In the first part of Psalm 32, we were treated to the guilt-ridden experience of David covering his sin and the life-giving restoration of the Lord’s sweet pardon. And now, from the knees of confession, David becomes our instructor, our encouragement. As he enjoys the delight of pardon, he calls all the devoted pray (v. 6). May everyone offer prayers of repentance just as the psalmist did. If you humbly pray your confession, then the same glorious forgiveness will flow to you.

As he advises us to pray, however, he underscores that we must do so at the right time. Pray, literally, “at the time of finding” (v. 6). And this finding refers to our discovering our sin. That is, as soon as we realize that we have sinned, the moment we feel the guilt, the second our transgressions pain our conscience, then start praying. Do not wait or procrastinate confession, for the longer you put it off, the greater the psychological agony. David advises us not to be like him. Do not stay silent about your sin, allowing it to fester and become gangrenous. Instead, test early, test often, and confess quickly.

Besides, we have the assurance that God is our shelter. He keeps us from trouble, and he surrounds us with the joys of deliverance. The imagery of confessing is an uncovering. To repent is to expose yourself, it undresses your shameful acts and brings into the light your despicable deeds. No wonder we resist so, but we are encouraged towards this uncovering by the Lord’s adornment. God covers the sins we uncover; he shelters us from the exposure to wrath, protects from troubling judgment, and enshrouds with happy deliverance. The Lord’s kindness enfolds and encircles the uncovered psalmist. In confession, we take off the robe of sin, and God comes up to adorn us with his robe of salvation. Our filthy garment is exchanged for one that is clean, cozy, and beautiful.

And to this wonderful encouragement is added some more counsel (v. 8). Now, it is not entirely clear, but it seems best to understand that the Lord is talking in verses 8–9. This is a brief oracle that God imparted to David, and he quotes it for our benefit. The Lord will teach us; he will grant us some wisdom so that we walk in the proper path. God will counsel us with his eye upon us.

Previously, the Lord’s heavy hand painfully disciplined, but now, the love and grace of his eye is upon us; he looks at us with tenderness and leniency, with favor to do us good. And his golden sliver of wisdom is given in verse 9: “Don’t be like the horse or mule.” These beasts may be beautiful and tremendously useful, but they do not possess understanding. You cannot talk to them and persuade them what to do. Instead, these equines respond to bit and bridle. The uncomfortable bit in the mouth is the only sure way for you to get the horse to heed. And what is the force of this comparison?

Well, in Scripture, God’s discipline has stages that increase in intensity. First, God teaches us what is right. Second, he rebukes and chides if we do not obey. Third, the Lord employs the rod of pain and the whip of correction. Finally, if we still refuse to heed, then God hands us over to full judgment. Therefore, the regular encouragement is to listen to God’s words so that he is not forced to get rough with you. Hence, we should not be like the donkey who only responds to the bit and bridle. Do not be the stubborn mule, who has to be strong-armed. This is what happened to the psalmist; he did not humble himself quickly and it took the heavy hand of God to force him to confess. If you do not listen to God’s word, then he will manage you with the pain of the bit. Why cause yourself more agony? Why force God’s hand to become heavy? If we will just listen and confess early, then we are spared the rough side of discipline.

Therefore, the psalmist reminds that the sorrows of the wicked are many. Since they will not confess, their agonies are multiplied. Yet what a hugely different outcome for those who confess in faith. For, those who trust in the Lord by humbly confessing their sin, he enfolds them in his steadfast love. The image of adornment is used again. In verse 7, he clothed our exposed self in the joyful robe of deliverance. And here, he enfolds us in his love. By believing confession, the Lord tailors for us a new suit, a sparkling dress, and its name is love.

And with the black-tie outfit from God, it is time to rejoice. The Lord does not dress us up with his grace and then make us stay home, but he brings us to the party of worship. Thus, this wisdom-imparting psalm becomes a happy hymn to our Savior. Being drenched in the lavish forgiveness of the Lord, let us be glad and rejoice. Shout for joy in the Lord who is abundant in pardon.

