Psalm 32:5 Kommentar

This psalm, though it speaks not of Christ, as many of the psalms we have hitherto met with have done, has yet a great deal of gospel in it. The apostle tells us that David, in this psalm, describes "the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputes righteousness without words," Rom 4:6. We have here a summary, I. Of gospel grace in the pardon of sin (Psa 32:1, Psa 32:2), in divine protection (Psa 32:7), and divine guidance (Psa 32:8). II. Of gospel duty. To confess sin (Psa 32:3-5), to pray (Psa 32:6), to govern ourselves well (Psa 32:9, Psa 32:10), and to rejoice in God (Psa 32:11). The way to obtain these privileges is to make conscience of these duties, which we ought to think of - of the former for our comfort, of the latter for our quickening, when we sing this psalm. Grotius thinks it was designed to be sung on the day of atonement. A psalm of David, Maschil.

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 32 A Psalm, of David, Maschil. This is the first of the psalms that bears this title: some think it is the name of a musical instrument, on which this psalm was sung; others the first word of a song, to the tune of which it was sung, as Aben Ezra; some say it is so called, because it was explained by an interpreter, as Jarchi; and the Rabbins (k) say, that every psalm that is called "Maschil" was dictated by an interpreter: the Targum renders it "a good understanding"; and the word properly signifies "instruction", or "causing to understand" (l); and it may be the apostle has some reference to this title in Co1 14:15; It is an instructive psalm; a didascalic ode, as Junius renders it: it gives an account how the psalmist was instructed under a dispensation of Providence; and was brought to a sense of sin, and acknowledgment of it; and was favoured with a discovery of pardoning grace; and in it he takes upon him to instruct others, Psa 32:8, and does instruct in the doctrine of the pardon of sin by the grace of God. (k) Elias Levita in Tishbi, p. 271. (l) "erudiens", Musculus, Munster, Vatablus, Montanus; "informans", Gejerus; "an instructing psalm", Ainsworth.

I acknowledged my sin unto thee,.... The sin of Adam, in which he was concerned; original sin, the corruption of his nature, the sin that dwelt in him, his private and secret sins, which none knew but God and himself; even all his sins, which were many, with all their aggravated circumstances; wherefore he uses various words to express them by, in this and the following clauses; as "sin", "iniquity", and "transgressions"; the same that are used in the doctrine of pardon in the preceding verses; his confession being of the same extent with pardon, and all these he calls his own; as nothing is more a man's own than his sins are; and these the psalmist acknowledged to the Lord; or "made", or "will make known" (p) to him: not that any sin is unknown to God, even the most secret ones; but they may be said to be made known to God, when a sinner makes a sincere and hearty acknowledgment of them before him, and expresses his own sense of them; how that they are with him, and ever before him, what knowledge rather he has of them, how much he is affected with them, and concerned for the commission of them; and such an acknowledgment the Lord expects and requires of his people, Jer 3:12; and mine iniquity have I not hid; by retaining it as a sweet morsel under his tongue; for he not only acknowledged it, but forsook it; or by not confessing it, as Achan; for not confessing sin is the of hiding it; or by denying it, as Gehazi, Ananias and Sapphira; or by palliating and extenuating it; or by casting the blame on others, as did Adam and his wife; see Job 31:33; or by covering it with a guise of sanctify and religion; I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; not unto men, though in some cases confession of sin is to be made to men; a confession of it in general is to be made to the churches, and administrators of ordinances, in order to admission into a church state, and to the ordinances of Christ, Mat 3:6; and in case of private offences, faults are to be confessed one to another, and forgiveness granted; and in case of public offences, a confession should be made to a church publicly; partly for the satisfaction of the church, and partly for the glory of divine grace; but confession is not to be made to a priest, or to a person in a ministerial character, in order for absolution; but to the Lord only, against whom sin is committed, and who only can pardon it: and this the psalmist saith in his heart he would do, and did do it; he not only confessed facts, but the fault of them, with their evil circumstances, and that he justly deserved punishment for them; and this he did from his heart, with abhorrence of the sins committed by him, and in faith, with a view to the pardoning mercy of God in Christ; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. That is, either the guilt of his sin, which he took away from him; or the punishment of it, which he delivered him from: moreover, this phrase may denote the exceeding sinfulness of sin, and so may both express the sense which the psalmist had of it, and exalt the grace of God in the forgiveness of it; by which must be meant a fresh manifestation and application of pardon to his soul: now, when confession of sin, and remission of it, are thus put together, the sense is not that confession of sin is the cause of pardon; it is not the moving cause of it, that is the grace and mercy of God; nor the procuring and meritorious cause of it, that is the blood of Christ: it is not for the sake of a sinner's confession of sin, but for Christ's sake, that sin is forgiven; but this is the way in which it is enjoyed; and such as truly repent of sin, and sincerely confess it, are the persons to whom the Lord manifests his forgiving love; such may expect it, Pro 28:13. Selah; on this word; see Gill on Psa 3:2. (p) "cognoscere feci te", Pagninus, Montanus; so Musculus, Vatablus; so Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, & Gejerus, to the same purport.

