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Expositor's Bible Commentary Psalm 130:1 A Song of degrees. Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD. Psalm 130:1-8 IN a very emphatic sense this is a song of ascents, for it climbs steadily from the abyss of penitence to the summits of hope. It falls into two divisions of four verses each, of which the former breathes the prayer of a soul penetrated by the consciousness of sin, and the latter the peaceful expectance of one that has tasted God’s forgiving mercy. These two parts are again divided into two groups of two verses, so that there are four stages in the psalmist’s progress from the depths to the sunny heights. In the first group we have the psalmist’s cry. He has called, and still calls. He reiterates in Psalm 130:2 the prayer that he had long offered and still presents. It is not only quotation, but is the cry of present need. What are these "depths" from which his voice sounds, as that of a man fallen into a pit and sending up a faint call? The expression does not merely refer to his creatural lowliness, nor even to his troubles, nor even to his depression of spirit. There are deeper pits than these-those into which the spirit feels itself going down, sick and giddy, when it realises its sinfulness. Unless a man has been down in that black abyss, he has scarcely cried to God as he should do. The beginning of true personal religion is the sense of personal sin. A slight conception of the gravity of that fact underlies inadequate conceptions of Christ’s nature and work, and is the mother of heresies in creed and superficialities and deadnesses in practice. A religion that sits lightly upon its professor, impelling to no acts of devotion, flashing out in no heroisms, rising to no heights of communion-that is to say, the average Christianity of great masses of so called Christians-bears proof, in its languor, that the man knows nothing about the depths, and has never cried to God from them. Further, if out of the depths we cry, we shall cry ourselves out of the depths. What can a man do who finds himself at the foot of a beetling cliff, the sea in front, the wall of rock at his back, without foothold for a mouse, between the tide at the bottom and the grass at the top? He can do but one thing: he can shout, and perhaps may be heard, and a rope may come dangling down that he can spring at and clutch. For sinful men in the miry pit the rope is already let down. and their grasping it is the same act as the psalmist’s cry. God has let down His forgiving love in Christ, and we need but the faith which accepts while it asks, and then we are swung up into the light and our feet set on a rock. Psalm 130:3-4 are the second stage. A dark fear shadows the singer’s soul, and is swept away by a joyful assurance. The word rendered above "mark" is literally keep or watch , as in Psalm 130:6 , and here seems to mean to take account of , or retain in remembrance, in order to punish. If God should take man’s sin into account in His dispositions and dealings, "O Lord, who shall stand?" No man could sustain that righteous judgment. He must go down before it like a flimsy but before a whirlwind, or a weak enemy before a fierce charge. That thought comes to the psalmist like a blast of icy air from the north, and threatens to chill his hope to death and to blow his cry back into his throat. But its very hypothetical form holds a negation concealed in it. Such an implied negative is needed in order to explain the "for" of Psalm 130:4 . The singer springs, as it were, to that confidence by a rebound from the other darker thought. We must have tremblingly entertained the contrary dread possibility before we can experience the relief and gladness of its counter truth. The word rendered "forgiveness" is a late form, being found only in two other late passages. { Nehemiah 9:17 ; Daniel 9:9 } It literally means cutting off, and so suggests the merciful surgery by which the cancerous tumour is taken out of the soul. Such forgiveness is "with God," inherent in His nature. And that forgiveness lies at the root of true godliness. No man reverences, loves, and draws near to God so rapturously and so humbly as he who has made experience of His pardoning mercy, lifting a soul from its abysses of sin and misery. Therefore the psalmist taught by what pardon has done for him in drawing him lovingly near to God, declares that its great purpose is "that Thou mayest be feared," and that not only by the recipient, but by beholders. Strangely enough, many commentators have found a difficulty in this idea, which seems sun-clear to those whose own history explains it to them. Gratz, for instance, calls it "completely unintelligible." It has been very intelligible to many a penitent who has been by pardon transformed into a reverent lover of God. The next stage in the ascent from the depths is in Psalm 130:5-6 , which breathe peaceful, patient hope. It may be doubtful whether the psalmist means to represent that attitude of expectance as prior to and securing forgiveness or as consequent upon it. The latter seems the more probable. A soul which has received God’s forgiveness is thereby led into tranquil, continuous, ever-rewarded waiting on Him, and hope of new gifts springs ever fresh in it. Such a soul sits quietly at His feet, trusting to His love, and looking for light and all else needed, to flow from Him. The singleness of the object