Psalm 130 is known as one of the beautiful "Psalms of Degrees." There are fifteen of them in total, Psalms 120 through Psalm 134 inclusively. Teachers believe the Jews "sang" these chapters, by memory, as they made their many regular pilgrimages, trips, to Jerusalem to worship the Lord.

Sort of "thoughts" to entertain ... while going to Church, while on the way to God's House!

Psalm 130 is one of the most doctrinal of them all. Yet it is also loaded with "experience." So, it emphasizes both "doctrine" and "duty!" Both "belief" and "behaviour." Or both "precept" and "practice!"

Notice how our Text begins, verse 1. "Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD."

To be a Passage that speaks so much of God's "forgiveness" ... Psalm 130 begins in an unusually "low" place!

In the "depths!"

In Hebrew the word is "maamaq" and means just what it says. I can find no variation from the way it's used, all five times in Scripture. The "deepest" of places! As far "down" as one can go!

One of the Messianic Psalms, the sixty-ninth, pictures Jesus as He died on the Cross, being in such a "deep" place. There on Calvary! "Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul. I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me."

In the depths!

Is this some form of "depression?"

Or a description of the "heavy" trials and problems that come our way?

"Weighted down" with burdens?

"Drowning" in one's frustrations?

Immediately let's go back to our Psalm 130:1 Text: "Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD."

Oh, realize this fact! No matter how "deep" David's worries had pushed him, forced him, he still "cried" out to his God! The verb "have cried" here is "qara" and means "to call out loud!" This is not silent prayer!

When life had become overwhelming ... David went straight to God!

Vocally, resolutely, and based on the "qal perfect" form of the Hebrew verb, persistently, repeatedly!

"Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD." 

And apparently, God answered! How do we know that? Read, something we will do day by day now, the rest of the Psalm! It ends on a real note of victory, praise the Lord!

Are you burdened today?

"Cry out" to God!

He will never fail you.

                 --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

By the way, to someone in those "depths" this morning, Psalm 68:22 quotes God as saying: "I will bring My people again from the depths ...."

Amen!

LESSON 2, VERSE 2:

Psalm 130:2 uses two verbs for prayer that are quite instructive. Let me underline them for you. "Lord, hear my voice: let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications."

Apparently David, the speaker here, has some intensive needs! He may be facing some extremely difficult situations. He may be burdened about past sins. Whatever, he cries out to God.

"Lord, hear my voice: let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications."

The word "hear" is "shama" in Hebrew, found a total of 1,159 times in the Old Testament. It means "to listen to." It longs for "obedience" to its petitions! It also has the underlying idea of "understanding" or "perception." Lord, realize the needs I face!

"Be attentive" is even more picturesque. "Quashab" means "to cup one's ears" to better hear a sound! One dictionary says "to prick up the ear." Lord, please listen!

The noun for "voice" is "kol," suggesting any kind of sound, including a mere groan! If I can't articulate my needs, if I'm speechless, God can "pick up" on the inner longings and pathetic gasps of my heart!

Then our verse closes with the term "supplications," one of the great prayer words of the Bible. "Tachanun" means "begging for favor." It derives from "chanan," a classic Old Testament noun for "graciousness, favor, pity!" David asks for God's Grace!

"Lord, hear my voice: let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications."

Amen!

                --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

What a great God we serve. He not only allows us to pray like this, He encourages us to do so! "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not." Jeremiah 33:3

LESSON 3, VERSE 3:

In one of the greatest Old Testament verses of all, Psalm 130:3 asks a vital question. "If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?"

In other words, "Lord, if you counted every sin of mine, and held them against me, I would be lost forever!"

"If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?"

David wrote these words three thousand years ago, yet they remain true today.

The initial verb, "shouldest mark," translates from Hebrew "shamar," a surprising word in this context. It most often means "to keep, watch, observe, heed." Only 8 times of its 468 total appearances in the Bible is it rendered as here, "to mark."

The noun "iniquities" is "avon," pronounced "a-von," accenting the last syllable. It means "perversity, mischief, depravity." It is derived from a verb meaning "to twist, to distort." What a view of sin!

If God kept an Eye on our sins, folks, we would not be able "to stand." In Hebrew "amad" means "to stand" in this sense, "to endure, to continue, to be established!"

If God had not devised a way sin could be forgiven, via Jesus' sacrificial Death on the Cross, no one could have been saved! No one could walk with God! No one could have been faithful!

"If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?" Each of us today must thank God that He is gracious and kind and forgiving!

Yes, the Old Testament can preach God's Grace too! Here's another example: "Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? He retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea." Micah 7:18-19

Is anyone reading here today "forgiven?"

If so, "stand," be faithful to the Lord Who delivered you!

                --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 4, VERSE 4:

In Psalm 130:3 David asked our great God: "If Thou shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?" That is, if God "counted" and "kept a close eye" on each of humanity's many, many sins!

