Ps 130:1-8
SS Lesson for 07/28/2024
Devotional Scripture: Matt 25:1-13
For such a short prayer, Psalm 130 covers a lot of ground. It begins by acknowledging the terrifying possibilities of human life and ends with hope for a different future. Yet, in reading it, we should not skip too quickly to the end. In this psalm, the focus does not lie on outside, terrible forces but precisely on human sin. The terror that the psalmist faces comes from the human tendency to allow vices to overcome us. That tendency threatens to take over everything we do and are, thwarting our best plans and spoiling our best intentions. What can be done about this problem of sin? As Dietrich Bonhoeffer noted in The Cost of Discipleship, “Together, they [the disciples, the church] bring their guilt before God and pray together for grace. May God forgive not only me my sins, but us our sins.” That sense that both our sin and the possibility of forgiveness unite us is central to this psalm and to the Bible as a whole.
Psalm 130 is part of a larger cluster, usually called the Psalms of Ascents or, less often, the Pilgrimage Psalter (Psalms 120-134). The psalms in the group may have originated at different times and places (as would be true of a modern hymnal) but functioned together as songs for the pilgrims entering the Jerusalem temple in the period following the Babylonian exile. The group of psalms falls into three subgroups (Psalms 120-124; 125-129, and 130-134). Perhaps the pilgrims sang them at different stops on the road from the Mount of Olives, through the Kidron Valley, and into the precinct around the temple itself. Psalm 130, in particular, may have served as part of a night vigil as the pilgrims awaited the dawn, which in turn would symbolize the dawning of God’s light in their lives (see 130:6, below). Those hypotheses are reasonable but hard to prove. Yet they would explain the varying moods of these psalms and their progressive closeness to the temple itself. More certain is that the psalms together address a wide range of concerns and moods. Together, they allow the worshipping community to express anxiety and hope, fear and trust, sorrow and joy. That is, they help worshippers bring their entire lives to God, share their lives with each other, and eagerly await God’s transforming work. Psalm 130 moves the pilgrims from an attitude of despair (v. 1, below) to one of supreme confidence in God’s saving work (vv. 7-8, below). When the one singing focuses on his or her personal suffering, fear and sorrow can overtake faith. But when the focus shifts toward God’s inclination to save and the consequent hope that the entire people may enjoy, the mood may change to hope. So it is here. The poem, though very short, moves in several steps, from a statement of need addressed to God, to an acknowledgment of God’s mercy and confession of hope, to an address to all of Israel. Psalm 130 begins with a cry to God, as most laments do. Here the attitude is one of deep need and expectation of help. It differs from some psalms of lament by being briefer and jumping to praise without much preparation. In these songs born of distress, the singer either promises to praise God or does so. The promise or the praise is born out of gratitude for God’s generous response to the petition for help.
Psalm 130 seems like a very condensed lament that shades into something different altogether. Perhaps that difference from other psalms reflects this one’s placement in a larger group. It does not have to do all the work a “normal” lament does because it does not stand alone. Psalm 129 describes longstanding attacks on faithful Israelites and expects God’s deliverance, while Psalm 130 expresses contrition before God. Collectively, these psalms together position the one praying as someone in the correct spiritual position before God.
O Israel, hope in the Lord; for with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him is abundant redemption
(Scriptural Text from the New King James Version; cross-references from the NIV)
1 Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord;
2 Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.
3 If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?
4 But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared.
16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
34 Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died — more than that, who was raised to life — is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.
41 "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."
15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
39 then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Forgive and act; deal with each man according to all he does, since you know his heart (for you alone know the hearts of all men),
18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
5 so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.
20 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.
14 By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also.
7 The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. 8 The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. 10 I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. 11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
9 Fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing.
12 For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."
17 I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them 18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'
13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace
5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I do hope.
6 My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, yes, more than those who watch for the morning.
7 O Israel, hope in the Lord; for with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him is abundant redemption.
8 And He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. 6 My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.
25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; 26 it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.
6 But you must return to your God; maintain love and justice, and wait for your God always.
24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
7 Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. 8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near.
