A Sinner Standing Before God
If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?
Psalm 130:3
When we fully see our sin, it shakes us to the core.
Its selfish, grotesque face is painful to behold. It also seems to be the last thing we would ever want to bring to God, for He is so pure and glorious beyond comprehension.
Yet the psalmist boldly seeks to do just that. He knew by experience what every single one of us must personally discover: the only sure place to turn in our own personal despair over our sin is God's perfection. Our sin that deserves God's judgment perfectly finds His forgiving grace.
As strange as it may seem, it is experiencing God's forgiveness that elevates our fear, awe, and reverence for Him.
Keep your hope in God when failure seeks to crush you and leave you alone and alienated from Him. For in His perfection, He will not cast you away.
He will perfectly forgive all who come to Him
in humble repentance.
in humble repentance.
The Humble See God
LORD, my heart is not haughty, nor my eyes lofty.
Neither do I concern myself with great matters,
nor with things too profound for me.
Psalm 131:1
To approach Him as a young child is the surest way to discover the deep things of God, things that the most profound and educated among us will probably never see. The simple, humble heart that looks to God with sincere love and an expectation of His goodness will receive what no one can obtain on his own.
Jesus Himself affirmed this when He prayed,
"I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent
and have revealed them to babes. Even so, Father,
for so it seemed good in Your sight"
and have revealed them to babes. Even so, Father,
for so it seemed good in Your sight"
Unsurpassable Gratitude
Surely I will not go into the chamber of my house, or go up to the comfort of my bed; I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids, until I find a place for the LORD, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.
Psalm 132:3-5
David's deep passion for God found expression in the latter years of his life in his desire to built a temple to worship God. Since the exodus of the Jewish people from Egypt, they had worshipped at a large tent referred to as a "tabernacle." But under David's rule, the Jewish nation had begun a powerful and prosperous kingdom for the first time. Its capital, Jerusalem, had become a wealthy, walled city with a beautiful palace built by David.
This is what troubled David. Though he had a glorious palace, God "dwelt," or met with, His people in a tent. Therefore David spent the latter years of his life collecting all the gold, silver, cloth and stone for his son Solomon to build a Temple for God that would become one of the great wonders of the ancient world.
God had brought David through so many adversities and forgiven him of so many sins and failures that his heart of gratitude could do nothing less.
So it is for all who, like David, have a heart after God.Our hearts must find their way to express how grateful we are for His rich love.
Psalms 130 ~ A Song of Ascents.
1 Out of the depths I have cried to You, O LORD;
2 Lord, hear my voice!
Let Your ears be attentive
To the voice of my supplications.
3 If You, LORD, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
4 But there is forgiveness with You,
That You may be feared.
5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
And in His word I do hope.
6 My soul waits for the Lord
More than those who watch for the morning—
Yes, more than those who watch for the morning.
7 O Israel, hope in the LORD;
For with the LORD there is mercy,
And with Him is abundant redemption.
8 And He shall redeem Israel
From all his iniquities.
Psalm 131 ~ A Song of Ascents. Of David.
1 LORD, my heart is not haughty,
Nor my eyes lofty.
Neither do I concern myself with great matters,
Nor with things too profound for me.
2 Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul,
Like a weaned child with his mother;
Like a weaned child is my soul within me.
3 O Israel, hope in the LORD
From this time forth and forever.
Psalm 132~ A Song of Ascents.
1 LORD, remember David
And all his afflictions;
2 How he swore to the LORD,
And vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob:
3 "Surely I will not go into the chamber of my house,
Or go up to the comfort of my bed;
4 I will not give sleep to my eyes
Or slumber to my eyelids,
5 Until I find a place for the LORD,
A dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob."
6 Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah;
We found it in the fields of the woods.
7 Let us go into His tabernacle;
Let us worship at His footstool.
8 Arise, O LORD, to Your resting place,
You and the ark of Your strength.
