We can repeat the words of many psalms as our own. This is especially true of a psalm that recounts the experience of repentance. Everyone who has ever brought a confession of his deeds before the Lord can recognize his own experiences here.

The weight of sin pressing down upon the sinner and felt even physically is shown briefly but vividly in the psalm. But the person who confesses his transgressions is freed from this unbearable burden. A sigh of relief can be heard in the joyful acceptance of the forgiveness that comes from God.

It is no accident that the psalmist places sin and deceit side by side, both equally rejected by the repentant person. Just as genuine repentance is impossible when one deceitfully clings to habitual sins, deceit—the expression of one sin, falsehood—also leads to many other sins.

And so joy embraces the person who is freed from the power of sin. The Lord’s mercy will not forsake him.