e-votional
a message to encourage and uplift from College Heights Baptist Church
Wednesday April 15, 2009
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1 How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered! 2 How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit! – Psalm 32:1-2, NASB
There are a lot of voices telling us how to be happy today. Some suggest that happiness is found in wealth and material possessions. Others might suggest that happiness comes through the pursuit of pleasure. Even more might suggest achievement or success bring true happiness. The psalmist, however, gives us a very different picture of happiness. He tells us that real happiness is found in the forgiveness of God.
King David writes this song (psalms are songs). He wrote it after coming to terms with his sin. If you remember the story, David saw his neighbor’s wife Bathsheba bathing on her rooftop. He ended up having an affair and impregnating her. David tried to cover up his sin. First, he tried tricking her husband, and when that failed, he arranged to have him murdered. Eventually, David was confronted with his iniquity and confessed his sin to God. This song was written in the aftermath.
David defines our shortcomings with three different Hebrew words. The first one speaks to our willing defiance and rebellion against God (transgression). The second speaks to us falling short of God’s standards (sin), and the third to the way we twist God’s standards (iniquity). Together, they remind us of the depth of our sin and the damage it does to us, to others, and to our relationship with God.
He also uses three different words to describe God’s forgiveness. The first speaks to our sin being taken away (forgiven), the second speaks to it being covered or hidden (covered), and the third speaks to a canceling of a debt or the dropping of a charge (does not impute). As a whole, they remind us that God thoroughly deals without sin.
David announces triumphantly that real happiness is found in knowing that one is forgiven. David had come to the realization that as grievous as his sins were to God, they were forgiven. God had canceled his debt and hidden his sin. And He can do the same for us.
We recently had an Easter egg hunt at our house. If you’ve ever hidden Easter eggs, you know that there is a trick to hiding something in plain sight. It’s hidden, but it’s visible. That’s not the way God deals with our sin. He doesn’t hide it with a corner sticking out. He doesn’t hide it where it can be found later. He doesn’t partly deal with our sin. He completely deals with it.
The key is for us to be open and honest about it. That’s what David means when he speaks of a person with no deceit. We can’t lie to ourselves about our sin, nor can we keep it from God. We need to openly and honestly trust God to deal with the shortcomings in our lives. We need to willingly accept His forgiveness. In that, we find true happiness.
Pastor Darrell
