Monday, August 29, 2022

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.Psalm 32:9 NIV

David’s sin with Bathsheba (II Samuel 11-12) brought great pain, not to mention shame and humiliation. The ripples of his one selfish and defiant act touched many lives. Yet, David proclaimed his righteousness. What a conflict of two opposite states of being! How can this be? Well, David’s only defense was his humble confession that brought forgiveness, and freedom from deceit, re-establishing his right relationship with God. 

This Psalm is a song of repentance. If you read it in its entirety you will hear reference to transgressions, specific offenses, forgiven, and sins that no longer hold power over a soul. In various translations there is the word guilt. 

There are three types of guilt. One is a natural remorse, a fixture of humanity. The second is a toxic guilt that speaks of a worthlessness in one’s own existence. The third is existential; the hopeless feeling of despair over an unjust world. Only the first is of God, conviction brought by a created conscience.

David’s sin made him sick of himself and softened his soul. He is calling out and encouraging his reader/musician/singer to find the same solace in the confidence of a God that will forgive and restore.

Love, 

Gretchen

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