And so we'll read it again, a mass kill of David. Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is, or whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity and in whose spirit there is no deceit. For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through all my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me and my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. 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. Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found and surely in the rush of great waters they shall not reach him. You are hiding place for me. You preserve me from trouble. You surround me with shouts of deliverance. I will instruct you in the way that you should go. I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Be not like a horse or a mule without understanding, which must be curved with bit and brittle or it will not stay near you. Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord. Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy all you upright in heart. May God richly bless both the reading and the hearing of his holy word. This is one of those great psalms of David. In fact, you taught that in any time you see a title to the psalm that's actually a part of the original text. So as a part of the actual text is a mass skill of David. And the word mass skill is sort of not fully clear in terms of its origin or meaning, but the closest that we get is that of inspiration. So this is written or as insight. And this is sort of as an inspirational insight that comes from David. In other words, it's intended to be instructive. It follows the pattern of a number of other psalms. Thanksgiving psalms, we see that there. Psalms of instruction. It follows the pattern even of other wisdom literature itself. But the psalm is a powerful psalm. It's quoted portions of it. It is quoted in the book of Romans by the Apostle Paul in chapter four, those first two verses about the blessed individual. So it's much in this that is clearly saturated in the gospel if there was ever any proof from any one portion of the Old Testament scripture that the gospel of grace is the continuing message of salvation, whether it's found in the pages of the New Testament or Old Testament, this is a good place to demonstrate it. And so since it is intended for insight, insight, I would say into the Christian life. I'm not going to follow the ordinary structure of the psalm, but I want to look at five basic categories or five different areas that are touched on by the psalm and just sort of look at it and see what the Lord would have us to learn from this as we live for daily for his glory and for his purposes. Now the first thing is this, and this is found in the first two verses, and this is really the foundation of the psalm. It's really the glue or the betrock of this particular psalm. And in those first two verses what David does get insightful, but what David does is he gives us or outlines for us and broad, but yet very specific categories for the most important benefits that a believer in the gospel has.
And this should be understood as you work your way through some of the other difficult terrain within this psalm. There are four things that are not only helpful for us as you work your way through the psalm, but it's things that we need to be reminded of in all seasons of life. Four important benefits that every believer has by virtue of your faith in Jesus Christ. And those four things are number one to know that your transgression is forgiven. Now by the way, you'll notice that there are three different terms here that are used for sin, and this is not typical, I mean this is not part of typical Hebrew poetry where you have parallelism where the same thought is conveyed in the next line, but using different words. I think there are at least four different things even in the use of these three different words, but there are four different things that are taught to us about what we who possess faith in Jesus Christ can be certain of, and the first one is that our transgression is forgiven. The idea of forgiveness goes throughout the Bible, and that is, it's really taken from the world of accounting and that is where there is a debt and it is paid or it is forgiven, it is canceled. And so here's what believers need to know, and this is a benefit that we all have if we are in Christ Jesus, A, that you have debt, and B, that it has been canceled. Your sins, your transgressions, have been canceled. They have been forgiven. But notice the second thing that he says here, that not only is transgression forgiven, but he also says sin is covered. Now that's important, because again he's not, this is not just a matter of him using two different words to talk about the same reality, but I think two different aspects of the same reality, and the reality is our fallen nature as well as the sinful deeds that we commit. And here's what we are sure of, are sure of, if we are in Christ, that not only is our moral debt to God canceled or forgiven, but our sin itself is covered. It's covered. It's not denying the reality of those struggles, those issues, but it says it is covered. Every believer has their sin, debt, canceled, and every believer has their sin covered. Now we know what actually covers our sin. What covers our sins is the blood of Christ and the righteousness of Christ. But here's the third thing that David points us to, he says not only is our sin covered, but he says iniquity is not charged. So those who are in Christ, and that's the doctrine really of imputation, those who are in Christ, your transgression is forgiven, your sin is covered, and iniquity is not charged to you. It's interesting the different places in the Old Testament where this concept is made very clear in one of the places that we see this and in one of the prophecies or oracles of Baalum, Baalum was the false prophet that was hired by Bilalak who was the king of the Amorites or the Moabites who hired