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Psalm Thirty-two
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 32
cf15I A Psalm
of David
Maschil. This is the first of the
psalms that bears this title: some think it is the name of a musical
instrument
on which this psalm was sung; others the first word of a song
to
the tune of which it was sung
as Aben Ezra; some say it is so called
because
it was explained by an interpreter
as Jarchi; and the RabbinsF11Elias
Levita in Tishbi
p. 271. say
that every psalm that is called
"Maschil" was dictated by an interpreter: the Targum renders it
"a good understanding"; and the word properly signifies
"instruction"
or "causing to understand"F12משכיל "erudiens"
Musculus
Munster
Vatablus
Montanus; "informans"
Gejerus; "an instructing psalm"
Ainsworth. ; and it may be the apostle has some reference to this title in 1 Corinthians 14:15;
It is an instructive psalm; a didascalic ode
as Junius renders it: it gives an
account how the psalmist was instructed under a dispensation of Providence; and
was brought to a sense of sin
and acknowledgment of it; and was favoured with
a discovery of pardoning grace; and in it he takes upon him to instruct others
Psalm 32:8
and
does instruct in the doctrine of the pardon of sin by the grace of God.
Psalm 32:1 Blessed
is he whose transgression is forgiven
Whose sin is
covered.
YLT
1By David. -- An
Instruction. O the happiness of him whose transgression [is] forgiven
Whose
sin is covered.
Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven
.... Or
"lifted up"F13Verbum נשא
"elevavit quaudoque idem est ac condonavit"
Gejerus; נשוי "ablata est"
Piscator
Cocceius. ; bore and
carried away: sin is a transgression of the law; the guilt of it charged upon
the conscience of a sinner is a heavy burden
too heavy for him to bear
and
the punishment of it is intolerable: forgiveness is a removal of sin
guilt
and punishment. Sin was first taken off
and transferred from the sinner to
Christ
the surety; and who laid upon him really and judicially
as the sins of
the people of Israel were put upon the scapegoat typically; and was bore by
him
both guilt and punishment
and taken away
finished
and made an end of;
and by the application of his blood and sacrifice it is taken away from the
sinner's conscience; it is caused to pass from him
and is removed afar off
as
far as the east is from the west; it is so lifted off from him as to give him
ease and peace
and so as never to return to the destruction of him; wherefore
such a man is a happy man; he has much peace
comfort
calmness
and serenity
of mind now can appear before God with intrepidity
and serve him without fear;
no bill of indictment can hereafter be found against him; no charge will be
exhibited
and so no condemnation to him. The same is expressed
though in
different words
in the next clause;
whose sin is
covered; not by himself
by any works of righteousness done by him; for
these are a covering too narrow; nor by excuses and extenuations; for
prosperity and happiness do not attend such a conduct
Proverbs 28:13; but
by Christ; he is the mercy seat
the covering of the law; who is the covert of
his people from the curses of it
and from the storm of divine wrath and vengeance
due to the transgressions of it; his blood is the purple covering of the
chariot
under which the saints ride safe to heaven; the lines of his blood are
drawn over crimson and scarlet sins
by which they are blotted out
and are not
legible; and being clothed with the robe of Christ's righteousness
all their
sins are covered from the eye of divine Justice; not from the eye of God's
omniscience
which sees the sins of all men
and beholds those of his own
people; and which he takes notice of
and corrects for
in a fatherly way; but
from vindictive justice
they are so hid as not to be imputed and charged
nor
the saints to be condemned for them; such are unblamable and unreproveable in
the sight of God
and are all fair in the eyes of Christ; and their sins are
caused to pass away from themselves
and they have no more sight and conscience
of them; and though sought for at the last day
they will not be found and
brought to light
nor be seen by men or angels. There is something unseemly
impure
nauseous
abominable
and provoking in sin; which will not bear to be
seen by the Lord
and therefore must be covered
or the sinner can never stand
in his presence and be happy.
