Saturday, April 28, 2012
Psalm 130:1-4 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. If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.
WITH THE LORD THERE IS MERCY
Psalm 130 is a penitential psalm in which the author bares his soul before the Lord, imploring Him to hear his prayer for forgiveness. He knows that if the Lord, the holy and righteous God, kept a record of his iniquities his situation would be utterly hopeless. He would remain in the woeful depths of his sin, cut off from God forever. At the same time he recognizes that the Lord is a God of mercy who loves to forgive penitent sinners and freely pardons them for Christ's sake.
Why was this psalm included in the Songs of Ascents collection? What more appropriate way could the Jewish pilgrims have chosen to prepare themselves for worshiping the Lord during the three great annual festivals than by confessing their sins and seeking His forgiveness? Today we prepare our hearts for worship in the same way. At the start of each church service we join together in humbly confessing our sins to God, acknowledging before Him our transgressions in thought, word, and deed, and hearing the good news of His forgiving love spoken by the pastor. We know it is only through the Lord's mercy that we can be lifted from the depths of sin and draw near to Him in worship. Washing our robes and making them white in the blood of Jesus is important each day because we daily sin much. And this is our daily comfort: "With the LORD there is mercy, and with Him is abundant redemption, and He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities" (verses 7-8).
So when the days of our pilgrimage reach an end on this earth we'll find the gates of the New Jerusalem flung wide open for us. Praise the Lord!
Though great our sins and sore our woes, His grace much more aboundeth;
His helping love no limit knows, Our utmost need it soundeth.
Our shepherd good and true is He, Who will at last His Israel free
From all their sin and sorrow.
(The Lutheran Hymnal, 329:5)