Baalum to curse the children of Israel because he didn't want them to pass through his land. And so he says, I'll give you whatever you want, just curse them. And so Baalum agreed to do it. God used this false prophet and said that, okay, you'll say what I want you to say. And then God uses him and he delivers four different oracles. And in one of his oracles, one of the things that the Lord says and what it comes down to is God is speaking directly to King Bilalak through the mouth of Baalum. And one of the things that he says is that I do not see sin in Jacob. And he said, wait a minute, are you kidding me? Has anybody else been reading the rest of the book of numbers when we see the complaints of the people when we see the rebellion of the people when we see God's anger aroused against them? But he says, but I don't see it. Isn't that an amazing thing? And basically, what he's saying is I don't charge them with sin. And so that's what David is conveying here that God does not charge those who are in Christ with sin.
But here's the fourth thing. And if you think that's mind-blowing in itself that a, your moral debt to God has been canceled, b, that your sin as it exists is covered, and c, that there is no iniquity that is reckoned or charged to you, then notice what he says fourthly, that there is no deceit in their spirit. In other words, their soul is pure. Boy, that seems like ideal, doesn't it? That seems like the state of glorification. But brothers and sisters, what we have here is the foundation for daily living, for all of those who are in Christ. Every day that we get up, every day that we deal with issues, here's what we need to be reminded of. No matter what friends say, no matter what co-workers say, no matter what others say, here's what God says. Your transgression is forgiven. Your sin is covered. There is no iniquity that's being charged to you, and by the way, your soul is pure. Now, that's what we are in Christ. Why? Because the basis for all of these benefits that we receive is the righteousness of Jesus Christ, so that God does not see us according to our sins, but He sees us according to our union with His Son. Now, that's the foundation. That foundation really permeates throughout this entire song. But here's the second thing. The second category is actually in verse seven, or actually seven through nine, and we see the practical implications of these benefits, the practical implications of the benefits that are outlined for us in verses one and two. And so in verses seven through nine, now by the way, you'll notice that all of a sudden one of the other strengths, and we see it in a couple of other Psalms, but one of the unusual features about this Psalm is that initially the rider is riding in his own voice. In other words, he is riding to instruct and give insight to his readers. But in the middle of this Psalm, in verse seven and eight, all of a sudden, God is the one who is speaking. So there's another speaker in the Psalm. And so part of the practical benefits that we see in this Psalm is that as God speaks, we see three things. Number one, that in verse seven, God is the hiding place for his people. For those whom he has forgiven, for those whom since he has covered, for those whose iniquity he has not charged, for those whose soul that he has declared to be pure, God is the hiding place for his people, for those people. In verse seven, the Psalm says, you are a hiding place for me and you preserve me from trouble. Now, I should point out here, we'll get to the trouble aspect of it later, but I should point out here, is that we increase our trouble when we don't use our hiding place. And so God is the hiding place of his people. The God who forgives, the God who covers, the God who partens is the hiding place for his people. That's a practical benefit of being forgiven. That God is your hiding place. That is a dominant theme throughout the Psalms that the earth may give way, but those whose trust is in God, they're okay because God is a hiding place for his people. Why do we need a hiding place? Well, because the world is bad and so are we.
You see, because the world is a corrupting place and we're easily influenced. And it's not that we are hidden from what's going on in the news. God doesn't hide us in him until somebody else comes in office or until this passes. No, he's a hiding place in that he is with us as we go through these situations. God is a hiding place and understand that in order, that he is talking about all of those or those who have received all of the benefits that are outlined in verses one and two, for us, God is a hiding place. The language that is used in other portions of the Psalms or different Psalms is God is a refuge. He's a rock, he's a deliverer. God is the hiding place for his people, but not only is he a hiding place for his people, but here is another practical benefit for those who are the justified, those whose iniquity is not charged to them. We see in verse 10 that God's steadfast love surrounds us. And you know, we forget that sometimes, don't we? We forget that. Look at at verse 10 and it says, many are the sorrows of the wicked. Why? Because we live in a world of trouble. But for those who are the righteous, we have God as a hiding place, but we also have this. But steadfast love surrounds the one who trust in the Lord. That was not calling for us to be steadfast in order to receive this love, but what it is telling us that those who have received the benefits that are outlined in verses one and two, who, for whom God is a hiding place, understand this, that his steadfast love surrounds you. It doesn't always seem like it. It doesn't always feel like it. But the truth of the matter is the steadfast love always surrounds his saints. The God who neither slumbers nor sleeps surrounds his saints with that which can strengthen them. His love surrounds us. Brothers and sisters, this is one of the advantages, one of the benefits that we have as