Contemplating Forgiveness, Urging Repentance
Psalms 32:1-2
November 28, 2021
This morning we find ourselves between two book studies.
• Having finished Ecclesiastes last week
• Planning to begin 1 John next week
This morning provided an opportunity to study wherever we wanted,
And that is always an easy decision.
When the topic can be anything, how could it be anything
Other than the glorious forgiveness purchased for us
Through the work of our Savior Jesus Christ?
Paul said it like this:
1 Corinthians 2:1-2 “And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.”
THIS MORNING we will also take a moment
And remember the wonderful forgiveness which was purchased for us
Through the cross of Jesus Christ.
And while we all just came through Thanksgiving
• And many of us sat around a family table eating all manner of good food,
• It certainly seems to fit that this week culminate by sitting at our favorite table
• Which is the Lord’s Table and feasting upon the riches of His sacrifice.
In order to prepare our hearts for this rich feast
WE ARE GOING TO STUDY A VERY POPULAR TEXT.
We are looking at the first 2 verses of Psalms 32.
Psalm 32 in it’s entirety is a Psalm on the joy and value of repentance,
But it’s the first 2 verses we are primarily interested in this morning.
And in those first 2 verses there are 3 things we want to discuss.
#1 THE IDENTITY OF SIN
Psalms 32:1-2
One of the things that comes to light in these 2 verses
Is the various ways in which sin is described.
David uses 3 different words for sin here.
• “transgression”
• “sin”
• “iniquity”
In one sense we would just see these as synonyms
And there is nothing wrong with that.
And yet, there are differences in each of these words
That perhaps helps us get a better grasp on exactly what sin is.
In our culture today the word “sin”
Isn’t so much taboo as it is disregarded.
There was a time when people shied away from the word “sin” or “sinner”
But in our day and time it is a word that no longer seems bother anyone.
We hear phrases like,
• “Well we’re all sinners”
• “Everybody sins”
Almost as though it’s really not that big of a deal.
Obviously such a nonchalant view of sin is A MISTAKE
Since the Bible is extremely clear what sin brings.
Romans 6:23a “For the wages of sin is death…”
And this we saw from the very beginning.
• We saw Adam and Eve removed from the garden.
• We saw the curse fall upon the earth.
• By Genesis 5 we were smacked in the face with the recurring phrase, “And he
died…” “And he died…” “And he died…”
• And by Genesis 6 every living thing with breath in its nostrils died except for
Noah’s family and the remnant of animals he saved.
The initial understanding of sin is that whatever it is, it is so bad
That it motivates the Creator of all things to kill all things.
THAT MAKES SIN TERRIFYING.
• But what is it?
• Why is it so bad?
• Why does it anger God so?
Well there is some explanation to that bound up in these 3 words.
And it is important that you understand this.
Let’s look at the words David used.
“transgression”
The Hebrew word is PESA (peh’-shah)
And it means “Rebellion” or “A Revolt”
It is a word that speaks of a subordinate
Who seeks to get out from under the authority of their superior.
It is a mutiny, an act of defiance.
Genesis 31:36 “Then Jacob became angry and contended with Laban; and Jacob said to Laban, “What is my transgression? What is my sin that you have hotly pursued me?”
Jacob wanted to know what his rebellion was that would cause Laban to be so suspicious and pursue him?
And certainly just from that aspect
We can begin to understand why it is a big deal to God.
• It is the utter audacity that this creature who was formed out of the dirt would
dare to defy the living God.
• It is unthinkable arrogance that the clay would rebel against the potter.
• It is the mindboggling disrespect that one who derives their very life and
being from God would then seek to escape from under His sovereign hand.
THAT ALONE IS BAD ENOUGH.
But there is even more to the word than just a rebellion.
We see the word also in Exodus 22
Exodus 22:7-9 “If a man gives his neighbor money or goods to keep for him and it is stolen from the man’s house, if the thief is caught, he shall pay double. “If the thief is not caught, then the owner of the house shall appear before the judges, to determine whether he laid his hands on his neighbor’s property. “For every breach of trust, whether it is for ox, for donkey, for sheep, for clothing, or for any lost thing about which one says, ‘This is it,’ the case of both parties shall come before the judges; he whom the judges condemn shall pay double to his neighbor.”
