David committed adultery with Bathsheba and murdered her husband, Uriah, in 2 Samuel 11. We wouldn’t know it from that chapter, but David was paying an excruciating price while he wouldn’t confess. He wrote, “When I kept silent about my sin,” and then described the consequences he experienced in Psalm 32:3-5.

Table of contentsOutline for Psalm 32:1-5Psalm 32:3-4 Describes David's Misery When He Kept Silent About His SinSin Is a Heavy BurdenIf We Keep Silent About Sin, It Can Physically Affect UsIf We Keep Silent About Sin, It Can Bring God’s DisciplineDavid's ConfessionA Confession Can Bring ReliefIf We Keep Silent About Our Sin, We Fail to Prosper or Obtain MercyA Confession Can Be Short If It Is SincereSincere Confessions Can Bring Habitual Sins to an EndNathan's Response to David's Confession

https://youtu.be/NmTSVy4EhL0
David wrote, “When I kept silent about my sin,” and then in Psalm 32:3-5 described the consequences he experienced when he wouldn’t confess.

I want to tell you about one of the most difficult students I had as an elementary school teacher, who also became one of my favorites. His father was in jail. I still remember reading a letter he wrote him encouraging him to be strong because he knew prison must be really difficult. Imagine a son writing that to a father!

I don’t think his mother was in the picture. His aunt, who also had her children to care for, raised him. I don’t think she was married, so she had to work full-time to care for herself and the children, which didn’t leave much time for him.

Even though he behaved poorly, regularly disrupting class and getting in trouble, I would have had him in class every year if I could have. So, what gave me so much affection for him besides his difficult background, which made me want to see him succeed? He never argued, made excuses, lied, or blamed others when he got in trouble. He made foolish decisions but admitted what he did wrong whenever I confronted him.

I found this to be very refreshing because the first two words out of most students’ mouths when they were in trouble were the word “But” followed by the name of the student they wanted to blame: “But Brian hit me first,” or “But Jessica was talking to me when I was trying to work.”

The humility to accept responsibility is endearing and impressive. I have often wondered how King David could be the Man after God’s Own Heart after committing adultery with Bathsheba and then trying to hide his sin by murdering her husband, Uriah. David’s actions were so wicked that we would doubt the salvation of anyone else who did the same. I’m convinced that at least part of the reason God spoke so highly of David was his humility in accepting responsibility for his actions.

Outline for Psalm 32:1-5

In Psalm 32, which David wrote after confessing, he did two fascinating things:

In Psalm 32:1-2 David wrote about the blessedness for those whose sins God covers.

In Psalm 32:3-5 David wrote about the misery he experienced when he kept silent about his sin.

Psalm 32:3 For 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 dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah

When David said, “When I kept silent,” he criticized himself. He meant:

“When I wouldn’t confess my sin.”

“When I pretended to be deaf to the Holy Spirit’s conviction.”

“When I was stubborn, proud, and rebellious.”

If Cain, Absalom, or Ahab had written these words, we wouldn’t wonder what they were thinking because we expect men like them to keep silent about their sins. But David wrote these words, and he was the Man after God’s Own Heart. So, we can wonder what a deeply spiritual and godly man could have been thinking when he kept silent about his sin.

I have wondered this many times. Some of you might remember that the first books I chose to preach through when I came to WCC were 1 and 2 Samuel.