of devout hope, the yearning which is not impatience, characterising that hope at its noblest, are beautifully painted in the simile of the watchers for morning. As they who have out watched the long night look eagerly to the flush that creeps up in the east, telling that their vigil is past, and heralding the stir and life of a new day with its wakening birds and fresh morning airs, so this singer’s eyes had turned to God and to Him only. Psalm 130:6 does not absolutely require the supplement "hopes." It may read simply "My soul is towards Jehovah"; and that translation gives still more emphatically the notion of complete turning of the whole being to God. Consciousness of sin was as a dark night; forgiveness flushed the Eastern heaven with prophetic twilight. So the psalmist waits for the light, and his soul is one aspiration towards God. In Psalm 130:7-8 the psalmist becomes an evangelist, inviting Israel to unite in his hope, that they may share in his pardon. In the depths he was alone, and felt as if the only beings in the universe were God and himself. The consciousness of sin isolates, and the sense of forgiveness unites. Whoever has known that "with Jehovah is pardon" is impelled thereby to invite others to learn the same lesson in the same sweet way. The psalmist has a broad gospel to preach, the generalisation of his own history. He had said in Psalm 130:4 that "with Jehovah is forgiveness" (lit. the forgiveness, possibly meaning the needed forgiveness), and he thereby had animated his own hope. Now he repeats the form of expression, only that he substitutes for "forgiveness" the lovingkindness which is its spring, and the redemption which is its result; and these he presses upon his fellows as reasons and encouragements for their hope. It is "abundant redemption," or "multiplied," as the word might be rendered. "Seventy times seven"-the perfect numbers seven and ten being multiplied together and their sum increased seven-fold-make a numerical symbol for the unfailing pardons which we are to bestow; and the sum of the Divine pardon is surely greater than that of the human. God’s forgiving grace is mightier than all sins, and able to conquer them all. "He will redeem Israel from all his iniquities"; not only from their consequences in punishment, but from their power, as well as from their guilt and their penalty. The psalmist means something a great deal deeper than deliverance from calamities which conscience declared to be the chastisement of sin. He speaks New Testament language. He was sure that God would redeem from all iniquity; but he lived in the twilight dawn, and had to watch for the morning. The sun is risen for us; but the light is the same in quality, though more in degree: "Thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins." The Expositor's Bible Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com . Used by Permission.

Out of the depths have I cried unto Thee. Psalm 130 A prayer for deliverance D. Smith, M. A. The psalm should probably be regarded as antiphonal; it is composed of several stanzas which were sung responsively by different voices. 1. In the first stanza (vers. 1, 2) the speaker is a devout Israelite, who is feeling keenly the misery of his circumstances. The metaphor appears to be taken from a shipwreck; and, on the lips of a Hebrew, the picture would be one of unutterable horror. We Britons love the sea. But to the Jews the sea was an object of terror, a cruel and devouring monster, greedy of its prey, and smiling only to deceive; the symbol of treachery, unrest, and desolation. What were those depths out of which the psalmist cried to God? Were they the calamities which beset him and his countrymen? Or were they his overwhelming sins? To a Hebrew mind these were indistinguishable. It was an inveterate belief among the Israelites that, just as prosperity was the reward of goodness, adversity was the punishment of sin; and, wherever adversity alighted, sin must have been there before. This theory added to the sufferings of the Exiles an element of distress which we can hardly appreciate. It appears very plainly in our psalm. Here is a devout Israelite plunged, like the rest of his countrymen, into the depths of disaster. As a Hebrew this could only have one meaning for him, namely, that God was visiting their sins upon him and them. 2. The second stanza (vers. 3, 4) is the response of a neighbour — probably an old man, who had lived into a calmer and stronger faith than the other had yet attained to. Though his words are addressed to God, they are a reply to his companion. First he glances at the vexing problem which, as we have seen, was at the bottom of his companion's trouble — why righteous men should suffer so terribly. His answer is the rough-and-ready one, that in God's sight no one is righteous, and beneath His pure and searching scrutiny the fairest lives show very foul. This is just the theological commonplace, so shallow and irreverent, that all men alike are sinful and deserve equal condemnation at God's hands. It is quite true indeed that we are all sinners; but we are not all sinners to the same extent, and God will not blindly treat us all alike. The man speaks more truly when he leaves off theorizing and testifies to his own experience of God. "Thou dost not watch for iniquities, but with Thee is the forgiveness." God, he means, is not a stern tyrant, never satisfied with our efforts to serve Him, ever watching for mistakes and searching them out. He is right willing to forgive us even at our worst. The closing line of this stanza is a surprise. We should have expected, "with Thee is forgiveness that Thou mayest be loved"; but we read instead, "that Thou mayest be feared." On the lips of a Hebrew "the fear of God" meant very nearly devout reverence. It is the Old Testament phrase for the true worship, and our psalmist means that, were there no forgiveness in the heart of God, there would be no worship in the heart of man. Religion would be impossible were God a relentless and merciless avenger. 