Psalms 130 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Psalm 130

My Soul Waits for the Lord

A Song of Ascents.

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

Commentary

Earnest prayer; personal sin and weakness; recognition that the problem is from within, not from other people.

v1-2: Crying to the Lord from the depths. Here is urgency and passion, "O Lord," and "I cry to you...my cry for mercy." The Lord alone will hear and deliver.

v3-4: Prayer of dependence, for God forgives. If God should not forgive we would be in desperate straits indeed! We need God to put away our record of sins; forgiveness is perhaps the greatest human need.

Forgiveness is powerful:

it makes us fear God;
it changes our attitudes; especially we can forgive others;
it gives us strength to forsake sin.

v5-6: Waiting for God in prayer; answers are not always immediate. We look expectantly, confident that He does not ignore His own.

v7-8: Prayer in hope, for we have confidence in God. His love for His people never fails. Abundant and full redemption; revealing his grace and power.