"Blessed are ". There are similarities here between the beatitudes that Jesus gave in the Sermon on the Mount. Interestingly Jesus started by declaring that blessed are the poor in spirit, and in the first two verses here the focus is on those whose sins have been forgiven.
There are two key elements, one is that we are forgiven, and the other is that there is no deceit in our spirit. Many people convince themselves that they are not that bad really, or do not need forgiveness. Such people only deceive themselves and maybe others as well. When we have an honest spirit and come before God in humility we receive forgiveness and this is a blessed state to be in.
Conversely, when we deny our sin, or try and hide from it, we find that we waste away. There is a constant nagging guilt, we know that something is not right with us, yet we do not want to admit our guilt, either out of pride or fear.
But when we do confess our sins, the Lord forgives us. This brings security. We fear that the Lord will reject us, but quite the opposite happens. The Lord becomes a place of refuge for us.
Once we have repented then we are open to receive the Lord's instruction, and He can lead us in the way of eternal life.
We must guard against stubbornness, for it only makes things difficult for everyone. If we are open with the Lord, then we will receive love and mercy from Him.
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