9 Let Your priests be clothed with righteousness,
And let Your saints shout for joy.
10 For Your servant David's sake,
Do not turn away the face of Your Anointed.
11 The LORD has sworn in truth to David;
He will not turn from it:
"I will set upon your throne the fruit of your body.
12 If your sons will keep My covenant
And My testimony which I shall teach them,
Their sons also shall sit upon your throne forevermore."
13 For the LORD has chosen Zion;
He has desired it for His dwelling place:
14 "This is My resting place forever;
Here I will dwell, for I have desired it.
15 I will abundantly bless her provision;
I will satisfy her poor with bread.
16 I will also clothe her priests with salvation,
And her saints shall shout aloud for joy.
17 There I will make the horn of David grow;
I will prepare a lamp for My Anointed.
18 His enemies I will clothe with shame,
But upon Himself His crown shall flourish."
2 Lord, hear my voice!
Let Your ears be attentive
To the voice of my supplications.
3 If You, LORD, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
4 But there is forgiveness with You,
That You may be feared.
5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
And in His word I do hope.
6 My soul waits for the Lord
More than those who watch for the morning—
Yes, more than those who watch for the morning.
7 O Israel, hope in the LORD;
For with the LORD there is mercy,
And with Him is abundant redemption.
8 And He shall redeem Israel
From all his iniquities.
Psalm 131 ~ A Song of Ascents. Of David.
1 LORD, my heart is not haughty,
Nor my eyes lofty.
Neither do I concern myself with great matters,
Nor with things too profound for me.
2 Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul,
Like a weaned child with his mother;
Like a weaned child is my soul within me.
3 O Israel, hope in the LORD
From this time forth and forever.
Psalm 132~ A Song of Ascents.
1 LORD, remember David
And all his afflictions;
2 How he swore to the LORD,
And vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob:
3 "Surely I will not go into the chamber of my house,
Or go up to the comfort of my bed;
4 I will not give sleep to my eyes
Or slumber to my eyelids,
5 Until I find a place for the LORD,
A dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob."
6 Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah;
We found it in the fields of the woods.
7 Let us go into His tabernacle;
Let us worship at His footstool.
8 Arise, O LORD, to Your resting place,
You and the ark of Your strength.
9 Let Your priests be clothed with righteousness,
And let Your saints shout for joy.
10 For Your servant David's sake,
Do not turn away the face of Your Anointed.
11 The LORD has sworn in truth to David;
He will not turn from it:
"I will set upon your throne the fruit of your body.
12 If your sons will keep My covenant
And My testimony which I shall teach them,
Their sons also shall sit upon your throne forevermore."
13 For the LORD has chosen Zion;
He has desired it for His dwelling place:
14 "This is My resting place forever;
Here I will dwell, for I have desired it.
15 I will abundantly bless her provision;
I will satisfy her poor with bread.
16 I will also clothe her priests with salvation,
And her saints shall shout aloud for joy.
17 There I will make the horn of David grow;
I will prepare a lamp for My Anointed.
18 His enemies I will clothe with shame,
But upon Himself His crown shall flourish."
Psalms 130-132
This pilgrim song is one of the "penitential" psalms; the psalmist is crying out to God for forgiveness of his own and his nation's sins. As in the previous psalm, Psalm 130 has the poet speaking as an individual representing the nation (see v. 7-8); but instead of pleading for God's wrath upon Israel's enemies he cries out for personal forgiveness.
v. 1 depths – ma'amaq (Heb.) used in biblical literature in conjunction with "mire" or "waters" to indicate that the poet is in "way over his head" (Ps. 69:2, 14). The ocean called to mind, for ancient peoples, not the friendly beach on which we like to sunbathe but the roaring, threatening "deep" that swallowed ships and men in the midst of terrible storms that snapped a ship's masts like twigs and plunged her to the bottom (compare with Acts 27). Thus, the depths became a picture for the gates of death itself.
