Contemplative Bible Reading

Some thoughts about Bible verses

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The Joy that Results from Confession

May 12th, 2012 · No Comments

Psalm 32:1-5 (New Living Translation)

1 Oh, what joy for those
whose disobedience is forgiven,
whose sin is put out of sight!
2 Yes, what joy for those
whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt,
whose lives are lived in complete honesty!
3 When I refused to confess my sin,
my body wasted away,
and I groaned all day long.
4 Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me.
My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat.Interlude

5 Finally, I confessed all my sins to you
and stopped trying to hide my guilt.
I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.”
And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.

This is the beginning of a Psalm of David.

David, who had more than a few major sins in his life, writes about confessing and not confessing. Joy comes from confessing. It is not the confessing that brings the joy, but the forgiveness of God that comes after the confessing.

Confessing rids the heart of guilt. This is because of God’s forgiveness. God is faithful to forgive.

One note here – don’t expect people to act like God. There are many people who will not forgive upon my confession of sin. Some will nod and smile and say they forgive, but they will live as if I never confessed. I know this because I have done this – nod, smile, and act like I forgive while still holding onto that sin of yours until it is convenient for me to use it against you.

Tags: Old Testament · Psalms

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