It was almost impossible not to see the giant billboard with the red
background and huge white letters that shouted: “This year thousands of men
will die from stubbornness.” Later I learned that the billboard was one of
hundreds just like it targeted at middle-aged men who typically avoid routine
medical screenings and often die from preventable conditions.
Psalm 32 deals with the spiritual disease of sin, which can be treated
by honest acknowledgment and repentance. The first five verses express the
anguish of hiding our guilt and then celebrate the joyful release of confessing
our transgressions to God and being forgiven.
This psalm goes on to show that the Lord longs for us to seek His help
in difficulty (vv.6-8) and receive His guidance. “I will instruct you and teach
you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye” (v.8). We are
hindered, though, when we stubbornly refuse to follow His direction and repent
from our sin.
God’s Word urges us, “Do not be like the horse or like the mule, . . .
which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, else they will not come near you”
(v.9). Rather than hold on to our sin, the Lord offers an alternative: When we
humbly confess, His mercy shall surround us (v.10).
The first step to receiving God’s forgiveness is to admit that we need it. (RBC)