v. 2 hear – sh'mah (Heb.) Israel's great commandment (Deut. 6:4) is "Hear, O Israel!" The poet is pleading with God that He would listen to the pleas of his child who is at the door of death itself.
the voice of my supplications – Again, the poet is keying off of the great commandment to Israel to hear the voice of the Lord (Deut. 30:10) and turning it into an entreaty to God that He would listen closely to the psalmist's prayer.
v. 3 mark iniquities – shamar (Heb.) keep track of or observe. This verb reappears in v. 6 in noun form (the "watchers").
who could stand? – We use the English expression to "stand inspection" in the context of the army or a general exam; it implies a thorough and comprehensive review. The poet means something similar and declares that no one could "stand inspection" under scrutiny by God.
v. 4 feared – reverent awe and respect. In biblical thinking, the overwhelming aspect of God's nature is not just His overwhelming power but the fact that this is combined with compassion and forgiveness!
v. 5 His word – God's declaration of forgiveness
v. 6 those who watch – Literally, watchers for-the-morning. In ancient times the official watchmen would wait through the night for the first sign of dawn and then announce to the city that day had come.
Watch for – God does not "watch for" or "mark" iniquities but my soul does "watch for" Him! (v. 3).
v. 7 O Israel, hope in the LORD – The basis for hope follows immediately: because He has mercy and plenteous redemption.
v. 8 He shall redeem Israel – This is the great promise of the redemption of Israel, fulfilled in Jesus. Paul picks up this theme in his explanation of God's final plan for Israel, "All Israel will be saved" (Rom. 11:26). Psalm 131
Of David – l'david (Heb.) can mean composed by, dedicated to or in the collection of. This prayer is a concise and heart-felt expression of humility and submission to God.
v. 1 my heart is not haughty – The heart (lev, Heb.) was considered, in ancient Israel, to be the center of the personality and life itself.
haughty – arrogant
Nor my eyes lofty – i.e., so that I look "down" on others.
Concern – halak (Heb.) the same word as to walk or exercise. The idea is "I don't get worked up about…"
great matters…things too profound for me – A mark of true humility is knowing one's place in the grand scheme of things: we are each immeasurably significant (because no one's life is unimportant to God) but we are not the center of things around which the universe revolves.
v. 2 my soul – myself
Like a weaned child with his mother – Literally "on its mother." The simile calls up the image of a child resting against its mother's breast.
Like a weaned child is my soul within me – This is the key point: a weaned child does not get what it wants (the mother's breast) but she embraces and comforts it, assuring it of her love. The child learns to be content, even though its primary wish is not being fulfilled. Notice the emphasis: "I have calmed and quieted myself…". This is part of the process Paul refers to in Romans 12:2 as the "renewing of our mind", i.e. the transformation of our thinking that takes place as we place our lives on the altar for God (Rom. 12:1).
v. 3 O Israel – The psalmist challenges his nation to imitate his example and wait patiently for the Lord to act on their behalf.
Psalm 132
This pilgrim psalm, with its emphasis on David's commitment to caring for the Ark of the Covenant, fits well into the step-by-step journey of the travelers up to the Temple in Jerusalem, where the ark's final resting place was in the Holy of Holies, its innermost shrine.
v. 1 LORD, remember David and all his afflictions – The psalmist recalls the inner anguish David felt about the Ark not having a "resting place" (2 Sam. 6-7). He reminds God of these troubles and asks God to take them into account in His treatment of David's descendent, the anointed king, and the nation.
v. 2 How he swore…and vowed – After David was made king of the united nation, he made a solemn oath to retrieve the Ark, the central symbol of God's presence with His people, from the obscure site in the country where it had been kept for many years and make a proper shrine for it.
