Saturday, April 22, 2023

God forgives us our sins and gives us righteousness.

The LORD forgives our sins, if we confess our sins to Him.  He washes away and cover all our sins of the past.   He puts them out of sight.   We are considered righteous because God the Father imputes the righteousness of Jesus into us.   We dont deserve those gifts, but because of God's love and mercy, He gave us forgiveness and righteousness.   There is great joy for those whose sin is put out of sight! (Psalm 32:1).  The Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him.  We should rejoice in the Lord and be glad, because we are now righteous.  Let us sing because we were made upright in our hearts.   Thank you LORD that you have forgiven me for my past sins. Thank you LORD for making me pure within.

Text:  Psalm 32   New International Version

1   Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.

2   Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit.

3   When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.

4   For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.

5   Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity.   I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.”   And you forgave the guilt of my sin.

6   Therefore let all the faithful pray to you while you may be found;  surely the rising of the mighty waters will not reach them.

7   You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.

8   I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;  I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.

9   Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.

10  Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him.

11   Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

[From ODB]   José, a young believer in Jesus, was visiting his brother’s church. As he entered the sanctuary prior to the service, his brother’s face fell when he saw him. José’s tattoos, covering both arms, were visible since he was wearing a T-shirt. His brother told him to go home and put on a long-sleeved shirt, for many of José’s tattoos reflected the ways of his past. José suddenly felt dirty. But another man overheard the brothers’ interaction and brought José to the pastor, telling him what had happened. The pastor smiled and unbuttoned his shirt, revealing a large tattoo on his chest—something from his own past. He assured José that because God had made him pure from the inside out, he didn't need to cover his arms.

David experienced the joy of being made pure by God. After confessing his sin to Him, the king wrote, “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight!” (Psalm 32:1 nlt). He could now “shout for joy” with others “whose hearts are pure!” (v. 11 nlt). The apostle Paul later quoted Psalm 32:1–2 in Romans 4:7–8, a passage declaring that faith in Jesus leads to salvation and a pure standing before Him (see Romans 4:23–25). 

Our purity in Jesus is much more than skin deep, for He knows and purifies our hearts (1 Samuel 16:7; 1 John 1:9). May we rejoice in His purifying work today. By Tom Felten

[From Commentary]  While some of David’s psalms contain information in the superscription about the historical context that birthed the song, Psalm 32 doesn’t. It merely ascribes authorship to David and adds: “A maskil” (a meditation). Despite this lack of information, some scholars dogmatically declare Psalm 32 to be a companion psalm to Psalm 51, which describes David’s repentance following his sin with Bathsheba. It’s clear that Psalm 32 contains elements of confession and repentance, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s related to the Bathsheba incident. We need to be careful about making assumptions regarding the biblical text and say no more and no less than what the Bible says. by Bill Crowder

[From me]  The LORD forgives our sins, if we confess our sins to Him.  He washes away and cover all our sins of the past.   He puts them out of sight.   We are considered righteous because God the Father imputes the righteousness of Jesus into us.   We dont deserve, but because of God's love and mercy, He gave us forgiveness and righteousness.   There is great joy for those whose sin is put out of sight! (Psalm 32:1).  Thank you LORD that you have forgiven me for my past sins. Thank you LORD for making me pure within.

Posted April 22, 2023