Sunday Morning Service (Psalm 51)

Psalm 51

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"The Road Map Home"  •  1.03.16  •  Calvary Christian Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service

Intro

- The superscription at the top of the Psalm tells us that this was written when "Nathan the prophet went to him after he had gone into Bathsheba."

- If Psalm 32 describes the year leading up to Nathan's famous "You are the man!" statement, then Psalm 51 captures the immediate thoughts and prayers of the King.

- Of the seven "Penitential" Psalms, this is certainly the most famous and most loved of them all, more than likely, because of the raw vulnerability displayed.

- If you ever wanted to know what it means to be broken over your own sin and to find God's way back from it, this is the chapter that will be the most instructive.

- In this chapter, David works around three themes that provide the framework for dealing with our sin. If we are to have victory over sin, we must follow this pattern.

I. Resign The Conflict (v.1-6)

II. Restore The Conscience (v.7-11)

III. Resolve To Cooperate (v.12-19)

Text

I. Resign The Conflict (v.1-6)

• Psalm 51:1 : "Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions." : David begins with a plea to God for mercy.  There is always a vital distinction to be made when discussing mercy and grace.

- Grace is getting what you do not deserve. Mercy is not getting what you do deserve. A plea then for mercy carries with it the knowledge of guilt and the rightful, deserved retribution of God.

- If a person is ever to receive grace, he must first understand that he requires God to have mercy upon him. Have mercy on me according to your lovingkindness.

- That word refers to God's covenant love. David has not lived up to the covenant that God had made with him, but still begs the Lord to be faithful to His part of the covenant.

- Certainly, this is his only hope, for if God were to deal with him on the basis of justice or righteousness or law, David would have been obliterated!

- David knows the futility of his situation apart from God and begs God to deal with him according to the abundance of His own mercies.

- God's merciful storehouse is abundant and within, there is a multitude of "tender mercies."

- I often echo Jeremiah's words in Lamentations 3:23 when I pray. As Jeremiah viewed the ruins of Israel, he noted that the remnant of Israel had not been destroyed, God's mercies being new.

- Essentially, these are the compassionate choices of the Lord. When used elsewhere, the word refers to the tenderness of an expectant Mother toward her child.

- Long before a child enters the world, the Mother has already tenderly concerned herself with the child's well being.

- With that tenderness in mind, David requests that the Lord "blot out" or wipe away and erase the transgressions. David's humble position prayerfully speaks volumes to you and I.

- There is no attempt to hide or to explain away his sin. There is a plea for mercy.

• Psalm 51:2-4 : "Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight—That You may be found just when You speak, and blameless when You judge." : When we covered Psalm 32, we noted the difference between the technical words for evil.

- David applies each one to himself. His iniquity. His sin. His transgression. Whatever definition there was, David owned it all and was filthy before the Lord.

- He had been a rebel against God's law. He had missed the mark of the standard laid out before him and he had given into the crooked bent of his lust. Spiritually, he had soiled himself!

- In the darkness of sinful company, one might not even notice, but the light of God's presence exposes a filth that is comprehensive. The King rightly asks God to wash him thoroughly, completely.

- The words describe a process used with soiled clothes by launderers, who virtually beat out a person's clothing by stomping on them. The clothing was trampled until clean and soft again.

- Essentially, David wants to feel like new again before the Lord and only God can do this!

- David recognized and confessed his rebellion and he thought of his sin constantly. The NLT says "it haunts me day and night!" How true that is!

- The knowledge of it never leaves a Christian when unconfessed because the Holy Spirit is constantly bringing it to the forefront, making us confront our sinfulness.

- By the way, after we confess our sin and God brings His forgiveness, the enemy of our souls condemns us and uses our sin to beat us down, reminding us of who we have wronged.

- This is why David notes that God alone had been offended! What David had done was wicked in God's sight! Others will be affected but this is who we have offended.

- God's law has been transgressed and sinned against! You can run and hide from a person, but that can't happen with God! The King plainly says that he had done evil in God's sight.

- David has no other claim. He knows that his confession proves that God was right and he was wrong! In this, David accepts any judgment that God would mete out!

- For one who truly understands who they have sinned against, there isn't even a question!

• Psalm 51:5,6 : "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me. Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom." : David's season of sin was not due to a moment of weakness or a series of bad decisions, though both are expressions of the disease.

