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Psalm 32:4-5 – For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. 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.
Holy Scripture refers to King David as “the sweet psalmist of Israel” (2 Samuel 23:1b). Today we use his inspired songs and prayers in our worship and personal devotions. We remember him as an ancestor of Jesus. Even many unbelievers know about David. They may have heard about the shepherd boy who hurled a stone from his sling and killed the giant Goliath. Sadly enough, we also remember Israel’s king for his sins, especially his adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of Bathsheba’s husband Uriah.
Yet in his psalms, David—known for his sins as well as his songs—speaks often of his righteousness and integrity. In one psalm, David says, “So the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in His sight” (Psalm 18:24). In other psalms David wants to be judged according to his righteousness and the integrity within him. The psalmist speaks of his faithfulness. His psalms speak of the Lord’s righteousness and his own as well. We know the stories of David’s sins. Did he forget about those events in his own life? How can the psalmist speak with such confidence about his righteousness and integrity?
The psalmist is certain about his own righteousness because of his absolute confidence in the faithfulness of God. After he sinned, the psalmist felt the weight of God’s Law and said, “Day and night Your hand was heavy upon me.” Moved by the Holy Spirit, the psalmist continues, “I acknowledged my sin to You, and I did not cover my iniquity.” David knew what he had done. He repented of his sins and he did so with unwavering confidence in the steadfast love and forgiveness of God. The sweet singer and repentant sinner stood before God in righteousness and integrity because he knew that the Lord had forgiven him: “I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,’ and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.” Those words shape our own confident prayers. Soon it will be Ash Wednesday. Throughout the season of Lent we will follow our Lord as He takes up His path to the cross. It is a season of repentance, and we will remember how our Lord Jesus, the Son of David, took the burden of our sins onto Himself on the cross. Jesus suffered and died so that our sins are forgiven. Set free from sin and guilt, we stand before God in righteousness and integrity. Like the sweet psalmist of Israel, we can be confident in the steadfast love and forgiveness of the Lord.
WE PRAY: Heavenly Father, have mercy on me and forgive my sins for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler.
Reflection Questions:
- Why is confession always a smart move when our sins drag us down?
- David did some pretty harmful things. How could he feel confident in God’s forgiveness?
- What lesson is there for us in David’s misdeeds and his understanding that God still loved and cared for him?
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