Psalm 32: Happy People

Introduction

Sometimes we think of God’s blessing as a machine. “If I insert money and press a button, I get a coke. If I give this donation, I get blessed.” Instead, blessing is hand-made, hand delivered gift from God. It’s personal. The definition of the word “blessed” could also be translated “God-given happiness.” The first two verses introduce the subject of people who have God-given happiness. This Psalm gives us five characteristics of people who have God-given happiness.

The Passage

A Psalm of David. A Maskil. How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered! How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit! When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away Through my groaning all day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. Selah. I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I did not hide; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”; And You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah. Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You in a time when You may be found; Surely in a flood of great waters they will not reach him. You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah. I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you. Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding, Whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check, Otherwise they will not come near to you. Many are the sorrows of the wicked, But he who trusts in the Lord, lovingkindness shall surround him. Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones; And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart. Psalm 32 

Happy People Have Covered Sin (Ps 32:1-2)

David gives 4 words for sin in these 2 verses. First, “transgression (v.1)” means to rebelliously break the rules like when a young man sticks a “kick me” sign on his teacher’s back. Second, “sin (v.1)” means to miss the mark like when you fail to obey the 10 commandments. Third, “Iniquity (v. 2)” carries the idea of a bent and perverted nature like someone who has the compulsive desire to lie. Last, “deceit (v.2)” means the treachery of slackness like when an administrator in the medical field neglects to file paperwork correctly resulting in confusion and toil for others. These 4 words describe 4 aspects of our sinful state: our bent nature to reject God’s design, our failure to obey, our desire to disobey, and our desire to fail.

Our sin needs covering, but not any covering will do. When Adam sinned in the garden, he and Eve covered their bodies with leaves and hid in the forest (Gen 3:7-8) but God still saw their guilt and shame. After giving Adam, Eve, and the serpent curses, God made coverings from an animal to hide Adam and Eve’s nakedness (Gen 3:21). The only way for anyone’s sin, guilt, and shame to be covered is when God covers it with the innocent blood of His son.  

Happy People Have Uncovered Sin (Ps 32:3-5)

When God covers sin, He erases it as free grace (Ps 85:2). When man covers sin, he hides it as an act of sinful rebellion (Prov 28:13). When David was silent about his sin, he cried in shame and guilt (v. 3). God’s heavy hand was against David, which resulted in loss of vitality (v. 4). Notice, this heaviness isn’t just an impersonal consequence of sin; it’s God’s personal response to sin. God is a person unlike any other person because He knows everything including your secret sin. For a time, David acted like he was innocent. He claimed to have a good relationship with God but lied to the all-knowing God about his sin. When you sin against family or friends, there are relational consequences right? How much more so with God? But God gives His heavy hand to draw you back to happiness. It was only when David acknowledged, uncovered, and confessed his sin that God removed the guilt from his conscience (v. 5).

Notice in verse 1, David says, “Happy is he whose sins are covered and forgiven.” He doesn’t say, “Happy is the man who sows his wild oats.” Christians talk about temptation as if anger, lust, gluttony, pride, envy, greed, and laziness are what will truly make us happy. Instead, you need to understand that everyone in the grip of sin is miserable. The only way for them to find true happiness is not getting whatever they want but in having their sins covered.

Believers in the gospel are righteous before God because they confess their unrighteousness to God. But you see that confession isn’t just a one-time act. You don’t lose our justification before God if we don’t confess perfectly. But justified people, saved people confess their sins to God daily.

Happy People are Surrounded by a Singing God (Ps 32:6-7)

David now offers a prayer for the godly ones. He prays that they would pray to God while there’s still time (v. 6). This verse implies that there is a time when God’s patience will run out (Is 55:6). You can’t continue acting like the all-knowing God doesn’t know without consequences. But for those who pray and confess their sins to God, He will save them, and the waters of judgement will not reach them (v. 6; similar to God’s provision of Noah).

In verse 7, David says God hides him and preserves him (presumably from the flood in v. 5). Then he says that God surrounds him with songs of deliverance. This likely refers to the song of Moses and Miriam after God drowned Pharoah and his army in the Red Sea. Notice, confession of sin leads to covering our sin in Christ’s blood and God covering us with music.

Happy People Obey God’s Instruction (Ps 32:8-9)

 We now get to a few verses where the subject of the one talking moves from David to the Lord. God promises to instruct us in the way we should go (v. 8). This is a great promise because of those four words from verses 1-2 that described our sinful state. We are rebels; God promises to discipline us into sons (Heb 12:6-7). We fail to hit the bullseye; He promises to sanctify us so that we can move toward the bullseye (2 Cor 7:1). We desire things God didn’t create us for; He promises to redeem our desires so we want the things we should want (Ezek 11:9). We are slack with God’s expectations, He promises to craft us into people who display how masterful of a craftsman He is (Eph 2:10).

Jesus is both savior and Lord. But those titles aren’t two jobs He has. It’s not like Jesus works 9-5 as savior and then works a night shift as Lord. He’s savior and lord all the time like Tom is a father and husband all the time. Jesus is the ruler and commander of all the world who died to cover your internet history and gossip. Jesus is the savior and healer of all the world who commands you to go to church and forgive those who sin against you. The same Jesus who died to cover your sins also wrote you a book to instruct you. Read it! Obey it! Don’t be stubborn like a mule (v. 7). When you reject Jesus’ instruction, you’re rejecting the same Jesus who saves sinners (Mk 10:17-22).

Happy People Shout for Joy (Ps 32:10-11)

 David now contrasts the wicked with the happy. The wicked have many sorrows but the one who trusts in God is surrounded by God’s covenant love (v. 10). Those who are righteous and upright in heart are glad, joyful, and sing for joy (v. 11). Where do the righteous get their righteousness? From God when they confessed their unrighteousness. God doesn’t offer His grace to people who reach a certain level of holiness on their own. No! He offers His grace to sinners right where they are, not where they should have been. Happy are those who take what He offers.

Conclusion

I will end, not with my normal type of conclusion, but with an extended exhortation for you to be happy confessors of sin. Imagine personal sin like an electrical charge, the cross of Christ as a grounding rod, and confessed happiness is the copper wire that connects you to Christ. The more electricity you build up with unconfessed sin, the more volatile and chaotic your life will become. So, confess your sins to God and receive the happiness that comes to connection with him.

But also remember, you are not just you. You have a belly button, which means you have a mom, dad, and family. You have opinions on music, so you have friends. You are not just you, you are also your relationships with others. And everything I said about your personal electrical charge applies here too, if not more so. In your relationships, you carry your electrical charge into that relationship, and they carry theirs. You come home anxious about a bill you just opened from your mailbox; your spouse is bitter about something that happened at work. An electrical arc. When we’re not in the habit of confessing our sins to God, the charge can amp up in families, friendships, and churches. The higher the charge goes, you feel less like confessing your sins and you feel more like reacting to everyone else’s sins with more sin. The only solution is the grounding rod of Jesus Christ. Be happy and confess.