People had evil thoughts. They were revealed to bring them into the open and destroy them. Once they had been killed and are dead, they would cease to exist. He who died for us would kill them. For, as long as such thoughts were hidden and not brought out into the open, it was quite impossible to kill them. Thus, if we ourselves have sinned, we ought to say, “I made my sin known to you, and I have not hidden my iniquity. I said, “Against myself shall I proclaim my injustice to the Lord.’ ”

"I acknowledged my sin, and my unrighteousness have I not hid:" that is, my unrighteousness have I not concealed. "I said, I will confess against myself my unrighteousness to the Lord:" I said, I will confess, not against God (as in my ungodly crying, when I kept silence), but against myself, my unrighteousness to the Lord. "And Thou forgavest the iniquity of my heart" [Psalm 32:5]; hearing the word of confession in the heart, before it was uttered with the voice.

Just as I sinned and was punished, so I acknowledged it and was saved.… He wishes to bring out also the promptness of God’s lovingkindness, saying, I shall confess, that is, I resolved to confess the fault to the Lord, and your pardon anticipated my confession.

When David said, “I have sinned against the Lord,” Nathan replied, “The Lord has put away your sin, you will not die.” He did, however, threaten to fill his house with calamities of all kinds; here too likewise, “You put away the impiety of my sin”: immediately after perpetrating such things, he is saying, I should have been consigned to death according to the law, but you applied your lovingkindness and did not so consign me, keeping my treatment to moderate censure.

A righteous person accuses himself at the beginning of his speech.

Pray first to receive tears, so that through compunction you may be able to mollify the wildness that is in your soul, and, having confessed against yourself your transgression to the Lord, you may obtain forgiveness from him.

Fools … think that God is unable to know what they are doing. In contrast, those who know that all things are known to him get down on their knees for humble confession and vows of repentance so that they may not experience a hostile Judge when they are able to have a merciful Advocate.

He suddenly absolved his sins, for he judges the devoted prayer as if the work were already carried out. The penitent resolved in his heart that what he had done not be kept silent from the Lord. And then as if he had already made all of his sins known, he received forgiveness for everything that he wanted to confess. And rightly so, for the will alone either brings someone absolution or punishment. “I will pronounce,” means, “I will confess publicly” in order that my pious and faithful confession may draw others to imitate this action. From this self-accusation follows the saving remedy, since the Judge spares the defendant when he does not spare himself.

Just as we can never be without the wounds of sins, so we should never lack the remedy of confession. God wants us to confess our sins, not because he himself cannot know them but because the devil longs to find something to charge us with before the tribunal of the eternal Judge and wants us to defend rather than to acknowledge our sins. Our God, on the contrary, because he is good and merciful, wants us to confess them in this world so we will not be confounded by them later on in the world to come. If we confess our sins, he spares us; if we acknowledge them, he forgives.

Then when he says "My offense." First, he sets forth the confession. Second, he shows its efficacy, at "I said, I will confess." But because a person ought to confess two things, namely, good things omitted and evil things committed, as to the first he says, "My offense," namely, that I omitted doing what I should have done, "I have made known to you" -- not that God does not know, but when a person acknowledges his sin, then he also wants God to know it, so that he may pardon it. As to the second, he says, "My injustice I have not hidden": Job 31: "If I have hidden my sin as a man," etc. Prov. 28: "He who hides his crimes," etc. The efficacy of confession is shown when he says, "I said, I will confess." The effect of confession is the remission of sins. He says therefore, "I said," that is, I purposed in my heart: "I will confess to the Lord," that is, for the honor of the Lord: Josh. 7: "Give glory to the Lord God of Israel, and confess," etc. "My injustice," not my good deeds; "against myself," not in my favor. Someone confesses his sin, but against his neighbor, saying, "Another led me into it." Against nature: "It happened from frailty." Against God: "I could not resist." 2 Sam. 24: "I am the one who sinned; I am the one who acted unjustly." Or "against myself," that is, against my own resolution, by which I had resolved to remain in sin. The remission follows: "And you forgave": Sir. 2: "He forgives sins in the time of tribulation." But against this: such is the efficacy of confession that not only when one actually confesses, but even while having the resolution to confess, one obtains remission. Therefore sin is remitted before one confesses: Is. 65: "And it shall be that before they cry out, I will hear." What then does confession accomplish? It must be said that the resolution to perform an action operates by virtue of the thing resolved upon, so that it may come to pass. Hence if the operation of that thing ceases, the effect ceases. And therefore it is necessary to persevere in the resolution. Nevertheless, in the actual confession of sins and in absolution by the power of the keys, part of the punishment is remitted, and on account of the shame involved, greater grace is conferred, and many good things follow.

Maschil--literally, "giving instruction." The Psalmist describes the blessings of His forgiveness, succeeding the pains of conviction, and deduces from his own experience instruction and exhortation to others. (Psa 32:1-11) (Compare Rom 4:6). forgiven--literally, "taken away," opposed to retain (Joh 20:23). covered--so that God no longer regards the sin (Psa 85:3).

A prompt fulfilment of the purposed confession is followed by a prompt forgiveness.