3. In the third stanza (vers. 5, 6) the first speaker replies, "You tell me God forgives! Have I not besought His forgiveness till I am weary? But all to no purpose. For His word have I hoped — for some assurance of His forgiveness; but not a whisper has broken the pitiless silence." The figure in verse 6 would go home to the Exiles. How often, as they camped outside Babylon and sat sleepless and tearful through the watches of the night, had they seen the sentries pacing the ramparts of the city and hailing the flush of dawn in the eastern horizon which told them their weary vigil was near its close! No figure could more pathetically express the psalmist's eager expectation of the dawning of God's mercy on his long night of sorrow. 4. In the concluding stanza (vers. 7, 8) the bystanders chime in. "My soul hath hoped in Adonai," the despondent man had said; and the chorus echoes, "Hope, Israel, in Jehovah." The second speaker had declared his faith that "with Jehovah is the forgiveness"; but, ere it closes, the psalm reaches a still grander assurance. "Hope in Jehovah, for with Jehovah is the lovingkindness, and plentifully with Him is redemption." It is a great belief that God forgives, but an unspeakable greater that, in spite of all that seems to prove the contrary, He has in His heart towards us an infinite lovingkindness and a purpose of final and complete redemption. The psalm ends with a prophecy of great salvation and boundless peace in store for Israel. To the Hebrews "redemption from iniquities" would mean not merely a spiritual deliverance, but the removal of all the disasters and sufferings which sin entailed. And this triumphant assurance of a future unstained by sin and unvexed by sorrow is born of that twofold faith, so simple yet so grand, that there is in the hears of God a boundless lovingkindness, and that He is working out, by means of all our varied experiences, our ultimate and eternal redemption. ( D. Smith, M. A. ) The commendable conduct of man under trial Homilist. I. IMPLORING HEAVEN (vers. 1, 2). 1. Heaven alone can deliver. 2. From the greatest depths Heaven can hear the cries. This appeal, therefore, is — (1) Commendable. (2) Wise. (3) Right. (4) Necessary. II. CONFESSING SIN (vers. 3, 4). 1. He identifies suffering with sin. All evils, physical, intellectual, social, religious, and political, spring from moral evil. 2. He identifies deliverance with God's mercy.(1) God is so merciful that He does not "mark iniquities," that is, He does not keep; regain them. Malign natures never forget injuries, benevolent natures cannot retain them.(2) God is so merciful that He forgives men their iniquities. The highest form of love is the forgiving love.(3) Because He is thus so merciful, men can trust Him. "That Thou mayest be feared." Not servilely, but trustfully, lovingly, loyally, cheerfully. Had He not forgiveness in His nature, what rational soul could reverence Him? III. WAITING ON GOD (vers. 5-8). 1. This implies —(1) Trusting in God. Trusting in His wisdom, goodness, and rectitude.(2) Expecting from God. Expecting that He will interpose in mercy, and grant the necessary relief.(3) Vigilance of soul. It is not a passive state of mind, it is watchful and earnest. 2. He exhorts Israel to trust in the Lord —(1) Because there is mercy with Him. The mercy which the sufferer requires, mercy to succour and deliver.(2) Because there is plenteous redemption with Him. There is no limit to His redemptive willingness and ability. "Where sin abounded grace doth much more abound."(3) Because all Israel will one day be redeemed. The author, undoubtedly, had the belief that all evil will one day be swept from the face of the earth. ( Homilist. ) From the depths to The heights A. Maclaren, D. D. I. THE CRY FROM THE DEPTHS. 1. The depths are the place for us all. 2. Unless you have cried to God out of these depths, you have never cried to Him at all. The beginning of all true personal religion lies in the sense of my own sin and my lost condition. If a man does not think much about sin, he does not think much about a Divine Saviour. 