28 I will maintain my love to him forever, and my covenant with him will never fail. 29 I will establish his line forever, his throne as long as the heavens endure. 30 "If his sons forsake my law and do not follow my statutes, 31 if they violate my decrees and fail to keep my commands, 32 I will punish their sin with the rod, their iniquity with flogging; 33 but I will not take my love from him, nor will I ever betray my faithfulness.
34 The fact that God raised him from the dead, never to decay, is stated in these words: "'I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.' 35 So it is stated elsewhere: "'You will not let your Holy One see decay.' 36 "For when David had served God's purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his fathers and his body decayed. 37 But the one whom God raised from the dead did not see decay.
1 Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.
11 My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline and do not resent his rebuke, 12 because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.
11 I am with you and will save you,' declares the Lord. 'Though I completely destroy all the nations among which I scatter you, I will not completely destroy you. I will discipline you but only with justice; I will not let you go entirely unpunished.'
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God — that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace
13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession, to the praise of his glory.
13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
1. A desperate cry for mercy 130:1-2
Verses 1-2
The writer felt that he was at the very bottom of his resources, at the end of his rope (cf. Psalms 30:2-3; Psalms 71:20). This expression stresses the urgency of his request. The particular situation he faced is unknown, but in view of Psalms 130:8 it may have been oppression by an enemy. The poet uttered a cry for God to show mercy to His people, and he encouraged his fellow Israelites to wait for the Lord to deliver them. This is one of the penitential psalms, as well as an individual lament and a psalm of ascent.
2. A strong expression of trust 130:3-4
Verses 3-4
The psalmist realized that if God gave people what they deserve, no one would be able to survive. To mark iniquities means to keep a record of them and hold the sinner accountable for each one. Fortunately God forgives. He does not "keep track" of every sin and exact punishment for it. The psalmist was speaking of how God deals with His redeemed people. The consequence of God forgiving should be that His forgiven people fear Him. Fearing God, a term that in the Old Testament virtually means trusting God, shows itself in obedience and worship. "If you take seriously the guilt of sin, you will take seriously the grace of forgiveness." [Note: Ibid., p. 351.]
3. A deliberate decision to hope 130:5-8
Verses 5-6
The writer purposed to continue to wait for the Lord to deliver him while he reflected on God’s forgiveness. He compared himself to a guard on duty late at night. He could only wait for the morning light when someone else would relieve him, and when all that was now dark would then be clear.
Verses 7-8
God’s people should put their hope in Yahweh, in their present distress, because He is loyal in His love, and He will finally provide complete redemption. Ultimate deliverance was sure in the future, and this was to be the ground of the Israelites’ confidence. Today, God’s redeemed saints can call to Him out of the depths of their affliction, too. We can find encouragement in the fact that God has forgiven us all sins past, present, and future. However, we can also look forward to our full, ultimate redemption when we see Him. Until then, we should hope in the Lord, as a watchman waiting for the dawning of our new day, namely: our glorification.
(Adapted from URL:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/dcc/psalms-130.html)
Psalm 130 speaks to faith that involves waiting for God’s grace to make itself known. During such a time, the person may doubt God’s ability or willingness to save, question the integrity of other human beings, and even lose self-respect. Waiting for salvation challenges every fiber of a person’s being. Yet, that challenge itself strengthens faith in the long run. As this psalm makes clear, trust in God does not come without some doubts. Will God listen? Biblical faith is not a Pollyanna attitude about life. It is realistic and honest about hardship. Yet it does not remain there. The spiritual challenges we face, the depths, become opportunities for grace. Therefore, learning the discipline of waiting is part of learning to live with God and all others who are also awaiting God’s help. This psalm, in short, exposes an important truth about human beings: our profound need and desire for God’s presence. As part of a community of pilgrims seeking God’s presence, the faithful person can speak to God even in the most desperate moments of life. The communal worship of the Israelite community acknowledges that fact. God does not skimp on acts that will benefit human beings but rather frequently engages in them. Worship in the community still reminds us of God’s mighty acts. May we, in our darkest moments and in the grasp of the sins that don’t want to let us go, cry out to our God and heed the call to hope in his saving works.