I like a good pun… did you hear about the man who was fired from the calendar factory? All he did was take a day off! David was in punning mood when he penned this psalm: he uses the same word for ‘covered’ (v 1 – like snow covers the ground) and ‘cover up’ (v 5 – like politicians cover up a scandal). 

Whatever his sin was – traditionally, but not necessarily, his adultery with Bathsheba – he tried to hide it at first (v 3), claiming ‘to be without sin’ (1 John 1:8). That didn’t go well. What do you think it means that God’s hand was ‘heavy’ on David (v 4)? Is that something you recognise?

Eventually he admitted what he had done; he stopped covering it up himself (v 5) and let God cover it for him (v 1). Compare verses 4 and 11. What a difference being honest and confessing his sin made to David! Are you brave enough to learn his lesson (v 8)?

Spend time confessing your sins to God.

Some relate this psalm, like Psalm 51, to David’s adultery with Bathsheba, but it is applicable to any sin, transgression or iniquity that we have not confessed – perhaps because we are deceiving ourselves. John provides us with a New Testament commentary on this psalm.¹ God’s gracious forgiveness of sinners is a great blessing, but so often a lack of confession deprives us of it. John depicts different layers of deceit, when we say that we have not sinned or deny that our actions constitute sin in the eyes of God. The psalmist knows the psychological damage that such a denial brings. Or it may be that we will not confess because we want to continue sinning.

Paul sees in this psalm justification by faith.² The blessing confession brings is not only forgiveness, but the covering of our sins and their removal from God’s accounts. Why do we forfeit an open relationship with God by clinging to our sin? We are well likened to a horse or mule that needs the restraints of a bridle to walk in the right way and avoid catastrophe in our lives. 

As in so many psalms, the personal experience of the writer is related to the whole congregation of Israel. What we have experienced personally of the Lord’s graciousness to us and the joy of his forgiveness is to be shared with others, not only so that they can rejoice with us, but also so that they will not conceal their own sins. When we have dealt with our sins it breaks down the barriers, not only with God but also with our fellow believers. We stop pretending to be better than we are and cease regarding others as less or more righteous than ourselves, as we all come closer to God.

Find someone else to pray with in confession and forgiveness.
¹ 1 John 1:8 – 2:2  ² Rom 4:4–8