Psalm 32--Who Are the Righteous? C't'd No Deceit = Saying It with God

2 Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. 
3 When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. 
4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Selah 
5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD"-- and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah

Because the blessing of God falls upon "the righteous", but God's woe falls upon the "wicked" (Ps 32:10), it is important to me to know which I am in God's eyes--does God number me with "the righteous" or with "the wicked"?

Verse 2 tells me again that a righteous person is not one who never sins--all people sin--but there are some "whose sin the LORD does not count against him". I surely want to be one of these, so I continue reading, "and in whose spirit is no deceit." What does this mean? As I look back upon my heart over many years, I find that indeed I did tell lies, both to myself, to others, and to God. There were entire years of moral confusion, in which I could not tell if certain actions were right or wrong. Surely, I have a deceitful spirit? 

3 When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. 
4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Selah 
5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD" -- and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah

Verse three explains that the psalmist had a period of time when he suffered greatly. He kept silent towards God. He experienced decay and misery, which resulted in groaning all day long. The psalmist had no relief day or night, and he attributed his suffering to the hand of God pressing heavily upon him. He had no strength; he was wasted, as on a hot summer day. Although we don't know how long this condition lasted, we can assume it was for awhile.

In verse 3 the psalmist "kept" silent. The verb seems to imply volition on the psalmist's part; his will was involved. Silence can have several causes. Someone can be silent from having nothing to say, being neutral, at rest, at peace. Such is not the case here, since the psalmist is wasting away and groaning constantly. Therefore, we can assume that the psalmist does have something to say to God, but it is dammed up, held back, willfully not expressed.

Verse 5a is the turning point--

5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD"...

The psalmist talked to God about his sin. He covered it up no longer. When the psalmist kept quiet, he was covering his iniquity. When he could bear God's heavy hand no longer, he turned and talked to God. About what? His sin. He quit covering it up. He had been covering his sin from God's sight (much like Adam and Eve, like Cain). Would it be fair to assume that at some point in the process he had covered his sin from his own sight?

Verses 5b through 7 tell us what happened after the psalmist's confession:

5b  -- and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah
6 Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him.  
7 You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah

God forgave the guilt of his sin. Then--Joy! Refuge and safety in the Lord, protection, peace, songs of deliverance.

Going back to verse 3 and the word deceit, I now see that at one point the psalmist did have a deceitful heart. This was his period of silence, when God's hand was heavy upon him. At that time he was miserable, not blessed at all. Then, when he confessed his sin, his deceitfulness ended, and God blessed him, verses 6 and 7.

God knew all along about the psalmist's iniquity. That's why God's hand was pressing heavily upon him. Therefore, God is He who wanted the psalmist to repent. God was He who was telling the psalmist of his sin. When the psalmist turned and spoke his sin aloud to God, then God was pleased.

I therefore conclude that a "righteous" person is not one who never sins, but a righteous person is one who "says it with God". The person who "says it with God"--i.e., the person who sees his own heart the same way God sees it--this is the person who has no deceit. He is the one who sees both himself (herself) and God the same way God does. The person with no deceit is the one who is in agreement with God, trusting in God, and following God's way. *See note below.

God is quick to forgive anyone and everyone who confesses to Him. This is righteousness--agreeing with God that I have sinned; specifically naming and declaring my sin to God; asking Him to forgive me; then trusting that He does forgive and receiving His blessing. How like a father is our God?

Verses 8 and 9 are God's admonition in His very own voice--

8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.  
9 Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.

Verses 10 and 11 recap the entire psalm and invite all those who have gone through the process of repentance and forgiveness to rejoice with song.

10 Many are the woes of the wicked, but the LORD's unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him.  
11 Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!

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Father, I know that You are a gracious God. I know that You have very clear standards of right and wrong and that You hate all sin. But I also know that You love sinners and have provided a Way of blessing. I have heard the criticisms of You by those who reject You and Your standards, laid out in the Ten Commandments of the Bible. But as for me and my own heart, I have seen You in the form of Jesus Christ hanging on the cross. I have thought about and examined all that I know of You from scripture and from my own experience, and I find no fault in You.

I pray, Lord, that those who are suffering in silence toward You, those who are wasting away and groaning day and night because of Your hand being heavy upon them due to their unconfessed sin, that they would turn--by Your grace, guidance, and help--that they would turn and confess their iniquity to You, asking You for forgiveness in Jesus Christ. And, Father, according to the words of Psalm 32, I know that You will forgive them, declare them righteous in Your sight, and bless them. Thank-You dearest Father. In Christ, Christina, amen.

*Note from above: I am not at all saying that I am "righteous" today and "unrighteous"  the very next time I have unconfessed sin. Once made righteous in Christ by initial repentance and turning to Him in faith--always righteous, legally, in God's court of law, His judgment. I do, however, have periods of more or less intimacy with God and personal well-being depending upon whether or not I am harboring unconfessed sin in my heart.