Blessed Forgiveness

Having shown that Abraham was justified by faith, Paul now calls a second Old Testament witness for the Gospel—David. Like Abraham, David is a figure of major significance. Dr. James M. Boice describes him as “the greatest of Israel’s kings as well as the one who best embodied the nation’s devotional spirit and longings.” David also was justified by faith, Paul asserts, for he spoke of “the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works.” As evidence, Paul cites Psalm 32:1–2.

When David was confronted about his sin of adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, he came under great guilt. He expressed that burden in Psalm 51, saying, “My sin is always before me” (v. 3b). But he knew cleansing was available from God. “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean,” he cried in Psalm 51:7a. Hyssop was a small shrub from which the Jews made brushes used to sprinkle the blood of sacrificed animals for various purposes. David, therefore, was praying that God would cleanse him with the blood of a sacrifice sufficient to take away the guilt of his heinous sins.

It becomes clear, as we turn to Psalm 32, that David experienced just such cleansing. He speaks there of three types of blessedness. First, there is the blessedness of having one’s “lawless deeds” forgiven. The word here translated as “forgiven” actually means “to send off” or “to send away,” according to Boice. He adds, “The idea is that of separation, and the bearing of the word upon the sin in question is that it teaches that God is willing to separate the sinner’s transgression and guilt from the sinner.” That, of course, is just what God does, placing our sin upon Christ and expending His wrath against Him. Second, David speaks of one’s sins being covered. Boice believes David here is speaking of the blood of an innocent victim being shed to “cover,” or to pay for, the sins of another. Finally, David speaks of one’s sins not being counted against him. God blesses such a person by assigning his sins to Christ’s account and laying the penalty for them on Him. The person therefore is free of the guilt of them. Thereafter, all that is credited to his account is the righteousness of Christ.

David knew all this blessedness of justification firsthand, the same blessedness enjoyed by saints today. He, too, was saved by faith.