AP

Psalm 32:11  Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!

There is a good lesson for us in this Psalm.  Reading it makes me thankful for two things.  

Firstly, that King David, who is described elsewhere in Scripture thus: “God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do’” (Acts 13:22b), was also someone who, like me, knew that he was a sinner who was in constant need of God’s forgiveness (Psalm 32:1-5).  Even in the times when he was burdened with the weight of his sin, and the futility of trying to hide it from God by convincing himself he was doing OK spiritually when he wasn’t, he could feel the sin-burden roll away by contrite confession to a God who was always a gracious, compassionate and faithful forgiver of sin (see verses 5-6).  The Apostle John possibly had Psalm 32 in mind when he wrote: “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:8-9)

Secondly, that David is anticipating, and therefore pointing me to, the rock-solid basis on which I am assured of God’s forgiveness: that Jesus has taken my place and ‘borne all my sins in his own body on the tree’ (1 Peter 2:24), and therefore that my holy God credits me with the ‘righteousness’ of Christ, so that I can “be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ – the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith (Philippians 3:9).  In Christ, I am declared to be among those who, in God’s eyes, are ‘righteous’ and ‘upright in heart’.  What a blessing it is (thank you David) to know that I should never let Satan load me down with the burden of my sin, but that, in Christ, I can always rejoice and be glad and sing!

I will remember to sing with John Newton, “Bowed down beneath a load of sin, by Satan sorely pressed, by wars without and fears within, I come to thee for rest.  Be thou my shield and hiding place, that, sheltered near thy side, I may my fierce accuser face, and tell him thou hast died!” And with Horatio Spafford, “My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!  My sin, not in part but the whole, is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more, praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!” And with Charitie Lees de Chenez, “When Satan tempts me to despair and tells me of the guilt within, upward I look, and see him there who put an end to all my sin.  Because the sinless Saviour died, my sinful soul is counted free, for God, the Just, is satisfied to look on him, and pardon me.”

– Bruce Christian