Guilt and Forgiveness

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 1 Guilt and Forgiveness Psalm 130:1-8

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 2 Guilt and Forgiveness Commentary by Clyde M. Miller Text: Psalm 130:1-8, 1. Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD; 2. O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. 3. If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? 4. But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared. 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. 7. O Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. 8. He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins. NIV Introduction: I. For the meaning of the title, see the introduction to Psalm 120.

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 3 II. This psalm is timeless in application and could have been written at any period of Israel's psalmody. A. The themes of the burden of guilt and the blessedness of forgiveness are frequently found in the psalms (Psalm 32; Psalm 38; Psalm 51; and Psalm 103). 1. Psalm 32:1-11, Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. (Selah) Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD" and you forgave the guilt of my sin. ((Selah) Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him. You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. (Selah ) I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you. Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you. Many are the woes of the wicked, but the LORD's unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him. Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart! NIV

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 4 2. Psalm 38:1-22, O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath. For your arrows have pierced me, and your hand has come down upon me. Because of your wrath there is no health in my body; my bones have no soundness because of my sin. My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear. My wounds fester and are loathsome because of my sinful folly. I am bowed down and brought very low; all day long I go about mourning. My back is filled with searing pain; there is no health in my body. I am feeble and utterly crushed; I groan in anguish of heart. All my longings lie open before you, O Lord; my sighing is not hidden from you. My heart pounds, my strength fails me; even the light has gone from my eyes. My friends and companions avoid me because of my wounds; my neighbors stay far away. Those who seek my life set their traps, those who would harm me talk of my ruin; all day long they plot deception. I am like a deaf man, who cannot hear, like a mute, who cannot open his mouth; I have become like a man who does not hear, whose mouth can offer no reply. I wait for you, O LORD; you will answer, O Lord my God. For I said, "Do not let them gloat or exalt themselves over me when my foot slips." For I am about to fall, and my pain is ever with me. I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin. Many are those who are my vigorous enemies; those who hate me without reason are numerous. Those who repay my good with evil slander me when I pursue what is good. O LORD,

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 5 do not forsake me; be not far from me, O my God. Come quickly to help me, O Lord my Savior. NIV 3. Psalm 51:1-19, Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge. Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place. Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you. Save me from bloodguilt, O God, the God who saves me, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offer

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 6 ings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. In your good pleasure make Zion prosper; build up the walls of Jerusalem. Then there will be righteous sacrifices, whole burnt offerings to delight you; then bulls will be offered on your altar. NIV 4. Psalm 103:1-22, Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits-who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. The LORD works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel: The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, bounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass, he flour-

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 7 ishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD's love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children's childrenwith those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts. The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all. Praise the LORD, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will. Praise the LORD, all his works everywhere in his dominion. Praise the LORD, O my soul. NIV III. Outline of Psalm 130: A. The psalmist first describes the penitent s cry (Psalm:130:1-2). 1. 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. NIV B. This is followed by an assurance of God s righteousness that provides forgiveness (Psalm 130:3-4). 1. 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. NIV

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 8 C. Next, the need for patient waiting for God to act is described (Psalm 130:5-6). 1. 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. NIV D. The psalm concludes with an exhortation for Israel to hope in God with the assurance that God will forgive (Psalm 130:7-8). Commentary: 1. 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. NIV The Penitent's Cry 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. NIV Psalm 130:1, Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD; NIV I. Out of the depths makes use of a common metaphor of distress used in the psalms. A. The depths, may refer to distress brought on by enemies (Psalm 68:22; 124:4-5), by illness (Psalm 38:3-4a), by despondency (Psalm 71:20), or by guilt (Psalm 130:1).

