#712 Mule It Over

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,

whose sin is covered.

2 Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity,

and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

3 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away

through my groaning all day long.

4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;

my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah

5 I acknowledged my sin to you,

and I did not cover my iniquity;

I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”

and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah

6 Therefore let everyone who is godly

offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found;

surely in the rush of great waters,

they shall not reach him.

7 You are a hiding place for me;

you preserve me from trouble;

you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah

8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;

I will counsel you with my eye upon you.

9 Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding,

which must be curbed with bit and bridle,

or it will not stay near you.

10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked,

but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord.

11 Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous,

and shout for joy, all you upright in heart! Psalm 32 ESV

A Psalm of meditation, and I think there is nothing in Scripture that is not worth our time to pause and reflect, but when we come into the Psalms I think they are not only meditation but good instruction on how to pray. David pours out his heart in not only praise but also in pain and awe of the mercies of God. There is a Selah at the end of verses 4, 5, and 7, so let us pause and reflect. 

Transgression is forgiven - Most today would rather say they have not transgressed, have not defied God's just condemnation of sin. They would say instead that it is not sin or that Christ had died so that they could continue in the thing that he died for. Everyone sees themselves in a position much higher than they are, humility is for the weak, repentance is for sinners which in their mind they are not at least to any great degree. I dare not look Him in the face, I cannot demand anything from God, I refuse to say fair or unfair because I do not want what is fair in my case, but if I could just touch the hem of his garment. 

And David speaks likewise of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: 7“Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, whose sins are covered. 8 Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.”…Romans 4: 6-8

Impute (counts) iniquity - He does not right it down, and it is a debt I could not, for lack of means repay except by way of eternal vanquishment. Someone else has picked up my note, cancelled my debt, and set me aright. In this frame of mind I no longer wish to hold a grudge against my neighbor, but rather tell of how great a blessing I have received. I deserved something that I did not get, I received something so wonderful that I did not deserve. 

When I kept silent - Like Adam and Eve I tried to cover my nakedness myself, my own way, and it led to worse and deeper places. It kept me from Your presence, Your peace was gone, I felt tired, old and weathered by my sin. You came and laid Your hand upon my heart so that I could feel the guilt and know the source of my suffering.

I acknowledged my sin to You - Sinner come quickly to this place.

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar, and His word is not in us.…1 John 1: 8-10

When You may be found - Don't hide your sin from God, you can't, it is impossible, delusional. We are not guaranteed a time, there is no calendar to mark that this is the day, or when I see this then I shall repent. Seek the Lord while He may be found.

We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly to the end the assurance we had at first. 15 As it has been said: “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as you did in the rebellion.” 16 For who were the ones who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt. Hebrews 3: 14-16

You are a hiding place - Why did I hide from You, when all along my deliverance was in You. 

With my eye - Look to where the Master looks, set your eyes upon His will, only do what you see the Father doing. 

Horse or a mule - Animals without understanding outside of pain and force, the bridle, the whip, the bit, for they are hard to turn, and even more difficult to turn back. Men backslide and then try to hide, protecting their image before other men but unconcerned about the eyes of God. The Psalmist described the way well in Psalm 1, blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly...but his delight is in the law of the Lord, where he meditates day and night. How can you expect to know God's will if you do not read His letter to you? How can you hear without ears or see without eyes? In our stubbornness we cannot be turned back to safety, in our pride we will die unless corrected. 

Many sorrows - Sin is always accompanied eventually by sorrow, guilt, more lies to cover up earlier lies, the loss of innocence, the loss of integrity. Jesus offered this instead:

All things have been entrusted to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son, and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him. 28Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and Iwill give you rest. 29Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.…Matthew 11: 27-29