I remember going to church when I was a
little boy and saying the words of v. 5 of this psalm every Sunday. “I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to
the LORD,’ and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.” It was a congregation of hard working folks
in rural Northern Michigan, real salt of the earth people, and week after week
we repeated the pattern of confession, absolution, scripture readings, sermon,
prayers, offerings, communion, and benediction.
Week after week we turned to this piece of this psalm to remember that
in the confidence of our salvation we confess our sins and receive His
forgiveness anew.
Over the years this pattern of confession and
absolution has become very important to me.
I’ve had many conversations with folks who are tired of hearing they are
sinners, who don’t want to be “brought down,” or are tired of the, “same ol’
same ol’.” Yet this message is central
to everything we believe.
If we tire of hearing we are sinners, then we
tire of our Savior. Or if we don’t tire
of Him, we reduce Him to less than He really is.
This psalm begins with the words, “Blessed is
the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” The word “blessed” can also be translated “happy.” It carries the whole sense of, “life is good
when ….” Life is good when your transgressions
are forgiven. Life is good when your sin
is covered.
Covered?
A quick search and scan of the uses of the word “cover” and “covered”
shows me that this is the only place that forgiveness is spoke of this way; as
covering sin. It is a powerful image
though. How often to people try to “cover
up” things they are ashamed of? Yet we
are led here to not cover our sin (v. 5).
Instead our sin must be covered for us.
This is something God must do. He
lays something over it and sees it no longer.
That something is the righteousness Jesus won for us on the cross.
When we try to cover up on our own it results
in fear and frustration. When we are
silent about our sins, our bones waste away, we suffer separation from
God. His hand of correction rests upon
us and we feel weak and weary. This too
is part of His mercy to lead us back to repentance, so that we are never
comfortable in our sins. This is why we
confess weekly!
I love v. 9 which says, “Don’t be like the
horse or mule, having no understanding….”
(my translation) These animals have to be forced to stay near their
master and go where he wants them to go.
Instead, we want to desire to walk in the ways the LORD leads us. Frankly, that means living in forgiveness,
repenting of our sins, confessing and continuing to live in forgiveness and
grace.
“Steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts
in the LORD,” says v. 10. What a wonderful promise! The word translated, “steadfast love” in the
ESV (“unfailing love” in the NIV) is ches-ed
– with a hard “ch” as in Bach. It’s
a rich word with a wide range of meaning, including loyalty, faithfulness,
favor, kindness, grace and evidence of grace.
It is everything good that God pours out on His forgiven people simply
because He loves us. This is what we
experience in weekly absolution.
The depth and range of God’s love and grace
is greater than we generally think or imagine.
The entirety of our lives is good because of God’s ches-ed. It’s nothing we
earn or deserve, but God pours it out on us simply because He is Who He
is. And that gives us confidence to
live, to trust God, and to walk in the ways of the righteous. It makes us bold to confess our
transgression, and receive God’s forgiveness.
Father, help me learn how vast your steadfast love is, and help me to live
in it and worship You. Amen.
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