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 9 1. Psalm 68:22, The Lord says, "I will bring them from Bashan; I will bring them from the depths of the sea. NIV 2. Psalm 124:4-5, The flood would have engulfed us, the torrent would have swept over us, the raging waters would have swept us away. NIV 3. Psalm 38:3-4, Because of your wrath there is no health in my body; my bones have no soundness because of my sin. My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear. NIV 4. Psalm 71:20, Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up. NIV 5. Psalm 130:1, Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD; NIV B. Depths can also depict forgiveness of sin (Micah 7:19). 1. Micah 7:19, You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea. NIV Psalm 130:2, O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 10 I. The plea of this and the preceding verse obviously arises from a deeply penitent heart. A. The Hebrew word translated mercy comes from the same root as grace and be gracious. 1. It is God s grace rather than our merit that provides forgiveness. God's Forgiveness 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. NIV Psalm 130:3, If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? NIV I. No man can stand on his own merit, for all men are sinners ( Psalm 143:2; Rom. 3:9 and 23-26). 1. Psalm 143:2, Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you. NIV 2. Romans 3:9, 23-26, What then? Are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his race through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 11 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. KJV Psalm130:4, But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared. NIV I. Man's heart is turned toward God in reverence because he recognizes the forgiving love of God (Psalm 33:18 and Psalm 103:8-18). A. Psalm 33:18, But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love. NIV B. Psalm 103:8-18, The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 12 remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD's love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children's childrenwith those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts. NIV Waiting for Deliverance 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. NIV I. By means of stair-like parallelism, two principal thoughts are emphasized. A. I wait,... my soul waits... my soul waits are explained by in his word I hope. 1. He waits for God to fulfill His covenant promise. B. The second point of emphasis is enhanced by the comparative parallelism of more than watchmen for the morning, repeated for added emphasis. 1. As the watchman waits for the danger that lurks at night to be ended by the breaking of day, so the psalmist longs for his distress to pass by means of the light of God's truth being brought to bear upon his circumstances.

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 13 2. His danger is not merely anticipatory like that of the watchman; his danger is real and present. 3. Therefore, his longing for relief is more intense than that of the watchman. Exhortation to Israel 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. NIV Psalm 130:7, O Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. NIV I. It has rightly been said that hope is a duty (Psalm 42:5,11; 43:5; 131:3). God s love is a privilege granted to those who are redeemed (Psalm 107:1-3, 43). A. Psalm 42:5 and 11, Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God for I will yet praise him, my Savior. Why are you downcast, O my soul: Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. NIV B. Psalm 43:5, Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. NIV C. Psalm 131:3, O Israel, put your hope in the LORD both now and forevermore. NIV

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 14 D. Psalm 107:1-3 and verse 43, Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the LORD say this those he redeemed from the hand of the foe, those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south. Whoever is wise, let him heed these things and consider the great love of the LORD. NIV Psalm 130:8, He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins. NIV I. Redeem here means forgiveness of sins (Ephesians 1:7). A. Ephesians 1:7, In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; KJV Application: I. No greater blessing can be bestowed on sinful man than to know that his sins are forgiven. A. Nor is there any greater need for which he can supplicate God. B. Trust and obedience are the prerequisites to forgiveness (Mark 16:15-16). 1. Mark 16:15-16, And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. KJV

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 15 C. Prayer for forgiveness is reserved for those who are God s children (1 John 1:5-10). 1. 1 John 1:5-10, This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. KJV

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 16 Questions Psalm 130:1-8 (Questions based on NIV text.) 1. Out of the I to you, O ; O, my. Let your be to my for. 2. If you, O, a of, O who could? But with you there is ; therefore you are. 3. I for the, my, and in his I put my. My for the more than for the, more than for the. 4. O, put your in the, for with the is and with him is. He will from their.

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 17 5. The of the of and the of are in the. 6. What is said in the psalms to prove that the statement in question 5 above is correct? 7. What four topics are addressed in Psalm 130? What verses are attached to each topic? 8. What is the meaning of the word depths as sometimes used in Psalms and Micah? 9. What plea is found in verses 1 and 2? From what did this plea obviously arise?

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 18 10. It is s rather than our that. 11. No can on his, for are. 12. What is said in Psalm 143 and Romans 3 that support the accuracy of the statement made in question 11 above? 13. Man s is in because he the of. 14. What two principal points are emphasized in verses 5 and 6? 15. is a. s is a granted to those who are.

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 19 16. Define redeem as used in Psalm 130:8 and redemption in Ephesians 1:7 respectively. 17. No greater can be on than to that his are. Nor is there any for which he can. 18. and are the to. 19. for is for those who are s. 20. Paraphrase 1 John 1:5-10.