being a part of the covenant community. This is why we need to avail ourselves to the means of grace because the world out there will have us thinking in a wrong way. The sin that is within us would have us look at our trials and our circumstances in a wrong way. We need to be reminded as we interact with fellow saints as we are encouraged and become sometimes the source of encouragement for brothers and sisters that as Jesus said before his ascension, low I am with you always even until the ends of the world. Well, how is Jesus with us? He is with us by virtue of his indwelling Holy Spirit. He is with us by virtue of the gospel as it is proclaimed. He is with us when we communit the Lord's table. And brothers and sisters, he is with us in the fellowship of the saints. So we are surrounded with God's love. I think one of the things that causes people to act like, you know, act out is when we feel cornered and we don't feel love. A lot of stuff happens when people don't feel love. And sometimes when we don't feel love, it doesn't mean you're not love. It just means you're not plugged into that love. Understand this, that you are loved. If you are in Christ, if you are, if you can claim the benefits of having your transgressions forgiven, your sins, your sins covered and your iniquity not charged to you, if God sees your soul as pure than know this, not only are you loved but you are surrounded by that steadfast love. In your trials, in your travails, in your failures, in your ups, in your downs, in the hospital room and home, in your domestic issues, you are still surrounded by love. But here's the third benefit that we have as those who are the forgiven of God. And that's when we get the voice of God in verses eight and nine. The people that God surrounds with his love, he instructs. So you're never out of law, so you, a lot of times, oh, I didn't know. Well, it's because you didn't listen. There are two ways that God instructs. People, and I love the way the Lord speaks. And he probably has to do this because David, just as a mere mortal, probably couldn't put it in his own voice, that he noticed the two ways in verse eight, he says, I instruct you or I will instruct you and teach you in the way that you should go. I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Now, how does God counsel? Again, we cannot claim knowledge of God's word and divorce ourselves from the feeding of it, or the distribution of it. God counsels and instructs us in his word, in our personal studies, as well as in the public proclamation of his word, God instructs. But you know what we are, right? We're hard headed. So here's the easy way. God instructs us. So the soul that avails itself to God's ordinary means of grace, the soul that hungers for the word of God, the soul that nourishes itself on the Lord's table, the soul that makes the most of proper and profitable Christian fellowship, that soul is being instructed. I thank God for brothers and sisters who have been able to walk with me through the word of God in dealing with different situations and seasons in life. And surely at the end of it, I can say, the Lord has instructed me. Is there, yeah, but it came from another individual, yeah, but God used that individual. God used that love from that individual to instruct me in the way that I should go. I thank God for all of my living friends that have instructed me. And I thank God for all of my dead friends who have instructed me like John Owen who has been written since the 1500s. But brothers and sisters, that's how he speaks to us and he instructs us. But you know what? Like I said, what are we, we're hard headed. And so God says, here's his, here is the persistence of God's love towards us. He speaks to us, he speaks to us through his grace. He speaks to us through the ordinary means of grace, but we don't always listen. So look at what he says in verse nine. Now he says in verse eight that I will instruct you and I'll teach you in the way that you should go. You're never at a loss as what is right, but we don't listen. So he says in verse nine, but like a horse or a mule or be not like a horse or a mule without understanding. Which he must be, which must be curved with bit and brittle. In other words, don't be like a horse or a donkey because God is going to instruct you one way or another. He's going to instruct you and is still going to be grace. It's still going to be his word. He will still instruct you, but he will do it when you want it and you can't wait to get it or if he has to put a bridal and a bit in your mouth, he's going to instruct those that he forgives. Friend of mine used to say when people would make a mess of their lives and make all kinds of bad decisions, he says, you know, when your life has run into this ret, just look back at all the stop signs you ran through, to get there, to get you wheel spinning in the air and your car upside down. Look at all the stop signs that you ran through because God does instruct. He wants us to not only know him and love him, but he wants us, he doesn't want us to walk in this world that is full of corruption and we being so prone and easy to corrupt. He doesn't want us to be lost and so he instructs. And how does he instructs, he instructs in a gracious way and he says, we can do this one of two ways. We can do this the easy way or we can do it the hard way. I always think of my mother-in-law and I love her to death. She's like another mother to me, have known her all since I was 11, 12 years old. But my mother-in-law is one of the busiest people I know. She's 84 years old, has been just retired recently from her profession and still works on the side. But my mother-in-law, when she went through a season where she was just busy when she was really getting involved in her business and getting her business up off the ground. And she was always just busy, always busy. And the night that one of her brothers died, she went through a season in which she lost like