Psalm 130: Lessons For Turning to God For Both Personal and National Restoration Following Sins or Rebellions Against Him
Introduction: This is the eleventh Song of Ascents (Ps. 120–134). During and after Babylonian captivity, many Jews likely looked at their long history of rebellions against God and concluded that He had given up on them. But God had not forsaken His people. Nor will He forsake you. The circumstances of this psalm are not stated. But they are consistent with Nehemiah’s message of encouragement (Neh. 9). Here, at a time of national suffering, the psalmist wrote to encourage the Jews that God had not given up on them. Here, God reveals seven steps for both you and your nation to follow to find restoration after sin. These include: (1) faith, (2) humble confession, (3) repentance, (4) patience, (5) hope, (6) evangelism, and (7) redemption in Jesus.
First, at a time when Israel was in great need, the psalmist cried out to God for help. During your trials, God also wants you to have the faith to cry out for His intervention. Second, the psalmist confessed that no one could stand before God without atonement because of mankind’s sinful nature. Thus, each person should confess their sins before God with humility. Third, the psalmist encouraged the Jews that God offers forgiveness when there is repentance. God also wants you to repent of your sins and change your ways to fully benefit from His forgiveness. Fourth, after leading the Jews in repentance, the psalmist proclaimed that he would wait on God. After you repent, God also wants you to be patient for His perfect timing in restoring you. Fifth, while the psalmist waited for God’s restoration, God gave him hope. While you wait for God’s restoration, He also wants you to put your hope in Him. Sixth, the psalmist encouraged Israel to follow his example by turning back to God. As a forgiven believer, God also wants you to help others to turn back to Him. Finally, the psalmist encouraged the Jews that God offered them “abundant redemption.” With faith, Jesus also offers all abundant redemption and restoration.
1. Faith: When You Are In Need, Have the Faith to Cry Out to God. Ps. 130:1-2
God hears the cries of His people. At a time of great national distress, the psalmist had the faith to cry out to God for His help. “A Song of Ascents. ‘1 Out of the depths I have cried to You, Lord. 2 Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive to the sound of my pleadings.” (Ps. 130:1-2). “The phrase ‘Out of the depths’ in Psalm 130:1 immediately evokes a sense of profound distress and desperation. The Hebrew word used here is ‘מַעֲמַקִּים’ (ma'amaqqim), which literally means ‘depths’ and is often associated with deep waters or a pit. This imagery is powerful, suggesting a situation where the psalmist feels overwhelmed, as if submerged in a sea of troubles … The act of crying out ‘I cry to You, O LORD!’ signifies an earnest plea for help directed towards God. The Hebrew verb ‘קָרָאתִי’ (qara'ti) implies a loud call or shout, indicating urgency and intensity. This is not a casual request but a desperate appeal for attention and assistance. The use of ‘O LORD’ (Yahweh) is significant, as it invokes the covenant name of God, emphasizing a personal relationship and trust in His faithfulness. Throughout the Old Testament, calling upon the name of the LORD is an act of faith, recognizing His sovereignty and willingness to save.” (Berean Study Bible Commentary on Ps. 130:1-2).1
Cry out to God and obtain mercy and forgiveness from your sins2
Pour out your heart to God when you are in need. As our example, David also praised God for hearing his prayers when he cried out in distress. “The ropes of death encompassed me, and the torrents of destruction terrified me. The ropes of Sheol surrounded me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried to my God for help; He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry for help before Him came into His ears.” (Ps. 18:4-6). “I sought the LORD and He answered me, and rescued me from all my fears.” (Ps. 34:4). David also urged believers to both: “Trust in Him at all times,” and “pour out your hearts before Him.” (Ps. 62:8). When Hannah felt aggrieved because of her infertility, she also poured out her heart to God: “But Hannah answered and said, ‘No, my lord, I am a woman despairing in spirit; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have poured out my soul before the LORD.”’ (1 Sam. 1:15). Jonah also cried out to God during his time of distress from the stomach of a large sea creature, “and he said, ‘I called out of my distress to the LORD, and He answered me. I called for help from the depth of Sheol; You heard my voice.”’ (Jonah 2:2). When you have a need, God also wants you to cry out to Him.
