Wednesday of Pentecost 15 – Psalm 32:1-7

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,
    whose sin is covered.
² Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity,
    and in whose spirit there is no deceit. ³ For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away
    through my groaning all day long.
⁴ For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
    my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah ⁵ I acknowledged my sin to you,
    and I did not cover my iniquity;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
    and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah ⁶ Therefore let everyone who is godly
    offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found;
surely in the rush of great waters,
    they shall not reach him.
⁷ You are a hiding place for me;
    you preserve me from trouble;
    you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah “I’m sorry, but…” he started. “No ‘buts!’” she said, eyes flashing. “You are sorry, or you are not sorry. The ‘buts’ are simply excuses for why you should not be sorry!” A moment of silence followed this statement. He gaped at her and she glowered. “Are you sorry?” she asked. “Yes,” he moaned. “No excuses? You should not have done it?” she persisted. “Yes, I mean no, I should not have done it.” He was in an uncomfortable and unfamiliar place. “Then, I forgive you,” she softly said, taking his hand. “I forgive you.” Forgiven! Sometimes, the psalms indicate when David wrote one of his psalms. This time, however, the psalm simply is said to be “of David.” It doesn’t tell us when he wrote this psalm but from reading it we know that he has just been forgiven. Was it after his adulterous and murderous affair with Bathsheba? Was it after his ill-conceived census? Or was it some other sin? We do not know, but David’s relief at being forgiven permeates the psalm. He remembers what it was like to be guilty. He remembers trying to keep that inside himself and how much it hurt. Confess your sin, he urges us. Seek the Lord while he may be found. His deliverance is sure, he surrounds us with shouts of deliverance. What is it like for God to forgive sins? Jesus gives us an insight in Matthew 18:10-14. ¹⁰ “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. ¹² What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? ¹³ And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. ¹⁴ So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. He rejoices over that once lost, now reclaimed lost sheep. There are no losers in forgiveness. Forgive someone today. Acknowledge the sin and acknowledge Christ’s death and resurrection for that sin and sinner. It will be a good day.