NextLevel Online: Praying the Psalms A Prayer for Everything

When you are guilty of sin, the LORD forgives

Psalm 32 addresses the destructive power of guilt and the blessedness of forgiveness. David reflects on his misery while hiding his sins and the relief he found upon confessing them to God, who then covered them with grace. This session explores the physical, emotional, and relational consequences of unconfessed sin, the value of confessing sins to another person, and the comprehensive nature of God's forgiveness in Christ. It emphasizes the joy and freedom found in God's atonement and encourages open confession and trust in God's forgiveness. Other psalms of confession include 6, 38, 51, 102, 130, and 143.
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When you are guilty of sin, the LORD forgives

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The vision of Ozark Christian College is to glorify God by evangelizing the lost and edifying Christians worldwide. The mission of Ozark Christian College is to train men and women for Christian service as a degree-granting institution of biblical higher education.

Classroom Instructions

Classroom
18:08When you are guilty of sin, the LORD forgivesWhen you are guilty of sin, the LORD forgives

Session 3: When you are guilty of sin, the LORD forgives (Psalm 32)

Summary: When we sin, we not only violate God’s law, but we disrupt our relationship with him and with others. The resulting guilt will destroy us if we do not come clean and confess our sin before God. The key word in this psalm is “covering.” David covered up his sins and was miserable. When he confessed them to God, they were covered (atoned) by God’s grace, and God himself became for David a hiding place. The psalm celebrates the blessedness of forgiveness by God’s grace and offers wisdom to those suffering in the prison of guilt.

Background: Like Psalm 51, this psalm may have been composed following David’s public acknowledgment of his adultery with Bathsheba and ensuring cover-up which resulted in the murder of her husband Uriah. You can read the account of these events in 2 Samuel 11-12.

Opening Questions:

  1. Have you ever played “hide and seek”? Describe your best hiding place.

  2. Can you think of a time when you learned a lesson “the hard way”?

  3. Have you ever had an experience with flood waters? How did that turn out?

  4. Are you a good liar? How do you know?

Study Questions:

  1. What is the difference between transgression, sin, and iniquity?

  2. What is deceit? Is it possible to lie while telling the truth?

  3. What are the physical, emotional, and relational consequences of unconfessed sin (vss. 3-4)?

  4. Read James 5:16. What is the value of confessing our sins to another person in addition to God?

  5. What examples of “covering” can we see throughout the Bible? How do these demonstrate God’s forgiveness of our sin in Christ?

  6. In the New Testament, the words justification (Romans 5:6-9), atonement (Romans 3:21-26; 1 John 2:2), and reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:17-21) describe how God deals with our sin through Jesus Christ. What does each of these words mean in expressing the fullness of God’s grace when it comes to our sin?

  7. Read Psalm 103:8-12. What does it tell us about how God deals with us and our sin?

  8. In verse 7, David writes that the LORD surrounds him with loud songs of deliverance. Who do you think is singing here?

  9. What does the example of the horse and mule teach us about human nature?

Application Questions:

  1. Why is it so tempting to cover up our sin rather than reveal it?

  2. When have you confessed your sin to another person? How was it different from confessing your sin to God? Would you recommend it?

  3. Do you have trouble believing that God has truly forgiven you? What would it take for you to trust Him on this?

  4. Knowing that God has forgiven you, how should this affect your forgiveness of others? Has it?

  5. What “songs of deliverance” have you been surrounding yourself with lately?

  6. What aspect of your nature could use more “control”?

Other psalms of confession: 6, 38, 51, 102, 130, 143

When you are guilty of sin, the LORD forgives Instructions

Classroom
18:08When you are guilty of sin, the LORD forgivesWhen you are guilty of sin, the LORD forgives

Session 3: When you are guilty of sin, the LORD forgives (Psalm 32)

Summary: When we sin, we not only violate God’s law, but we disrupt our relationship with him and with others. The resulting guilt will destroy us if we do not come clean and confess our sin before God. The key word in this psalm is “covering.” David covered up his sins and was miserable. When he confessed them to God, they were covered (atoned) by God’s grace, and God himself became for David a hiding place. The psalm celebrates the blessedness of forgiveness by God’s grace and offers wisdom to those suffering in the prison of guilt.

Background: Like Psalm 51, this psalm may have been composed following David’s public acknowledgment of his adultery with Bathsheba and ensuring cover-up which resulted in the murder of her husband Uriah. You can read the account of these events in 2 Samuel 11-12.

Opening Questions:

  1. Have you ever played “hide and seek”? Describe your best hiding place.

  2. Can you think of a time when you learned a lesson “the hard way”?

  3. Have you ever had an experience with flood waters? How did that turn out?

  4. Are you a good liar? How do you know?

Study Questions:

  1. What is the difference between transgression, sin, and iniquity?

  2. What is deceit? Is it possible to lie while telling the truth?

  3. What are the physical, emotional, and relational consequences of unconfessed sin (vss. 3-4)?

  4. Read James 5:16. What is the value of confessing our sins to another person in addition to God?

  5. What examples of “covering” can we see throughout the Bible? How do these demonstrate God’s forgiveness of our sin in Christ?

  6. In the New Testament, the words justification (Romans 5:6-9), atonement (Romans 3:21-26; 1 John 2:2), and reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:17-21) describe how God deals with our sin through Jesus Christ. What does each of these words mean in expressing the fullness of God’s grace when it comes to our sin?

  7. Read Psalm 103:8-12. What does it tell us about how God deals with us and our sin?

  8. In verse 7, David writes that the LORD surrounds him with loud songs of deliverance. Who do you think is singing here?

  9. What does the example of the horse and mule teach us about human nature?

Application Questions:

  1. Why is it so tempting to cover up our sin rather than reveal it?

  2. When have you confessed your sin to another person? How was it different from confessing your sin to God? Would you recommend it?

  3. Do you have trouble believing that God has truly forgiven you? What would it take for you to trust Him on this?

  4. Knowing that God has forgiven you, how should this affect your forgiveness of others? Has it?

  5. What “songs of deliverance” have you been surrounding yourself with lately?

  6. What aspect of your nature could use more “control”?

Other psalms of confession: 6, 38, 51, 102, 130, 143