Psalm 130
A song of ascents.
1 Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord;
2 Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.3 If you, Lord, kept a record of sins,
Lord, who could stand?
4 But with you there is forgiveness,
so that we can, with reverence, serve you.5 I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
and in his word I put my hope.
6 I wait for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.7 Israel, put your hope in the Lord,
for with the Lord is unfailing love
and with him is full redemption.
8 He himself will redeem Israel
from all their sins.
This Lenten season we’ll be focusing our attention on a group of Psalms that all share the same heading. They’re all called “Songs of Ascents.” It’s an interesting title especially for a group of Psalms that seem to have come from different authors at different times for different occasions. There are a couple theories as to what this “going up” refers to and why it’s common among these 15 Psalms.
The first theory is that these Psalms were written to commemorate the return of the Israelites from their 70-year exile in Babylon. Historically, that felt like a low point for the nation of Israel. Since its inception, that was the first time it had been utterly defeated, and many of the people who were returning to Israel had never even seen it before. This was a second generation born in exile, having grown up hearing about the greatness of days gone by. And so, this return out of exile feels like coming out of the lowest point in their history.
Another theory is that these Psalms were written to be sung specifically on the occasions of going up to Jerusalem to celebrate any or all of the 3 major annual festivals: Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. Because Jerusalem literally sat up in elevation on Mt. Zion, any time you went there, you’d have to go up to Jerusalem. So, it’d make sense to call festival songs, songs of ascent.
There are more theories that I won’t bore you with tonight. I do bring this up because it’s the title of the series, but also because I want you to see how this relates to you even though you’ve likely never been to Jerusalem and you certainly haven’t been a prisoner of war in ancient Babylon.
Whether we’re wondering if 2026 is the high or low point of Christian history in Canada, whether we’re preparing to celebrate one of the most important holidays on the Christian calendar, i.e. the high, high celebration of Easter, ultimately, when we consider the words of our chosen Song of Ascents tonight, we see an explanation of why we need to go up that is universal and timeless.
The psalmist starts out this way: Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord; Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.[1]
There are a lot of reasons a person could feel low. But this goes deeper than feeling bummed that Canada won silver on Sunday or that it’s still winter outside. The psalmist makes it clear what he’s talking about here: Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.[2]
Mercy is something you need when you’ve done something wrong. And in the next verse, the psalmist confesses that that list is long: If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand?[3]
This is what the season of Lent is all about – acknowledging how deep the hole is that we dug for ourselves; taking honest stock of our spiritual condition. And there’s only one conclusion: it’s not good. No, I can’t put it that way tonight, because of all the Psalms we’ll read this year, this is the one that requires the most brutal honesty: If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand?[4]
How many sins could you confess if I gave you the next 30 seconds? There are simple ways to diagnose them. I can start with the ways that I’ve failed or even harmed someone else… in my family, at work or school, on the road, at the store, online. I can think about the ways I’ve let myself down… with behaviours that are less than flattering, thought habits I know I shouldn’t indulge. I can think about the ways I’ve rebelled against God… failing to prioritize prayer or private meditation, loving the creation more than the Creator.
It shouldn’t take long to realize how deep the guilt of sin runs. We’re not wading in the shallows. We’re drowning in the depths beyond the help of self-improvement, beyond the hope of digging ourselves out of it, beyond the reach of a handout or a leg up. We need mercy.
And because our God is great, that’s exactly what we get. If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you.[5]
If, meaning, he doesn’t. However long the list of sins you could confess – given 30 seconds or 30 years to compile it – God doesn’t look at it. God doesn’t file it in a cabinet for future reference. He redacts it. He shreds it. He incinerates it. There is not a trace of the record of your sins anymore, because he’s forgiven you. He does not count your sins against you or allow the thought of them to change the way he feels about you. He loves you, and he saves you even from the depths of the guilt and depravity of your own soul, which was beyond the help of anyone else, except for him.
And that changes everything: I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.[6]
The mere prospect of a forgiving, loving God restores the light of hope to our sin-darkened depths. And yet, thankfully, this is much more than the prospect of forgiveness. It’s the promise of forgiveness, which is why the psalmist says: in his word I put my hope. There are times when I am my own worst enemy. There are moments in every Christian’s life, when they can forgive everyone but themselves. This is not that moment, because in this Psalm you have the unequivocal Word of God promising you his undying love for you. You’re not imagining things or distorting reality. This is as clear as black and white, ink on the page.
And that gives me hope that despite myself – despite the fact that I just can’t put the shovel down and I keep digging the hole deeper every day – God will never stop forgiving and redeeming me because no matter how many times I fail, his love never does: Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.[7]
In this Lenten season, as we consider the Songs of Ascents, the first step we take up is out of the depths of sin and guilt and into the comfort and joy of God’s forgiveness. The list of our sins may be long, but by God’s grace it is long gone. And that leaves us lingering in the goodness and love of a God who has redeemed us from all our sin, through the Passion, i.e. the suffering and death of our Saviour Jesus that we commemorate tonight and every Wednesday night throughout this season of Lent.
Until then, call on the Lord for mercy and know that he hears you. Confess your sins to him, and know that he forgives them. Wait for the Lord and put your hope in his Word, for with him is unfailing love and full redemption. Amen.
[1] Psalm 130:1,2
[2] Psalm 130:2
[3] Psalm 130:3
[4] Psalm 130:3
[5] Psalm 130:3,4
[6] Psalm 130:5,6
[7] Psalm 130:7,8