Psalm 32:1-11 Forgiven
David sings of the restoring power of repentance. The forgiven are blessed because their relationship with God is restored. Don’t hide! Turn to Him NOW!
David found a connection in his life between his focus on God and his ease of circumstances. David’s biggest sins came about while he was on the throne. Does that mean he didn’t learn this lesson while still in the field, running from Saul? I’m pretty sure he had an understanding of this concept but it really came home with his more grievous sins. I’m sure there were more sins in David’s life than the few our stories bring out. Those other sins probably taught him this lesson too. Sin breaks relationship with God.
With a break in the relationship comes a break in protection. Also a need for correction comes into play. God doesn’t abandon His people when they make a mistake. He calls out to them to restore the relationship by dealing with the sin. With David, it seems like he needed direct confrontation. Two of the three big sins we see in David’s life required God to speak directly to him about his sin before he asked for forgiveness. He didn’t come on his own. He kept hiding until called out.
The sin of David with Bathsheba had been going on for some time, including time enough to murder Uriah, before David was confronted by God through Nathan. I don’t believe the child was born yet when he was confronted but he had already married Bathsheba before he was called on the carpet. What would have happened if David had repented the day after his first interlude with Bathsheba? Would Uriah have survived David’s attempt to cover it up? Would Bathsheba even have been pregnant if David ended his sin and sought the Lord right away?
David’s sin with the census again was called out by God. David could have repented and relented ANY TIME during the nine months that it took to complete the census. But he waited until AFTER the final count was made and punishment required before he repented. Did he somehow convince himself that God would be pleased this another census? Even Joab knew it was wrong but he followed his king’s orders.
David’s absenteeism fatherhood was never directly called out. What would David have done differently if he hand known. Would he have poured more time into all of his children? Would some of the rivalries have been averted? There are SO MANY what if’s here.
What David did notice was that trouble followed in the footsteps of sin. David had times when things did NOT go his way. It appears from our text that David started looking for his sins during those days. Times when his “bones wasted away through my groaning all day long” (verse 3b). Trouble stayed around until he repented.
God is NOT going to move the boundaries of sin because you don’t think you have REALLY done anything truly bad. God holds the line and expects us to come back to Him. He calls out to us in our places of sin and also allows us to suffer the consequences of our sin because we have stepped out from under His protection. And He will have His Spirit convict our hearts until we either turn back or tune Him out.
David didn’t have the Holy Spirit living in him like those who follow Jesus do. He wasn’t oblivious to his own sin though. He experienced God’s hand of discipline on his life and I’m certain he also experienced a guilty conscience. He KNEW right from wrong as surely as we do too. God used his circumstances to try and draw him back. When all else failed, God spoke to him through Nathan.
Not everything bad that happens to us in life is a result of sin but that is a GOOD place to start looking when trouble comes our way. When we honestly look at our lives He is sure to answer our search for the truth. And it our trouble is a result of sin, He will forgive us of it when we turn to Him and repent. Blessed is the man whose sins are forgiven!
Father God THANK YOU that I am FORGIVEN! Jesus paid the price for that forgiveness. I’m sorry it takes so long for me to recognize my need to repent sometimes. I’m sorry it takes so long for me to humble myself and repent sometimes too. I have NOTHING without You! Forgive me Father of any sins I have currently in my heart. Help me walk away from them forever! I want NOTHING in my life that blocks our communication or relationship.
