Psalm 32: Repentance After Forgiveness - The Universality of Forgiveness

Verse 5: Finally, I confessed my sins to the Lord and did not cover up my wrongdoings. "I confess my sins against You," and the Lord willingly forgave my iniquities.

On the surface, Psalm 32 presents forgiveness after repentance. When David kept his mouth shut and did not confess his sins, his life was filled with pain, as if his bones were melting away. When he opened his mouth and poured out all the sins he could think of, the Lord's forgiveness came to him. David advises not to act like a horse or a mule that needs to be controlled by a bit and bridle (verse 9). In short, the sooner one repents, the easier life becomes.

This is convincing because it is David's vivid experience. It is also common sense for Christian believers. In the formula of forgiveness after repentance, God becomes an expert in handling people's repentance. Despite the infinite repetition of repentance, God forgives through the foolishness of repentance.

There is also a formula for repentance after forgiveness. God has already forgiven. When God's forgiveness comes to a person regardless of their consciousness and will, when God's forgiveness feels greater than my wrongdoing, repentance occurs. At this time, forgiveness is unconditional grace, and repentance becomes a form of gratitude. Of course, human perception lacks continuity, so the continuity of repentance in gratitude is not present.

Then, did David sing Psalm 32 in the structure of forgiveness after repentance? Or did he sing it as a hymn of gratitude for repentance in response to God's forgiveness?

Forgiveness after repentance is easy. This structure is familiar to human understanding. It is because this structure fits well with cause and effect, and the relationship between them. Repentance after forgiveness is not clear what a person should do to receive forgiveness. It is because one becomes dumbfounded in front of the declaration that God has forgiven preemptively and entirely. What remains is gratitude. Among various forms of gratitude, there is repentance. When only an uncomfortable and painful life is visible, and that is all that fills the heart, repentance seems greater than forgiveness.

We are likely to understand Psalm 32 as a hymn of David, who repented and received forgiveness. However, it is also true that David's example cannot be applied to all cases. There are people who cannot sing Psalm 32 as their own and cannot sing it with a full heart. They are also required to have the sincerity and purity of repentance, which is cruel. It is better to emphasize the universality of forgiveness rather than the universality of repentance and to see repentance as one of the various expressions of gratitude.