Have faith in God’s mercy. We can assume that many Jews believed that God had given up on them when He allowed them to be sent into captivity. But God promises that He will not forsake His people (Dt. 31:6; Heb. 13:5). When you feel forsaken, you can meditate on the Psalms. They contain many praises for God’s ongoing mercy: “But He, being compassionate, forgave their wrongdoing and did not destroy them; and often He restrained His anger and did not stir up all His wrath.” (Ps. 78:38). “You forgave the guilt of Your people; You covered all their sin. Selah” (Ps. 85:2). “Who pardons all your guilt, who heals all your diseases;” (Ps. 103:3). God wants you to have faith that He can also forgive your sins. He further wants you to encourage others who have sinned.
When you seek God with faith, you will find Him. God has promised that you will find Him when you have the faith to seek Him with all your heart. “But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul.” (Dt. 4:29). “Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” (Jer. 29:12-13). “Seek the LORD while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near.” (Is. 55:6). “I love those who love me; and those who diligently seek me will find me.” (Prov. 8:17). “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” (Matt. 7:7-8). If you are in need, have the faith to cry out to God with all your heart and soul.
Praise God that you can cry out with confidence to Him. The first Song of Ascents began with a psalmist’s similar praise to God for hearing his cries for help. “A Song of Ascents. I cried to the LORD in my trouble, and He answered me.” (Ps. 120:1). Through faith in Jesus, you can also cry out to Him with the confidence to know that He will hear your prayers for help or deliverance. “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” (1 Jo. 5:14).
2. Humility: Confess Your Sins Before God With Humility. Ps. 130:3.
All persons are sinners before God. The psalmist confessed that he was not worthy to stand before God to plead for His help. “3 If You, Lord, were to keep account of guilty deeds, Lord, who could stand?” (Ps. 130:3). “We are taught to humble ourselves before the justice of God as guilty in his sight, and unable to answer him for one of a thousand of our offences … we cannot justify ourselves before God, or plead Not guilty … Let us admire God’s patience and forbearance; we should be undone if he were to mark iniquities, and he knows it, and therefore bears with us. It is of his mercy that we are not consumed by his wrath.” (Matthew Henry on Ps. 130:3) (italics original).3
Nehemiah led the Jews in confessing their sins upon returning to Israel. Under Nehemiah’s leadership, the Jews confessed that they had repeatedly sinned against God. “However, You are righteous in everything that has happened to us; for You have dealt faithfully, but we have acted wickedly. For our kings, our leaders, our priests, and our fathers have not kept Your Law Or paid attention to Your commandments and Your admonitions with which You have admonished them.” (Neh. 9:33-34).
All have fallen short and need redemption through faith in Jesus4
No person his saved by his or her works. Because every person is a sinner, no one can be made right before God by seeking to comply with God’s Law. “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Eph. 2:8-9). “[N]evertheless, knowing that a person is not justified by works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the Law; since by works of the Law no flesh will be justified.” (Gal. 2:16).
Confess your sins to God. As our example, David openly confessed his sins to God. “I acknowledged my sin to You, and I did not hide my guilt; I said, ‘I will confess my wrongdoings to the LORD’; and You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah” (Ps. 32:5). “Against You, You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You are justified when You speak and blameless when You judge.” (Ps. 51:4). “Wash me thoroughly from my guilt and cleanse me from my sin.” (Ps. 51:2). Because we as sinners cannot be in God’s holy presence, Jesus began His ministry with a call for all people to confess their sins. “From that time Jesus began to preach and say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”’ (Matt. 4:17; Mk. 1:15). His disciples also began their ministry with a call to repentance: “Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”’ (Acts 2:38). “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;” (Acts 3:19). “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. A prayer of a righteous person, when it is brought about, can accomplish much.” (Jam. 5:16). In the parable of the prodigal son, he confessed, “And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’” (Lk. 15:21). If you say that you are without sin, the Bible says that the truth is not in you (1 Jo. 1:8).
God promises to draw close to those who confess their sins. When you confess your sins, God offers to draw close to you. “Come close to God and He will come close to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” (Jam. 4:8). Every person has sins to confess. Are you confessing your sins to God?
3. Repentance: With True Repentance, God Offers Full Forgiveness. Ps. 130:4.
God is ready to forgive when you repent. The psalmist encouraged God’s people that God offers forgiveness after repentance. Thus, He deserves to be revered, “4 But there is forgiveness with You, so that You may be revered.” (Ps. 130:4). Repentance is more than the mere confession of sins. It includes a commitment to change your ways. “Now then, reform your ways and your deeds and obey the voice of the LORD your God; and the LORD will relent of the disaster which He has pronounced against you.” (Jer. 26:13).