- As the King thinks about it, he realizes that he was shaped in the womb with a crooked sinful bent! While he was developing inside of his mother, David was developing into a little sinner!

- David was not an illegitimate son. Rather, this refers to the bent that he came into the world with. Every baby that is born has been born with the same sinful nature as David, including you and I!

- This is why the virgin birth matters. The sin nature travels through the Dad! Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit according to scripture. Neither we nor David have that testimony.

- Why is this an important statement? You and I need to reconcile ourselves with the biblical fact that we are sinners by nature. Sin which emanates from our being should be considered natural.

- This isn't to say that we should simply accept that reality. Notice what David says next.

- "Behold, I was born in sin. Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts." Even from a born sinner, God delights in a person who doesn't bow to their sin, but who honors truth in godly integrity.

- This is where God's work is to begin in your life! When we submit to Him, in the deepest part of our being, He makes us to know His wisdom!

- That is, He teaches us to walk wisely, according to His Word, resisting what we would naturally do and following after what He deems appropriate.

II. Restore The Conscience (v.7-11)

• Psalm 51:7-9 : "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear joy and gladness, that the bones You have broken may rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities." : Hyssop was a shrub that was often used by the priests to ceremonially cleanse an individual. They would dip the plant in the sacrificial blood and sprinkle the altar with it.

- In the book of Leviticus, there are two chapters which deal with the examination of and the offering for a cleansed leper, something that was unheard of before Jesus did it.

- In chapter 14, two birds are collected. One bird is sacrificed and the other is set free after having the blood of the dead bird applied by hyssop.

- Is it possible that he is comparing himself to the leper, whose white spots revealed a deeper condition and whose cure involved a miraculous intercession by God?

- It makes sense, for if God will wash him, he will be thoroughly cleansed, made even whiter than snow. David longed to feel new again in his conscience. Notice the effect of the inner man.

- For a time all he heard was the groaning of his own soul and the sadness that covered him during his time in sin.

- As God washed him, he desired to hear something different sing out from his soul! Instead of mourning and sadness, he wanted to hear joy and gladness!

- He wanted the bones that had been crushed to stand whole again to rejoice! He wants to look into the eyes of God and see joy, not the disfavor which his sin brought.

- "Oh Lord, erase all the record of my iniquities!"

• Psalm 51:10,11 : "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me." : The word "create" is the same word that Moses uses to begin the Bible!

- We have understood that this refers to bringing something into existence without pre-existing material. David uses it here for that very reason!

- David doesn't believe that he has anything pre-existing to offer to the Lord. "God, here is my twisted heart that simply needs reforming and reshaping."

- David instead asks God to bring something into existence that has no basis in himself!

- Create in me a clean, unalloyed, unadulterated, pure, whole heart. Not a divided heart, loyal one day to sin and one day to the Lord! The King wants a singular heart that only God can affect!

- Such a heart would produce or rebuild a steadfast, determined and fixated spirit within him. - David asks God to laser point him in a direction toward Himself! Here is an interesting moment in scripture for those involving themselves in the sovereignty versus free will debate.

- David in a sense, surrenders his free will in asking the Lord to manufacture a heart that will ever be moved in His direction! I would rather be God's slave than a free moral agent!

- What David wanted to be close to the Lord, but his heart and spirit and actions had not held to that resolve.

- He implores the Lord not to cast him aside. From the Kingdom? From Israel? From his job as King? No. None of that mattered. What mattered was the Lord presence!

- Don't kick me out of your presence and don't take away Your Holy Spirit! This is the first time He is referred to by this name in scripture! What a prayer to consider!

- Remember that in the Old Testament, believers were endowed with strength by the Holy Spirit, but this was not a permanent condition for them.

- There were two men in particular who David knew had experienced this. We know that he watched Saul become a raving lunatic and he had certainly read about the story of Samson.

- Obedience and living in the will of God assured the Old Testament believer of God's presence by His Spirit. David did not want to be without Him!

- The King's greatest fear was that he would minister without God's power! I pray that this might be your fear as well! Let us not grieve the Holy Spirit with our actions.

- But as David shows us here, we know that our actions come from a place where our conscience of sin is seared, so Lord, create in us a clean heart!