Yet note who is called to rejoice in this last verse. It is the righteous, those upright in heart. We normally connect the righteous to those who have not sinned; the upright of heart are innocent, not guilty. But this whole psalm has been about those who have sinned. The psalmist was not righteous; he broke the law of God. His heart was not upright, but deceit was in his spirit, arrogantly refusing to confess. The psalmist was doubly bad. Although the double-blessing fell on those who had been forgiven and was not for the perfect, this final call for rejoicing is for the righteous person. Does this mean the psalmist is excluded from the joy? As a forgiven sinner, he is blessed but lacking righteousness. Is this saying he cannot rejoice? No, this does not work. Clearly, the repentant sinner gets to join the harmony. So then, how does the confessing sinner receive the status of the righteous? If he is not personally righteous, then the righteous standing comes from outside.

How does this miracle work? To be a sinner and to be categorized as righteous is a supernatural wonder; it is like holy magic. God’s grace performs the miracle, and he works it in us through faith. So, in verse 10, the one who trusts in Yahweh is enfolded in love. Faith in the Lord moved him to confess his sin, and God invested in loving righteousness. In Psalm 32, then, we find a double-imputation. As part of the blessing, God does not impute our sins to us. Through faith, the Lord imputes righteousness to us as the robe of his love. And this is precisely why Paul cites this psalm in Romans 4 as he lays out the glorious doctrine of our justification.

What is the solid proof that Abraham was saved by faith and not by works? Well, he confessed, and God did not impute his sin to him. Then Abraham believed, and the Lord imputed to him a righteous standing. We sit impoverished in sin, depraved, and under condemnation, but in the miracle of grace, the Father does not impute to us our sin but transfers on us righteousness.

Only the righteous can rejoice in heaven. But none of us are; we are not even close to perfect—our sin is miserable and grievous. Thus, God makes us righteous as a gift; he clothes us in his righteousness. And this miraculous salvation comes to us not by works, but by faith alone. The question is: Where does our sin go? If it is not credited to our account, it has to go somewhere; it cannot merely vanish. Likewise, from where do we get the righteousness? The answer is Jesus Christ!

The sin we are guilty of, the crimes we committed, the ugliness of our depravity is not imputed to us, but it is put on the Holy Christ. Jesus had no sin; no guilt stained him; no shame stuck to him. Jesus was the beautiful perfection of righteousness; he was unblemished holiness. But in love, our sin was imputed to him. Our depravity marred him. He bore our sins and transgressions in his own body. He became sin for us. And then, he imputed his righteousness to us. We are reckoned righteousness through the obedience of Christ. Our righteousness comes not from us, but it comes from outside of us, from Jesus, and as a free gift, through faith.

This is the great exchange that is the miracle of your justification. Grace imputes your sin to Jesus and then you are enfolded by love in Christ’s righteousness. This is more supernatural than turning lead into gold. And the glory of our justification is enshrined in Psalm 32, with its two-fold blessing and its double imputation. Being directed to the work of Christ for us, the psalm makes its wisdom lesson that much easier to heed—namely, if God forgives those who confess, if he justifies those who believe, then the difficulty of confession is made easy. This psalm evaporates the pride that resists confessing our sin.

If you have to uncover your sin to stand bare, it is too scary. But, if undressing your sin is for putting on a glorious new outfit, then we are eager to repent early and often to once again feel the soft fabric of Christ’s love. Let us then be quick to confess. May we hasten to the throne of grace for God’s double-blessing of pardon. Then, in the righteousness of Christ, may we rejoice and glorify our triune God, forever and ever.

©Zach Keele. All Rights Reserved.

You can find the whole series here.

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Post authored by:

• Zach Keele

  

  Rev. Zachary Keele grew up on a ranch in a small town named Crawford, Colorado. He attended Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania and received his Master of Divinity from Westminster Seminary California. He has served as the pastor of Escondido OPC since 2006.

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