Through faith in Jesus and repentance, He offers complete forgiveness. In the Old Testament, God’s people had to offer animal sacrifices to atone for their sins. Today, all that is needed to find forgiveness is faith in Jesus’ atoning sacrifice and true repentance. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 Jo. 1:9). “how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Heb. 9:14).
Give thanks for God’s mercy and forgiveness5
When your repentance is genuine, God will show you compassion. Before the Jews went into captivity, Isaiah encouraged them that they could still find God’s compassion if they changed their ways and returned to God. “Let the wicked abandon his way, and the unrighteous person his thoughts; and let him return to the LORD, and He will have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” (Is. 55:7).
God can also heal a nation when it confesses its sins and repents. A nation can also experience the blessing of healing when it repents. “and My people who are called by My name humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chr. 7:14). Are you praying for your nation to repent and turn back to God?
God’s mercy was greater than the Jews’ sins. The Jews repeatedly rebelled against God and murdered His prophets (Neh. 9:26). For example, King Manasseh murdered God’s people (2 Kgs. 21:16). He also placed Isaiah into an empty log and sawed him into two (Heb. 11:37). When the Jews rebelled, God removed His hand of protection, and they experienced intense oppression (Neh. 9:26). But Nehemiah celebrated that God still delivered them from their oppressors when they cried to Him in the time of their distress. (Neh. 9:27; Jdgs. 2:16; Acts 13:30). But each time God delivered the Jews, they sadly returned to their sins (Neh. 9:28-30; Jdgs. 2:17-22; Jer. 11:10; 2 Chr. 7:22; 1 Kgs. 14:9; Jer. 9:3; Ro. 1:28). Nehemiah celebrated that God’s mercy and compassion was greater than the Jews’ sins: “Nevertheless, in Your great compassion You did not make an end of them or abandon them, for You are a gracious and compassionate God.” (Neh. 9:31).
Praise God for His mercy and forgiveness. When the Jews returned from captivity, Nehemiah led the Jews in celebrating God’s mercy, forgiveness, and compassion. “You are a God of forgiveness, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in mercy; and You did not abandon them.” (Neh. 9:17). Moses also celebrated that God forgave the Jews’ sins: “Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, ‘The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth;”’ (Ex. 34:6; 33:19; Nu. 19:18). “For the LORD your God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them.” (Dt. 4:31). Are you thanking God for His mercy?
4. Patience: After You Repentant, Be Patient For God’s Timing. Ps. 130:5.
God will respond to your prayers in His timing. As an example to the Jews, the psalmist proclaimed that he would wait for God to restore him in His perfect timing. “5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and I wait for His word.” (Ps. 130:5). God’s forgiveness is instantaneous. But many people are unfortunately slow to forgive and forget your sins. With faith in the promises of God’s Word, He can help you to develop patience for restoration in His timing. “Those who do not hope cannot wait; but if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. God’s word is a true word, but at times it tarries; if ours is true faith it will wait the Lord’s time. A word from the Lord is as bread to the soul of the believer; and, refreshed thereby, it holds out through the night of sorrow expecting the dawn of deliverance and delight.” (Charles Spurgeon on Ps. 130:4).6
Find peace through God’s Word as you wait for restoration in His perfect timing7
Wait for God to act in His timing. To encourage you when your trials feel unending, the Psalms remind you to be patient and wait for God to act in His perfect timing: “Indeed, none of those who wait for You will be ashamed; those who deal treacherously without cause will be ashamed.” (Ps. 25:3). “Wait for the LORD; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the LORD.” (Ps. 27:14). “Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield.” (Ps. 33:20). “A Psalm of David. My soul waits in silence for God alone; from Him comes my salvation.” (Ps. 62:1). “I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and I wait for His word.” (Ps. 130:5). “I have certainly soothed and quieted my soul; like a weaned child resting against his mother, my soul within me is like a weaned child.” (Ps. 131:2). When your trials are ongoing, will you wait for God to act in His perfect timing?
David found strength in God, even before God answered his prayers. David’s faith was not conditional on an answered prayer. For example, when the people turned on him during Absalom’s rebellion, he found strength merely because he knew that God was with him: “Also, David was in great distress because the people spoke of stoning him, for all the people were embittered, each one because of his sons and his daughters. But David felt strengthened in the LORD his God.” (1 Sam. 30:6).
