#882 Depths

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord!

2 O Lord, hear my voice!

Let your ears be attentive

to the voice of my pleas for mercy!

3 If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,

O Lord, who could stand?

4 But with you there is forgiveness,

that you may be feared.

5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,

and in his word I hope;

6 my soul waits for the Lord

more than watchmen for the morning,

more than watchmen for the morning.

7 O Israel, hope in the Lord!

For with the Lord there is steadfast love,

and with him is plentiful redemption.

8 And he will redeem Israel

from all his iniquities. Psalm 130 ESV

A Psalm of Ascents, my soul waits.

Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord - We will do anything to keep ourselves and those we say we love, or at least have great natural tie and affection for, from hitting bottom. It is often to my shame that I feel as though all were lost, and it is too late to pray. I forget that I was born lost into a world that was lost, and that it is better to experience that which would lead me to cry out to God here then feel sufficient in myself. It is better to stop and pray, to let others know that I pray, and though I sink and all you may see is the bubbles, my God can interpret every one. 

1 From inside the fish, Jonah prayed to the LORD his God, 2 saying: “In my distress I called to the LORD and He answered me. From the belly of Sheol I called for help, and You heard my voice. 3 For You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the current swirled about me; all Your breakers and waves swept over me.… Jonah 2: 1-3

- The depths usually silence all they engulf, but they could not close the mouth of this servant of the Lord; on the contrary, it was in the abyss itself that he cried unto Jehovah. Beneath the floods prayer lived and struggled; yea, above the roar of the billows rose the cry of faith. It little matters where we are if we can pray; but prayer is never more real and acceptable than when it rises out of the worst places. Deep places beget deep devotion. C. H. Spurgeon

O Lord, hear my voice - He does not insist upon a particular means, only hear me, and Thy will be done. He is begging for mercy, and remember this is a song of ascent, that all those coming to the feast would be singing together. There is no other way, everyone that would worship must come to this same confession as the Psalmist, Lord, have mercy, hear me, remember me.

If You, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand - For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. There is none righteous, none that seek the truth, even if I could be judged based upon a minute, I could not find one without err. It is the doctrine of depravity, the doctrine that men care not to acknowledge, everyone is right in their own eyes. I use to relish in the empty air that came from someone telling me I am a good person, but the ones I love the most now are the men and women who honestly revealed to me my state, who held the word of God up to me. These are real depths, and to discern them should lead us to cry out, to pound the chest, "I am a sinner, O Lord, have mercy on me."

- Well does he cry, "O Lord, who shall stand?" None can do so: there is none that doeth good; no, not one. Iniquities are matters which are not according to equity: what a multitude we have of these! Jehovah, who sees all, and is also our Adonai, or Lord, will assuredly bring us into judgment concerning those thoughts, and words, and works which are not in exact conformity to his law. Were it not for the Lord Jesus, could we hope to stand? Dare we meet him in the dread day of account on the footing of law and equity? What a mercy it is that we need not do so, for the next verse sets forth another way of acceptance to which we flee. C. H. Spurgeon

…5 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk?’ 6 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...” Then He said to the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your mat, and go home.” 7 And the man got up and went home.… Matthew 9: 5-7

…24 You have not bought Me sweet cane with your silver, nor satisfied Me with the fat of your sacrifices. But you have burdened Me with your sins; you have wearied Me with your iniquities. 2 5 I, yes I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake and remembers your sins no more. 26 Remind Me, let us argue the matter together. State your case, so that you may be vindicated.… Isaiah 43: 24-26

…17 They will lick the dust like a snake, like reptiles slithering on the ground. They will crawl from their holes in the presence of the LORD our God; they will tremble in fear of You. 18 Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity and passes over the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance— who does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in loving devotion? 19 He will again have compassion on us; He will vanquish our iniquities. You will cast out all our sins into the depths of the sea.… Micah 7: 17-19

But with You there is forgiveness, that You may be feared - Conjunction, Conjunction, what's your function? There is a "but", and Yes, He is a God of justice, but He is a God of mercy as well. The wages of sin is death, "but" the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. There is a breach, "but" God has provided away across. There is iniquity in me, "but" with You, O God, there is forgiveness, and the one who finds it is forever reverent and grateful. 

- Gratitude for pardon produces far more fear and reverence of God than all the dread which is inspired by punishment. If the Lord were to execute justice upon all, there would be none left to fear him; if all were under apprehension of his deserved wrath, despair would harden them against fearing him: it is grace which leads the way to a holy regard of God, and a fear of grieving him. C. H. Spurgeon

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits - Where else can I go, He holds the words of life. Those that wait in trusting expectation will be renewed. My faith does not rest upon what ails me, but rather what He has said.

- The waiting itself is beneficial to us: it tries faith, exercises patience, trains submission, and endears the blessing when it comes. The Lord's people have always been a waiting people: they waited for the First Advent, and now they wait for the Second. They waited for a sense of pardon, and now they wait for perfect sanctification. They waited in the depths, and they are not now wearied with waiting in a happier condition. They have cried and they do wait; probably their past prayer sustains their present patience. C. H. Spurgeon

And with Him is plentiful redemption - Let the redeemed of the Lord say so. He is not done with Jacob, Israel is still the apple of His eye. He has left us His Word in good faith, and from the garden till the coming of Christ, the hope of Him was made very apparent. Christ, the Redeemer, Whom the Lord has laid my iniquity upon, redeemed I am, by the blood of the Lamb.