Psalm 32:2 2 Blessed is the man
to whom the Lord
does not impute iniquity
And in whose spirit there is no deceit.
YLT
2O the happiness of a man
To whom Jehovah imputeth not iniquity
And in whose spirit there is no deceit.
Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity
.... Or
"does not think of it"F14יחשב
"cogitat"
Piscator; "cogitando reputavit"
Gejerus; so
Ainsworth. ; with respect unto men
at least to the harm of them; his thoughts
are thoughts of peace
and not of evil; their sins and iniquities he remembers
no more; he does not charge them with them
he does not reckon them
or place
them to their account
having imputed them to his Son; see 2 Corinthians 5:19.
The Apostle Paul interprets this as inclusive of the imputation of
righteousness without works; even of the righteousness of Christ
in which the
blessedness of a man lies
Romans 4:6; for
such an one is accepted with God
is justified in his sight
and is secure from
condemnation and wrath; it is well with him at all times
in life
at death
and at judgment; he is an heir of eternal life
will enter into it
and be for
ever glorified;
and in whose spirit there is no guile: for being
thoroughly convinced of sin
he is sincere in his repentance for it
without
deceit and hypocrisy in his confession of it; as David
the Apostle Paul
and
the publican were
when they acknowledged themselves sinners; his faith
in
looking to Christ for pardon and righteousness
is from the heart
and is
unfeigned
and so is his profession of it before God
angels
and men; and
whatever hypocrisy and guile are remaining in the old man
there is none in the
new spirit put into him; in the new man
which is created in him
and which
sinneth not: as the other phrases are expressive of pardon and justification
this points at internal sanctification
and which serves to complete the
description of the happy man; such an one as David himself was; and this
happiness he illustrates from his own experience in the following verses.
Psalm 32:3 3 When I kept silent
my
bones grew old Through my groaning all the day long.
YLT
3When I have kept silence
become old have my bones
Through my roaring all the day.
When I kept silence
.... Was unthoughtful of
sin
unconcerned about it
and made no acknowledgment and confession of it to
God
being quite senseless and stupid; the Targum adds
"from the words of
the law"; which seems to point at sin as the cause of what follows;
my bones waxed old; through my roaring all the day long; not under a
sense of sin
but under some severe affliction
and through impatience in it;
not considering that sin lay at the bottom
and was the occasion of it; and
such was the violence of the disorder
and his uneasiness under it
that his
strength was dried up by it
and his bones stuck out as they do in aged
persons
whose flesh is wasted away from them; see Psalm 102:3.
Psalm 32:4 4 For day and night Your
hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah
YLT
4When by day and by night
Thy hand is heavy upon me
My moisture hath been changed Into the droughts of
summer. Selah.
For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me
.... Meaning
the afflicting hand of God
which is not joyous
but grievous
and heavy to be
borne; especially without his gracious presence
and the discoveries of his
love: this continued night and day
without any intermission; and may design
some violent distemper; perhaps a fever; since it follows
my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. That is
the
radical moisture in him was almost dried up
as brooks in the summer season;
his body was parched
as it were
with the burning heat of the disease; or with
an apprehension of the wrath of God under it
or both: and so he continued
until be was brought to a true sense of sin
and an acknowledgment of it
when
he had the discoveries of pardoning love
as is expressed in Psalm 32:5. The
Septuagint and Vulgate Latin versions read
"I am turned into distress
through a thorn being fixed"; and so Apollinarius paraphrases the words
"I
am become miserable
because thorns are fixed in my skin;'
reading
קוץ for קיץ; and which
SuidasF15In voce ακανθα. interprets
"sin"
that being like the thorn
unfruitful and pricking; see 2 Corinthians 12:7.
Selah; on this word; see Gill on Psalm 3:2.
Psalm 32:5 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. Selah
YLT
5My sin I cause Thee to
know
And mine iniquity I have not covered. I have said
`I confess concerning
My transgressions to Jehovah
' And Thou -- Thou hast taken away
The iniquity
of my sin. Selah.