III. Resolve To Cooperate (v.12-19)

• Psalm 51:12,13 : "Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted to You." : David asks God to turning back the clock. I thought of the word "rewind."

"Take me back to a time when my experience of Your salvation was fresh within me!"

- It will be a difficult journey, so he asks the Lord to support and hold him up by His generous, His free and willing Spirit. Toward what end? That he might cooperate with the Lord in service!

- When you restore joy to me and when you support me to stand, then I will teach people like myself your ways and sinners will be turned back toward you!

- David doesn't simply want to return to the Lord for the sake of having His presence. He wants to be useful to the Lord!  He wants other sinners to know his God's goodness.

- It's a great testimony to the depth of the work of grace when we are in such a place!

- This is the pinnacle. This is the true victory, when God not only claims and cleanses a sinner, but when he also ordains an ambassador to service!

• Psalm 51:14-17 : "Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Your praise. For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart—These, O God, You will not despise." : The mental affects of David's conspiracy against Uriah moved deeply against him as he considered the guilt that continued long after the crime.

- He pictures himself as a prisoner, a captive to his own sinful guilt. He cannot escape the reality that his actions had produced alone.

- Over and over again in this Psalm, he asks for God to remit and to cleanse him from the reality and depth of his sin. Here he begs him to clear his conscience as he ministers!

- Don't you see that happening? The warfare that comes with committing yourself to God's program of converting other sinners is deadly!

- The enemy will use every advantage, including your past! When he had been in sin, his praise and worship had been silenced. If God would lift it, he would open his mouth wide!

- How true that is! When we have experienced God's cleansing work and have seen him deal even in the deep valley of our regrets, our hearts scream out in praise!

- David celebrates this in spite of the hopeless nature of his crime. There wasn't a sacrifice that could cover his sin. No adulterer or murderer could be covered in such a way.

- But the sacrifice that God does accept is that which reflects a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart. "Broken" refers to that which is crushed, wrecked or shattered to pieces.

- God will never reject a person who comes to him with this kind of heart. He won't despise that person or that confession.

- This leads us to consider that a hard hearted, prideful confession would never receive His recognition. Such a person who would come to God with that attitude would find Him quite different!

• Psalm 51:18,19 : "Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion; Build the walls of Jerusalem. Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering; Then they shall offer bulls on Your altar." : David's sin had been against the Lord directly. It has affected him scores of people indirectly. It has weighed upon him emotionally and this seems to indicate that it affected Israel nationally!

- David had not taken his role in the nation into account. He was the leader of God's nation! As such, he compromised their safety and position in their area.

- There are times in scripture when God judged sin by allowing plague or withholding rain from the nation. One time, God closed the wombs of an entire King's house!

- Had David's sin affected Israel in some tangible way? In essence, I believe that David is asking God to turn all of His good intentions back on toward Jerusalem.

- These verses speak of revival and God's pleasure over the people that would be converted, not to a religious system, but to a righteous God!

- Imagine how many had offered sacrifice without a broken and contrite heart over their sin. Imagine the testimony of the King, as this became increasingly public.

- Certainly, as their hearts were instructed, their sacrifices would begin to take on their intended meaning.

Conclusion

- As, we close, if you or anyone you know is to find their way back from sin, take note of David's themes found here.

- First, resign the conflict. God calls it sin. You have sinned. You require His mercy and grace, without which you rightly deserve any punishment that God deems to mete out.

- Second, pray that He restores your conscience. Sin is not just about an action.

- It's a wayward heart and a lack of sensitivity in your inner being. Ask God to restore your sensitivity to holiness, creating in you a clean heart that is focused on Him.

- Third, resolve to cooperate. Intend to be useful. Let whatever you have learned about God in your seasons of sin, be the fuel of how you minister for Him!

Sunday Morning Service (Psalm 32)

Psalm 32

Audio Access Available Above

"Hope For The Sinner"  •  12.27.15  •  Calvary Christian Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service

Intro

- When Nathan the prophet told David that he was the man deserving to receive the King's death penalty, it was simultaneously his most horrific and most relieving moment.

- Nobody who lives a double life wants to be exposed. But as a righteous, God loving man, David also felt a tremendous sense of relief to be free of the duplicity.

