I Have Put My Hope in His Word

Meditations on Christ in the Psalms

February 7, 2023

I Have Put My Hope in His Word

O Israel, hope in the Lord;

    for with the Lord there is unfailing love.

    His redemption overflows.

He himself will redeem Israel

    from every kind of sin.

Psalm 130:7-8

In Eastern Orthodox churches, and in the monastic tradition, several periods of time are set aside each day for prayer. The Psalms are the framework for most of the prayers and some psalms are used repeatedly. Psalm 130 is one of those psalms, and it is even used several times each day. This psalm is recited at the close of the day in evening vespers as well as in individual prayers offered in memory of believers who have died. “I have put my hope in his word” writes the psalmist, and as we remember those who have died, there is no better word than those Jesus spoke from the cross, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Psalm 130:5b, Luke 23:43).

At the heart of this psalm is a deep recognition of sin. The psalmist knows the only hope for his guilt is the Lord’s forgiveness. The guilt of the psalmist causes him to fall into despair; however, his hope in God brings relief. This hope is so profound that Bible translators struggle to translate the ground of his hope expressed in verse 7, “O Israel, hope in the Lord; for with the Lord there is unfailing love. His redemption overflows.” The translations have included, “mercy, unfailing love, steadfast love, faithful love, loving-kindness, and grace.” The Apostle Paul often spoke of the riches of God’s mercy and grace that is the ground of our hope to rest in the saving work of Jesus: “For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins” (Colossians 1:13-14).

My Takeaway: When we grasp the depth of our sin, we can rejoice in the promise of Jesus,

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3).

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2023 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.