“How blessed is the one whose rebellious acts are forgiven, whose sin is pardoned! How blessed is the one whose wrongdoing the Lord does not punish, in whose spirit there is no deceit. When I refused to confess my sin, my whole body wasted away, while I groaned in pain all day long. For day and night you tormented me; you tried to destroy me in the intense heat of summer. (Selah) Then I confessed my sin; I no longer covered up my wrongdoing. I said, “I will confess my rebellious acts to the Lord.” And then you forgave my sins. (Selah) For this reason every one of your faithful followers should pray to you while there is a window of opportunity. Certainly when the surging water rises, it will not reach them. You are my hiding place; you protect me from distress. You surround me with shouts of joy from those celebrating deliverance. (Selah) I will instruct and teach you about how you should live. I will advise you as I look you in the eye. Do not be like an unintelligent horse or mule, which will not obey you unless they are controlled by a bridle and bit. An evil person suffers much pain, but the Lord’s faithfulness overwhelms the one who trusts in him. Rejoice in the Lord and be happy, you who are godly! Shout for joy, all you who are morally upright!”
— Psalms 32:1-11
The first half (?) of this Psalm is relatively easy for us to understand, those of us who were raised or had any inkling of connection with Christianity. Words like conviction register strong.
“The one in whom there is no deceit.” NET suggests this obviously means the Psalmist is not completely pure or innocent, but that he is finally being open/honest before God.
Hebrew phrasing can be taken variously throughout, but all translations are interpretation to some extent. It appear the Psalmist is viewing his situations as some sort of divine chastisement, even drought and summer weather. Depending on faith background this may make sense, feel extreme, or be seen as poetic imagery for how the Psalmist is experiencing his conviction over horrible weight of sin.
Contrast with relief once confession is made. Burden is lifted. Relief is found. Peace is made.
God is the Psalmists’ hiding place. His refuge (which He always has been throughout the psalms.) And then the Psalmist advises the reader to live in obedience. God is near the faithful but the wicked suffer pain.
This is the part of the Psalm where we may grow uneasy. But we have to remember things like genre (wisdom literature and poetry), old covenant, and personal expression of faith.
The real question here is the connection between Psalmist’s deliverance from sin and deliverance from physical chaos. How does he go from horrible guilt to being protected from distress? Are these the same? He is now one of the ones celebrating deliverance, but it sounds like physical deliverance from enemies. As in the morally upright ones that the waters can’t touch.
The connection between first half and second half is unclear, but I think that’s because I’m still reading it from Western eyes and from my own background.
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