Psalm 32:1 found David in a joyful mood. And it is no wonder. His transgression was forgiven and his sin was covered. Consider the difference between "forgiven" and "covered." Before that, look at the words David used: sin, transgression, and iniquity.
Sin is "missing the mark." We have all "missed the mark." (Romans 3:23) Because we have missed the mark, we trespass or cross a boundary. A deliberate crossing would escalate to transgression. It is a presumptuous, deliberate crossing of the line. And iniquity is more deeply rooted. Iniquity means "premeditated choice, continuing without repentance." Yep, David had all of those, as do a few others, me most of all.
All of these are fatal conditions. Romans 6:23 pronounces the death sentence. "Wages of sin is death." "Sin" might be considered the least offensive of the three and if it is worthy of death, then the rest are far more so. If we stop here, the future is bleak and hopeless.
Recall David. He was forgiven, his sin was covered. The rest of the verse, "The gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord." How can we be forgiven of sins, transgressions, and iniquity? We accept the "covering" of Jesus' blood.
During the Tabernacle and Temple worship, the high priest would take the blood of the sacrifice, the Atonement sacrifice, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant, which was within the Holy of Holies. Jesus was our Passover, but Hebrews reassures us that He only needed to die once, so the Passover also covered the Atonement. Hebrews 10 explains:
10 By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
11 Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; 12 but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God,
The priests offered sacrifices, especially during the feast days, to picture this act that would forgive and cover all of our sins. Since Jesus only had to die once, the Passover offering (April) also counted for the Atonement offering (September/October) which came five or six months later. Jesus made one offering for all sins, for all time.
So in the Atonement ceremony, the High Priest took some of the blood from the sacrifice into the Holy of Holies. The Shekina Glory, representing God's presence hovered between the two cherubim above the top of the Ark itself. This covering was called the "mercy seat" and the law was contained within the body of the Ark. So the blood, sprinkled on the mercy seat literally came between the representation of the Lord and the law which we have broken. The "sin" was covered by the blood.
Jesus' sacrifice was the basis for forgiveness, and the blood, which was also sprinkled on the Ark in Heaven as outlined in Hebrews 9:11, 12. It covered our sins.
11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things [a]to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; 12 and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.
And the result, as noted above was redemption. We were bought back from the bondage of sin. We are also sanctified. That means "set apart," both to God and from sin. You can say we were purified and most importantly, justified. Made to be sinless, like Jesus.
David continues: Psalm 32:2
How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit! (HCSB uses "charge with sin.")
Now we can understand and join in the "joy." It is all forgiven, covered. Our debt has been satisfied. Paid in full. (tetelestai!) We are redeemed. And notice the extent of the transformation. David's spirit is no longer deceitful. That implies that the year or so that he was covering up his own sin was a time of deceit and deception.
How good to have a more complete and effective covering. Next time we will explore that more fully. He is a changed man. Hallelujah! We are joyful! (Too.)
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=romans+3%3A23&version=HCSB
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