5. Hope: While You Wait for Restoration, Put Your Hope in God. Ps. 130:6.
God offers you a hope that will never fail. While the psalmist waited for God’s restoration, God gave him hope. “6 My soul waits in hope for the Lord more than the watchmen for the morning; yes, more than the watchmen for the morning.” (Ps. 130:6). “The poet used a vivid image to express his patient anticipation in waiting on God. We see a watchman in the darkness of the early morning, scanning the horizon for the first sign of the dawn. The watchman doesn’t doubt that morning will come, but only wonders when, and watches for it diligently. So it was for the singer who watched for God and the help God promised to bring. Some think those who watch were military guards, others think they were priests waiting for dawn so the morning sacrifices could be started for the day. It doesn’t really matter if the watchmen were military or priestly; they waited for the morning with certain expectation that it would come.” (David Guzik on Ps. 130).8
David proclaimed that his hope rested in only God. In his darkness, David stated that he would place his hope in God alone: “5 My soul, wait in silence for God alone, for my hope is from Him.” (Ps. 62:5). While you wait, God also wants you to put your hope in Him.
Put your hope in Jesus when you experience a trial. When you face a trial or darkness, Jesus also wants you to place your hope in Him alone for deliverance: “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and reliable and one which enters within the veil,” (Heb. 6:19). “And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in You.” (Ps. 39:7). “For I wait for You, LORD; You will answer, Lord my God.” (Ps. 38:15). “For You are my hope; Lord GOD, You are my confidence from my youth.” (Ps. 71:5). When you face a trial, do you place your hope in Jesus or in the things of this world?
6. Evangelism: As a Forgiven Believer, Help Others Turn to God. Ps. 130:7a.
God wants you to encourage others to turn to Him. The psalmist encouraged the Jews to follow his example by turning back to God, putting their hope in Him, and being patient for His timing: “7a Israel, wait for the Lord; for with the Lord there is mercy, ...” (Ps. 130:7a). “The design of the Psalmist seems to be, from his own experience, to persuade others - the afflicted people of God - to put their trust in Him in whom he had himself hoped. From the very depths of affliction, guilt, and almost despair, he had looked to the Lord: encouraged and persuaded by his example, he would now entreat the people of God everywhere and always, in like manner, to trust him.” (Albert Barnes on Ps. 130:7).9
David also exhorted others to turn back to God and find deliverance. David also urged others to learn from his example by repenting and turning back to God: “6 Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You in a time when You may be found; certainly in a flood of great waters, they will not reach him. 7 You are my hiding place; You keep me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah” (Ps. 32:6-7).
Share with others that Jesus died on the cross so that all can be healed. Every believer has a testimony to share. You can share the good news that Jesus can heal you of both the eternal and physical consequences of your sins: “However, it was our sicknesses that He Himself bore, and our pains that He carried; yet we ourselves assumed that He had been afflicted, struck down by God, and humiliated. But He was pierced for our offenses, He was crushed for our wrongdoings; the punishment for our well-being was laid upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.” (Is. 53:4-5). “and He Himself brought our sins in His body up on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness; by His wounds you were healed.” (1 Pet. 2:24). If God has healed you, share your testimony. If others are discouraged, encourage them (1 Thess. 5:11).
Share with others that Jesus can deliver anyone who turns to Him. Based upon his own example, David encouraged others that God’s blessings are available to any who turn to Him: “For You bless the righteous person, LORD, You surround him with favor as with a shield.” (Ps. 5:12). “Salvation belongs to the LORD; may Your blessing be upon Your people! Selah” (Ps. 3:8). “The LORD is their strength, and He is a refuge of salvation to His anointed.” (Ps. 28:8). “The LORD will give strength to His people; the LORD will bless His people with peace.” (Ps. 29:11). These are promises that are fulfilled today for anyone who puts their faith in Jesus. Are you sharing the story of your deliverance?
Also pray as an intercessor for others to turn to God and find His mercy and forgiveness. Solomon prayed that God would hear the prayers of His people and forgive them: “And listen to the plea of Your servant and of Your people Israel, when they pray toward this place; hear in heaven Your dwelling place; hear and forgive!” (1 Kgs. 8:30). Moses also prayed for God’s people: “But now, if You will forgive their sin, very well; but if not, please wipe me out from Your book which You have written!” (Ex. 32:32). “Please forgive the guilt of this people in accordance with the greatness of Your mercy, just as You also have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.” (Nu. 14:19). If others around you have hardened hearts, pray for God to soften their hearts so that they repent.