In that passage the word is translated “breach of trust”
There is a personal aspect to this.
• This was a man who entrusted something to his neighbor
• And not only did the neighbor rebel against his wishes,
• But the neighbor also violated his trust.
MORE THAN JUST REBELLION IT IS ALSO BETRAYAL.
And we are talking here about how man does this to God.
• It is Adam and Even defiantly eating from the tree from which they were forbidden to eat…
• It is the Children of Israel entering covenant with God and then defiantly choosing to worship other gods…
• It is any man who derives his life and breathe from God seeking to remove God’s authoritative hand from his life without any gratitude or thought to all that God has done for him.
There is a sting in this.
There is pain in this.
And according to David, this is WHAT WE HAVE DONE TO GOD.
You wonder why transgression is such a bad thing,
And why God would punish it with death,
It’s because through it we have treated God
As He did not deserve to be treated.
He created us
In Him we live and move and exist
He has good will toward us
We owe Him all things
AND YET WE disregard His commands, reject His authority,
Despise His commands, and go our own way.
This is not only insubordination, but it is also a personal offence
To our God who deserves better.
Romans 1:21 “For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”
Or consider:
Isaiah 1:2-4 “Listen, O heavens, and hear, O earth; For the LORD speaks, “Sons I have reared and brought up, But they have revolted against Me. “An ox knows its owner, And a donkey its master’s manger, But Israel does not know, My people do not understand.” Alas, sinful nation, People weighed down with iniquity, Offspring of evildoers, Sons who act corruptly! They have abandoned the LORD, They have despised the Holy One of Israel, They have turned away from Him.”
Malachi 1:6a “‘A son honors his father, and a servant his master. Then if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My respect?’ says the LORD of hosts…”
You see the frustration from God.
It is transgression.
And it comes with such a sting that
It causes one to forget any previous good.
Ezekiel 33:12a “And you, son of man, say to your fellow citizens, ‘The righteousness of a righteous man will not deliver him in the day of his transgression…”
We have all done this to God.
Perhaps you see why it is such a big deal to Him.
Perhaps you see why God judges it with death.
There’s another word David uses here.
“sin”
This is the Hebrew word HATA’A (khat-aw-aw’)
And this word means “an offense”
Certainly in our culture today we understand the term “OFFENDED”.
We live in a culture now that is offended by everything
And we have seen society literally begin to turn itself upside down
In order to keep from offending people.
Oddly enough the only One they aren’t worried about offending is God.
This word is the first word that is used to describe sin in the Bible.
Genesis 4:7 “If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.”
The warning to Cain?
If you don’t watch yourself then you will offend God.
Consider these passages:
Exodus 32:21 “Then Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you, that you have brought such great sin upon them?” (golden calf)
Exodus 32:30-31 “On the next day Moses said to the people, “You yourselves have committed a great sin; and now I am going up to the LORD, perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” Then Moses returned to the LORD, and said, “Alas, this people has committed a great sin, and they have made a god of gold for themselves.”
That golden calf was a great offense to God.
It was supposed to be a depiction of Him and it was offensive.
• Any graven image is offensive to God because they all do nothing but dumb Him down.
• And this gaudy golden calf was no different.
Here’s another one:
2 Kings 17:21 “When He had torn Israel from the house of David, they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king. Then Jeroboam drove Israel away from following the LORD and made them commit a great sin.”
This sin of Jeroboam was a big deal!
9 times in the book of 2 Kings we read about how a king “did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat.”
Do you know what that sin was?
• He built those golden calves
• And told the northern tribes of Israel to worship there instead of Jerusalem.
It was an offense to God!
God never let forgot those things
Until He finally removed Israel from His sight.
Hosea 8:5-7 “He has rejected your calf, O Samaria, saying, “My anger burns against them!” How long will they be incapable of innocence? For from Israel is even this! A craftsman made it, so it is not God; Surely the calf of Samaria will be broken to pieces. For they sow the wind And they reap the whirlwind. The standing grain has no heads; It yields no grain. Should it yield, strangers would swallow it up.”