three brothers and her mother and her stepfather in about a year and a half span. And it was just a very difficult time. So the night that the first brother died, she went to his house and slipped and fell and broke her ankle in such a severe way that she was in traction, literally laid up for weeks and couldn't go anywhere. And I remember going in, she was in her house and I went to go just visit with her. And she said, you know, she couldn't even make her brother's funeral. I mean, it was real close to her. She couldn't even go to the funeral because she couldn't get out of bed. One of the things that she said to me, and it stuck with me all these years, she said, you know, I'm sitting here, I can't go anywhere. I couldn't even go to my own brother's funeral. She says, you know, but when I was up, I was just so busy, it was just so much that I just had to do, I just felt like I, if I didn't do this, if I didn't go there, I just wasn't gonna get done. I just did everything and she said, now I can't do anything. And she said the world hasn't stopped revolving. Haven't lost anything. She said, all my bills are still paid and I'm not holding it up. And I think always think of Shanta Clear that cartoon character, the rooster. I forget which movie was a Disney movie, but Shanta Clear, he was a rooster who was convinced that his crowing made the sun come up. And because he was so convinced of this, being the rooster that he was, he boasted in the barnyard about how it was necessary for him to crow in order for the sun to come up. And all the other animals got tired of his boasting. So they fooled him one day and they made him miss the sunrise and when he woke up, the sun was up and he hadn't crowed and he was one depressed rooster because he realized that it ain't him. This is what God says in essence. I will instruct you and we can do this one of two ways. We can do this where I will instruct you with my eye. And you know, some people are just so super sensitive and so super spiritual that they're almost, you know, your teeth hurt just being around them. But you thank God for people who are sensitive enough to know that God controls. And so he says, I can, in that person in essence, I can instruct you with my eye. I can instruct you. He says, now, that's how my mother was when she was singing in the choir and she'd look out and used me as my sister's acting up. She could instruct with her eye. She'd get their attention and she could instruct with the eye. But my old sister needed a bit and a brittle, a bridal. Brothers and sisters, here's what we can gain from. Here's what we know that the forgiven people of God are set loose in a world that is unkind. But it's a world that appeals to our fallen nature. But God has not left us without instruction. He who is our hiding place, and why is it that we don't take advantage of the hiding place because we refuse his instruction? But he who is our hiding place, he who surrounds us with his dead, fast love, instructs us. And he instructs us either with the leading of the eye, or sometimes he will treat us as if we're a mule. There was a story that told a guy who was training and elephant, and he had a whistle and a two-by-four. They said, okay, we see with the whistle he does the various commands, what's the two-by-four? He says to get his attention. And sometimes God uses a two-by-four to get our attention. But let's not get it confused whether he guides with his eye or whether he uses a brittle. God's commitment to his people is as such that he will instruct them. Here's the third thing that we see, and that's in verse five, and that's the sad reality. He said, we talked about the trouble. We talked about the trouble that's in the world. We talked about the trouble that's out there. And so in verse five, we see the sad reality. And the sad reality is this, that those who sins are, or whose transgressions are forgiven, those who sin, sins are covered, those who God doesn't count their iniquity against them, those who God sees their spirit as if it were pure, often stray from the path into sinful situations. That's the whole point of verse five. In verse five, David speaking of himself and we don't know of any particular experience that he's writing about, or if it's just a combination of experiences, but notice what he says, I acknowledge my sin to you. Isn't it interesting that the one that God doesn't charge with sin is conscious of it? And so here's what he says, he says, I acknowledge 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, the reality brothers and sisters, as no matter how much grace we receive, we are still prone to sin. But because we have a God who surrounds us with his love and because we have a God who is committed to instructing us, he lets us, he allows us, even our sins. And that's amazing. He said, well, but he forbids it. He does forbid it and he allows us sometimes to experience it so we'll see why he forbids it. You see, it looks good to us at the time, but God, and so what David does here is he acknowledges his sin. So that brings us to the fourth thing. Why does he acknowledge his sin at this point? The one who has already confessed to the fact that God doesn't charge him with iniquity. So why does he confess his sin? Well, because we see in the fourth place that God chasens the heart-headed with his love. He chasens them. And that's what we see in verses three and four. Notice where David says, in the first place he says, when I kept silent and what was he silent about, probably the sin. He says, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night, and here's the phrase, your hand was heavy upon me. Now, brothers and sisters, it is better to have the heavy hand of a loving God upon you, stirring you, guiding you. That's him using that bit and brittle to bring us to a distaste for our sins. It is better to experience that than to experience him as judge. Remember, the foundation of this psalm are those who have been justified by