Psalm
32:1-7—key verse
7a—The Psalm appointed for this coming Sunday is an exuberant proclamation of
the happy and blessed state of those who experience God’s forgiveness.
Blessed…Blessed. Repetition underscores—are forgiven…are covered…does not count
against him. Repetition with variation emphasizes and illumines. Paul will pick
up on this theme in Romans 4:6-8.
Psalm 32 – The Blessing of Forgiveness,
protection and guidance
This
psalm is simply titled A Psalm of David. A Contemplation. According to James
Montgomery Boice, the Hebrew word for Contemplation (maskil) might be better
understood as “instruction.” This is the first of twelve psalms with this
title.It is full of instruction and contemplation, and it is worthy of
meditation, as indicated by the frequent repetition of Selah, three times in
only eleven verses.
The
psalm itself does not tell us the specific occasion in David’s life, which
prompted this song. In Psalm 51 – which was clearly written after David’s sin
with Bathsheba and against Uriah – David promised to “teach transgressors Your ways” (Psalm 51:13), and this psalm may be
the fulfillment of that vow. John Trapp said that Psalm 32 and 51 are “tuned together.”
It
is a Psalm of penitence, but it is also the song of a ransomed soul rejoicing
in the wonders of the grace of God. Sin is dealt with; sorrow is comforted;
ignorance is instructed.
This was Saint Augustine’s favorite psalm. Augustine had it inscribed on the wall next to his bed before he died in order to meditate on it better.[2]
Collect for Psalm 32:
Lord God, you desired to keep from us
your wrath and so did not spare your holy servant Jesus Christ, who was wounded
for our sins. We are your prodigal children, but we come back to you confessing
our sins. Embrace us that we may rejoice in your mercy together with your
beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.[3]
Collect for Tuesday before Ash Wednesday: God our Father, teach us to cherish the gifts that surround us. Increase our faith in you and bring our trust to its promised fulfillment in the joy of your kingdom. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen [4]
[1]Woodcut by Julius Schnoor von Carolsfeld, a
nineteenth-century German artist known especially for
his book ‘The Book of
Books in Pictures’ ©WELS permission granted for personal and congregational use.
[3]
Collect for Psalm 32. For All the Saints, A Prayer Book For and By the Church,
Vol. III © 1995 The American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, Delhi, NY
[4]
Ibid, Collect for Tuesday before Ash Wednesday
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