3. You want nothing more than a cry to get you out of the depths. There is no way for you up out of the pit but to cry to God, and that will bring a rope down. Nay, rather, the rope is there. Your grasping the rope and your cry are one. "Ask, and ye shall receive!" God has let down the fulness of His forgiving love in Jesus Christ our Lord, and all that we need is the call, which is likewise faith, which accepts while it desires, and desires in its acceptance; and then we are lifted up "out of the horrible pit and the miry clay," and our feet are set upon a rock, and our goings established. II. A DARK FEAR AND A BRIGHT ASSURANCE. The man's prayer is, as it were, blown back into his throat by the thought, "If Thou, Lord, shouldst mark iniquities, O Lord t who shall stand?" And then — as if he would not be swept away from his confidence even by this great blast of cold air from out of the north, that comes like ice and threatens to chill his hope to death — "But," says he, "there is forgiveness with Thee, that Thou mightest be feared." So these two halves represent the struggle in the man's mind. They are like a sky, one half of which is piled with thunder-clouds, and the other serenely blue. It needs, first of all, that the heart should have tremblingly entertained the contrary hypothesis, in order that the heart should spring to the relief and the gladness of the counter truth. It must first have felt the shudder of the thought, "If Thou, Lord, shouldst mark iniquities" in order to come to the gladness of the thought, "But there is forgiveness with Thee!" And that forgiveness lies at the root of all true godliness. No man reverences, and loves, and draws near to God so rapturously, so humbly, as the man that has learned pardon through Jesus Christ. III. THE PERMANENT, PEACEFUL ATTITUDE OF THE SPIRIT THAT HAS TASTED THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF FORGIVING LOVE — A CONTINUAL DEPENDENCE UPON GOD, Like a man that has just recovered from some illness, but still leans upon the care, and feels his need of seeing the face of that skilful physician that has helped him through, there will be still, and always, the necessity for the continual application of that pardoning love. But they that have tasted that the Lord is gracious can sit very quietly at His feet and trust themselves to His kindly dealings, resting their souls upon His strong word, and looking for the fuller communication of light from Himself. "More than they that watch for the morning." That is beautiful! The consciousness of sin was the dark night. The coming of His forgiving love flushed all the eastern heaven with diffused brightness that grew into perfect day. And so the man waits quietly for the dawn, and his whole soul is one absorbing desire that God may dwell with him, and brighten and gladden him. IV. THE PERSONAL EXPERIENCE BECOMES GENERAL, AND AN EVANGEL, A CALL UPON THE MAN'S LIPS TO ALL HIS BRETHREN. "Let Israel hope in the Lord." There was no room for anything in his heart when he began this psalm except his own self in his misery, and that Great One high above him there. There is nothing which isolates a man so awfully as a consciousness of sin and of his relation to God. But there is nothing that so knits him to all his fellows, and brings him into such wide-reaching bonds of amity and benevolence, as the sense of God's forgiving mercy for his own soul. So the call bursts from the lips of the pardoned man, inviting all to taste the experience and exercise the trust which have made him glad: "Let Israel hope in the Lord." And then look at the broad Gospel that he has attained to know and to preach. "For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him is redemption." Not only forgiveness, but redemption — and that from every form of sin. It is "plenteous" — multiplied. Our Lord has taught us to what a sum that Divine multiplication amounts. Net once, nor twice, but "seventy times seven" is the prescribed measure of human forgiveness, and shall men be more placable than God! ( A. Maclaren, D. D. ) A cry out of mental distress J. O. Keen, D. D. I. SOUL-DEPTHS. 1. Darkness. 2. Doubt. 3. Sorrow. 4. Sin. II. SOUL-CRYING. "As spices smell best," says Trapp, "when beaten, and as frankincense is most odoriferous when cast into the fire, so do men pray most and best out of the depths of trouble." 1. The cry of self-helplessness appealing to Omnipotence. 2. The cry of earnest entreaty. III. SOUL-APPREHENSIONS (vers. 3, 4). Jehovah is strict to "mark," but slow to execute judgment. No sin escapes His eye: His entry against us is correct, but His mercy restrains hasty justice and holds back the due deserts of our iniquities. IV. SOUL-WAITING (vers. 5, 6). 1. Patient hopefulness. 2. Eager expectation, begotten of strong faith.Waiting, hoping, expecting, never can be disappointed: through it the "cry" of distress becomes changed into the chorus of victory. ( J. O. Keen, D. D. ) Encouragement for the penitent H. Woodcock. I. DAVID'S DISTRESSING CONDITION (vers. 1, 2). Before God fills a soul, He empties it. II. DAVID'S PENITENTIAL CONFESSION (ver. 3). III. DAVID'S GROUND OF HOPE (ver. 4). We are told that when Darius heard that the Athenians had captured Sardis, he was indignant, and vowed vengeance on the city. He went out into the open air, and sending an arrow towards the heavens, he appealed to the god, Jove, and vowed that he would destroy the city, and at the same time commanded one of his servants to enter into his presence every noon, and cry, "Remember Sardis." Is it thus that God deals with us? No! He waits not to smite, but to heal; not to punish, but to pardon; not to ruin, but to regenerate. Consider — 1. The promise of God ( Exodus 34:6, 7 ; Psalm 86:5 ; Romans 10:12 ; 2 Peter 1:4 ; James 5:2 ). 2. The death of Christ. 3. God's acts. Manasseh, David, Saul of Tarsus, Zaccheus, Bunyan, all obtained forgiveness, and so may you. IV. DAVID'S ATTITUDE TOWARDS GOD (vers. 5, 6). Seasons of spiritual depression, though painful, are profitable. They excite earnest desires, and prepare the mind for the reception of richer blessings. V. DAVID'S ENCOURAGING EXHORTATION (ver. 7). Some tell us that a man must tumble into the Slough of Despond before he can become a rejoicing believer. David thought it better policy to try to prevent them falling into that slough. Despair paralyzes. Hope invigorates. VI. THE ENCOURAGING PROMISE (ver. 8). 