Psalms

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Psalm 32

Happy the man whose offence is forgiven,
whose sin is remitted.
O happy the man to whom the Lord
imputes no guilt,
in whose spirit is no guile.

I kept it secret and my frame was wasted.
I groaned all the day long
for night and day your hand
was heavy upon me.
Indeed, my strength was dried up
as by the summer’s heat.

But now I have acknowledged my sins;
my guilt I did not hide.
I said: “I will confess
my offence to the Lord.”
And you, Lord, have forgiven
the guilt of my sin.

So let every good man pray to you
in the time of need.
The floods of water may reach high
but him they shall not reach.
You are my hiding-place, O Lord;
you save me from distress.
(You surround me with cries of deliverance.)

I will instruct you and teach you
the way you should go;
I will give you counsel
with my eye upon you.

Be not like horse and mule, unintelligent,
needing bridle and bit,
else they will not approach you.
Many sorrows has the wicked
but he who trusts in the Lord,
loving mercy surrounds him.

Rejoice, rejoice in the Lord,
exult, you just!
O come, ring out your joy,
all you upright of heart.

Commentary

Psalm 32, composed by David, is one of the seven penitential Psalms: the others are Psalms 6, 38, 51, 102, 130 and 143. It was written after the experience of sin and forgiveness, and the author looks back to learn the lessons of this. He also wants to share them with all others who are sincerely seeking to walk with God. The psalm is, therefore, a complex of thanksgiving and instruction, which accounts for its uneven style.


Happy the man whose offence is forgiven,
whose sin is remitted.
O happy the man to whom the Lord
imputes no guilt,
in whose spirit is no guile.

I kept it secret and my frame was wasted.
I groaned all the day long
for night and day your hand
was heavy upon me.
Indeed, my strength was dried up
as by the summer’s heat.

But now I have acknowledged my sins;
my guilt I did not hide.
I said: “I will confess
my offence to the Lord.”
And you, Lord, have forgiven
the guilt of my sin.

So let every good man pray to you
in the time of need.
The floods of water may reach high
but him they shall not reach.
You are my hiding-place, O Lord;
you save me from distress.
(You surround me with cries of deliverance.)

I will instruct you and teach you
the way you should go;
I will give you counsel
with my eye upon you.

Be not like horse and mule, unintelligent,
needing bridle and bit,
else they will not approach you.
Many sorrows has the wicked
but he who trusts in the Lord,
loving mercy surrounds him.

Rejoice, rejoice in the Lord,
exult, you just!
O come, ring out your joy,
all you upright of heart.
                        (vv. 1-11).

The psalm begins with a double beatitude which was wrung from David with his heart’s blood. The sweet knowledge which he possesses now was gained through an agonizing battle which was fought out in his soul in prayer, a battle against self, but he now holds the palm of victory. Surrendered to God, he ardently desires to help others, so that they, too, will come to this happy state of mind and heart. For one who has not experienced the forgiveness of sin in this deep personal way, the emphasis on the liberating role of forgiveness may seem strange. The dreadful burden of guilt has been lifted, thus relieving the sinner from the torment of self-recrimination. Yet all that was required of him on God’s part was humility and truthfulness in facing his sin and confessing it. Deceit and cover-up would prevent the very deliverance sought. What a small price to pay for peace of mind! (vv. 1-2).

In Romans 4:4-8 St Paul stresses the privilege it is for God to consider us, and therefore deal with us, as though we were righteous in His sight. This is His gift, which cannot be merited by us, but which we take hold of by faith. It is so great that it draws a response of gratitude and love from the heart of the healed sinner.

David now explains the inner struggle which preceded this grace. His simplicity and candour before God are deeply moving. He is unafraid to let God into the dark caverns of his soul, and he can help us here, for most people fear to open up deeply to God in prayer. They dread that floodlight, which will show up the murky depths and questionable motivation that lie deep within them, shut off from the intruding gaze of the world, and even from themselves. Yet salvation lies in opening these very areas to the forgiving and healing light of God. David began, like so many sinners, by trying to run away from God, pretending that he had not sinned. The basic instinct of the sinner is this flight from God, the desire to cover up, and to blame others (see Genesis 3:8-13).