I acknowledged my sin unto thee
.... The sin of Adam
in
which he was concerned; original sin
the corruption of his nature
the sin
that dwelt in him
his private and secret sins
which none knew but God and
himself; even all his sins
which were many
with all their aggravated
circumstances; wherefore he uses various words to express them by
in this and
the following clauses; as "sin"
"iniquity"
and
"transgressions"; the same that are used in the doctrine of pardon in
the preceding verses; his confession being of the same extent with pardon
and
all these he calls his own; as nothing is more a man's own than his sins are;
and these the psalmist acknowledged to the Lord; or "made"
or
"will make known"F16אודיעך
"cognoscere feci te"
Pagninus
Montanus; so Musculus
Vatablus; so
Junius & Tremellius
Piscator
& Gejerus
to the same purport. to him:
not that any sin is unknown to God
even the most secret ones; but they may be
said to be made known to God
when a sinner makes a sincere and hearty acknowledgment
of them before him
and expresses his own sense of them; how that they are with
him
and ever before him
what knowledge rather he has of them
how much he is
affected with them
and concerned for the commission of them; and such an
acknowledgment the Lord expects and requires of his people
Jeremiah 3:12;
and mine iniquity have I not hid; by retaining it as a
sweet morsel under his tongue; for he not only acknowledged it
but forsook it;
or by not confessing it
as Achan; for not confessing sin is the of hiding it;
or by denying it
as Gehazi
Ananias and Sapphira; or by palliating and
extenuating it; or by casting the blame on others
as did Adam and his wife;
see Job 31:33; or by
covering it with a guise of sanctify and religion;
I said
I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; not unto men
though in some cases confession of sin is to be made to men; a confession of it
in general is to be made to the churches
and administrators of ordinances
in
order to admission into a church state
and to the ordinances of Christ
Matthew 3:6; and in
case of private offences
faults are to be confessed one to another
and
forgiveness granted; and in case of public offences
a confession should be
made to a church publicly; partly for the satisfaction of the church
and
partly for the glory of divine grace; but confession is not to be made to a
priest
or to a person in a ministerial character
in order for absolution; but
to the Lord only
against whom sin is committed
and who only can pardon it:
and this the psalmist saith in his heart he would do
and did do it; he not
only confessed facts
but the fault of them
with their evil circumstances
and
that he justly deserved punishment for them; and this he did from his heart
with
abhorrence of the sins committed by him
and in faith
with a view to the
pardoning mercy of God in Christ;
and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. That is
either the guilt of his sin
which he took away from him; or the punishment of
it
which he delivered him from: moreover
this phrase may denote the exceeding
sinfulness of sin
and so may both express the sense which the psalmist had of
it
and exalt the grace of God in the forgiveness of it; by which must be meant
a fresh manifestation and application of pardon to his soul: now
when
confession of sin
and remission of it
are thus put together
the sense is not
that confession of sin is the cause of pardon; it is not the moving cause of
it
that is the grace and mercy of God; nor the procuring and meritorious cause
of it
that is the blood of Christ: it is not for the sake of a sinner's
confession of sin
but for Christ's sake
that sin is forgiven; but this is the
way in which it is enjoyed; and such as truly repent of sin
and sincerely
confess it
are the persons to whom the Lord manifests his forgiving love; such
may expect it
Proverbs 28:13.
Selah; on this word; see Gill on Psalm 3:2.
Psalm 32:6 6 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.
YLT
6For this doth every saintly
one pray to Thee
As the time to find. Surely at an overflowing of many waters
Unto him they come not.
