John Calvin Commentary Psalms 32:2

"Blessed is the man unto whom Jehovah imputeth not iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no guile." — Psalms 32:2 (ASV)

In whose spirit there is no guile. In this clause, the Psalmist distinguishes believers both from hypocrites and from senseless despisers of God, neither of whom care for this happiness, nor can they attain its enjoyment. The wicked are indeed conscious of their guilt, but still they delight in their wickedness, harden themselves in their impudence, and laugh at threats; or, at least, they indulge themselves in deceitful flatteries so that they may not be constrained to come into the presence of God.

Indeed, though they are made unhappy by a sense of their misery and harassed with secret torments, yet with perverse forgetfulness they stifle all fear of God. As for hypocrites, if their conscience stings them at any time, they soothe their pain with ineffective remedies, so that if God at any time summons them to His tribunal, they place before them I know not what phantoms for their defense; and they are never without coverings by which they may keep the light out of their hearts.

Both these classes of men are hindered by inward guile from seeking their happiness in the fatherly love of God. Furthermore, many of them rush perversely into the presence of God, or puff themselves up with proud presumption, dreaming that they are happy, although God is against them. David, therefore, means that no one can taste what the forgiveness of sins is until his heart is first cleansed from guile.

What he means, then, by this term, guile, may be understood from what I have said. Whoever does not examine himself as in the presence of God, but, on the contrary, shunning His judgment, either shrouds himself in darkness or covers himself with leaves, deals deceitfully both with himself and with God.

It is no wonder, therefore, that he who does not feel his disease refuses the remedy. The two kinds of this guile which I have mentioned require particular attention. Few, perhaps, are so hardened as not to be touched with the fear of God and with some desire of His grace; yet they are moved only coldly to seek forgiveness.

Consequently, they do not yet perceive what an unspeakable happiness it is to possess God’s favor. Such was David’s case for a time, when a treacherous security stole upon him, darkened his mind, and prevented him from zealously pursuing this happiness.

Saints often labor under the same disease. If, therefore, we are to enjoy the happiness which David here proposes to us, we must take the greatest care lest Satan, filling our hearts with guile, deprive us of all sense of our wretchedness, in which everyone who resorts to subterfuges must necessarily pine away.