just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: “blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; [romans 4:6-7]

 

at this point in his letter, paul draws on another historical figure in jewish history to continue proving his point that righteousness has always been achieved apart from works. verse 7 is quoted from psalm 32, which david wrote, and it says this in verses 1-2:

[1] blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
[2] blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

i think it would be fruitful for us to do the same thing david did after he wrote verses 1-2. in verses 3-5 of psalm 32, he remembers a personal experience of when he has experienced forgiveness and restoration that he didn’t deserve from God.

[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

[5] i acknowledged my sin to you,
and i did not cover my iniquity;
i said, “i will confess my transgressions to the LORD,”
and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. selah
through Jesus, our sins our covered. through faith in Jesus alone, we are counted as righteous before God.
take time to remember specific examples of the gift you have been given through Jesus. specific examples of how you’ve received grace, forgiveness, and restoration in your life.
allow this remembrance to bring you to worship God today.
amen.
~ john sandman