If God so marked all our wrongdoings ... no one could "stand" before Him! We would all stumble and fall. Right into Hell! Not a soul would have ever entered Heaven to spend eternity with the Lord!

But in today's verse, Psalm 130:4, a vital Truth is stated. About the Character of God. "But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared." Praise God for these words!

God, through the Death of our Lord Jesus Christ, "forgives" sin! The noun the Holy Spirit chose for "forgiveness" here is spelled "seliychah" and means "pardon!" God pardons our iniquities! That's plural folks, iniquities!

And this little noun is derived from a verb, "salach," meaning "to spare!" God, again through the Blood of Jesus, "spares" us sinners from a Devil's Hell! He "wipes away" our sins!

There are numerous verbs and nouns in the Bible for such a act, for forgiveness on this scale! Word pictures abound as well! What good news they bring. "There is forgiveness with God!"

How thankful we should be!

But our verse continues. "But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared." It seems there's a natural sequence that ought to follow such amazing forgiveness! In the psalmist's eyes, anyway. And the Holy Spirit is the Real Psalmist here! David is merely holding the pen.

Because God forgives ... He is worthy of great fear! "But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared."

Now what does that word mean, "fear?" It's a passive verb here, the root of which is "yare" in Hebrew. It means "to be reverenced!" To be honored and respected! In the ultimate sense, "to be worshipped!"

Wow!

He forgave us!

We should magnify and uplift Him forever!

In closing, if anyone reading here today has been "forgiven," be sure that you are now "reverencing" the One Who pardoned you!

David may have said it first. But millions surely have done so since. "There is forgiveness with Thee, that Thou mayest be feared."

Amen!

               --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 5, VERSE 5:

There are times when one must simply "wait" on the Lord! Trusting Him to care for the situations of life.

David, in Psalm 130, was at such a juncture. In fact, "waiting" on the Lord is not a bad idea, every day a person lives!

"I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope." Psalm 130:5

In what amounts to a three-layered literary parallelism, the psalmist says: "I will wait," line one. Then "My soul doth wait," line two. Then "In His Word do I hope," God's Word of course, line three.

Earlier in Psalm 130 David has clearly been "in the depths," discouraged. Maybe even fearful, worried for sure. But now he no longer mentions those problems, just the God Who can solve them!

Again, today's verse, King James Version: "I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope."

The verb "wait," used twice here, is "qavah." It means "to look for, to expect." It is really an expression of faith, of belief in God. Also in both cases it is framed as a Hebrew "piel" verb. That suggests intense waiting, diligent and determined and unwavering! David is "watching" for God's next Move! Knowing God will do something in his life.

Also notice that in the verse David speaks of himself twice using the personal pronoun "I." As in "I wait" first, then "I hope" later. But once instead of "I" he inserts the term "my soul." This is "innermost" trust, leaning on the Lord with all one possesses! With the mind and will and emotions and body and heart and ... "soul," just like the verse says.

Oh, let me also mention the verb "hope." It is spelled "yachal" in Hebrew and means "to tarry, to be stayed, to trust!"

David is expecting God to intervene in some troublesome situation. With all his "being" he is depending on God! David will just "lean" on the Lord, "trusting" Him to do what is best!

What a statement of faith! "I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope."

No wonder God said of David, Acts 13:22, "I have found David the son of Jesse a man after Mine Own Heart!"

Wow!

Anyone today frustrated?

Distracted, anxious?

Maybe even a little impatient?

Do as David did, wait on the Lord. Hope in His Word! After all, God never has and never will fail. He is faithful! "I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope."

Praise His dear Name!

            --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

When David "hopes" in God's Word, the implication is that the Bible contains certain "promises" that might encourage him at that moment. Yes, the Bible is loaded with such promises. David even wrote some of them, in the Psalms, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Hint: There's probably a few of those promises that will help "you" and "me" when we are in the depths too! Find one or two today and use them!

LESSON 6, VERSE 6:

The Psalms are filled with illustrations, word pictures depicting various aspects of the spiritual life. In Psalm 130 David is expressing his "trust" in the Lord. "Waiting" on God is a prominent theme employed here.

Verse six gives us one of those illustrations I just mentioned. "My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning."

The psalmist is certainly in the "dark!" It's night time. His surroundings are dreary. He longs for "light," God's light symbolically.

The verb "watch," in Hebrew "shamar," is used twice in our single verse. It implies "danger" of some sort. With daylight bringing some measure of safety! "Shamar" is translated "keep" 283 times in the Old Testament. Also it's associated with being a "watchman," just a "night guard," 8 times!

David is basically saying, "Dangerous dark hours are here, upon me heavily. But brighter times are coming. There will be a sunrise!"

Wow!

"My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning."