God. And yes, he doesn't charge them with iniquity. Yes, he covers their sins. Yes, he sees their souls as pure. So what happens when they sin? He puts his hand upon them. And sometimes he puts his hand heavy upon them. So much so that David says that his strength dried up as if it was a long or as if it was by the heat of summer. And it was the heavy hand of the Lord that caused him to confess and to acknowledge his sin. Psalms 51 is a psalm of repentance. And in there, David says that he talks about how the Lord broke his bones. And the experience there that he's alluding to is his particular sin with Bathsheba. Now understand this, God does not charge the sins of his people against them because he's charged it to someone else. God covers their iniquity, but God deals with it. And he deals with it through chasing me. In the writer of Hebrews in chapter 12 of Hebrews, verses four through 11 says this, consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself so that you may not grow weary or faint-hearted. In your struggle against sin, you have not resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses your sins. My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord nor be weary when he, when approved by him for the Lord disciplines the one he loves and chastises every son whom he perceives. It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons for what son is there whom the Father does not discipline. If you are left without discipline in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children. And the old King James uses the old word for illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who have disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live for they disciplined us for short time as seen best to them. But he disciplines us for our good that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant. But later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. David, in confessing his sin to the Lord, demonstrates that he has been trained by it. And here's what he's been trained to see that he didn't take advantage of the hiding place, not in the situation with Bathsheba, not in the other situations when he numbered the people. He didn't rest in the hiding place, but rather he tried to stand on his own. So we see then that God that the sat reality is that we stray from the path. But the good news is that when we stray from the path, we never stray from his love. And God instructs us even from afar. And when he couldn't get our attention by the eye, then he uses the bit and brittle. And he lays his hand upon us not to judge us, not to condemn us, but to conform us to the image of his son. That brings us to the final thing, and that's the exhortation that we see in verse 11. Verse 11 is really what it kind of leads to all of the psalmist. It kind of connects to verses one and two, but it's the exhortation. And notice the exhortation, be glad in the Lord and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy all you upright in heart. Three observations on that exhortation. Number one, this exhortation is the grateful response for grace received. It is not as contrary to what people say that when we do this, then God blesses. No, the praise of the saints is in response to blessings that have already been received. Now part of the problem is that he didn't always, David didn't always see those blessings or make the most of them, but this exhortation is not for those so that you can get saved. The exhortation to be glad in the Lord. Notice those terms, be glad in the Lord. What is it that opens the door for sin when we are not satisfied in what God has given? Be glad in the Lord and then rejoice in that. But then notice this, it not only is this a grateful response for the grace that has been received, but this is also our best resource for Godly living. The resource and the incentive for Godly living is the fact that God Himself is worthy to be praised. In other words, here's what keeps us in the way. Here's what draws us back to the hiding place. It is rejoicing in God. It is being glad in Him. It is being glad that when everything else fails, God's steadfast love never fails. It is to be confident that He will deliver us from our time of trouble, we're not like the wicked. It is being confident because here's what we know that if our souls are pure, then we're right with God. And God sees our souls as being pure. And so therefore, the praise that we offer, being glad in the Lord and rejoicing in Him is only standing in what He has promised us and what He has given us in the gospel of His grace. But here's the third observation, neglecting this, neglecting rejoicing and being glad in what God has given us opens the door for much trouble. See, that's when we cease to be glad, and I've mentioned this before, but when Mark McGuire broke the home run record in a single season at that time, he hit 72 home runs, or 71 home runs, and the record had been, or he had, I think the first time he broke it, whatever it was, it was like 71 or 72 home runs in a single year. He had that many home runs. The previous record had been 60, and that record had stood for like 30-some odd years. And Tony LaRusa, who was the manager of the Cardinals at the time, he says, the moment we cease to be in awe at what he did, we will begin to take it for granted. Brothers and sisters, the moment we cease to be in awe, that God does not has forgiven your transgressions. The moment we cease to be in awe, that our sin is covered, the moment that we cease to be in awe, that there is no iniquity that is charged to us, the moment that we are no longer in awe. That God doesn't see our spirits as being deceitful. It is that moment that we will feel that we don't need his hiding place. And when we feel that we don't need his hiding place, we fall. Brothers and sisters, rejoice and be glad that God has poured his grace upon you so that in your time of trouble, you don't have to look for a place to hide, amen.