1. Sinner, are you in the depths? Looking on your past life, do you see little else but sin? Looking beyond the grave you see no light. No ray of hope lights up your impenetrable gloom. The stars shine brightest at night, and the promise of pardon beams with the brightest lustre when we are on the borders of despair. Hear it, and rejoice. "He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities." 2. Believer, do you pray for grace to destroy sin, and fill your heart with love? The blessing you desire shall be granted. This is no doubtful speculation, no untried theory. Ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, have obtained pardon and purity through faith in Christ. ( H. Woodcock. ) The pilgrim song of penitence T. W. Chambers, D. D. I. THE CRY (vers. 1, 2). He needs an entire renovation; only the Creator can bestow that. He needs absolution; only the Being offended can grant this. To Him, therefore, to Jehovah he addresses himself. He prays earnestly and perseveringly. II. THE INDIRECT CONFESSION (vers. 3, 4). If Jehovah should take the matter in hand, no escape would be possible. For He is the all-seeing God, from whom nothing can be hid. Other standards are deflected and partial; this is uniform and steadfast. Its Author cannot be deceived, and will not be mocked. Who, then, shall stand when He rises up? The question answers itself. None; no, not one. III. EXPRESSIONS OF LONGING AND HOPE. (vers. 5, 6). President Edwards , during a long sickness, observed that those watching with him often looked out for the morning eagerly. It reminded him of this psalm; and when the dawn came it seemed to him to be an image of the sweet light of God's glory. For such longing is not unsatisfied. They who have it experience the Beatitude, "Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled." Longings for earthly goods are often disappointed, but never the conviction which leads a man to say, "My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God." IV. THE EXHORTATION (vers. 7, 8). Divine grace is not easily exhausted. There is enough and to spare. With Jehovah is the lovingkindness, shown in creation's fulness, the array of fruits and flowers, the song of birds, brilliant skies, all that pleases in air, earth, and sea, the countless blessings that come upon the just and the unjust. Nay, with Him is "abundant redemption," deliverance for the lost and undone. It is not a scant provision, but liberal. There is no end to its riches, no limit to its efficacy. It extends to all vices, crimes, and shortcomings of heart, speech, or behaviour — can make sins of scarlet as white as snow, such as are red like crimson to be as wool. ( T. W. Chambers, D. D. ) Pardoning mercy Expository Outlines. I. THE PRAYER. 1. The blessed Object to whom he repaired. He well knew that "vain is the help of man." 2. The earnest spirit which he manifested (vers. 1, 2). The repetition is very emphatic, and shows how extreme was his need, and how anxiously he implored the Divine Being to interpose on his behalf. II. THE MUSINGS IN WHICH HE INDULGED (vers. 3, 4). 1. Solemn. "If Thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities," etc. On such a supposition we must all perish, and that for ever. 2. Joyful. "But there is forgiveness with Thee," etc. This is evident from — (1) The titles He assumes ( Exodus 34:6 ). (2) The rites He has instituted ( Leviticus 16:21, 22 ). (3) The scheme of redemption He has provided. Gethsemane and Calvary. (4) The commands He has given ( Isaiah 55:7 ; Acts 17:30 ). (5) The longsuffering He manifests. (6) The many instances in which His pardoning mercy has been exercised, III. THE COURSE PURSUED (vers. 5, 6). His waiting was — 1. Sincere. "My soul doth wait." (1) Diligence in use of means. (2) Expectation of blessing. 2. Intelligent. "In His Word do I hope." 3. Ardent (ver. 6). ( Expository Outlines. ) Thy depth of repentance Homilist. This psalm is the outpouring of a broken heart, crushed because of sin. I. THE SIMILE — "Out of the depths." A fitting image of intensity of grief. We cast about ordinarily in the shallows and level plains. We rise to the mountains to sing. Are they not nearer heaven? We sink to the depths to weep. The depths and cavities of the rocky Palestine were inaccessible and filled with noisomeness and pestilence. Thank God, life is not all depths. Thank God that even in the depths He can hear — from the gloom, the bewilderment, the despair. The depths indicate a fall. It is natural to get lower. It is not a natural place of resort. The depths also indicate carelessness. The circumspect will take heed to his ways. All sin leads to despair. II. THE ACTION — "I cried." No word could more fitly express the soul's action when in the depths. It indicates — 1. Consciousness of danger. Some are engulphed and unconscious. 2. Absence of formality. There is no time for a well-ordered prayer. The circumstances are too tragic to permit of the consideration of grammar or propriety. Deliverance is life. 3. Sense of helplessness. The strong man can do nothing. At the same time there is a sense of hope. There is one thing which the most convicted sinner can do — he can cry. III. THE HELPER — "To Thee, O Lord." 1. Here is some one at hand. He is able to hear. 2. Here is some one of ability. The depths are God's kingdom as well as the heights. He is a strong deliverer. 