Good morning and a blessed Thursday morning to you. 

A question I'd like to pose for you today. How does God use guilt?  

The backdrop of Psalm 32 is the biblical story of David and Bathsheba. They had committed adultery. David trying to cover it up, has Bathsheba's husband, Uriah, killed on the battlefront. 

In Psalm 32 David writes: 

3While I kept silence, my body wasted away

through my groaning all day long.

“While I kept silence”…what he's referring to is the sins that he has committed. Notice where it says, “my body wasted away through my groaning all day long”….shows us that when guilt is held, where there's no confession of that guilt, where one simply holds that sin inside and there's no confession, that guilt can actually have physical manifestations. 

4For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;

my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.

That's the hand of God on unconfessed sin. There's a difference between remorse and repentance. Remorse has to do with regret. It has to do with sorrow. It has to do with guilt. But repentance has to do with the confession of our sins, and the reception of that glorious word of forgiveness. 

5Then I acknowledged my sin to you,

and I did not hide my iniquity;

I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”

and you forgave the guilt of my sin.

How does God use guilt?  He uses guilt by leading us to

repentance. Then David experienced that glorious word of

absolution.

When Jesus Christ went to the cross he bore all of our sin. He paid the debt we couldn't pay. He won for us forgiveness. The spotless Lamb of God went to the cross for us sinners. The tomb is empty. The sacrifice has been accepted. And that glorious word of absolution won at the cross is in the name of Jesus Christ. Your sins are forgiven! That invokes great, great joy doesn't it? 

1Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven,

whose sin is covered.

2Happy are those to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity,

and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

You see, as we receive that word of absolution from the Lord, we can say these very verses of joy in verses one and two. 

How does God use guilt?  God uses guilt by leading us to repentance. And in repentance we hear that wonderful, wonderful word of absolution won at the cross of Jesus Christ. As God gives his word of absolution to us let's pray. 

Gracious Heavenly Father we give you thanks for this time in your word. Your word is truth. We give you thanks oh lord for the victory won at the cross… that glorious word of absolution. And we give you thanks that as we come to you confessing of our sins, what awaits us is that word won at the cross. And so thank you Father. Thank you for your forgiveness of our sins. Thank you for how you use guilt to lead us to repentance. And we praise you for that word of absolution that awaits us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

God bless you today. Encourage someone.

Pastor Eibel