Psalm 130

Introduction

Name, city of residence, vague reference to the place where I worship

A meditation on

State method (read through in entirety, then return to the passage verse by verse with some insights)

Read

v.1

I love the imagery of this verse

Writer is trying to create an image of his emotional and spiritual state.

The image in v.1?

(Reread)

When the bible speaks of depths, it mostly speaks of the deep sea or of a dark chasm.

Was it not you who dried up the sea,

the waters of the great deep,

who made the depths of the sea a way

for the redeemed to pass over?

Lamentations 3:55 ESV

55 “I called on your name, O Lord, from the depths of the pit;

English Standard Version Chapter 3

“I called on your name, O LORD,

from the depths of the pit;

Lam 3:55

So the Psalmist starts of by telling the Lord the location of his prayer.

English Standard Version Chapter 3

“I called on your name, O LORD,

from the depths of the pit;

He’s in the pits, she is in over her head - perhaps not actually; but emotionally, spiritually, physically.

By the way, you will notice this Psalm is a prayer - the Psalmist is addressing the Lord directly and in person (reread v.1, emphasis on “you, O Lord”)

v.2

The writer here is in the pits, and he feels the need to shout for help

That is why v.2 ends with an exclamation mark.

(read v.2 with emphasis on exclamation)

Now I want to emphasize a particular part of this verse

(reread “attentive… pleas”)

Our writer is imploring God not just to listen to the plea for mercy, but the voicing, or the tone of the one pleading

You all know that there are different voices and tones of voices

You can already know if your in trouble or not, even if all mom said was “John, come here!”

Its all in the tone of voice.

Those of you who have kids, you know the tone of your child’s voice - this is the tired voice, this is the demanding voice, the hopeful voice, the pleading for mercy voice.

And that is the voice the Psalmist uses here - he pleads for mercy (reread v.2)

In David begins by saying:

Have you ever been to that point with God: where you were pleading for mercy?

You felt like all your sins were weighing down on you and crushing your soul?

English Standard Version Psalm 139

O LORD, you have searched me and known me!

The writer of this Psalm has. He knows that his sins have troubled him. Listen

In the same way a parent knows the proper time to rescue and comfort a child, in that same way the Lord knows our own voice, our own bodies and spirit.

V. 3-4

He clues us in to why he needs mercy in verses 3-4

(read 3-4)

If the Lord were to keep track of each one of sins, which of us would have any hope on the day of judgement?

If you kept a long list of each wrong done to you by a friend, would you be friends for very long? (Madison’s story)

The Psalmist knows something very important here about God

First, he knows that he is a great sinner. He needs God’s help, even if he doesn’t deserve it

Secondly, and more importantly, he knows that God forgives

And the Psalmist says this should cause a reverent fear of God

Why does forgiveness cause fear (confess own struggle understanding)

Perhaps because

the Lord doesn’t always spare us the consequences of our sin

Some of us are prone to learning the hard way

we are not forgiving people

How can we receive his forgiveness when we don’t give it?

the Lord doesn’t always spare us the consequences of our sin

Some of us are prone to learning the hard way

Even so, God has promised to bring us through our sins, through the hard times, to stand before him in Christ’s righteousness

(There is a fountain filled with blood “be saved to sin no more”)

v.5-6

In the meanwhile, we wait for the day of deliverance

And while we wait, we sometimes forget that the Lord has abundant grace for those who believe in him

How do we remember that the Lord is abundant in mercy?

3 ways

Continue in a living relationship with Jesus Christ

Remember and read his word

English Standard Version Chapter 34

The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”

English Standard Version Chapter 4

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives

and recovering of sight to the blind,

to set at liberty those who are oppressed,

Luke 4:19

19  to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

LUKE

Remember the past faithfulness of the Lord

SONGS

Sweet hour of prayer

Amazing Grace

There is a fountain