For this shall everyone that is godly pray unto thee
.... Meaning
either that the success he had met with
in acknowledging his sin
would
encourage others also to take a like step
and make their supplications to the
Lord also; or that every godly person should pray to God for the same blessing
of pardoning grace likewise. Pardon of sin is to be prayed for; not only Moses
David
Daniel
and other Old Testament saints
prayed for it; but Christ has
directed his disciples and followers
under the Gospel dispensation
to do the
same
Luke 11:4; and
which must be understood of praying for the manifestation of it to their
consciences; for God has by one eternal act forgiven all trespasses at once
for Christ's sake; nor can any new act of pardon arise in the mind of God
or a
fresh one pass in the court of heaven
nor the blood of Christ be shed again
for the remission of it. Moreover
godly men will
in this sense
pray for it
as they have daily occasion to do: a godly man is a man that is created after
the image of God
is born of him
and is possessed of internal powerful
godliness
and has all things pertaining to it; and particularly has a godly
sorrow for sin
and the fear of God in his heart
and before his eyes: and such
a man is a praying one; having the spirit of grace
he has the spirit of
supplication
and prays with the Spirit and with the understanding; and his
praying for the pardon of sin shows that he is not without it
but daily
commits it
and so needs fresh discoveries of forgiving love: and which he
prays for
in a time when thou mayest be found; which is to be
understood
not of any particular stated times of prayer
as morning
noon
and
night; for the throne of grace is always open
and God is to be found
and
grace and mercy with him at all times; and much less does this respect a day of
grace for particular persons
which
if improved
and the opportunity taken
they may have pardon; but if neglected till it is over
then there is no pardon
for them; for there is no such day of grace: the whole Gospel dispensation is a
day of grace; and that will not be over until all the elect of God are gathered
in; and until then it is
and will be; now is the accepted time
now is the day
of salvation; but it designs a time of need
of soul distress
in which
when
persons call upon God in truth
and seek him with their whole heart
he is
found by them
and they find grace and mercy with him to relieve them in their
distress; the Targum is
"in
an acceptable time;'
surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto
him; that is
unto the godly man; not but that afflictions
which are
comparable to great floods of waters
do reach godly persons; but not so as to
overwhelm them and destroy them; they are delivered out of them. The phrase
seems to denote safety in the greatest calamities; that though even a deluge of
vengeance and awful judgments should come upon the world
yet the godly man is
safe; his place is the munition of rocks; he is in the hands of Christ
and is
enclosed in the arms of everlasting love
from whence he can never be taken by
men or devils: the Targum interprets these "waters of many people";
and adds
so as "to do any evil"
or "hurt".
Psalm 32:7 7 You are my hiding
place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of
deliverance. Selah
YLT
7Thou [art] a hiding-place
for me
From distress Thou dost keep me
[With] songs of deliverance dost
compass me. Selah.
Thou art my hiding place
.... In time of trouble;
see Psalm 27:5; so
Christ is said to be
Isaiah 32:2.
"Thou shall preserve me from trouble"; not from having it; for in
this world the saints must have tribulation
and through it enter the kingdom
but from being swallowed up with it; the Lord will bring them safe out of it
and of them it shall be said
"these are they that came out of great
tribulation"
Revelation 7:14;
thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance; or gird with
gladness
as in Psalm 30:11; the
meaning is
that God would give him abundant reason for praise and
thankfulness; and an opportunity of attending him with songs of praise for
deliverance out of the hands of his enemies
and from trouble; and that both in
his house below
where the saints
his loving people and faithful subjects
would join with him
in the midst of whom he should stand encompassed with
their songs of praise; or in heaven above
where he should sing the song of
Moses
and of the Lamb
and be surrounded with the hallelujahs of angels and
glorified saints; Aben Ebra interprets these songs of the voices of angels.
Selah; on this word; see Gill on Psalm 3:2.
Psalm 32:8 8 I will instruct you and
teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.
YLT
8I cause thee to act wisely
And direct thee in the way that thou goest
I cause mine eye to take counsel
concerning thee.
