A pastor told this story on himself in his local newspaper. He was chatting with an older man to whom he had just been introduced. “So, you used to work for a utility company,” the pastor said, naming the organization. “Sure did,” the man responded. The pastor remarked that when he was a kid the cables from that company ran across his parents’ property. “Where did you live?” the man asked. When the pastor told him, the man said, “I remember that property. I had a tough time keeping the cable warning signs up. Kids were always shooting them down.” When the pastor’s face flushed with embarrassment, the man said, “You were one of the shooters, weren’t you?” And indeed he was.
The pastor labeled his confessional story: “Be sure your signs will find you out,” a clever play on Moses’ words in Numbers 32:23: “Be sure your sin will find you out.”
Old wrongs have a way of catching up with us. And old sins that have not been dealt with can lead to serious consequences. As David laments in Psalm 32: “When I kept silent, my bones grew old.” But confessing our wrong restores our fellowship with the Lord: “I acknowledged my sin to You . . . and You forgave the iniquity of my sin” (v.5). Through confession, we can enjoy God’s forgiveness.
Dear Lord, it’s time to come clean with You.
I’ve held on to _____________ for too long.
Thank You that this sin is under the blood of
Christ. Restore me to fellowship with You.
Christians can erase from their memory what God has erased from the record.
Psalm 32 is one of seven penitential psalms (Pss. 6,32,38,51,102, 130,143)—psalms that speak of confessing sins and turning to the Lord for His mercy and forgiveness. After repenting from his sins of adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah, David penned Psalms 32 and 51.
In Psalm 32, David speaks of the blessedness of confession and repentance. He celebrates the forgiveness that he has received (vv.1-2), and encourages sinners to seek the Lord and repent lest they too receive discipline from the Lord (vv.3-6). Those who repent will have their guilt replaced by joy and their groaning replaced by rejoicing. The Lord's unfailing love surrounds the repentant sinner (vv.10-11).
