Sunday Devotional: Psalm 130:3-4

³ If, God, you keep in mind sins–O Lord, who can stand? ⁴ Yet with You [is] forgiveness in order that you may be held in honor.

In Psalm 130, the psalmist pleads for the Lord’s forgiveness. and expresses confident expectation that the Lord will, indeed, forgive. The sure hope of the psalmist means that he can wait on the Lord, knowing that redemption is coming. In verse 6 he likens his waiting to that of the watchman waiting for morning. In ancient cities, watchmen would be posted on the city walls to warn of danger and to protect the inhabitants. Night was especially treacherous, since enemies could use the cover of darkness to attack, and wild beasts roamed freely. Morning brought the relative safety of daylight, so it’s no wonder the watchmen welcomed its arrival. Likewise we wait with anticipation for the Lord and the redemption He brings.

But it’s hard to understand the wonder of God’s forgiveness, and how truly amazing His redeeming love is, unless we come to terms with the terrible state we are in because of sin. Our culture has no concept of sin. Sure, people have a sense of right and wrong, good and bad, but to the world around us, these are merely violations of social standards. not breaches of God’s Law, acts of rebellion against Him personally. This is why most people call themselves “good.” They haven’t murdered, robbed, or committed the crimes deemed the worst by the law of the land. But God, the One who defines “good,” has no regard for the law of the land. His standard is His righteousness as expressed in the Moral Law (the Ten Commandments). As Jesus demonstrated in Matthew 5, there isn’t a single command we haven’t broken, whether by thought, word, or deed. The psalmist recognized this when he acknowledged that if God were to keep in mind, or keep account, of sins–our sins–no-one would stand. We would all fall and perish before His throne of justice.

But the Lord extends forgiveness to His people. He was long-suffering with Israel, and He continues that forgiveness with us, His church. But this is no arbitrary forgiveness based on a whim. This is true justice, for the penalty for our sin has been paid in the blood of Jesus. The psalmist didn’t know this at the time he wrote, but he was surely aware of the promises of the Messiah. It’s because of Him that the Lord forgives. As Paul teaches in Romans 9, it’s not because anyone did anything worthy of forgiveness, but as a result of His electing grace, that He might accomplish His purposes through His people. Such was the love of God for us.

And it’s because of this that the believer gives God glory and honor. We don’t take this grace for granted; we don’t look upon His loving-kindness as a cheap gift. Rather, we treasure it, and try, with the Lord’s help, to live our lives in a manner worthy of the mercy He has shown.

May we give glory and honor to God as we reflect upon His grace and mercy to us this week.

Have a great week!