Psalm 130 is the eleventh of the fifteen “Ascent Songs” or
“Pilgrim Psalms”. It is also the sixth of the seven Penitential Psalms. The
other six are Psalms 6; 32:1-11, 38:1-22, 51:1-19, 102:1-7, 143:1-12. These are
psalms where the psalmist is crying out in repentance asking for mercy for his
sins and iniquities. Psalm 130 emphasizes what God does for helpless people who
cry out to Him for mercy. Perhaps the Jewish pilgrims used this psalm to
confess their sins and seek God's forgiveness and blessing as they made their
way to the sanctuary. No matter what our need, when we call upon the Lord in
faith, He hears us and makes the changes needed in our lives.
In verses 1-2, the picture is that of a person drowning and
unable to stand on the bottom or swim to safety. The tense of the verb
"cry" indicates that the writer had been crying in the past and
continued to cry out as he wrote the psalm, because without God's merciful
intervention, he would die. We can cry out to God from the depths of disappointment and
defeat and from the depths of fear and perplexity. Like a heavy weight, sin
drags its victims to the depths, but God made us for the heights (Isa. 40:31;
Col. 3:1).
In verses 3-4, the psalmist moved from the sea to the
courtroom, but there the sinner could not stand because of guilt. The only way
we can get rid of the sin record is to come to God for His gracious
forgiveness, and this forgiveness is made possible because of the work of
Christ on the cross (32:1-2; Rom. 4:1-8). Sinners cannot stand
before the holy Judge and argue their own case (Ps. 1:5; 143:2; Ezra 9:15; Nah.
1:6; Mal. 3:2). But God is ready to forgive (Ps. 86:5; Neh. 9:17), and faith in
the Savior brings forgiveness to the soul. God casts our sins behind His back
and blots them out of His book (Isa. 38:17; 43:25; 44:22). He carries them away
as far as the east is from the west (Ps. 103:11-12), casts them into the sea
(Micah 7:19), and holds them against us no more (Jer. 31:34; Heb. 10:17). But
forgiveness is not a blessing to be taken lightly, for it cost God His Son;
therefore, we ought to love and fear God (Ps. 76:7). If you take seriously the
guilt of sin, you will take seriously the grace of forgiveness.
In verses 5-6, we move from the courtroom to the city walls
where the watchmen are alert as they peer through the darkness to detect the
approach of any danger. Nothing they do can make the sun come up any sooner,
but when the day dawns, the guards rejoice that the city has been safe another
night. When the Lord forgives sinners, it is for them the dawning of a new day
as they move out of darkness into God's marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). The
forgiven sinner is content to wait on the Lord for whatever He has planned for
that day. This is not the waiting of hopeless resignation but of hopeful
anticipation, for each new day brings new blessings from His hand (Ps. 119:74,
81, 82; Lam. 3:22-26). If you find yourself forgiven but still in the darkness,
wait on the Lord and trust His Word, but do not try to manufacture your own
light (Isa. 50:10-11).
In verses 6-7, our final visit is to the slave market and
the theme is redemption, which means "setting someone free by paying a
price." Israel knew a great deal about God's redemption, for at the
Exodus, God's power had set them free from Egyptian tyranny (Ex. 12-15). They
had no hope and could not free themselves, but the Lord did it for them. He
gave His people "abundant redemption" that included freedom from
slavery, victory over their enemies, and a Promised Land for their home. The
slave has no hope, but the child in the family looks forward to receiving an
inheritance. All who trust Jesus Christ are children in God's family and not
slaves, and their future is secure (Gal. 3:26-4:7).
Today, as we watch and wait for His coming, despite what
might be happening around us, we can also rejoice and say, “I am
forgiven!!!! Andin His Word I Do Hope!”
God bless!
