Deeper Commentary

Psa 130:1

A Song of Ascents-
Or 'degrees'. Hezekiah’s response to being granted another 15 years of life was to edit and produce the Songs of Degrees, so named after the degrees of the sundial. Four of the 15 Psalms were by David, one by Solomon; and the other 10 it seems Hezekiah wrote himself but left anonymous. These ten Psalms would reflect the ten degrees by which the sun-dial went backwards. The point to note is that Hezekiah taught others in an anonymous way in response to the grace he had received. True preaching reflects a certain artless selflessness. These songs of ascents were presumably also intended to be sung by the exiles as they returned to Zion, and then every time they went up to Jerusalem to keep a feast. But there is no evidence this happened. For they didn't return in the kind of faith implied in these Psalms. The plural "ascents" would then be an intensive plural referring to the one great ascent, to Zion. Much of the language of these Psalms is typical of David's language when under persecution by Saul. But the Psalm was reapplied to Hezekiah, and then to the exiles on their return from Babylon, and then by extension to all God's people on their journey zionwards. The 15 steps of ascent also links to the literal ascent into the temple. According to Mishna Middot 2:5: "And there were fifteen steps that went up from its midst to the court of Israel, corresponding to the fifteen Songs of Ascent that are in the [Book of] Psalms, on which the Levites would stand in song". The essence of all this is true of us as we journey not just to Jerusalem but into the temple. This background explains why this particular psalm describes a journey from the "depths" (:1) up to the 'height' of restored relationship with God in Ps. 131.

Out of the depths I have cried to You, Yahweh-
The feeling of being submerged beneath deep waters is common in David's Psalms; it was how he felt as a result of his sins with Bathsheba (Ps. 69:1,12,14). The same word is used about the "depths" of moral distance from God due to sin (Is. 29:15; 31:6; Hos. 9:9). This leads to the talk about forgiveness and asking God not to keep a record of sins (:3,4). David's path of repentance, forgiveness and restoration was that to be followed by the exiles. They were to go up to Zion in this spirit. However, they didn't- just as David seems to have cried out for the consequences of his sin to be removed, rather than continuing to be forthcoming in contrition and recognition of his sin. The waters were clearly representative of Gentile nations in the Bible; the figure naturally applies to the exiles in the "sea" of the Babylonian / Persian empire, which could have been 'dried up' to allow them to return, just as Egypt and the Red Sea had been (Is. 51:10 s.w.). But most of them preferred to remain there. In the Hezekiah context, the waters were those of the Assyrian invasion.

It is noteworthy that many Bible students have independently named Ps. 130 as their favourite psalm- Calvin, Luther, Augustine all did.

Psa 130:2

Lord, hear my voice. Let Your ears be attentive to the voice of my petitions-
A voice crying from the depths (:1) recalls Jonah in his disobedience and arrogance. Whilst this Psalm is indeed concerned with forgiveness, there is a notable lack of any statement of repentance, guilt or contrition. There is a request for forgiveness to be granted and for God not to remember sin, to just wipe His records (:3). But there is no actual statement of repentance or guilt. Rather is the impression given that God should get on and fulfil His word of restoration (:6), and as it were not be so concerned about Israel's sins. We note that Jonah is clearly to be connected with this crying to God out of the deep waters. The sin he had to ask for mercy for, even though unstated, was the sin of not going where and when he had been told to. The exiles likewise generally didn't respond well to the calls from God to return to the land. Perhaps that is in view here. God's ears being attentive was earlier predicated upon the existence of the temple (2 Chron. 6:40; 7:15). But the psalmist believed that even though there was no temple for the exiles, they could still ask for God's ears to be open to them.

Psa 130:3

If You, Yah, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand?- See on :2. This could be read as the Psalmist asking God not to keep remembering Judah's sins against them [for He does "keep a record of sins", s.w. Job 10:14], and to just get on and restore them. Or it could be read as a general statement of truth- that God does not "mark" sin but forgives it, as our love for our brethren should keep no record of their past sins (1 Cor. 13:5-7 N.I.V.). If we refuse fellowship people because of the effect of past sins for which they have repented, then we are 'marking' iniquity. God does not deal with us in a manner which is proportional to the type or amount of sin we commit (Ps. 103:7-12). David likewise was made to 'stand firm' despite his sin (s.w. 2 Sam. 22:34; Ps. 30:7; 31:8). The Hebrew behind keeping a record of or 'marking' is really that of 'watching'; it is the same word translated "watch" [NEV "long"] in :6. If we continue to recall others' sins, we are guarding or watching them in our hearts. And if God were to do that to us, we would not be saved. It is so crucial to forgive as, in the same way as, God has forgiven us. Given that we have no power to delete certain memory cells, the only way we can not "mark" others' sins in our own hearts is to deeply experience God's forgiveness of us. We are to watch for the morning (:6) rather than watching others' sins. It's because God doesn't watch our sins that we can confidently watch for the morning of the Lord's return. Otherwise, enthusiasm for it would never be great, as we would be so worried about the outcome of judgment day.