3. Here is one of willingness. He is ready to save, waiting to be gracious. Oh, it is good for a sinner to be in the "depths." He would not cry unless he felt their mortal woe. ( Homilist. ) In the depths I. THE CHILDREN OF GOD DO FALL INTO DEPTHS. In this plight we find David often, though a man after God's own heart ( Psalm 6:2, 3 ; Psalm 88:2 , etc.; 40:12; and Jonah, a prophet, Jonah 2:2 , etc.; and Hezekiah, Isaiah 38:13 ; and Job especially, Job 6:4 ). But why is this thus, seeing our Head, Christ Jesus, hath suffered for us? 1. That we may know what Christ suffered for us by our own experience, without which we should but lightly esteem of our redemption, not knowing how to value Christ's sufferings sufficiently, which is a horrible sin ( Hebrews 2:3 ). 2. By our sufferings we know what a bitter thing sin is. 3. By our afflictions and depths we manifest God's power and glory the more in our deliverance: for the greater the trouble is, the greater is the deliverance; as the greater the cure is, the greater credit the physician gets. 4. Many times, by less evils, it is God's manner to cure greater; and thus He suffers us to feel wrath, to cure us of security, which is as a grave to the soul; as also to cure spiritual pride, that robs us of grace ( 2 Corinthians 12:7 ). 5. These depths are left to us to make us more desirous of heaven; else great men, that are compassed about with earthly comforts, alas, with what zeal could they pray, "Thy kingdom come," etc.? No; with Peter they would rather say, "Master, it is good for us to be here" ( Mark 9:5 ). 6. God works by these afflictions in us a more gentleness of spirit, making us meek and pitiful towards those that are in depths, which was one cause of Christ's afflictions: He suffered that He might help and comfort others. He suffered Peter to stumble, that, when he was converted, he should "strengthen his brethren" ( Luke 22:32 ). II. THOUGH CHRISTIANS FALL INTO DEPTHS, YET GOD UPHOLDS THEM THAT THEY SINK NOT DOWN INTO THEM WITHOUT RECOVERY. 1. For the Spirit of God is in them, and where it is it is stronger than hell, yea, though the grace be but as a grain of mustard seed. 2. As there are depths of misery in a Christian, so in God there are depths of love and of wisdom. 3. Faith, where it is, unites the soul to Christ, and to God through Him, and draws down Divine power — to lay hold on the almighty power of God by true and fervent prayer, — at whose rebuke the waters of affliction flee away ( Psalm 77:16 ); and so the stronger the faith is, the stronger is the delivery, for it is of a mighty power, enabling us to wrestle with God, as Jacob did. Thus when we lay hold on God, and God on us, what can drown us? 4. It is the nature of God's working to be by contraries: in His works of creation, making all things of nothing; in His works of providence He saves by little means from greatest dangers. III. AFFLICTIONS STIR UP DEVOTIONS. 1. Let us interpret God's dealings with a sanctified judgment. He is a wise physician, and knows when strong or gentle physic is most requisite. Sometimes God by great afflictions doth manifest great graces, but so as notwithstanding they may be mingled with a deal of corruption; and it is God's use that hereby His graces may be increased, and the corruption allayed, to bring down the greatest cedars, and to eclipse the greatest lights. 2. Let us oppose desperations by all means, by prayer, by crying; and if we cannot speak, by sighing; if not so, yet by gesture, especially at the time of death, for God knows the heart. For then it stands upon eternal comfort. And therefore let us do anything to show our faith fails not. We must know that every one shall meet with these enemies, that would cause us to despair if they could, for this life is a warring and striving life. We shall have enemies without and within us that will fight against us. IV. OBSERVE BY THE EXAMPLE OF THIS HOLY MAN THAT PRAYERS ARE TO BE MADE ONLY TO GOD, who knows our wants, supports us and binds us up; and it is only Christ that doth this. None can love us more than He that gave Himself for us. He is our eye whereby we see, our mouth whereby we speak, our arms whereby we lay hold on God; and therefore it is an intolerable unthankfulness to leave this "fountain opened for sin and for uncleanness, and to dig to ourselves cisterns that will hold no water" ( Jeremiah 2:13 ). ( Sibbes, Richard . ) Deep places A. Symson. 1. By the deep places is meant the deep places of afflictions, and the deep places of the heart troubled for sin. Afflictions are compared go deep waters ( Psalm 18:17 ; Psalm 69:1 ). And surely God's children are often cast into very desperate cases, and plunged into deep miseries. To the end they may send out of a contrite and feeling heart such prayers as may mount aloft and pierce the heavens. Those that are furthest cast down are not furthest from God, but nearest unto Him. God is near to a contrite heart, and it is the proper seat where His Spirit dwelleth ( Isaiah 66:2 ). And thus God dealeth with us, as men do with such houses that they are minded to build sumptuously and on high, for then they dig deep grounds for the foundation. Mark hereby the dulness of our nature, that is such, that God is forced to use sharp remedies to awaken us. When, therefore, we are troubled either by heavy sickness, or poverty, or oppressed by the tyranny of men, let us make profit and use thereof, considering that God hath cast His best children in such dangers for their profit; and that it is better to be in deep dangers praying, than on the high mountains of vanity playing. 