This is not just blind faith, folks. Not simply a humanly optimistic mindset. This is confidence in God's Goodness!

The Lord will send David light!

Oh, how slowly time seems to progress ... in the middle of the night. Minutes become hours ... or longer! One writer of antiquity called such hard experiences "the dark night of the soul."

But God's children can be sure. We can trust Him! He will, in His time, send the light!

Plus this thought, Job 35:10 says that God can "give songs in the night!" He certainly did to Paul and Silas in that Philippian jail late one night! In Acts chapter sixteen.

Make the best of the night. Even then, God is near. The Holy Spirit can miraculously impart "joy" to the sufferer, according to James 1:1-4 anyway.

Let's be assured. "Morning" is on the way! Here the noun "boqer" means "daybreak!"

What hope our verse imparts to those in "darkness!" God knows all about our heartaches! And He can dispel the darkness!

Isaiah 50:10 might encourage us even further. It uses the pertinent expression "walking in darkness." Then offers advice! "Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God.:

"Trust" here means "quit worrying!" Believe God to the point that all apprehension is removed! And "stay" means "to lean on," or "to rest in" Someone!

Yes, let's "wait" on God!

              --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 7, VERSE 7:

The key verb in today's verse is "hope." And what a wonderful word it is, in the spiritual world anyway. The Psalmist has been "in the depths," according to the first verse of Psalm 130. But today he makes a statement of faith that shows great promise!

"Let Israel hope in the LORD: for with the LORD there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption."

The speaker here, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, identifies himself with "Israel," with the corporate people of God. By the way, "Israel" suggest a meaning that's lovely, "people who are princes with God!" In His Family! Children of the King!

And the verb "hope," on which I have placed such emphasis, is "yachal" in Hebrew, meaning "to trust," But in this sense, "to expect!" No doubt is implied, God is going to be merciful, be true to Himself!

Furthermore, "yachal" here is a piel imperative verb! It's a "command" from God to Israel! And it is to be obeyed "diligently, vigorously!"

We learn here too, via the Psalmist's faith, that God is full of "mercy." This noun is fundamental to any Old Testament understanding of our God! "Hesed" means "goodness, kindness, faithfulness." Also "pity, favor," and 30 times "lovingkindness!" It's from a verbal root that portrays "Someone Big ... coming down to the level of someone little ... in order to help and sustain that person!"

Yes, God will help us and accompany us and strengthen us when we are in the condition verse one depicted several days ago! "Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD." Psalm 130:1

Lastly today, "With God there is plenteous redemption." The word for "redemption" is "peduth," occurring only four times in all the Bible. That's rare indeed! It means "ransom," indicating that God paid a great price for our salvation! That Price was the Blood of Jesus shed on the Cross of Calvary!

And this redemption is ... "plenteous!" The adjective "rabah" means "great, much, exceeding, abundance." Its basis is a verb suggesting "to make large, to multiply, to make much!" God is not short of redemption!

What a thought, especially considering that a few verses ago our writer was in such depression. "Let Israel hope in the LORD: for with the LORD there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption."

Amen.

                --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

Let's thank the Lord today for His "Mercy!" And certainly for His "Plenteous Redemption!" And praise His Name, because souls are still being saved through this great Plan of Salvation!

LESSON 8, VERSE 8, CONCLUSION:

Today we conclude Psalm 130, our verse-by-verse "trek" through its wonderful truths. It is called by some a Psalm of "lament," by others a Psalm of "forgiveness!" Either way, it's a great chapter of Scripture.

Verse 8 is short, but glorious! "And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities." The "he" of our text is the Lord God Himself! He of course is the only true Redeemer!

The verb "redeem," same as verse 7 used, means "to pay a price to set someone free." To deliver, to rescue, to ransom!

But the fact I'd like to emphasize today is this, that little adjective "all." God can redeem a person from "all" his or her iniquities, sins! The noun for "iniquities" actually pictures something "twisted, distorted, perverted" from its original shape or purpose.

All our sins, dismissed!

Erased!

Absolved!

Forgiven!

Washed away!

Buried!

"All" of them. The Hebrew for "all" here is "kol," just meaning "the whole amount!" No exceptions!

Not one single point of iniquity, not a hint, , not an ounce, survives God's great act of Redemption!

Then notice this please. While Redemption is available to any sinner anywhere ... here specifically "Israel" is in view. "And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities."

There is coming a day, a glorious day, when that little Nation will be saved by the Grace of God! I believe when Jesus comes to earth again, interrupting the Battle of Armageddon. Israel, what's left of her, will look on Him Whom they have pierced! And recognize her Messiah to be Jesus! And trust Him for salvation! Zechariah 12:10 and 13:1 say this!

"And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities." What a verse, both to the Jew and to the Gentile!

Has anyone reading here today been redeemed?

From "all" your iniquities?

              --- Dr. Mike Bagwell