Read Psalm 32
Questions from the Scripture text: What three things has the blessed one contributed to his blessedness (Psalm 32:1–2)? What has he finally stopped doing about his transgression/sin/iniquity (verse 2b)? What had he attempted to do about it before (Psalm 32:3)? But what had the Lord caused him to feel? What was upon David and when (Psalm 32:4a)? What did it feel like was happening to his life within him (verse 4b)? What did David do then (Psalm 32:5)? To Whom? What will who do when (Psalm 32:6a-6b)? What can the godly know will not come near him to destroy him (verse 6c–d)? Why can’t anything ultimately harm David (Psalm 32:7a-7b)? With what will God surround him—how is he to respond to being delivered (verse 7)? What will God do to David in Psalm 32:8a? Why is the guidance in verse 8b so good/sure? What does He tell us not to be like in Psalm 32:9a? What don’t they have (verse 9b)? What must be done to them (verse 9c) to get them to do what (verse 9d)? What will come to the wicked (Psalm 32:10a)? Who is the opposite of the wicked (verse 10b)? What surrounds him? What is this believer called in Psalm 32:11a? What two things is he commanded to do? In Whom? And what is the believer called in verse 11b? What is he commanded to do in that verse?
Next week’s Call to Worship, Prayer for Help, Song of Adoration, and Prayer of Confession all come from Psalm 32:4–11, so that we will see that we are singing God’s thoughts after Him with We Gather Together.
Blessed is the man who is forgiven! That’s easy for us to say. We love to be forgiven. But there are some things involved in that forgiveness that we don’t ordinarily like so much.
Blessed is the man whom the Lord chastens! We need that chastening, because the reflex of the flesh is to lie (Psalm 32:2b–Psalm 32:3a) to ourselves and God about the greatness of our guilt and offense. Perhaps we are well-enough instructed to say, “blessed is the man whom the Lord chastens!” But can we say, “the Lord is lovingly bringing me to blessing” if we fill in the particular details of Psalm 32:3–4?
Blessed is the man whom the Lord makes to feel like his bones are rotting away inside him (Psalm 32:3a). Blessed is the man who is made to groan all day long (verse 3b). Blessed is the man upon whom the Lord makes his hand heavy (Psalm 32:4a). Blessed is the man who feels as if his body has been sucked dry of all moisture, all life (verse 4b). It just doesn’t have that ring to it.
And yet, it is precisely the intensity with which the Lord makes us to feel our sin that makes the intensity of our joy at the forgiveness that is given in Psalm 32:5. Further, when we realize the greatness of the wrath from which we have been saved (Psalm 32:6c), we become sure that the God who has saved us from that will surely save us from everything (verse 6).
Indeed, not only will He provide a shelter, but He Himself will be our shelter (Psalm 32:7). We can be like Paul and Silas in the Philippian jail—surrounded by the songs of God’s deliverance while still in the midst of the danger. Blessed is the believer who is in trouble!
How slow we are to see the blessing of God in our chastening and our troubles. And, horses and mules that we can be (Psalm 32:9), we are even slow to see His blessing in His instruction (Psalm 32:8a). To have His instruction is to be guided by His perfectly seeing eye, rather than our own limited and inaccurate perspective (verse 8b). But, living by God’s instruction is not merely to live correctly; it is even to draw near to God Himself (verse 9d)!
Indeed, consider the command with which the Spirit concludes this Psalm: “Be glad in Yahweh and rejoice, you righteous; and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!” What a happy command. When the Lord overcomes our resistance to Him, He frees us to see the blessedness of every part of belonging to Him!
When have you been blessed as a result of feeling the Lord’s hand heavy upon you for your sin? What commands of the Lord do you most need help to see as a blessing not a burden?
Suggested songs: ARP32AB “What Blessedness” or TPH415 “We Gather together”
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