- I'm grateful that we are not left to imagine what went on in David's head during that year, as the Psalm before us encapsulates the experience of a righteous man in sin.

- We will be warned of the dangers of sin and be encouraged by the depth of His grace.

Text

• Psalm 32:1,2 : "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit." : This Psalm is simply "a contemplation" or a meditation of King David which he is turning into a teaching opportunity.

- The word "maskil" signals that it is a Hebrew poem with the purpose of instruction. David wants Israel to know of God's dealing with his sinful condition.

- If he could channel what he had learned into poetic structure, he could reach the hearts of others in similar straits. Perhaps some could avoid the traps that he willingly fell into!

- In this way, the person of God performs a great and vital service to his fellow worshipper by finding a way to share what God has taught them through their various "ups and downs" spiritually.

- David begins with an exclamation, a jubilant declaration that sets the tone for the Psalm. There is a blessing from the Lord awaiting those that experience His favor.

- "Blessed" is an intensified word form expressing full happiness or joy. It is the joy of relief. It is the satisfaction of something arduous completed.

- It is the "can't stop smiling because I have it so good" rush of bliss! One imagines that this sense is intensified given the natural course that would have followed the person in question.

- If I had no hope of being found innocent and were doomed by my own actions, God's action to negate that course would leave me doubly blessed indeed! David had been a transgressor.

- The world is full of trangsressors, those who willfully, disobediently rebel against known law. This is what David had done, as he stepped over the law which forbade adultery and murder.

- In spite of that egregious offense, David proclaims, that the person who has transgressed can be forgiven, a word denoting the relief of the heavy burden of their action.

- Happy is the person whose rebellion is lifted off of their shoulders and carried away from them. The world communicates that their life is easier and the pleasures of sin only birth pleasure.

- That is a lie. Sin, for a believer, pleasureable in the moment, brings a burden that is not easily borne.

- To transgress against the Lord's law and against one's own conscience is ask your mind and spirit to carry a burden that becomes increasingly more heavy by the day!

- There are those who are not transgressors but have found that they are sinners nonetheless. They have a desire to live according to God's rule, but find themselves not living up to the standard.

- In moments of weakness, they give in when they should hold fast or they fail to do what they should do. This is more instinctual than intelligent and it's later revealed to them that they have failed.

- For those who have sinned, acted or carried on an attitude in the heat of a moment know that they have offended God's character. These find that their offence can be concealed from Divine view.

- This is an Old Testament way to consider sin as that is exactly what the sacrifice did. When the blood of the animal was placed upon the Mercy Seat, the sin of the nation was concealed.

- God, instead of seeing the sin, saw the blood and the sinner would live another day! While there was no sacrifice that David could offer, he knew that his sin had been covered by God!

- Next, David tells us that there is a blessing for a person whose iniquity is not imputed to them. The word "iniquity" speaks of a perversion or a crooked bent, in this case, morally.

- When the English used this word, it referred to someone who had committed an act that was unfair to another party. Talk about hitting close to home for David!

- He had been rebellious against the Lord's explicit command. He had sinned, hastily, instinctively adding to his initial lust and adultery by conspiracy to cover his sin and murder Uriah.

- But he had been profoundly unfair and unjust. His evil was a hit below the belt! But how blessed is the man that will not see that iniquity put to their account by God!

- The sense is that God does not put the charge of their nature to their account with Him!

- But what a great blessing is upon the man in whose spirit, his inward person, there is no deceit! In the deepest part of a person, there is nothing fraudulent to be discovered.

- This had been David's experience for a year. To the casual observer, nothing was wrong. In fact, David had been a hero of sorts in the public eye, taking in the military widow.

- But in his soul, his inner man, he was being continually deceptive. What a relief and a blessing then it is when a man is delivered from that state.

- There is nothing to hide or discover! They are whole and completely of one unified nature. Before we continue on, for those who would contemplate sin, think of the inverse reality.

- Those who live in sin ask for a burden to be placed upon them emotionally. They ask to produce something foul before the Lord visually and a spot on their record judicially.

- Finally, there is the way that they live their life hypocritically! All this can be wiped away according to King David, but it was not immediately the case for the Psalmist. Verse 3.

• Psalm 32:3,4 : "When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer." : David's experience within the year between his sin and Nathan's discovery was marked first by silence between he and God.

