) I’m from Dallas, so I know just how miserable the heat of summer can be! If you don’t get out of the sun and into air conditioning quickly, you will surely have no strength left to live.
David couldn’t handle the fact that he was not right with God. We see the relief David has when he acknowledged his sin to the Lord and received forgiveness. How does the Lord forgive our sins? He sacrificed His one and only beloved Son so that through belief in Jesus’ death and resurrection we may live! Read John 3:16-17, John 5:24, Romans 6:23, Ephesians 2:8-9, and Romans 10:9-10.
This is the same pattern for us: 1) recognize that sin in our lives is an offense to a holy and perfect God; 2) acknowledge the sin and tell it to God first and then to the small group of believers in your life (confess); 3) receive forgiveness from your loving Father and draw close to Him!
Discussion Questions
1. Do you take sin seriously? Are there any patterns of sin in your life that you are overlooking today?
2. How often do you go without confessing sin? Are there any areas of sin in your life right now where you need to confess to the Lord and seek His forgiveness? (Proverbs 28:13)
3. Do you have a community of believers where you openly confess sin to each other and pray for one another so that you may be healed? (James 5:16) What’s stopping you from finding other believers to confess to today?
4. Are you fully resting in the knowledge that only believing in Jesus Christ for salvation will cover all your sins? If not, what is preventing you from fully trusting in Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins? (Acts 10:43; Colossians 1:13-14)