I will instruct thee
.... Or "cause thee
to understand"F17אשכילך
"intellectum tibi dabo"
V. L. Musculus; "intelligere faciam
te"
Pagninus
Montanus; so Ainsworth. . These are by many thought to be
the words of the Lord
who gives to a man an understanding of spiritual things;
he instructs by his providence
and even by afflictive dispensations of
providence; and by his word
which is written for the learning of men
and is
profitable for doctrine and instruction in righteousness
and by the ministers
of it
who are therefore called instructors in Christ; and by his Spirit
when
he instructs effectually and to purpose; by him he instructs men in the
knowledge of themselves
and of himself in Christ
and of peace
pardon
righteousness
and salvation by Christ; and leads into all truth as it is in
Jesus; and opens the understanding to understand the Scriptures
and the
doctrines contained in them;
and teach thee in the way which shall go; the path of
duty
from whence men are apt to wander; when the Lord hedges up the way they
would go with thorny providences
and by his ministers
word
and Spirit
directs them in the right way; saying
this is the way
walk in it; and the way
of truth
which is clearly pointed to in the Scriptures of truth
and by the
Spirit of truth; and also the way of life and salvation by Christ
revealed in
the Gospel and which the preachers of it show to the sons of men;
I will guide thee with mine eye; as a master guides his
scholar; or as "mine eye"F18איעצה
עליך עיני "consulam
tibi sicut oculo meo"
Drusius. : with as much care and tenderness as if
thou wert the apple of mine eye; see Deuteronomy 32:10;
or the words may be rendered
"I will counsel"
or "give
counsel"; as he does
who is wonderful in counsel
and that by his Son
who is the wonderful Counsellor; and by his word and testimonies
which are the
delight of his people
and the men of their counsel: "mine eye is
upon thee"F19"Consulam
super te est oculus meus"
Cocceius
Gejerus
Ainsworth; so the Targum. ; as the eye of the Lord is upon
the righteous
to watch over them for good
to provide for them
guide and
direct them. These words may very well be considered as the words of David
in
which he determines to act a part
agreeable to the title of the psalm
"Maschil"; which signifies instructing
or causing to understand; and
as he thought himself bound in duty to do
under the influence of the grace and
mercy he had received from the Lord
in the forgiveness of his sins; and which
he elsewhere resolved to do in a like case
and which is an instance parallel
to this
Psalm 51:13; he
here promises to "instruct" men in the way of attaining to the
blessedness he had been speaking of
by directing them to take the steps he
did; namely
to go to the
Lord
and acknowledge and confess their sins before
him
when they might expect to find pardoning mercy and grace
as he did; and
to "teach" them the way of their duty upon this
to fear the Lord and
his goodness
and to serve him in righteousness and holiness all the days of
their lives; and to "guide them with his eye"; by declaring to
them the gracious experiences he had been favoured with
by telling them what
he himself had seen and known.
Psalm 32:9 9 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.
YLT
9Be ye not as a horse -- as
a mule
Without understanding
With bridle and bit
its ornaments
to curb
Not
to come near unto thee.
Be ye not as the horse
or as the mule
which have
no understanding
.... The design of this exhortation is to direct men how to
behave under the instructions given; not as brutes
which have no rational
faculties
but as men; that they should not show themselves thoughtless
stupid
and unteachable
as these animals
or worse than they; nor stubborn and
obstinate
refractory and untractable
resolving not to be taught
stopping the
ear
and pulling away the shoulder; nor ill natured and mischievous; not only
hating instruction
casting away the law of the Lord
but kicking and spurning
at
and persecuting such who undertake to instruct them; as these creatures sometimes
attempt to throw their riders
and
when down
kick at them;
whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle
lest they come
near unto thee; to do mischief
bite or kick; or "because they do not come
near to thee"F20בל קרב אליך "quia non accedunt
ad te"
Grotius. ; and that they may come near
and be brought into
subjection
and become obedient; therefore such methods are used; see James 3:3; there is
in the words a tacit intimation
that men are commonly
and for the most part
like these creatures
stupid
stubborn
and mischievous; and therefore severe
methods are used by the Lord
sore chastenings
to humble and instruct them;
see Jeremiah 31:18; the
mule
more especially
is remarkable for its stupidityF21"Mule
nihil sentis----"
Catullus. ; and though the horse is docile
yet he is
sometimes stubborn and refractory.