the Mighty One – champion ('abir, Heb.) is only used six times in the Hebrew Bible (twice in this psalm). In every case it is associated with the name of Jacob (Israel). The phrase seems to have been a favorite of the prophet Isaiah (Is. 1:24, 49:26, 60:16) Also Gen. 49:24.
v. 3 into the chamber of my house – literally, "the tent of my house," i.e. the place where I am truly "at home"
go up to the comfort of my bed – We "lay down" to go to sleep; apparently the king's bed was on a raised platform, so he literally "went up" to his bed. An interesting play on words because the pilgrims were "going up" to Jerusalem.
v. 4 will not give sleep to my eyes – This vow of David is not recorded in 2 Samuel 6-7.
v. 6 Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah – "It" meaning the Ark. The wanderings of the Ark, beginning with its capture by the Philistines during the period of the judges, are described in 1 Samuel 4:1–7:2. After its miraculous return, it was kept 20 years in the village of Kirjathjearim.
Ephrathah – located in Judah
the fields of the woods – Literally: Jaar. Perhaps another place name; possibly an alternative name for Kirjathjearim.
v. 7 Let us go – begins a new section of the poem; moving from the focus on the past history of the Ark, the psalmist calls to Israel to "come"
tabernacle – or dwelling place
Let us worship at His footstool – There may be a hint here of the Ark as God's "footstool."
v. 8 resting place – represents the Ark as the resting place of God and the symbol of His strength and power
v. 9 priests…saints – The priests officiating in the sanctuary and the worshippers
Your saints – Your faithful ones
v. 10 For Your servant David's sake – The poet reminds God of His promises to David to grant Him an everlasting dynasty.
Your anointed – i.e. the Davidic king
v. 11-12 sworn in truth to David – This verse and verse 12 refer directly to the promise God made to David (2 Sam. 6:8-16).
v. 13 dwelling place – moshav (Heb.) habitation or home location
v. 14 resting place – permanent residence
Here I will dwell – yashab (Heb.) David's sons will sit upon his throne; Zion (representing the entire nation) will be God's throne, where He will sit (compare v. 12).
I have desired it – The startling truth and amazing grace is that God wants to be Immanuel ("God with us"). John 1:14 says, "The Word became flesh and dwelt [tented or tabernacled, Gk.] among us" (compare v. 13).
v. 15 provision…bread – One of the biggest challenges faced by cities throughout history has been providing food for the population (for example, some of Rome's most bitter civil wars revolved around this issue). God promises to supply "Zion" with sustenance.
v. 17 There I will make the horn of David grow – The "horn" (usually of a wild ox) was a symbol of strength.
I will prepare a lamp for My Anointed – God promised that the "lamp" of David – his representative royal descendent – would never be extinguished (1 Kings 11:36, 15:4; 2 Kings 8:19; 2 Chr. 21:7).
v. 18 His crown shall flourish – The translators probably chose "flourish" because the Hebrew word can mean "gleam" (like a gem or precious metal) or "blossom"; the poet may have chosen it to be deliberately ambiguous.
"If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?"
How true and convicting are these words, Lord. No one person needs Your grace and mercy any more than any other person.
We pray today for hearts that honestly acknowledge our sinful status before You and accept the payment that Jesus has paid on our behalf.
Prison Ministry
It is so uplifting and wonderful that someone would take the time to come out to the Boise Women's Correctional Facility and share the Lord with us! I know that for me I need this more than anything right now! I am so grateful for this and I look forward to LaDonna coming out here each Sunday to share with is and care so much about us.
