“Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile” (Psalms 32:1–2). Freedom is such a beautiful word. The appeal of the word lies in the fact that we are not restrained by anything. In this psalm, David explores the blessings of freedom from sin.
He finished the thought in the psalm by writing, “When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. For day and night, thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and my iniquity have I not hid. I said I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin” (Psalms 32:3–5). No one can be free when they have unconfessed sins. To the stricken conscience, unresolved iniquities eat away at the mind. For someone to find relief, they have to appease the conscience and appease the one offended, which is God.
Paul quoted the first two verses of the psalm in Romans 4:7-8. Abraham needed the forgiveness of his sins, yet that would not come by perfect law-keeping. He needed mercy, and he found mercy when he believed God’s promises in Genesis 15:1-6. When we have faith in Jesus Christ, our sins can be “blotted out” (John 1:12; Acts 3:19). True, strong faith will lead someone to repent (Luke 13:3, 5), confess (Romans 10:10), and be baptized (1 Peter 3:21). Their sins will then be remitted and they will be free! They can, like the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:39), go on their way rejoicing.
Kyle Campbell
