It's Not My Fault

Our shirt-tail niece’s plea at a family party

Whether it was or not, her impassioned plea sticks in my memory yet

This final portion does sound a lot like psalmist impassioned “it’s not my fault”

In the final components of this Psalm, the psalmist alters his approach a bit, though continuing to make his case for what he sees as God’s unjustified treatment of Judah

Within vv. 17-22 especially, we can hear the “not our fault” plea

We’ve been through the God of the past; the testimony: true faith; the lament—the distressing present

All this laid out in a form to bring the point of the Psalm to that lament; today we back away from the lament with correct conduct and the psalmist’s view of God of the future

The Complaint

Most of it was dealt with last week, in vv. 9-16; but it continues here

God has broken them in the place of jackals—typifying having deserted them

...covered them with the shadows of death—deep darkness

we know the term best from P. 23 “valley of the shadow of death,” where the imagery is meant to evoke thoughts of overgrown deep and dark ravines where a shepherd may have to lead his sheep

...killed all the day long and regarded as sheep to be slaughtered

Note that poetic structure again where the first line makes a statement and the second expands or even intensifies the first: killed/slaughtered

The Claim

“It’s not my fault!”

We have not forgotten you

Turned back or left the teachings of God

Not forgotten the name of God

Not worshipped foreign gods...

In v. 21, it appears to say that God is just not paying attention, or at best, not taking action based upon what He should know

Wouldn’t He have discovered that they were deeply, openly sinning?

Wouldn’t He have know the secrets…secret sins…of their hearts—both individually and collectively?

In laying out the history of Judah, from the time of the kingdom split until the exile, looking at each king, looking at what was going on during their respective reigns, it’s tough to find a place in which this Psalm could fit the situation, accurately reflecting the religious condition of being right with God, yet the defeated condition as described here and in the previous component of the Psalm

It MAY fit the times under Hezekiah in 2 Kings 18 & following…but even that’s a tough call to make

Thus, we continue looking at as though it’s the felt emotion of the psalmist—though he seems to have a skewed understanding of the facts

The Call

From v. 23 to the end, the writer directly addresses God

Calls to action on their behalf

…to no longer reject them

Boldly asks Why?

Why do You hide your face?

Why do you forget…?

…and he gives a final image

Soul bowed down to the dust, belly clinging to the ground

The good news is:

The last two lines are unequivocal

No matter what the circumstances behind the rest of the Psalm, this is quite easily understood

The Conundrum

I’ve been following the thought that the psalmist, though earnest in his plea, is mistaken as to the facts of the matter... believing that the nation, and its people are following God’s ways;

I suggest that even if if this were written at a time when the king was directing the nation in a godly manner, e.g. Josiah or Hezekiah or another moment when the king was getting it right, the people themselves were still living in rebellion—though they may have been going through the motions of proper worship

Not original with me, Luther during the Reformation and Augustine before him read it much the same way, though each gave application according to their times

Is it not the nature of mankind to do what is right in our own eyes?

Do we not rationalize and justify our actions based upon our own desires and either lack of knowledge of God or wanton disregard of His will and His commands?

We could run that thought a dozen different ways

It does appear that the evils befalling the nation as described here fit quite exactly Deut 28 25

Deuteronomy 28:25 ESV

“The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You shall go out one way against them and flee seven ways before them. And you shall be a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.

…and so, the self-righteous, or self-deceived idea, seems to me to be the best

There are yet other thoughts:

Some scholars see this as something of a responsive reading with a leader making a statement and the people giving a response—interesting, though not conclusive

Some see it as strictly factual

With all this uncertainly as to the circumstances, what value is this to us?

If we can’t be sure of the meaning, can it possibly be inspired of God?

Yes it can; even though we can’t be certain of the circumstances of which the writer spoke, we can be certain of the God of whom he spoke

Even when we can’t know the why, we can know the who!

(we could chew on many statements throughout Scripture to prove that out…just in the Psalms, more than that)

Finally, we arrive at a couple statements we can

Take this to the Bank!

We could…and should…call this the conclusion to the matter

God is always present to rise up and come to our help!

He will redeem us

...because of His steadfast love

Note first the concept of redemption

Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary Redeem, Redemption, Redeemer

To pay a price in order to secure the release of something or someone. It connotes the idea of paying what is required in order to liberate from oppression, enslavement, or another type of binding obligation. The redemptive procedure may be legal, commercial, or religious.

Note: in this process, there’a a price involved

Next the steadfast love

In this context, we think of God’s unfailing covenant love

We often see the underlying word translated as mercy, lovingkindness or similar when referencing an act of God

This takes us to familiar theme, calling on the Lord

Our redemption, from sin is on account of God’s unfailing love

He will save us because of His steadfast love…Titus 3 5

Titus 3:5 ESV

he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,

Acts 2:21 ESV

And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

We see the same words elsewhere not just the NT, but the OT Joel 2 32

Joel 2:32 (ESV)

And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Back to the concept of IT’S NOT MY FAULT

Though the Psalm we’ve been working over does eventually resolve in that it looks toward the who, not the why; it’s missing something

That “not my fault” thought seems to hover over the entire work

Nowhere in there is any acknowledgment, not even a hint of acknowledgement, of any responsibility, any guilt

We have plenty of places in the OT where godly men confessed the sins of the nation

We can see that Daniel, in Babylon, before the return of the exiles, and Nehemiah, at a later point before Jerusalem was fully restored, both prayed prayers of confession—confessing the sins of their ancestors and their nation

A Pastoral Concern

I see and hear many people lamenting their position(s) in life

Though some are truly of unknown origin and some issues obviously not an individual's fault

“...who sinned, this man or his parents…? …the situation was all that way so the glory of God could be shown

I see many who seem to blame God for their condition/situation when it may be largely their own fault

“It’s not my fault!” is their cray, as they are buried in sin of one type or another

“Why are you doing this, God?” is their lament

They expect God to act, though they really never acknowledge Him for who He is

If they call on Him, He will redeem them—buy them back from the situation they’re in

Our Takeaways from this Psalm

It is OK to lament--

We should be honest in our expression of grief to God

We should ultimately focus not on our troubles, but to the God is the God of steadfast love who will redeem us

Whatever we need to be bought back from—REDEEMED—from; God’s love is sufficient....more than sufficient

Stuart Townend wrote:

How deep the Father’s love for us

How vast beyond all measure

That He would give His only Son

To make a wretch His treasure

Wretches that we are, His love is there for us