How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. (Psalm 32:1-2).

What a beautiful verse. It reminds us there is life after sin.

Have you felt the weight of your sin?

There are two words here for sin. The first is transgression, the Hebrew word pešaʿ, meaning “revolt: national, moral, or religious; a rebellion, a trespass.” To transgress is to go beyond the law. Whose law? In this case, God’s moral law which He explains in His Word generally, and in particular, the Ten Commandments.

The second word is iniquity, from the Hebrew ʿāôn. This word describes “guilt, perversity, or depravity.” We understand what iniquity means when God pulls back the blindness of our self-righteousness and allows us a peek into our fallen hearts.

We transgress because of our iniquity. Paul describes this conflict in Romans 7 when he says, I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind (Romans 7:22-23). There is something innate in our flesh pulling us toward transgression. It’s the depravity, the iniquity, residing within our fallen nature.

So how can the psalmist say he is blessed? And how can he claim there is no deceit in his spirit?

David, the author of this psalm, knew very well what it was to transgress. He had discovered the iniquity residing in his human nature because of Adam and Eve’s sin in the Garden thousands of years ago. He had acted according to his sinful nature and transgressed God’s laws. He had committed adultery. He had even decreed the murder of a man, his good friend who served him faithfully.

While David hid his sin and sought refuge in justifying his behavior, there was no release from the guilt of his transgressions. When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long…Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer (Psalm 32:3-4). He was literally, physically, and spiritually “wrung out” with the overwhelming realization of his personal sin.

But God…

David had discovered the grace and mercy of God’s forgiveness. Psalm 51 is a testimony of his confession, whereby he took all the weight of his guilt and rolled it onto God’s shoulders, at God’s invitation. I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I did not hide; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord” and You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah (Psalm 32:5).

When David says there is no deceit in his spirit, he is not saying he is sinless in his actions. He is telling us he has wisely stopped hiding, denying, and justifying his sin because it has been imputed to someone else. How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity (32:2). The Hebrew word is ḥāšaḇ, to be reckoned or counted. Because David freely acknowledged he willfully transgressed God’s moral law, his sin was removed from his account and placed on Jesus, as God looked ahead to the finished work of the cross.

This same Hebrew word is used in Genesis 15:6 when Abraham trusted God for the promised heir: Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness. Paul explains the connection between believing God and entrusting our sin to him, and the simple faith Abraham expressed.

Romans 4:1-8 – What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven, and whose sins have been covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account.”

The rest of Psalm 32 goes on to tell us how this good news should affect those who have put their faith in Jesus. When we sin, we should not hide and run away from God, but instead, run to Him and find deliverance. We should trust He will show us what to do, and He will give us good counsel to restore us, preserve us from trouble, and surround us with His protection.

David knows the tendency of his own heart and admonishes us not to be like a stubborn horse or mule, constantly needing to be bridled to obey. Instead, we are to trust in the Lord, surrounded by His lovingkindness.

Have you trusted God with your sin and received salvation by faith? Jesus took your sin upon Himself, but you must surrender your heart and life, confessing your sin and turning away from it to receive the forgiveness God offers.

As a follower of Jesus, are you trusting God with your sin today, continuing to kneel at the cross, and remembering what Jesus really did for you? Are you walking in freedom and joy, a blessed man or woman in whom there is no deceit?