“O 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.” (Psalms 130:7–8 NIV)
Hope
The sun breaks through and the darkness of distress (v1) is banished. We are given solid reasons for hope. Unfailing love comes as part of the package when you have a relationship with God. This quality of God was something Israel were well aware of,
“Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD’S great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.” (Lamentations 3:21–26 NIV)
There ‘compassions’, is the Hebrew word ‘racham’ which has associations with the idea of a pregnant woman cherishing the child growing inside her. In other words a deep internal compassion, a great and tender love. How do we access this racham?
Racham
First, we remember that God’s unfailing love is dependent on His faithfulness and not our own,
“If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself. Keep reminding them of these things.” (2 Timothy 2:11–14)
The second part in enjoying God’s racham is taking responsibility for being real with God,
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9 NIV)
We are called to be honest and confess our sins. Then we will enjoy the full redemption on offer – lacking nothing. Our redemption is not partial – a Christian is as holy today as they will ever get! Therefore, we bring our sin to God, we trust Him for forgiveness and we wait patiently for the day when our inheritance is received in all its fullness.
This hymn expresses it well.
1. There is a Redeemer, Jesus, God’s own Son, Precious Lamb of God, Messiah, Holy One.
CHORUS: Thank you, O my Father, For giving us Your Son, And leaving Your Spirit, Till the work on earth is done.
2. Jesus, my Redeemer, name above all names, Precious Son of God, Messiah, Lamb for sinners slain.
3. When I stand in glory, I will see His face, And there I’ll serve my King forever, in that Holy place.
Psalm 130 ends with hope – a hope it dared not express at the beginning. We have hope because God takes the initiative – always has, always will.
“But you, O Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham my friend, I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, ‘You are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:8–10 NIV)