IT IS TO OFFEND GOD.
And this we have all also done.
Romans 1:25 “For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.”
And it is to offend Him to the point
That He is willing to destroy those whom He has created.
• So you’ve got “transgression” which is to rebel.
• And you’ve got “sin” which is to offend.
A third word David uses.
“iniquity”
This is the Hebrew word AON (aw-vone)
And it is a word that speaks of “perversity” or “depravity” or “intrinsic guilt”
We talk about how after Adam sinned the image was marred or distorted.
Adam was to bear the divine image, but Adam perverted that image.
As we said when speaking about Adam,
It wasn’t that all of a sudden his physical appearance changed,
It was that his nature was distorted.
We are talking here about an INTERNAL DEPRAVITY or perversion.
Jeremiah 2:22 “Although you wash yourself with lye And use much soap, The stain of your iniquity is before Me,” declares the Lord GOD.”
Isaiah 64:6 “For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.”
And we are talking about that which is UNIVERSAL to the human race
Because we all inherit this same perversion and distortion
From our father Adam.
It is generational.
Exodus 20:5 “You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,”
Isaiah 14:21 “Prepare for his sons a place of slaughter Because of the iniquity of their fathers. They must not arise and take possession of the earth And fill the face of the world with cities.”
It speaks to the OVERALL FALLENNESS of humanity.
It is the notion of “there is none who does good, not even one”
Since the fall, all humanity is a distortion.
• All of humanity is in perverse depravity and wickedness.
• We all fall short of the divine image.
• We all fall short of the glory of God.
• We all bear Adam’s defect.
• We are distorted clay pots, a mere distortion of the original intent.
• We don’t measure up.
What we have become and how we live
Is perverse and deprave before God.
It is the disgust you feel
As we read about the “deeds of the flesh” from Paul.
Galatians 5:19-21 “Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
It’s just ungodliness and perversion which appalls us at the deepest level.
AND WE, BY OUR VERY NATURE HAVE SO APPALLED GOD.
Is it any wonder then that God has dealt with such sin with death?
Now these are the 3 words which David used to give us a picture of sin
And to help us understand why it brings with it the wages of death.
• We see humanity has rebelled against God.
• We see humanity as participants in that which offends God.
• We see humanity as those who are perverted and deprave before God at their
deepest level.
And when you understand that THIS IS WHERE WE ARE,
It really does cause one to wonder
WHY GOD WOULD HAVE ALLOWED US TO HANG AROUND THIS LONG?
It certainly explains His decision to flood the earth in the days of Noah.
“Sinner” is far from an insignificant title.
To be called a sinner is to be called that which is:
• At enmity with God through rebellion,
• In danger before God because of offence,
• By our very nature perverse and guilty before a Holy God.
THIS IS NOT A TITLE TO RELISH IN.
That is the identity of sin.
But there is a second reality here David would show.
#2 THE AVAILABILITY OF FORGIVENESS
Psalms 32:1-2
I know we spent a lengthy time on the issue of what sin is,
But it is necessary that we might better understand the joy of David here.
David uses the phrase “How blessed” twice.
It is a statement that you and I are supposed to ponder.
We are supposed to think about the deep offense of sin
And the judgment that accompanies it.
We are supposed to grieve under the weight
Of having offended a Holy God.
And then we are supposed to contemplate how good it would be
If that same God whom we have so greatly offended
Were to pronounce us forgiven.
Well you also notice that accompanying each of those descriptive words of sin also comes words of forgiveness.
We have “transgression” which is rebellion against God.
• But David contemplates the blessing of having it “forgiven”
We have “sin” which is an offence to God.
• But David contemplates the blessing of having it “covered”
We have “iniquity” which is a detestably deprave nature.
• But David contemplates the blessing of it “not being imputed” to us.
So let’s now examine those words.
“forgiven”
Is the Hebrew word NASA (naw-saw)
It means “to lift up” or “to bear up” or “to carry”
After Cain sinned by killing Abel God punished him.
Cain responded:
Genesis 4:13 “Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is too great to bear!”
Cain said, “I can’t carry all of this burden”
“forgiven”
Here is a word that speaks of someone else carrying it for you.
