What does "covered all their sin" reveal about God's nature in Psalm 85:2? The Context of Psalm 85:2 “You forgave the iniquity of Your people; You covered all their sin. Selah” The psalmist is recalling a moment when the LORD restored Israel after judgment. Verse 2 celebrates two actions: forgiving iniquity and covering sin. Both verbs are perfect tense, underscoring completed, decisive acts. The Meaning of “Covered All Their Sin” • “Covered” (Hebrew kāsâ) pictures something hidden from sight, shielded, or atoned for. • “All” leaves no residue—every offense, past, present, and future, is included. • “Their sin” identifies the people’s collective guilt; it is not an abstract idea but their real wrongdoing. God’s Nature Revealed • Complete Forgiver – Psalm 103:12: “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” • Active Initiator – Romans 5:8: “But God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” • Covenant Keeper – Exodus 34:6–7: He remains “abounding in loving devotion… forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin.” • Protective Covering – Psalm 32:1: “Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered!” The word evokes a sheltering wing, a mercy-seat lid, guarding the sinner from deserved wrath. • Perfectly Just and Merciful – Isaiah 1:18: “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.” The covering does not ignore sin; it satisfies justice so mercy can flow. Old Testament Echoes of Divine Covering • The animal skins for Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:21) previewed a substitutionary covering. • The blood on the mercy seat every Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16) signified sin hidden under blood. • The Passover blood shielding Israel (Exodus 12:13) foreshadowed God’s protecting cover. Fulfillment in Christ’s Atonement • Hebrews 9:14: “How much more will the blood of Christ… cleanse our consciences from dead works.” • 1 John 1:7: “The blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” Christ does not merely conceal sin; He removes its guilt forever, accomplishing what Psalm 85:2 anticipated. Personal Encouragement and Response • Rest in the completeness of God’s pardon—no sin is left uncovered. • Rejoice that His nature is to restore, not to recall forgiven failures (Micah 7:19). • Live gratefully, walking in the freedom that flows from sins fully covered and cleansed. |
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