2. By the deep places may be understood also a heart deeply wounded with the considerations of sin and God's justice, for God will not accept such superficial and scurvy prayers, which come only from the lips, and not from a contrite and broken heart. Let not men think to find mines of gold or silver in the streets; no, they must dig into the bowels of the earth for them. So, let us not deceive ourselves thinking God's favour may be gotten everywhere, for in the deep places it is to be found. ( A. Symson. ) If Thou, Lord, shouldst mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? Psalm 130:3, 4 A psalmist's question and answer I want to cheer some of you who at present hardly dare to pray. Yet you are the very people who may pray; you who think that the Lord will never hear you are the people whom lie is certain to hear and answer. When you are cleaned right out, when even the last rusty counterfeit farthing has been emptied out of your pocket, and you stand before your God as a wretched, starving, and bankrupt beggar, your abject poverty and dire need will commend you to His mercy and love. I. First, we have A CONFESSION, — a confession which it will be well for every one of us to make (ver. 3). 1. The psalmist may have felt that, if a human witness had been appointed to mark his sin, he might have been able to stand; but he says, "If Thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, who shall stand?" You have sometimes had a white pocket handkerchief, and you have admired its whiteness; but when the snow has fallen, and you have laid your handkerchief upon the newly-fallen snow, it has looked quite yellow instead of white; and so is it with the holiest life when it is placed by the side of the life of Christ, or looked at in the light of the perfect law of God; then we see how stained and defiled it really is. So, Lord, we might stand up before our fellow-men, and plead "Not guilty," when they belie and slander us, as they do; but, before Thy holy presence, "if Thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?" 2. The psalmist also speaks of a special form of guilt. He does not say, "If Thou shouldest mark open and overt transgression, — the breaking out of bounds, and going astray in the paths of evil"; but he says, "If Thou shouldest mark iniquities." Pull that word to pieces, and it becomes in-equities" — whatever is not right in the sight of God. If He were to mark those in-equities, who could stand before Him? Not one of us could do so. 3. Notice, next, how the psalmist inquires, "Who shall stand?" If there were any way of getting into heaven by a back door, or of hiding our sins from God's eye, we might have some ground of hope; but there will come a day when we shall stand before God like prisoners at the bar. David, who probably wrote this psalm, had known many good men in his time, and he was accustomed to associate with the excellent of the earth; yet he says, "O Lord, who shall stand?" And I may repeat his question now, since God has marked our iniquities, "Who among us can stand in His sight upon the footing of our own good works?" Echo answers, "Who?" II. THE PSALMIST'S CONFIDENCE (ver. 4). 1. We know that there is forgiveness with God, because we have been informed by revelation concerning the character of God; and we find one prominent feature in the character of God is that "lie delighteth in mercy." 2. Moreover, this impression, conveyed to us by the general tenor of the Scriptures, is deepened by the direct teaching of the Gospel. Why did Jesus come into the world to be a Saviour if God does not delight to save the lost? Why did He offer an atonement if it were not that sin might be put away by that atonement? 3. Further, we are assured that God will forgive sin because we have so many definite promises to that effect. This blessed Book is as full of promises and proclamations of mercy as an egg is full of meat. It abounds in messages of love and grace; it tells us that God willeth not the death of the sinner, that He delighteth not in judgment, for that is His left-handed work, but that His compassion freely moves towards the blackest and vilest of sinners when they repent, and return unto Him. III. THE CONSEQUENCE OF FORGIVENESS. "There is forgiveness with Thee, that Thou mayest be feared." Thus, you see, the doctrine of free forgiveness actually produces in man's mind a fear of God. You might have thought the psalmist would have said, "There is no forgiveness with Thee, that Thou mayest be feared"; but it is not so. 1. The opposite of our text is very manifest. When there is no forgiveness, or when a man thinks there is none, what is the consequence? He is driven to despair, and despair often leads to desperate living. If there is no hope of forgiveness, then there is no proper fear of God. 2. Many are abiding in a state of carelessness, because they really do not know whether there is any pardon to be had. When a man is in doubt as to whether he can be forgiven, he says, "I am afraid it would be a very long process, and I do not know whether I should get it even then. Perhaps, however, there is no pardon