A Cry Out of the Depths

GOLDEN TEXT: “For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.” —Psalm 86:5

PSALM 130:1-6; 86:3-5,11-13

THE Lord referred to David as a man after his own heart. (Acts 13:22) One reason for this was David’s deep and genuine sorrow over his many sins and shortcomings. David loved the Lord, and desired to please him and to enjoy his favor and fellowship, but his flesh was weak and imperfect, and this caused him bitterness of soul and prompted him to plead for the Lord’s mercy and forgiveness.

Our lesson presents the psalmist in this penitent attitude and imploring the Lord to be attentive to the voice of his supplication. He acknowledges that if the Lord dealt with him according to the measure of his unrighteousness he could not stand otherwise than guilty before God—“If thou, Lord, shouldest mark [or keep account of] iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?”—Ps. 130:3

This was true not only of David, but of the entire human race. “There is none righteous, no, not one”; “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Rom. 3:10,23) The psalmist’s petition was based wholly on his confidence in the mercy of God, a mercy that would manifest itself through forgiveness. The realization that God was merciful was one of the contributing causes for David’s great reverence for him, and his desire to know and serve him better.

“In his Word do I hope,” wrote the psalmist. (Ps. 130:5) Hope is made up of the elements of desire and assurance. The Law and the promises of God which were known to David gave him the desire to know and please him, and he had confidence in the integrity of God to fulfill all that he had promised; thus he had hope.

Secure in this hope, David continued to “wait” for the Lord “more,” he says, “than they that watch for the morning.” Mary who have “watched for the morning” can testify how slowly the time seems to go as they wait for the long, dark hours of the night to pass. But they know that the morning is sure to come. It is this certainty that enables them to continue watching. So David was certain that when he cried unto the Lord out of the “depth” the answer would eventually come.

In this attitude of assurance, while waiting for the Lord to manifest his favor and blessing, David’s experience is typical of the attitude of all the Lord’s people during the long reign of sin and death—this time when “darkness covers the earth, and gross darkness the people.” (Isa. 60:2) The fullness of blessing for which David longed and hoped and prayed will not be realized until the morning of earth’s new day, when the “Sun of Righteousness” will arise and the people are given the opportunity of walking over the “way” which leads to holiness and perfection.—Micah 4:2; Isa. 35:8

David properly had a great appreciation of the Lord’s mercy, but in the fuller revelation of the divine plan it is seen that for him to forgive sin permanently and set aside the penalty for sin, which is death, a “ransom” was necessary—a “corresponding price.” This was provided by Jesus, “who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.”—I Tim. 2:3-6

Some of the sins committed by David were of such a character that, according to the strict requirements of the Mt. Sinai Law, he should have been put to death; but God’s mercy spared him. David may have been referring to this when he wrote, “Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity.” (Ps. 32:2) But this forgiveness resulted only in temporary benefits. David still was not released from the necessity of dying as a member of the sin-cursed race. It is the death of Jesus as the Redeemer that makes possible a resurrection of the dead, and an opportunity then to live forever.

The antitypical David class during this age receive the benefits of Jesus’ death upon the basis of faith. This makes them acceptable to the Lord as joint-sacrificers with Jesus, and they are “planted together in the likeness of his [sacrificial] death.” (Rom. 6:5) These are promised that if they are faithful unto death they will be given a “crown of life.”—Rev. 2:10

David speaks of having been delivered from “hell.” The word in the Hebrew text is “sheol,” meaning the death condition. David was temporarily delivered from death, although he had committed sins worthy of having this penalty imposed upon him. Indeed, some of his sins were so gross that David felt they might justly incur a penalty of permanent death, poetically described by him as the “lowest hell.” In this, however, he recognized again that the mercy of God had been extended toward him.

QUESTIONS

Why did the Lord speak of David as being a man after his own heart?

Have any of the human race been worthy of life upon the basis of their own righteousness?

What is “hope,” and how did it give David courage to pray for forgiveness?

When will the heart longings of the righteous in all ages be fully satisfied?

What is the relationship between God’s justice and his mercy?

Upon what basis does the church of this age receive the life-giving benefits of Jesus’ shed blood?

What did David mean by being delivered from the “lowest hell”?

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