Conscience was alive in David, tormenting him with guilt and shame, even causing him bodily illness. All too well do we know today that buried anger, frustration, shame, guilt, bitterness, resentment and unforgiveness – to name but a few of our problems – can cause a lot of psychological and psychosomatic illnesses, which make emotional cripples out of us. These sicknesses can be controlled by drugs, but can only be healed, and the sufferer freed completely, by confession, forgiveness and inner healing. How many people waste away under the relentless pressure of a bad conscience, when release and freedom can be so easily obtained! The person concealing guilt cannot rest day or night, for peace of mind, which is the fruit of repentance, is denied them. Like the poet in The Hound of Heaven they say to dawn “be sudden”, and to eve “be soon”, for day and night are both intolerable. The nights are tortured by insomnia, and the days by pressures they have less and less ability to cope with. What weariness of soul
is here, when it is all so unnecessary!

Clearly, David knows how close are the links between mind and body, and that the body reflects outwardly the inner state of the soul. More discernment is needed today to deal with the true cause of illness, so aptly termed disease. Peace of mind is the opposite of dis-ease, and is a gift from God (see John 14:27). Like Francis Thompson, David feels pursued by the Hound of Heaven, but only to achieve true peace of soul in the experience of salvation (vv. 3-4).

Broken and bruised, exhausted by his stubborn resistance to grace, David finally surrendered to God. The prodigal had come home, to find new life in the forgiving embrace of a loving God and Father. The shepherd had found His stray sheep. All that was needed now was the courage and humility to let the great doctor heal the sick being (see Isaiah 1:4-6; Matthew 9:12). How can sinful man stand before the all-holy God? Only by opening up, in truth, the reality that is in his heart. God knows that we all are sinners. The moment of truth and freedom comes when we enter into this self-knowledge and then throw ourselves upon the mercy of God. Admitting sin to ourselves is not enough; we must confess candidly to God in such a manner that His merciful love can be released to us. Peace immediately floods the soul, bringing the realization that forgiveness has been granted. This, in turn, unleashes both joy and thankfulness, which are the fruits of real repentance (v. 5) – hence verses 1 and 2. It is only at this point that David realizes that the heavy hand of God upon him during the time of his stubborn resistance was, in fact, the call of God to new life, grace and glory. He can thank God for not giving up on him before the time was right. This revelation explains that the wrath of God works for the salvation of anyone who will cooperate with divine providence in their daily life. This part of the Good News is rarely appreciated.

In the sanctuary, and surrounded by the throngs of worshippers, David tells God why everyone turns to Him in times of trouble: because He allows Himself to be found by us. God always responds positively to our entreaties. Prayer is, therefore, the way to the heart of God. There you find protection from the trials of life, not as an escape from reality, but as a source of strength to deal with the realities of our trials and sorrows. To hide in the heart of God is to become clothed with power from on high, which enables us to overcome even the greatest temptations. Safe now in his new and grace-filled relationship with God, David experiences the presence of God as a strong bulwark around him. He knows, too, that God will deliver him from any and all future troubles (vv. 6-7).

In the final section of the psalm David is anxious that others learn from his bitter struggle how to stay on the road of righteousness. He counsels them from his own experience, using a parable to warn them against behaving like the stubborn mule – a good symbol of his own resistance to grace. There should be no necessity for God to have to control us in the way a horse is controlled through the bit in its mouth. This would symbolize the use of law to make us do something which should be done as a free response to God in love. God wants us to have a teachable spirit, not to persist in stubborn self-will and hardness of heart. He seeks the surrender of the heart in repentant love.

Nevertheless, it is clear that people choose differently. The wicked, who persist in their sinning, leave themselves without protection. They may even “force” God to let them experience the results of their own actions in tragedy and suffering. Having travelled this road, David is anxious to show them “The way of Peace”, the right way, and he hopes that all will listen to him (see Luke 1:77-79).

The psalm concludes with David calling upon all the righteous to walk this road of peace, to exult and rejoice in the Lord, and in the salvation He offers to all repentant sinners. This Old Testament prayer is the most impressive testimony to the truth expressed by St John in his first Letter: If we say, “We are free of the guilt of sin”, we deceive ourselves; the truth is not to be found in us. But if we acknowledge our sins, He who is just can be trusted to forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrong (1 John 1:8ff, N.A.B.).

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