Psalm 32:10 10 Many sorrows shall be
to the wicked; But he who trusts in the Lord
mercy shall surround
him.
YLT
10Many [are] the pains of the
wicked; As to him who is trusting in Jehovah
Kindness doth compass him.
Many sorrows shall be to the wicked
.... Who will
not be instructed and reformed
but are like the horse and mule
without
understanding; many outward sorrows or afflictions attend them; loathsome and
consuming diseases come upon their bodies by intemperance and debauchery; and
they and their families are brought to a piece of bread
through their vicious
courses; and inward sorrows
horror and terror of mind
seize them when their
consciences are at any time awakened
and are open to conviction; when a load
of guilt lies on them
what remorse of conscience they feel! and what severe
reflections do they make! and how are they pierced through with many sorrows!
And though indeed
for the most part
wicked men have their good things in this
life
and are in prosperous circumstances
and are not in trouble
as other
men; yet what they have is with a curse; and they have no true peace
pleasure
and satisfaction in what they enjoy; and the curses of a righteous law; and
everlasting destruction is prepared for them in the other world
when they will
have many sorrows indeed; their worm will not die
and the fire of divine fury
will not be quenched; there will be for ever indignation and wrath
tribulation
and anguish
upon every soul of man that does evil;
but he that trusteth in the Lord; not in his wealth and
riches
in his wisdom and strength
in himself
and his own righteousness; for
such are wicked persons; but in the Lord; in his righteousness to justify him
in his blood to pardon him
in his strength to support him
and in his grace to
supply him with everything necessary for him;
mercy shall compass him about; not only follow him and
overtake him
but surround him; he shall be crowned with lovingkindness and
tender mercies: the phrase denotes the abundance of mercies that shall be
bestowed upon him here and hereafter
as both grace and glory.
Psalm 32:11 11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoice
you righteous; And shout for joy
all you upright in heart!
YLT
11Be glad in Jehovah
and
rejoice
ye righteous
And sing
all ye upright of heart!
Be glad in the Lord
.... The Targum renders
it
"in the Word of the Lord"; in Christ the essential Word; in him
as the Lord their righteousness
and because of his righteousness imputed to
them
by which they become righteous; and in him as their Saviour and Redeemer
and because of the salvation which he has wrought out for them; see Isaiah 61:10;
and rejoice
ye righteous; in the Lord
as before;
for this is not a carnal
but spiritual joy
which is here exhorted to
the
same as in Philemon 4:4; and
"righteous" ones
who are excited to it
are such who are not
righteous in appearance only
or in their own conceit
or by the deeds of the
law
or in and of themselves; for there is none righteous this way: but who are
made righteous by the obedience of Christ
and are righteousness itself in him;
under a sense of which grace they live soberly
righteously
and godly; and
these have great reason to rejoice and be glad;
and shout for joy all ye that are upright in heart: who have the
truth of grace
and the root of the matter in them
oil in the vessels of their
hearts
with their lamps; whose faith is unfeigned
whose hope is without
hypocrisy
and whose love is without dissimulation; and who worship the Lord in
spirit and in truth
and draw nigh to him with true hearts
and call upon him
in the simplicity of them; these ought to rejoice
and even shout for joy
because of the grace that is wrought in them
and bestowed upon them
and the
glory they shall be partakers of; for both grace and glory are given to these
and no good thing is withheld from them; the end of these upright souls is
peace; and when they have done their work
they shall lie down and rest in
their beds
and each one shall walk in his uprightness
Psalm 84:11.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)