The most vivid picture in Old Testament life was during the Day of Atonement.
Leviticus 16:21 “Then Aaron shall lay both of his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the sons of Israel and all their transgressions in regard to all their sins; and he shall lay them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who stands in readiness. “The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to a solitary land; and he shall release the goat in the wilderness.”
“bear on itself” is the same Hebrew word.
So if you want to hear what David is so happy about
It is that he has rebelled against God,
But God has chosen to put that rebellion on someone else.
David basically says, “Wouldn’t that be great!”
Wouldn’t it be awesome if instead of punishing you, God chose to put your rebellion somewhere else?
What a blessing would that be?
The next word David uses
“covered”
In the Hebrew it is KASA (kaw-saw)
(naw-saw & kaw-saw) you see the poetry here.
KASA means literally “to cover”
It brings the idea of concealing it from view.
Job asked:
Job 31:33 “Have I covered my transgressions like Adam, By hiding my iniquity in my bosom,”
• Job argued that he was humble and honest before God by not trying to hide or
cover up his sin before God.
The beauty of forgiveness is when God covers our sin up for us.
Isaiah 61:10 “I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, My soul will exult in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.”
Wouldn’t it be a blessing if when we offended God, our offense was covered so He couldn’t see it?
Wouldn’t it be a blessing if someone would have thrown a tarp over that golden calf and God had not seen it?
So we have REBELLION but it is NASA – carried by someone else.
We have OFFENCE, but it is KASA – covered up by God and not seen.
David also speaks of a third blessing.
“the LORD does not impute iniquity”
“impute” there is HASAB (khaw-shab)
It means “to think” or “to esteem” or “to make a judgment” or “to count”
Isaiah 29:16 “You turn things around! Shall the potter be considered as equal with the clay, That what is made would say to its maker, “He did not make me”; Or what is formed say to him who formed it, “He has no understanding”?”
And it is a very dangerous word for a sinner.
No one wants to be considered by God as a perverse and deprave sinner.
Job 19:11 “He has also kindled His anger against me And considered me as His enemy.
That is a horrific way to be viewed by God.
Just ask Sodom and Gomorrah
The most famous use of the word is:
Genesis 15:6 “Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.”
• There the word is translated “reckoned”
• There it is God choosing to consider Abraham to be righteous.
And this is the blessing David is referring to.
Wouldn’t it be great if even though we were sinful, God didn’t consider us to be sinners?
NOW THINK ABOUT THESE THREE FOR A MOMENT.
DAVID IS OUTLINING TRUE BLESSING FOR YOU.
In fact, it is somewhat immeasurable blessing for David only says, “How Blessed!”
David is saying wouldn’t it be great if:
• Those who rebelled against God, that instead of bearing the weight of their
guilt, God put that burden somewhere else?
• Those who offended God, that instead of punishing them, God just covered that
offense up where He no longer saw it?
• Those who are deprave and detestable, God just started considering them as
though they weren’t?
Think about that.
Wouldn’t that be great!
Think about that in any relationship, even human ones.
Suppose there is someone you’d like to be friends with, or someone you’d like to impress, but they can’t stand you.
• To them, you are offensive.
• To them, you are perverse and deprave.
• To them, you are rebellious and full of betrayal.
And you come up to them and say, “I realize that I betrayed you and offended you, and that my very being is pretty much repulsive to you in every way. But do you think you could just forget all that and start looking at me like someone you really like?”
If you approach someone like that they’re going to laugh in your face!
But David says that is exactly the blessing
He is talking about between us and God.
That even though we betrayed God, and are offensive to God, and are pretty much repulsive and detestable in every possible way to Him,
WE WERE JUST WONDERING IF
He’d maybe start looking at us like He liked us instead.
And the blessing here from David is that apparently God said, “YES!”
WHY?
Well, you know the answer.
It is all because of Christ.
When God chose not to impute your iniquity to you,
It’s because He was willing to instead impute it to Jesus Christ.
Remember that word means “credited” or “to count” or “to esteem”
Isaiah 53:3-4 “He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted.”
In that passage the word “esteem” is the same word.
We committed “iniquity”
But it wasn’t us who was treated as such.