Psa 130:4

But there is forgiveness with You, therefore You are feared-
The fear of respect for God which He seeks therefore arises not from fear of condemnation, but rather from awe at the way He forgives. AV "That thou mayest be feared". Here we are told that fear of God comes from the experience of forgiveness- not as the basis for it. This suggests that the forgiveness in view was granted by grace; and indeed this was the case with the exiles. Had they returned to God, then God would return them to their land. That was the deal. They didn't keep it; yet God returned them, repented them, to their land anyway. The intention was that this extreme grace would lead them to fear God. The forgiveness in view here was granted by God on His initiative, just as we can choose to forgive even when there is no repentance nor agreed version of events from the person we choose to forgive. We could render: "Yours is the power to forgive so that You may be held in awe”. We are sinners, and God alone has the power to forgive. This means that the fear / awe that we are to feel is of sinful man realizing that God can forgive him- and therefore he must earnestly repent and seek that forgiveness. This Psalm was used by the exiles (:1). But as Ez. 18 makes clear, the exiles generally had a problem in accepting personal sin. They felt their sufferings were all a result of the sins of their fathers being unfairly visited upon them, as well as God not stopping the sins of the Babylonians against them. It was totally in line with Ezekiel's appeal for personal contrition and repentance that this psalm of the exiles is a confession of personal guilt. But we wonder how many of the pilgrims really sung or prayed this psalm with any meaning. Indeed there was little awareness of sin in any religion of the time; in fact, the concepts of sin and grace are unique to Bible-based faith and understanding. We note too that no sacrifice is mentioned in order to deal with the sin confessed- this would make sense in the context of the exiles, when the temple cult wasn't working.

Psa 130:5

I wait for Yahweh. My soul waits. I hope in His word-
David speaks of waiting and watching for the Lord in the context of asking for forgiveness (Ps. 130:5,6). Heb. 9:28 speaks of the faithful as waiting for Christ to "appear without sin unto salvation". This alludes to a humbled, repentant Israel on the Day of Atonement, having confessed their sins and afflicted their souls through fasting, waiting for their High Priest to appear and pronounce upon them the blessing of forgiveness. The Spirit is using this as a type of us expecting the second coming of our Lord; the motivation for our enthusiasm should be our earnest need of ultimate forgiveness and reconciliation with God. But "the word" hoped for was specifically the fulfilment of the word of restoration. We note that "the word" is put for "the fulfilment of the word", so certain is God's word of ultimate fulfilment. But the psalmist wanted it to come true immediately, when the preconditions were still not right. The "word" in view initially was the word of blessing from the High Priest, announcing to the 'waiting' crowd that the atonement sacrifice was successful, and they were blessed with forgiveness. The psalmist likens himself to one of those waiting in that crowd. Twice he says that his very soul, his innermost being, waits for that word of blessing, that assurance of forgiveness. And indeed the need to be right with God, to have His forgiveness, is the subconscious desire of every soul; to please the Father and be again right with Him. Those who accept the Gospel are honest and humble enough to accept that. Unbelievers are simply in denial of their deepest psycho-spiritual need.

In our day, "the word" has been spoken; the "word made flesh" in the Lord. The essential logos of God was human salvation, which involves forgiveness. That has now been spoken in His Son, and we have heard and believed that word. Paul alludes to the ritual of the High Priest appearing on the Day of Atonement to pronounce the atonement, the blessing of forgiveness: "So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation" (Heb. 9:28). Our sin has been dealt with; He appears without our sin, it is no more. All those who worry about their sins, who think they can't be baptized into Him because they sin... have failed to engage with this. Sin is dealt with. He shall appear for us who eagerly look for Him, without our sin. In one sense, we are like this psalmist, eagerly awaiting that word of salvation at the Lord's return; as Job put it in his fantasy about the day of judgment, "sleeplessly I wait for His response" (Job 16:22). But in another sense, that word was pronounced in the cross and we have heard it and with relief, believed it.

But here, the psalmist has not yet heard that word; the word of restoration from Cyrus was effectively a statement that God had taken the initiative in forgiving Judah and they could now return to Zion (see on :4). The psalmist believes that this forgiveness and call to restoration will come- he concludes by expressing faith in God's abundant redemption and forgiveness (:7,8).

Psa 130:6

My soul longs for the Lord more than watchmen long for the morning; more than watchmen for the morning-
Watching for the morning is the phrase used about the plot to slay David by morning (1 Sam. 19:2,11). Ps. 130:6 would therefore have originated with David's reflections that whatever the careful watchings of man to destroy him, his focus was upon longing for the Lord. This then became applied to Hezekiah, who prayed so intensely the night when he thought he would be dead by morning (Is. 38:13). And now it is the thought of the faithful exiles, desperately and intensely longing for dawn of Zion's glad morning in fulfilment of the restoration prophecies. The context is of the psalmist eagerly awaiting the news of confirmed forgiveness. Possibly he was eagerly awaiting the dawn because that was when the morning sacrifice could be offered. Although it is noteworthy that the psalm says nothing explicitly about sacrifices being required for forgiveness to be granted.

Psa 130:7

Israel, hope in Yahweh, for with Yahweh there is grace, with Him is abundant redemption-
Israel were to be encouraged by David's experience that they could receive "abundant" redemption (s.w. "wash me thoroughly from my iniquity" in Ps. 51:2). The same "redemption" had been experienced at the Red Sea (s.w. Ps. 111:9). That redemption from Egypt and gift of the Kingdom to Israel was all an articulation of God's characteristics as memorialized in his Name; see on :2. The redemption promised and implied in the covenant with Abraham is ongoing to God's people of all generations. This verse could be read as an appeal to Israel to repent and believe in God's grace. But the specific appeal for repentance isn't there; rather it is an appeal to trust in God's grace, which was hoped to bring about the restoration prophecies with or without repentance.

Psa 130:8

He will redeem Israel from all their sins-
The redemption of Israel from Babylon was essentially dependent upon their being redeemed from their sins. But most preferred to remain in Babylon, and repentance just wasn't on their agenda. It was a redemption refused, even when that redemption was achieved through the ultimate redeemer, the Lord Jesus. If we take "sins" as an intensive plural, we enquire what was the great sin of Israel. It was crucifying the Lord. And yet by that redeeming death, they were forgiven even of that. This is grace indeed. We can render "He Himself will redeem Israel...". We have a glimpse here of God's total identity with His Son on the cross... truly "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself".