Psalm 32:3-4 When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long.… I. THE SILENCE WHICH HE KEPT. Its criminality is clear from the circumstances by which it has been occasioned, and from the perseverance with which it has been maintained against the mercy and the power of God. Your silence has been occasioned by — 1. Thoughtlessness and indifference. 2. Pride and enmity of heart against God. 3. Procrastination; notwithstanding the variety of His appeals. II. THE MISERY WHICH HE ENDURED. What misery is occasioned by sin when — 1. It has to contend with keen and deep convictions. 2. It is accompanied by the dread of discovery. 3. The hatred to God which it produces in the heart is connected with a dread of His almighty power. 4. All these internal feelings are accompanied with eternal adversity and tribulation. 5. The sinner looks forward to the future and anticipates that eternity to which every moment brings him nearer. III. THE CONFESSION WHICH HE MADE. 1. It was minute and unreserved. 2. He confessed that his sin was ever present to his mind. 3. He confessed that his sin admitted of no apology or extenuation. 4. He confessed that his sins exposed him to the Divine rejection. 5. He confessed that his sin was a source of deep distress to his mind. 6. His confession was accompanied with prayer. IV. THE PARDON WHICH HE RECEIVED. 1. The source whence it was derived. 2. The promptness with which it was bestowed. 3. The gratuitousness with which it was granted. 4. The encouragement which it is calculated to afford to those who, like himself, have broken their impenitent silence, and begun to confess their transgressions to the Lord (ver. 6). 5. The blessedness of which it was productive. (1) Pardon blessed his condition, saving from depravity as well as from condemnation. (2) Pardon blessed his feelings, making him happy as well as safe and holy. Happy in his affections. Happy in the privilege of communion with God. Happy in the performance of holy duties. Happy in anticipation of the future. (J. Alexander.) Parallel Verses KJV: When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long.WEB: When I kept silence, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. |
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