TLIC Psalms. December 2. That You May be Feared.  

Read Psalm 130:1-8 ¹Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord! ²O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy! ³If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? ⁴But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared. ⁵I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; ⁶my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning. ⁷O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption. ⁸And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

There is no self-help here. Not in the depths. Not in the pit of despair. The cause? Guilt, plain and simple. And not false guilt either. The singer of this psalm must come face to face with their own iniquities. Their own twisted heart.

Verse four may come as a surprise to us. It is forgiveness that brings the fear of the Lord, not punishment. This helps us to see that the fear of the Lord is the fear that comes from awe, respect, and even love. It also helps us to see that God’s mercy, grace, and forgiveness, when truly understood, never increase sin, but rather bring sin under the self-control of the changed heart. As Paul told Titus, it is the grace of God appearing in the person of Jesus Christ that teaches us to say no to all ungodliness.

This is the uplifting hope that we have in Christ. The hope of plentiful redemption. The Psalmist can see it coming, even if he cannot see Christ and his cross clearly yet. To live is Christ has given us a clear view, however. Redemption from all our iniquities has taken place at the cross. Not a single sin remains unforgiven in Christ.

No, not a single one.

You: Do you believe that every one of your sins is forgiven?

You in Christ: How does knowing we are forgiven actually increase our fear of the Lord?

Christ in you: In what ways is Christ’s grace in you teaching you to reject ungodliness?

Pray: Father, let your steadfast love and forgiveness continue to teach me to fear you. Amen.