Righteousness and Joy

Psalm 32:11 Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous,

    and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

 Psalm 33: 1Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous!
    Praise befits the upright.
2 Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre;
    make melody to him with the harp of ten strings!
3 Sing to him a new song;
    play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.
4 For the word of the Lord is upright,
    and all his work is done in faithfulness.
5 He loves righteousness and justice;
    the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.

The concluding verse of Psalm 32 and opening verses of Psalm 33 tie them together: those who have been declared righteous by God have every reason to rejoice.  But who are the righteous? Psalm 32 is a record of David's confession of sin which he tried to cover over.  When he had refused to confess there was no joy, no blessings. But when He finally did, he rediscovered the joy of the Lord.  Psalm 33 begins on that same note, then goes on to talk about God's creative power and sovereign rule over nations, as well as His working out His eternal plan for the world.  When we are right with God, having confessed our sin and received His forgiveness, we are in a much better position to see the world around us clearly.