- This was unnatural to David, who had spent most of his years in open communication with the Lord. David prayers took on a formality and the silence with regard to his sin was deafening.

- The decision not to address his sin didn't change God or the situation. It did however change David and not for the better! As his "silent mode" continued, David physically responded.

- He could sense his bones growing old. The picture is that of an old garment, tattered with age, falling off of him because of his "groaning."

- The word indicates that David internally roared like a lion in distress, as one continually fighting to survive during this season, leaving him exhausted and worn.

- It's difficult to imagine the trauma that is experienced by a person who is just trying not to die every single day! This was David's experience for a year!

- Do you think that he looked this way publically? As the King, there is no doubt that he only presented himself in the best possible light. But when he was alone, he was trapped in despair.

- To make matters worse, he didn't have anyone to vent these things to, so the pressure built up further and further as each day passed.

- Why? He had escaped the consequences of his society, but not the hand of God!

- God continually pressed David to release his hold on himself. With each passing hour, God's hand progressively became heavier upon the King. God did not relent.

- Every moment that passed was a new moment of God's pressing hand upon him, the pressure slowly suffocating him and taking the life right out from him.

- David speaks of his "vitality," the word referring to something made fresh, filled with the appropriate moisture.

- The life that he lived before the Lord was being sucked right out of him and he was as dry as  the hot parched summer ground.

- These conditions were foreign to David, but are the natural realities related to a Christian's experience with sin. This is what a Christian is bound to experience!

- A non-Christian has no clue what this means. They are happy in their sin because that is their natural environment. Not so for the believer. This is descriptive of a complete emotional drain!

- Believers are never meant to experience such things, but there are many who are listening right now who identify, and needlessly so with David's words here.

- God forbids sinful attitudes and actions, rebellious wanderings and giving into our naturally bent ways because they offend His character and will bring more trouble than they are worth.

- When one sees the mental toll that is taken, it's hard to imagine why we one would choose it. What sinful action or attitude could be worth this price?

- You might be tempted to believe that these consequences are punitive. They are not! They are corrective measures instituted by God!

- These mental and even physical consequences are a part of a Christian's life and are meant to drive that person to a proper response to sin.

- God in His mercy will do all that He can to bring His believer back in line!

˚ "The Lord knows that there is that in your heart which would take you back to your old sins, and so he is making them bitter to you; he is burning you, that you may be like the burnt child that dreads the fire; he is letting you see the disease in its very climax, that you may from henceforth avoid the company in which that disease was found; he has taught you the full evil of your heart the full obnoxiousness of sin, in order that from this fay forth you may become a more careful walker, and may the more zealously hate every false way."  Charles Spurgeon

- I believe that is where David eventually arrived. He's now ready to respond in a godly way. He's done hiding or seeking reprieve from his emotional distress. He's ready now to come clean. • Psalm 32:5 : "I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,' and You forgave the iniquity of my sin." : When the mental drain had become too much, David finally resigned. Notice all of the personal pronouns: My sin. My iniquity. My transgression.

- You will never be free until you own what is yours! Perhaps one could say that being caught by Nathan helped the process along and that may be true.

- I'm not one to dismiss such a thing, as that humiliation was certainly a part of what eventually led David to acknowledge his sin to God.

- He had come to know and then made a declaration of his action. He declared along with God, that his action was sin. Sadly, some never get this far.

- They are fine with calling their sin a "mistake," "a poor choice" or "ill-advised behavior."

- Do yourself the favor and call it your own personal "sin" and that against the Lord!

- God does not need the information that David is providing. All things are open to Him. He knows exactly what has been taking place. Rather, it is our need to agree with His assessment!

- David had been concealing his iniquity, but decided not to conceal it any further. He would point out, confess his rebellions to the Lord. Do you notice God's heart in the matter?

- The moment David acknowledges, God forgives! In fact, it is true that God is more willing to forgive than we are to confess! That is God's grace right here in the Old Testament!

- Here is God the Father running to His penitent son as he expects only to be a simple farmhand! Instead, with only a few words out of his mouth, the man is the favored son again!

- Without a single reference to sacrifice or even time expended, God is said to have forgiven a truly penitent man of his heinous sin!

• Psalm 32:6,7 : "For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You in a time when You may be found; Surely in a flood of great waters they shall not come near him. You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance." : Because God lifts the burdens, David implores God's people to pray in a timely fashion.

- See that he doesn't say sacrifice! You would expect to see that and it's not there! David tells them to pray and seek this response from the Lord.

- Call on Him while he may be found before the flood waters reach you! I like the rendering from the NLT.

• Psalm 32:6 (NLT) : "Therefore, let all the godly pray to you while there is still time, that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment." : You can almost see David saying, "Don't delay another moment! Don't put off being right with the Lord!"

- David is right! Call upon Him even now! He'll deliver you from the flood waters that are coming your way! This is a harrowing concept for us to consider.

- Conviction is God's private, gentle call to a believer. As he or she refuses, they experience what David has laid out for us in verses 3-5. That is the best part of judgment!

- The King seems to indicate here that greater catastrophe lies ahead. You might say, "Would God allow such a thing to take place?" A loving God would!

- It's our perspective that causes us not to understand. The best thing that God can do for a person is afflict them and perhaps even carry them home if they will not be dissuaded otherwise.

- Is this a pleasure? Not at all. But if it issues in their turning to God, then it is the best thing for them! You and I simply pray that they receive the grace to repent before they destroy themselves!

- These are the floodwaters of judgment and yet, when a sinner repents, they find that God is their hiding place! It is a place hidden from view, away from the enemy's gaze.

- While there, God would keep watch over him from distress and would provide a protective circle around him with a shout over him, a song of victory!

- He delivers them out from their self-induced trouble and raises them up to a safe place where they can have security in their God.

• Psalm 32:8,9 : "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, else they will not come near you." : When David came into this safe harbor of God's forgiveness, he began to understand the error of his ways and God began to communicate freely with him.

- What does a sinner do after his time of sin? Listen to God's heart captured by David. "I will instruct you." "I will teach you." "I will guide you."

- God promises to give the recovering sinner His Divine insight. He will point out and direct paths before them.

- Imagine yourself freshly returning to His path. At first even an experienced spiritual "veteran" would be disoriented.

- God promises a personal hand in the process, as He gives you relevant insight, pointing out your path in the way that you should go! I love this!

- For every sinner recovering from a time of lapse into sin, there is an appropriate path of recovery. For some, it will seem extreme. For others, there will be minor course corrections.

- For all who experience God's correction, there will be change that is tailor made for each person! His personal touch is further seen in the next phrase, as He guides with His eye.

- The word "guide" could also refer to counsel. The idea is that God watches closely and with the purpose of providing instant, watchful wisdom.

- On the other hand, there is an important distinction. He expects you to remain close enough to Him that you can see His face and discern His thought by looking at His eye!

- Why would God have to say this? Every sinner who gets away from their sinful past eventually begins to believe in their own sufficiency to lead themselves!

- God tells you here that once you have been delivered from sin, that you are to stay close to Him and keep your heart submissive to His plan!

- Unfortunately more know what it's like to be a stubborn animal who can't see beyond their immediate desire! God wants His person to come near, to attentively listen and heed His commands.

• Psalm 32:10,11 : "Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; But he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him. Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous; and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!" : For those who are bent on wickedness, not merely those who indulge in it from time to time, there are multiplied, varied sorrows to experience.

- David is saying, "If what I experienced as a righteous man is horrible, imagine the person without the hope of reconciling with God!

- Don't let the world fool you! Their reward is their best day on Earth and that day is full of activity meant to suppress their Savior's call!

- There simply isn't a limit to their suffering and frankly, if they remain in their wicked state, there will be no end to their suffering either!

- The righteous man, the one who trusts in the Lord however will receive mercy. The word "mercy" may better be translated as God's goodness or faithfulness.

- That goodness of God will encamp around them! Be glad. That's the expression of blessing. Rejoice and shout for joy!

Conclusion

- If you have never known the reality of David's foray into sin, never know it. This Psalm is your warning. If you know the reality of David's sin, never return to it! This Psalm is your encouragement!

- If you think that sin is inconsequential. Think again! This Psalm is your education! If you think that the sinner in your life can never be different, think clearly!

- The God who forgave David still has the power and the desire to forgive. He stands ever ready, especially as His Son has riches to spare for the humble hearts that call upon Him.