WEDNESDAY 17th
Psalm 38
NIV (v18) – ‘I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin.’
ESV (v18) – ‘I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin.’
They say that confession is good for the soul, but I want to add that true confession is only effective if it is made to the one who God has ordained to be the one who can forgive, the Lord Jesus Christ. And in this psalm before us today David has been greatly troubled as he has considered his sin and it was causing him anguish of heart. He describes how he was feeling, and it is not a very pleasant picture he is painting. To sum up he was in a mess, mentally, emotionally, and physically. It would seem looking at the first two verses that he had been going through a period of deep conviction for he says that the arrows of the LORD had sunk into him, and that the LORD’S hand had come down upon him. When we get to our text, he is ready to yield to the conviction and he pours out his confession, ‘I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin.’ In verses 22 he concludes, ‘Make haste to help me, O LORD, my salvation.’
It is wonderful news that there is one who is willing to forgive our iniquity, but although he has provided the means for forgiveness through his sacrifice at Calvary, we have to be willing to come and to confess before him before we can receive the benefits of Calvary. In our text the ESV says ‘I am sorry for my sin’, the NIV says, ‘I am troubled by my sin’. It is a sad fact that many today carry on in their sin and they are never troubled by it, let alone ever sorry for it. We are living in an age when so much of what was readily accepted as being sin is no longer thought that way anymore, and what makes matters worse is that mankind no longer believes in a God who will punish sin, or has provided a means of salvation from sin. The greatest news that is the answer to the greatest need is rejected. It is also a sad fact that there are those who recognise sin and it’s devastating effect upon the human soul, and yet they choose not to come to the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness that is readily available. For several years when we were living in Wales, I befriended a man who was a very staunch Roman Catholic, it did not matter what was going on in the local Catholic Church, he was there. We had a coffee morning and I invited him along, and he came, week after week, I also visited him in his home and shared the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ with him, many times, clearly presenting all the facts about the finished work of Christ and that man can only be saved by grace alone and by faith alone in the Lord Jesus, but he could never accept it. As far as I am aware, he never changed his mind, that is between him and God on the day of judgement, but I pray that he will before it is too late.
I have digressed a little, but this is the point I need to make, there is only one mediator between God and man, and it is the man Christ Jesus. (1 Timothy 2:5) May we never ever settle and become comfortable in anything that is displeasing to God, but may our sin ever be brought before us so that it will drive us to the place of confession, to the mercy seat of God, where we will find grace and mercy to help us in time of need, for if we confess our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
To close today, is there anything in your heart at this moment, anything in thought or deed that is displeasing to God, if you have felt that the arrow of the Lord has sunk into you, if you feel his hand has come down upon you (v2) put it right today, that God may be honoured and glorified through your life. (As I often say, I challenge myself as well)