Isaiah 53:5-6 “… He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.”
Isaiah 53:11b “…He will bear their iniquities.”
Here we have Jesus who was perfectly righteous,
But He was never credited as He should have been.
He should have been esteemed, but He was not.
Instead, God imputed our sin to Him.
2 Corinthians 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
When we talk about sin being covered, that was also thanks to Christ,
For we then were covered by His righteous robe.
This is the glory of the phrase “in Him”
Philippians 3:8-9 “More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,”
In the Old Testament we read phrases like “my refuge” or “my hiding place” or “my strong tower”.
They are all pictures of the wicked looking for a place to hide
So that their sin might be covered.
In the tribulation they will call to “the mountains and the hills” to fall on them and cover their sin before a holy God.
But we are only covered in Christ.
We are only hidden in Him.
Our sin was imputed to Christ and His righteousness was imputed to us.
David also spoke of forgiveness.
To have someone else bear the weight of our punishment.
And we read:
Isaiah 53:4 “Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted.”
Isaiah 53:12 “Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors.”
We were the transgressors, but:
Isaiah 53:5 “But He was pierced through for our transgressions…”
In short, Christ bore the weight and the burden of our rebellion.
• We rebelled, God pierced Him.
• We offended, God covered our offence with Christ’s righteousness.
• We are deprave, God imputed that to Christ and crushed Him for it.
• He was the scapegoat, we are the forgiven.
• He was the victim, we are the covered.
• He was the judged, we are the esteemed.
It’s no wonder then that David says, “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,”
This is an enormous blessing that we should escape such wrath
While Christ should take our place.
Now, I know we are short on time, but there is one more phrase
In Psalms 32:2 that cannot be overlooked.
David makes one more statement, and it is our final point.
#3 THE URGENCE OF REPENTANCE
Psalms 32:2b
“And in whose spirit there is no deceit!”
This is one more statement that David makes.
It is another aspect to the blessing of being forgiven.
But what does he mean?
“deceit” is REMIYA (rem-ee-yaw) and it can certainly mean deceitful.
But it also is often translated as “slothful” or “idle” or “slack”
Proverbs 10:4 “Poor is he who works with a negligent hand, But the hand of the diligent makes rich.”
Proverbs 12:24 “The hand of the diligent will rule, But the slack hand will be put to forced labor.”
And this negligence is what David refers to here.
There is the undefinable blessing of forgiveness for the most vile sinner,
How blessed is the man who isn’t too negligent to take advantage of it!
And that is what the rest of the Psalm is about.
(READ PSALMS 32:3-11)
• Do you hear David say that for a while he was negligent to repent?
• Do you hear David say that once he found repentance he enjoyed forgiveness?
• Do you hear David tell you that you should not be stubborn, but also repent?
HE IS GIVING A WARNING
To those who will miss out on the blessing of forgiveness.
LISTEN TO ME.
• There is no greater blessing than to be considered righteous by God.
• There is no greater blessing than to have your sin covered.
• There is no greater blessing than forgiveness.
BUT IT IS NOT A UNIVERSAL BLESSING!
It is NOT automatically on all men.
It is only on those who repent of their sin and trust in Christ.
They get forgiveness, everyone else gets judgment.
David says, “Don’t be a negligent person”
The writer of Hebrews asked:
Hebrews 2:3 “how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?”
YOU WON’T!
Matthew 22:4-5 “Again he sent out other slaves saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast.” ’ “But they paid no attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another to his business,
The king burned those people’s city with fire.
Hebrews 10:29 “How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?”
But for those who are in Christ!
• All our transgressions have been carried by Christ.
• All of our sins have been covered by His righteousness.
• All of our iniquity was imputed to Him and He paid the penalty.
THIS MORNING we come to the table of the Lord to celebrate His work.
This cracker represents His body in which He lived an obedient life and satisfied the righteous requirement of God.
It is the righteousness that we are covered with before God.
Jesus said this body is “for you”.
This juice represents His blood which was shed as He bore our sin and our guilt and suffered the wrath of God for our rebellion and our offense.
Jesus said His blood is “for you”.
And it all comes with one command.
“Do this in remembrance of Me”
That we will do this morning.