7. Restoration: Jesus Offers All Redemption and Restoration. Ps. 130:7b-8.
Jesus offers restoration through faith. In a foreshadowing of Jesus, the psalmist offered hope for all who repent and return to God. “7b … and with Him is abundant redemption. 8 And He will redeem Israel from all his guilty deeds.” (Ps. 130:7b-8). “Here the imperfect tense expresses [a] specific future: there is coming a time when the LORD will deliver his people from their sins, once and for all; … this expectation falls in line with the New Testament emphasis on the hope of the believer for the second coming of the Messiah.” (Allen Ross on Ps. 130:8).10 “The Lord shall do it; in whom Israel is encouraged to hope; with whom grace and redemption were; or who was appointed to be the Redeemer. Redemption was then future, when these words were said, but certain, by the promise of God and agreement of Christ; …” (John Gill on Ps. 130:8).11
Through faith, Jesus offers all redemption. The Apostle Paul made similar promises as the psalmist when he promised full redemption from sin through faith in Jesus. “being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus,” (Ro. 3:24). “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom we also have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we celebrate in hope of the glory of God.” (Ro. 5:1-2). “Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.” (1 Cor. 6:11). “Jesus came to fulfill the whole of the Old Testament, all the longings, every line of every psalm, every hope of every promise, …” (James Hamilton on Ps. 130).12
God can restore what you have lost because of sin. When you suffer because of sin, Jesus can lift you up and restore you: “And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me, and I will offer sacrifices in His tent with shouts of joy; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.” (Ps. 27:6). “He rescues me from my enemies; You indeed lift me above those who rise up against me; You rescue me from a violent man.” (Ps. 18:48). “He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the mud; and He set my feet on a rock, making my footsteps firm.” (Ps. 40:2). As an example of this God restored David as king, and his enemies like Shimei asked David for forgiveness (2 Sam. 19:8-19).
God’s mercy and grace can also grow your faith. Jesus is both the author and perfecter of your faith: “looking only at Jesus, the originator and perfecter of the faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb. 12:2). This means that He will develop and grow your faith. Part of this comes from experiencing His faithfulness and His mercy and grace. Another part of this comes from reading or hearing His promises: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” (Ro. 10:17). If you know His promises, you can pray in faith for God to bless you with His mercy and grace the same way David did. If He delivers you or comforts you and you give Him the credit, your faith will also grow.
God puts you through trials so that you may rely upon Him. God frequently tests His people to draw them back to Him: “for God has come in order to test you, and in order that the fear of Him may remain with you, so that you may not sin.” (Ex. 20:20(b); Dt. 8:2). David also warned that even the righteous are not beyond God’s testing: “The Lord tests the righteous and the wicked . . .” (Ps. 11:5; Jer. 17:10). When you are tested, you may find that your heart has hidden anger, lust, or covetousness. When God exposes wickedness, He expects you to repent of it (Jer. 17:9). David invited God’s testing to show him where he needed to change (Ps. 139:23). Your trials should produce both perseverance and endurance (Ro. 5:3; Jam. 1:2-3). Paul advised that God put him through trials so that he would rely upon Him and not his own strength (2 Cor. 1:8-10). When you face trials, do you turn to Jesus to build up your faith?
Jesus sometimes takes you into the wilderness so that you will listen. In Hosea 2:14, God says “Therefore, behold, I will allure her, bring her into the wilderness and speak kindly to her.” Sometimes life becomes so busy that you can’t hear the Spirit’s call to repent. Sometimes, He must pull you into the wilderness before you will listen. If every minute of your day is filled with activity, how much time does He have to speak with you?
Image credit: psalm 130 catholic - GarthAsmara↩︎
Image credit: www.scripture-images.com↩︎
Enduring Word Bible Commentary Psalm 130 (emphasis original).↩︎
Allen Ross, A Commentary of the Psalms: Volume 3(90-150), Kregel Academic (2016) p. 717.↩︎
James M. Hamilton Jr., Evangelical Bible Theology Commentary Psalms (Vol. II: Psalms 73-150) (Lexham Academic 2021) p. 414.↩︎