Joy Is Only For the Righteous

July 17th, 2025
by Dr. Lance Waldie

Psalm 32:8-11 I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you. 9 Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding, whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check, otherwise they will not come near to you. 10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but he who trusts in the Lord, lovingkindness shall surround him. 11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones; and shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart!

Though it is possible that God Himself begins to speak in vv. 8-11, indicated by the NASB, it is also possible that David takes on the role of teacher in v. 8 to “instruct you.” If the latter, then this singular pronoun depicts David speaking to each individual who reads this psalm. Since he has the experience of having carried the burden of sin to the point at which it actually affected his physical body, he is now qualified to help those who are in the same predicament. With his eye upon his apprentices, David desires to teach them from his own experience and wisdom.

Knowing that God’s people are not like the horse or the mule, having “no understanding” (lit. “beyond teaching”)—stubborn animals that need a bit and bridle to be controlled, David exhorts us to shun the stubbornness that prevents us from confessing our sins. Instead of being proud, as he was, David’s eye is upon his apprentices in order that they never do as he did by keeping secret sins. What was destroying him will also destroy those who do likewise. Those who refuse to confess and repent of sin are self-loathing in that they choose to hurt themselves and prove themselves to be without understanding just like the horse or the mule.

Verse 10 speaks of the problems that the wicked face. “Wicked” refers to all who reject God in order to live in sin. It is not an exclusive word for the Adolph Hitler’s of the world but for anyone who rejects God and the forgiveness He grants through His Son Jesus Christ. Those who reject God are wicked, and their sorrows are many. “Sorrows” is a word in Hebrew that denotes not only physical pain but also mental anguish. On the other hand, the one who trusts in the Lord has God’s “lovingkindness” (Heb. hesed) that “surrounds” him. Since the term “surround” is used for an encircling army in the OT, those who trust in the Lord have His loyal love encircling them like a protective wall that cannot be scaled—a wall exclusive to those who trust the Lord.

Verse 11 concludes what David said in vv. 1-2 about being blessed many times over: “Be glad in the Lord…” The gladness he speaks of comes only from being clean before God, and being clean before God is something only God can do. David adds, “rejoice” to the equation, and why not? When one has been forgiven of sinful ways and depraved actions by the Almighty, the only thing to do is be glad and rejoice! Who is glad and rejoices? It is only the “righteous ones”—those “upright in heart.” It is they, and they alone, who truly can “shout for joy.”

Food For Thought
It doesn’t matter how highly you think of yourself; you are a sinner in need of a Savior. By virtue of being human you have a need for forgiveness from your sinful and rebellious ways. It is possible that you have been hiding your sin for years to the point of which your conscience is calloused and unfeeling. Like David, you are suffering because of your sin. Why not make it right today? Come clean with God and agree with him about your sin. The pain you feel now is clouding your judgment because you are unable to see the fact that rejoicing and happiness many times over are waiting for you on the side of forgiveness. It is God’s “righteous ones”—those who understand His forgiveness—who rejoice. The rest of humanity will wallow in their sins, and it will eventually take them down into eternal punishment and condemnation. So, do business with God today and experience the joy, peace, and love that only He can give you.