In our Bible studies, we have been looking at the penitential psalms and talking about the need for repentance as the starting point on a journey of faith, and something which is ongoing in a life of faith (see Matt 3:2, Matt 4: 17, Acts 2:38, Rev 2:5, Rev 3:19). Ps 32 in particular talks about how uncomfortable we feel about acknowledging our sin (Ps 32:1-4) and the relief that comes when we do finally confess sin (Ps 32:5).
In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve enjoyed a blissful relationship with God and with each other. This ease of relationship is described in Gen 2:25: ‘ Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.’ This state is described vividly in Phil Wickham’s song ‘Eden’:
‘When the first light brightened the dark
Before the breaking of the human heart,
There was You and there was me.
Innocence was all I knew
‘Cause all I had to know was You;
We were running underneath the trees…
I remember how You called my name
And I would meet You at the garden gate,
How the glory of Your love would shine
And I remember when the stars were young
You breathed life into my lungs
Oh I never felt so alive…’ (‘Eden’, Phil Wickham)
Sin spoilt those relationships: Adam’s response to God’s arrival in the garden after he had sinned is “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” (Gen 3:10) Now, nakedness is equated with shame (and has been ever since.)
We hide when we sin because we are ashamed. We know we have done wrong; we squirm and try to pin the blame on someone else (Gen 3:12,13); we make excuses and rationalise what we have done (talking about our ‘needs’, our unfortunate backgrounds, our human frailty, anything which will stop us having to face our sin and its consequences.)
There is, however, a yearning for what we have lost.
‘I want to see You face to face
Where being in Your arms is the permanent state.
I want it like it was back then;
I want to be in Eden.
To be naked and unashamed
In a sweet downpour of innocent rain.
I want it like it was back then;
I want to be in Eden.’ (‘Eden’, Phil Wickham)
It is only when we turn back to God in repentance and penitence, feeling the sorrow and sadness our sin has brought, that we can regain the intimacy and innocence for which we were created. David’s joy in Ps 32 is the joy of sins forgiven. Casting Crowns sing that the redeemed have a song the angels can’t sing, for we sing of redemption, restoration, forgiveness and wholeness which the angels who have never sinned can never experience (see 1 Pet 1:12). Penitence might seem a miserable place to start, but it is certainly not a miserable place to end!