Prayer Points
This pilgrim song is one of the "penitential" psalms; the psalmist is crying out to God for forgiveness of his own and his nation's sins. As in the previous psalm, Psalm 130 has the poet speaking as an individual representing the nation (see v. 7-8); but instead of pleading for God's wrath upon Israel's enemies he cries out for personal forgiveness.
v. 1 depths – ma'amaq (Heb.) used in biblical literature in conjunction with "mire" or "waters" to indicate that the poet is in "way over his head" (Ps. 69:2, 14). The ocean called to mind, for ancient peoples, not the friendly beach on which we like to sunbathe but the roaring, threatening "deep" that swallowed ships and men in the midst of terrible storms that snapped a ship's masts like twigs and plunged her to the bottom (compare with Acts 27). Thus, the depths became a picture for the gates of death itself.
v. 2 hear – sh'mah (Heb.) Israel's great commandment (Deut. 6:4) is "Hear, O Israel!" The poet is pleading with God that He would listen to the pleas of his child who is at the door of death itself.
the voice of my supplications – Again, the poet is keying off of the great commandment to Israel to hear the voice of the Lord (Deut. 30:10) and turning it into an entreaty to God that He would listen closely to the psalmist's prayer.
v. 3 mark iniquities – shamar (Heb.) keep track of or observe. This verb reappears in v. 6 in noun form (the "watchers").
who could stand? – We use the English expression to "stand inspection" in the context of the army or a general exam; it implies a thorough and comprehensive review. The poet means something similar and declares that no one could "stand inspection" under scrutiny by God.
v. 4 feared – reverent awe and respect. In biblical thinking, the overwhelming aspect of God's nature is not just His overwhelming power but the fact that this is combined with compassion and forgiveness!
v. 5 His word – God's declaration of forgiveness
v. 6 those who watch – Literally, watchers for-the-morning. In ancient times the official watchmen would wait through the night for the first sign of dawn and then announce to the city that day had come.
Watch for – God does not "watch for" or "mark" iniquities but my soul does "watch for" Him! (v. 3).
v. 7 O Israel, hope in the LORD – The basis for hope follows immediately: because He has mercy and plenteous redemption.
v. 8 He shall redeem Israel – This is the great promise of the redemption of Israel, fulfilled in Jesus. Paul picks up this theme in his explanation of God's final plan for Israel, "All Israel will be saved" (Rom. 11:26). Psalm 131
Of David – l'david (Heb.) can mean composed by, dedicated to or in the collection of. This prayer is a concise and heart-felt expression of humility and submission to God.
v. 1 my heart is not haughty – The heart (lev, Heb.) was considered, in ancient Israel, to be the center of the personality and life itself.
haughty – arrogant
Nor my eyes lofty – i.e., so that I look "down" on others.
Concern – halak (Heb.) the same word as to walk or exercise. The idea is "I don't get worked up about…"
great matters…things too profound for me – A mark of true humility is knowing one's place in the grand scheme of things: we are each immeasurably significant (because no one's life is unimportant to God) but we are not the center of things around which the universe revolves.
v. 2 my soul – myself
Like a weaned child with his mother – Literally "on its mother." The simile calls up the image of a child resting against its mother's breast.
Like a weaned child is my soul within me – This is the key point: a weaned child does not get what it wants (the mother's breast) but she embraces and comforts it, assuring it of her love. The child learns to be content, even though its primary wish is not being fulfilled. Notice the emphasis: "I have calmed and quieted myself…". This is part of the process Paul refers to in Romans 12:2 as the "renewing of our mind", i.e. the transformation of our thinking that takes place as we place our lives on the altar for God (Rom. 12:1).
v. 3 O Israel – The psalmist challenges his nation to imitate his example and wait patiently for the Lord to act on their behalf.
Psalm 132
This pilgrim psalm, with its emphasis on David's commitment to caring for the Ark of the Covenant, fits well into the step-by-step journey of the travelers up to the Temple in Jerusalem, where the ark's final resting place was in the Holy of Holies, its innermost shrine.
v. 1 LORD, remember David and all his afflictions – The psalmist recalls the inner anguish David felt about the Ark not having a "resting place" (2 Sam. 6-7). He reminds God of these troubles and asks God to take them into account in His treatment of David's descendent, the anointed king, and the nation.
