What a wonderful declaration of blessedness goes to the one “whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered,” and “to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity” (Psalm 32:1-2). The beauty of this ought to make our hearts yearn with jealousy to be that man or woman. There is a way to experience true, gracious pardon and forgiveness from the Judge of Judges and the King of Kings. It may come as a surprise that the only descriptive given for that man or woman is that, in his or her spirit “there is no deceit” (32:2).
We know God’s revelation about the human heart, that it is deceitful above all things (Jeremiah 17:9). Thus, it is no small thing for our hearts to be free from deceit! God alone has the means and power to bring about such a transformation. So, if there is no deceit in me, it is because I have given the Holy Spirit complete access. My spirit, my heart, my will, my motives, my secrets – all is willfully unveiled to the examination of the Spirit of God. We can sincerely say, “Search me, O God, and know my heart” (Psalm 139:23).
Here, there is more being required of me than words and intent. If “there is no deceit,” it means that I am no longer fooling myself about what God has said, nor am I seeking to fool God or my neighbor! I may be an eager confessor of sins, but do I allow the scriptures to dictate to me what is confessed? Will I allow the Holy Spirit to convict me of sin even when I find no verse exactly prohibiting it? Will I let Him reveal a wrong attitude or ungracious disposition? Or, at the point of conviction, do I begin restating what provoked my lack of grace? When we try to deceive ourselves or others, our mouths become excuse factories! Before we note “that person” who needs to read this, let’s remember how we ourselves have been guilty of this type of deceit.
This is a call to utter transparency with God. But it will only happen in the context of a complete transparent acceptance of His Word. Even now, in high places of Christian academia, some are devoting their lives to rejecting God’s statements on morality, veiled under an attractive package of “discovering what God really said.” And in the name of “hermeneutic” and “interpretation,” deceit is spreading. Let this not be found among us. If some determine to nullify the Word of God under a cloak of learning, let us all the more hold to faith like that of a child, which joins Jesus in declaring, “It is written” (Matthew 11:25; Luke 4:4, 8, 12). Receive the Word of God honestly, as a child, as a disciple, and then be honest with Him, and His grace will be upon you.
“When I kept silent” – have we forgotten to confess a failure? Have we failed to say “yes and amen” to His statement of truth? Jesus loves us and wants to spare us the awful torment of “groaning all the day long” because our “vitality [is] turned into the drought of summer” (32:4). Only when David acknowledged his sin to God could he then say, “You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance” (32:7). This is the joy of having nothing to hide from God, and by that freedom, having nothing to hide from people. He is my hiding place when I embrace all He is and all He said. I find myself surrounded by deliverance once I disclose myself fully to Jesus. I need hold nothing back from Him. My fear has to dissolve. Times of refreshing must come to my soul (Acts 3:19).
Alex Mack
Teaching Pastor
The Rock Church