to be had, so I might become a religious man, and yet miss the forgiveness of sins." That is the thought of many, and therefore they become torpid and lethargic, careless and indifferent; but when the Holy Spirit teaches a man that there is forgiveness to be had, he would leap out of his very body rather than miss it. 3. How encouraging, too, is the belief that there is pardon to be had! But, more, how sanctifying is the actual reception of it! Walk carefully, prayerfully, humbly before God and men, putting your trust, not in yourselves, but in Christ alone, and you shall then find, in your experience, the best exposition of the text, "There is forgiveness with Thee, that Thou mayest be feared"; for you will prove, by your own fear of God, which is continually before your own eyes, that His free, rich, sovereign grace, manifested in your pardon, did not produce in you indulgence in sin, but gave you the sweet liberty of walking in holiness, and in the fear of the Lord. ( C. H. Spurgeon . ) The sinner without excuse before God J. Witherspoon, D. D. I. EXPLAIN THE MEANING OF THE ASSERTION. If Thou, Lord, shouldst execute the decrees of justice, and punish everything that is done amiss, the holiest man on earth would not be able to abide the trial; how much less would such a sinner as I be able to stand? II. CONFIRM THIS TRUTH FROM SCRIPTURE AND EXPERIENCE. 1. It is the constant doctrine of the Holy Scriptures; it is the uniform language of humility and penitence there ( Psalm 143:2 ; Job 9:2-4 ; Job 40:4, 5 ; Job 42:5, 6 ; Psalm 19:12 ; Lamentations 3:22, 23 ). 2. I shall propose three general subjects of examination.(1) Hew many duties have you omitted which you must be sensible you ought to have performed?(2) How often have you been guilty of express transgressions of the law of God?(3) How many blemishes and imperfections cleave to those very duties which you endeavour to perform in obedience to his will? III. PRACTICAL APPLICATION. 1. How great is the deceitfulness of sin! How astonishing the blindness of sinners! 2. If the holiest cannot stand before God, if no flesh living can be justified in His sight, how fearful must be the state of those who are lying under the guilt of atrocious, aggravated, and repeated crimes! 3. If any Christian desires to keep his ten-science tender and faithful, to have a deep, growing and humbling sense of his own sinfulness; if he would bar the gate against the entrance of pride, or banish it after it has obtained admission; if he desires to walk humbly and watchfully, let him live as in the presence of God, let him often sift himself at His awful tribunal. ( J. Witherspoon, D. D. ) But there is forgiveness with Thee, that Thou mayest be feared. Psalm 130:4 Divine forgiveness J. Leifchild. I. WE ARE INDEBTED TO REVELATION ALONE FOR THE KNOWLEDGE OF THIS FACT, THAT THERE IS FORGIVENESS WITH GOD. 1. The heathen, who have no revelation, and deists, who have rejected revel

130:1-4 The only way of relief for a sin-entangled soul, is by applying to God alone. Many things present themselves as diversions, many things offer themselves as remedies, but the soul finds that the Lord alone can heal. And until men are sensible of the guilt of sin, and quit all to come at once to God, it is in vain for them to expect any relief. The Holy Ghost gives to such poor souls a fresh sense of their deep necessity, to stir them up in earnest applications, by the prayer of faith, by crying to God. And as they love their souls, as they are concerned for the glory of the Lord, they are not to be wanting in this duty. Why is it that these matters are so long uncertain with them? Is it not from sloth and despondency that they content themselves with common and customary applications to God? Then let us up and be doing; it must be done, and it is attended with safety. We are to humble ourselves before God, as guilty in his sight. Let us acknowledge our sinfulness; we cannot justify ourselves, or plead not guilty. It is our unspeakable comfort that there is forgiveness with him, for that is what we need. Jesus Christ is the great Ransom; he is ever an Advocate for us, and through him we hope to obtain forgiveness. There is forgiveness with thee, not that thou mayest be presumed upon, but that thou mayest be feared. The fear of God often is put for the whole worship of God. The only motive and encouragement for sinners is this, that there is forgiveness with the Lord. 130:5-8 It is for the Lord that my soul waits, for the gifts of his grace, and the working of his power. We must hope for that only which he has promised in his word. Like those who wish to see the dawn, being very desirous that light would come long before day; but still more earnestly does a good man long for the tokens of God's favour, and the visits of his grace. Let all that devote themselves to the Lord, cheerfully stay themselves on him. This redemption is redemption from all sin. Jesus Christ saves his people from their sins, both from the condemning and from the commanding power of sin. It is plenteous redemption; there is an all-sufficient fulness in the Redeemer, enough for all, enough for each; therefore enough for me, says the believer. Redemption from sin includes redemption from all other evils, therefore it is a plenteous redemption, through the atoning blood of Jesus, who shall redeem his people from all their sins. All that wait on God for mercy and grace, are sure to have peace.