v. 2 How he swore…and vowed – After David was made king of the united nation, he made a solemn oath to retrieve the Ark, the central symbol of God's presence with His people, from the obscure site in the country where it had been kept for many years and make a proper shrine for it.
the Mighty One – champion ('abir, Heb.) is only used six times in the Hebrew Bible (twice in this psalm). In every case it is associated with the name of Jacob (Israel). The phrase seems to have been a favorite of the prophet Isaiah (Is. 1:24, 49:26, 60:16) Also Gen. 49:24.
v. 3 into the chamber of my house – literally, "the tent of my house," i.e. the place where I am truly "at home"
go up to the comfort of my bed – We "lay down" to go to sleep; apparently the king's bed was on a raised platform, so he literally "went up" to his bed. An interesting play on words because the pilgrims were "going up" to Jerusalem.
v. 4 will not give sleep to my eyes – This vow of David is not recorded in 2 Samuel 6-7.
v. 6 Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah – "It" meaning the Ark. The wanderings of the Ark, beginning with its capture by the Philistines during the period of the judges, are described in 1 Samuel 4:1–7:2. After its miraculous return, it was kept 20 years in the village of Kirjathjearim.
Ephrathah – located in Judah
the fields of the woods – Literally: Jaar. Perhaps another place name; possibly an alternative name for Kirjathjearim.
v. 7 Let us go – begins a new section of the poem; moving from the focus on the past history of the Ark, the psalmist calls to Israel to "come"
tabernacle – or dwelling place
Let us worship at His footstool – There may be a hint here of the Ark as God's "footstool."
v. 8 resting place – represents the Ark as the resting place of God and the symbol of His strength and power
v. 9 priests…saints – The priests officiating in the sanctuary and the worshippers
Your saints – Your faithful ones
v. 10 For Your servant David's sake – The poet reminds God of His promises to David to grant Him an everlasting dynasty.
Your anointed – i.e. the Davidic king
v. 11-12 sworn in truth to David – This verse and verse 12 refer directly to the promise God made to David (2 Sam. 6:8-16).
v. 13 dwelling place – moshav (Heb.) habitation or home location
v. 14 resting place – permanent residence
Here I will dwell – yashab (Heb.) David's sons will sit upon his throne; Zion (representing the entire nation) will be God's throne, where He will sit (compare v. 12).
I have desired it – The startling truth and amazing grace is that God wants to be Immanuel ("God with us"). John 1:14 says, "The Word became flesh and dwelt [tented or tabernacled, Gk.] among us" (compare v. 13).
v. 15 provision…bread – One of the biggest challenges faced by cities throughout history has been providing food for the population (for example, some of Rome's most bitter civil wars revolved around this issue). God promises to supply "Zion" with sustenance.
v. 17 There I will make the horn of David grow – The "horn" (usually of a wild ox) was a symbol of strength.
I will prepare a lamp for My Anointed – God promised that the "lamp" of David – his representative royal descendent – would never be extinguished (1 Kings 11:36, 15:4; 2 Kings 8:19; 2 Chr. 21:7).
v. 18 His crown shall flourish – The translators probably chose "flourish" because the Hebrew word can mean "gleam" (like a gem or precious metal) or "blossom"; the poet may have chosen it to be deliberately ambiguous.
"If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?"
Psalm 130:3
How true and convicting are these words, Lord. No one person needs Your grace and mercy any more than any other person.
We pray today for hearts that honestly acknowledge our sinful status before You and accept the payment that Jesus has paid on our behalf.
Prison Ministry
It is so uplifting and wonderful that someone would take the time to come out to the Boise Women's Correctional Facility and share the Lord with us! I know that for me I need this more than anything right now! I am so grateful for this and I look forward to LaDonna coming out here each Sunday to share with is and care so much about us.
Prayer Points
- for the Lord to continue to speak to the hearts of those who are in prison and jail
- for all of those who attend the study to be blessed by the fellowship and teaching
