In some ways this Psalm picks up on similar themes to the one we dealt with yesterday. Yesterday the psalmist cried out to God to be saved from the brevity and frailty of life. This psalm deals with the psalmist crying out for help in his distress because of sin and the nature of the human heart. It is again a psalm of ascent like Psalm 127 that we spoke about a few days back. This is a psalm used by pilgrims as they travelled to Jerusalem – and this psalm especially would have dealt with the hope one had that ultimately one day the Lord would deliver his people from all their sins.
Our two verses again come right at the end of the psalm. They finish off a psalm that starts with "Out of the depths I cry to you O Lord" and express the hope and trust that even in the depths of one's sin, God is able to redeem because of his unfailing love.
Sin (or iniquity as some translations put it) is an unpopular concept today. We so often are more comfortable talking of our 'mistakes' or 'short-comings' or even 'brokenness' but sin or iniquity sounds a little harsh to our twenty-first century ears. While we tend to blame people's shortcomings on a lack of education, or their upbringing, or perhaps even some psychological problem in extreme cases – many times society actually has no answer for why some people behave in the way they do. As we look at the cruelty and the horrific nature of the crimes we see committed in our country we can only acknowledge that there is something profoundly evil at work.
Before we point fingers too readily at others though, it is important to recognise that there is a crooked way in each of us. While it may not be the overt criminal activity that catches us out, the sneer and disdain with which we listen to the tall story of a beggar, the judgemental attitude towards those who commit a certain kind of sin, and the lack of love we have for our fellow man are all forms of evil. My previous minister defined sin as the "deliberate claim to the right to our own lives, and the equal refusal to worship God as God." And none of us will be found innocent.
The apostle Paul in his letter to the Romans cried out in the same way the psalmist does saying, "We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin… When I want to do good, evil is right there with me …"
Our verse today is the psalmist final cry of hope and triumph – God will never go contrary to his unfailing love – God will redeem. Paul finishes in the same way, "Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord!"
Just as yesterday the Psalmist look forward to a time of living under God's favour, today he looks forward to a time of living under God's grace. And that's where we are. We live in a time where God has paid the price of our sin, and offered us his free gift of grace. A time where he does not leave us to struggle in it alone – but provides his Spirit to work in us to change us and guide us.
If there is something you need to bring into God's forgiving light this morning – do not delay. We do not need to struggle in our sin and guilt alone – his redemption is complete and his forgiveness free.
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