Psalm 130 A Song of Ascents.

 ¹Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord;

²Lord, hear my voice!

Let Your ears be attentive

To the voice of my supplications.

³If You, Lord, should mark iniquities,

O Lord, who could stand?

⁴But there is forgiveness with You,

That You may be feared.

⁵I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,

And in His word I do hope.

⁶My soul waits for the Lord

More than those who watch for the morning—

Yes, more than those who watch for the morning.

⁷O Israel, hope in the Lord;

For with the Lord there is mercy,

And with Him is abundant redemption.

⁸And He shall redeem Israel

From all his iniquities.

Commentary

Vs. 1-2 ¹Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord;

²Lord, hear my voice!

Let Your ears be attentive

To the voice of my supplications.

From the depths of despair comes our most meaningful prayers to our Lord. And that is what we have here, a prayer born not out of triumph and victory, but defeat and failure. Thus, the Psalmist in their humble and broken state now looks to the Lord and asks that He would hear their voice; that He would be attentive to their voice; and regard all their supplications to Him. For they do not claim anything before Him other then knowing Him, knowing that He does not despise (nor ignore) the prayers of the broken hearted, therefore they have come to Him as our wonderful and merciful Savior.

Vs. 3-4 ³If You, Lord, should mark iniquities,

O Lord, who could stand?

⁴But there is forgiveness with You,

That You may be feared.

Thus the Psalmist asks our Lord to regard him, but not according to his own righteousness, for as he so poignantly makes clear here, if the Lord should mark iniquities, that is repay each and everyone of our transgressions, who could stand? No one. It is a simple yet profound truth that throughout our lives down here the Lord is always ever longsuffering towards us all.  Therefore, in humble acknowledgement of our Lord’s great grace and goodness that goes towards us all, he now confesses that with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ there is forgiveness, so that He may be feared. For the fear of the Lord is born out of His great grace which forgives us and saves us. This then is the state of every repentant individual who sees themselves as they really are, who comes in humble supplication to our Lord and Savior so that He might also forgive and save them. For all of God’s Judgment and Wrath against all of our sins: past, present, and future was paid for by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ when He suffered and died for us all on the Cross at Calvary. This is the salvation that God now offers to everyone who believes in Him no matter what they have done (John 3:16). This is what is now available to you, yes you, remission of all of our sins and everlasting life by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ!

Vs. 5-6 ⁵I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,

And in His word I do hope.

⁶My soul waits for the Lord

More than those who watch for the morning—

Yes, more than those who watch for the morning.

The Psalmist having made their supplication to the Lord, now takes the place of the patient saint. Waiting upon the Lord to act on behalf of his just cause. For he has set his hope upon the Lord, upon His Word, in which we who believe in Him also do hope. For all the precious promises of God that he was waiting for we now have In Christ! For in the Lord Jesus Christ there is abundant redemption and everlasting salvation for all who believe in Him. Therefore, we who believe in Him also wait for Him; wait for His glorious return, and with it His Kingdom being established forever!

Vs. 7-8 ⁷O Israel, hope in the Lord;

For with the Lord there is mercy,

And with Him is abundant redemption.

⁸And He shall redeem Israel

From all his iniquities.

In experiencing his own deliverance, the Psalmist now calls upon all his brethren, the nation of Israel, to also keep their faith and hope in the Lord. For though they have faltered many times throughout their history, nonetheless neither their nor our salvation from Him is based upon our own sinlessness and blamelessness, but on His. Therefore, people hope in the Lord for with Him is mercy and abundant redemption, which He gives to everyone who trusts in Him (Psalm 34:22). The Psalm closes then with an affirming declaration that the Lord shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities, amen.

Scripture Quotations

New King James (1982): Thomas Nelson.