Psalm 32:5
Having written in Psalm 32:2 that the man is blessed whose spirit has no guile, that is, no insincerity, David states in verse 5, '"I acknowledge my sin unto Thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.'' This presents us with an awesome truth. If we fail to confess our sins, we are trying to hide them. And if we try to hide them, we are rightly branded as those whose spirit is full of guile.
Let us, every step of our way, from today onward, take with us the truth that defending ourselves in our sins is adding to our sins. We cannot cover our sins, but trying to do so only reveals how sinful we are. We are not deceiving God but deceiving ourselves.
Therefore the call comes to us to confess every sin and not try to cover one either by silence or by untrue words. Instead we must run to God with our sins, seeking salvation in His grace. Sing this truth (PRC Psalter):
While I kept guilty silence
My strength was spent with grief,
Thy hand was heavy on me,
My soul found no relief;
But when I owned my trespass,
My sin hid not from Thee,
When I confessed transgression,
Then Thou forgavest me.
The way to the assurance that Christ's blood blotted out all our sins is to confess that they are sins. It is to run to God, and not merely admit to men that we sinned. It is running with a heart that expresses its hatred of that sin. Doing this, we confess our love to God against Whom we sinned. Finding this love to God in our souls we find a work in us that reveals God's love to us. Then instead of feeling the heavy hand of God upon us in holy anger, we enjoy His heavy hand of mercy upon us as manifested in Christ.
Then we will enjoy the blessedness of forgiveness and live in the assurance of God's love for us.
Read: Luke 15:1-24
Psalter versification: #83:2
Daily Meditations on the Heidelberg Catechism
Song for Meditation: Psalter #54
Why not sing along??
Through the Bible in One Year
Read today:
2 Samuel 19:11-43
2 Samuel 20:1-13
John 21:1-25
Psalm 120:1-7
Proverbs 16:16-17
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Quote for Reflection:
John Calvin on Ephesians 4:13 - "What is the highest perfection of Christians? How is that perfection attained? Full manhood is found in Christ; for foolish men do not, in a proper manner, seek their perfection in Christ. It ought to be held as a fixed principle among us, that all that is out of Christ is hurtful and destructive."
Additional Info
- Date: 2-June
Heys, John A.
Rev. John A. Heys was born on March 16, 1910 in Grand Rapids, MI. He was ordained and installed into the ministry at Hope, Walker, MI in 1941. He later served at Hull, Iowa beginning in 1955. In 1959 he accepted the call to serve the South Holland, IL Protestant Reformed Church. He received and accepted the call to Holland, Michigan Protestant Reformed Church in 1967. He retired from the active ministry in 1980. He entered into glory on February 16, 1998.