Psalm 130 - A Communion Meditation

“The way to cover our sin is to uncover it by confession.” 

Richard Sibbes

- 16th Century Anglican Theologian

Cry of Repentance (vs. 1-2)

 

Psalm 130: 1-2 “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord; O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.”

 

“Mercy” – the bridge that spans the Pit and God

 

·      Psalmist acknowledges he is asking for what he does NOT deserve – Mercy.

·      Yet he knows his God...who is rich in mercy.

 

Ephesians 2:4-5 – “Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved.”

 

“Repentance” = Activator of Mercy’s restoration

 

·      Psalmist admits he’s in the “depths”

o   “Out of the Depths” = the natural consequence (most common expression) that sin leads us

 

·      Usually associated with Death or a Grave Situation...

 

...sometimes caused by other people...

...sometimes the result of our sin.

 

Holman Commentary – “When confession of sin and repentance are real, they will not be mumbled in a casual, halfhearted manner. True repentance always has an element of brokenness, a feeling of guilt that must be cleansed. His cry for mercy is a confession of sin, seeking forgiveness from God.”

 

App: As we come to the Table tonight, we come because God is merciful... 

 

...not wanting to give us what we deserve...

 

...but willing to show us his grace.

 

Cry of Forgiveness (vs. 3-4)

 

Psalm 130: 3-4 “If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.”

 

Application: Too often we blame other people or things for our “depths”.

 

Genesis 3:12 – The man said, “The woman you put here with me - she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

 

** Good News...God keeps no record of sin!

 

·      Psalm 103:12 – “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”

·      Psalm 130:3 – the rhetorical “if” ... “If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?  But with you there is forgiveness.”

 

Cry of Anticipation (vs. 5-6)

 

Psalm 130: 5-6 – “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.”

 

“Wait” = connotes active anticipation.

 

Point: The assurance of forgiveness frees the Psalmist to actively seek the blessings of God.

 

App: Stuck in bondage? ...not feeling free?

 

...You are likely not fully assured of forgiveness!

 

Cry of Confidence (vs. 7-8)

 

Psalm 130: 7-8 – “O Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.”

 

** “Waiting” has its fruit = Hope (i.e.: confidence)

 

** What is our Hope?   From the Heidelberg Catechism

 

Question 1: What is your only comfort in life and death?

 

Answer 1: That I am not my own, ¹but belong with body and soul, both in life and in death, ² to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ. ³ He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, ⁴ and has set me free from all the power of the devil. ⁵ He also preserves me in such a way ⁶ that without the will of my heavenly Father not a hair can fall from my head; ⁷ indeed, all things must work together for my salvation. ⁸ Therefore, by his Holy Spirit he also assures me of eternal life ⁹ and makes me heartily willing and ready from now on to live for him. ¹⁰

 

1. 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20.

2. Romans 14:7-9.

3. 1 Corinthians 3:23; Titus 2:14.

4. 1 Peter 1:18, 19; 1 John 1:7; 2:2.

5. John 8:34-36; Hebrews 2:14, 15; 1 John 3:8.

6. John 6:39, 40; 10:27-30; 2 Thessalonians 3:3; 1 Peter 1:5.

7. Matthew 10:29-31; Luke 21:16-18.

8. Romans 8:28.

9. Romans 8:15, 16; 2 Corinthians 1:21, 22; 5:5; Ephesians 1:13, 14.

10. Romans 8:14.

Kirk McCormick · Psalm 130 - A Communion Meditation