Read Psalm 130
Psalm 130 can be divided into three sections: vs 1-4, vs 5-6, and vs 7-8. The overall impact of the Psalm is one of moving from lament to praise. The setting of the Psalm is identified with the first words: out of the depths. This metaphorical language alludes to the waters of judgment that would have been a prevalent metaphor for the Israelites as it is prominent in their history. Starting with Genesis 1 where the Spirit hovers over the depths before the Word of God forms order into chaotic waters, to the flood in the days of Noah when God judged the wickedness of the earth, to the waters of the Red Sea when Moses led the Israelites through and witnessed the judgment on Pharaoh and his armies as the waters closed in on them. The depths that the Psalmist cries out from are the overwhelming force of God’s judgment on all unrighteousness. Vs 3 further emphasizes the universality of this cry by asking the rhetorical question of “if you should mark iniquities who could stand?”
The major shift in momentum occurs in vs 4 when the Psalmist uses “but” to emphasize the shift that centers on forgiveness being with God. This is the beginning of an answer to the Psalmist’s pleas for mercy as he remembers the covenant promises of the LORD to his people. Central to this promise was the forgiveness of sins. In the Old Testament the Israelites were under the Temple system of worship and a central element of that worship was the offering of sacrifices. The guilt offering and the scape goat are keys to understanding how God views forgiveness. The guilt offering is made by slaughtering an animal and sprinkling its blood against the altar. This element of forgiveness demonstrates the destruction of the guilt of our sinfulness through the blood of another. Secondly, the scapegoat ceremony was when the Priest would symbolically transfer the sins of the people onto a goat and then send the goat out of the city connoting the banishment of the sins of the people from the presence of God’s people. Jesus ultimately fulfills both of these types of forgiveness by being judged outside of Jerusalem by Pilate and then by being put to death on a cross.
Despite how freeing the knowledge of forgiveness is for the Psalmist, he does not stop there. In fact he even shows that forgiveness of sins is not an end in itself but a means to an end. Forgiveness serves the purpose of bringing us into right relationship with God here described as “fear”. This type of fear is no longer fear of destruction (we have been forgiven perfectly!) but it instead is fear of separation. Having been reconciled to God through his forgiveness we now have a restored relationship with him that we do not want to lose.
The result of fearing the Lord in this way is that we now wait for him and hope in his word. The depths of our soul grow anxiously expectant for God’s presence in a way that is analogous to how watchmen wait for the morning. The watchmen were anxious for the morning because danger lurks in the night. The enemy would stage attacks and as a result getting through the night was cause for celebration. In the same way, we wait for the Lord with our very souls because we have a deep understanding of the danger that our souls are in apart from the Lord’s word: his covenant promises of grace and sustaining power made to us.
The Word that meets us in our waiting is none other than the crucified and resurrected Jesus. He is the merciful high priest who is living, breathing, walking proof of God’s forgiveness and our loving relationship with him as his children. Jesus does not come unwillingly to us in our waiting, but he comes with tenderness, mercy, and even eagerness to meet us in the midst of our misery, and to lead us to the Father with joy. In experiencing the grace of God in this way, we overflow with a desire for it to be proclaimed in all the world and for everyone to worship God together. This is the culmination of the Psalm, the universal invitation to come and worship God who redeems plentifully and eternally.
Questions
Why is it important to have an understanding of “the depths” as described above?
Discuss the rhetorical question in verse 3. Why is the implied answer to this: “no one”?
How does verse 4 challenge how you think about God forgiving you? How do you understand fear in this verse?
What does it look like to wait for the LORD? Describe how you experience Jesus when he meets you in your misery? What is Jesus like?
What is your response to God’s grace? Is it similar or dissimilar to the Psalmist’s in verses 7-8?