Day 87: Psalm 32:1–11

When I kept silent, my bones became brittle from my groaning all day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy on me; my strength was drained as in the summer’s heat (vv. 3–4).

Over the next several days we will revisit a few major events from David’s life as we gain new perspective from Psalms and Proverbs. Chapter 11 of 2 Samuel ended with some very solemn, hair-raising words: “But the thing David had done displeased the Lord” (2 Sam. 11:27). We now begin to assess the cost of a few moments of carnal pleasure.

When David penned the words of this Psalm, virtually a year had passed since his initial sin with Bathsheba. We know the baby had already been born, but we do not know exactly how old he was. Why was the time so important? Because David had shown no sign of repentance!

David appeared to be moving on with his life as if nothing had happened, but how do you suppose his sin affected his relationship with God? Had he simply picked up with God where he had been? Hardly! Most of us have had seasons of unrepentance when we outwardly attempt to go on with life as if we had not sinned against God. However, our unwillingness to repent has internal effects.

David wrote exactly how he felt during his season of unrepentance. I believe Psalm 32:3–5 describes a malady we might call sin sickness.

I know what it’s like to be sin sick. Do you? During periods when I refused to repent, I felt sapped of strength and sick all over. I groaned in my sin. Thankfully, the seasons of my sin and rebellion were the most miserable periods of my life, worse than any uninvited suffering I’ve ever experienced.

God graciously forgave me once I repented, and He forgot my sin, but I am thankful He did not allow me to forget. Have you ever noticed God helps us to forgive ourselves, but He does not make us forget our sins?

Psalm 32:3–5 teaches us an important truth. Spiritual illness (unrepentance) can lead to emotional illness (groaning all day, heaviness all night) and physical illness (bones wasted away, strength sapped). Please do not misunderstand. Certainly not all emotional or physical illness is caused by an unrepentant heart, but a continued refusal to repent can take a serious emotional and physical toll.

I know. I’ve been there.