New Years Psalm 3
We are consumed by your anger
and terrified by your indignation.
You have set our iniquities before you,
our secret sins in the light of your presence.
All our days pass away under your wrath;
we finish our years with a moan.
Our days may come to seventy years,
or eighty, if our strength endures;
yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow,
for they quickly pass, and we fly away.
If only we knew the power of your anger!
Your wrath is as great as the fear that is your due.
Teach us to number our days,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Psalm 90:7-12
Yesterday we wrestled with the first principle of ‘theodicy’ - the reality of God and human suffering which is that God is God. Today, the Psalmist reminds us of the second principle - that God is holy and we are sinful.
In the modern age, we have learned to downplay the holiness of God. We have ‘tamed’ Him. We emphasise His love and goodness even while we ignore His anger at sin. But the Psalmist wakes us up to reality.
The Psalmist says all our sins lay bare before God. He knows our thoughts, our motivations, our decisions when we thought no one was watching. And what God sees, is not good. Our iniquities, our sins are laid out before Him.
And so, because God is perfectly good, righteous and holy, our sins are like raw sewage to His nose. They are the waste and misuse of a life He generously created. This results in us “passing our days under His wrath.” Suffering is a direct and indirect result of our sin.
Direct - e.g. when our lies catch up with us and cause us more trouble.
Indirect - e.g. when we suffer from the droughts/floods of a cursed world.
Sin is the reason for suffering. The Psalmist calls us to wisdom. “That we would understand the power of God’s wrath,” he says. Let’s finish with that today. Tomorrow, there is hope for sinful sufferers.
For Today:
Pray:
and terrified by your indignation.
You have set our iniquities before you,
our secret sins in the light of your presence.
All our days pass away under your wrath;
we finish our years with a moan.
Our days may come to seventy years,
or eighty, if our strength endures;
yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow,
for they quickly pass, and we fly away.
If only we knew the power of your anger!
Your wrath is as great as the fear that is your due.
Teach us to number our days,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Psalm 90:7-12
Yesterday we wrestled with the first principle of ‘theodicy’ - the reality of God and human suffering which is that God is God. Today, the Psalmist reminds us of the second principle - that God is holy and we are sinful.
In the modern age, we have learned to downplay the holiness of God. We have ‘tamed’ Him. We emphasise His love and goodness even while we ignore His anger at sin. But the Psalmist wakes us up to reality.
The Psalmist says all our sins lay bare before God. He knows our thoughts, our motivations, our decisions when we thought no one was watching. And what God sees, is not good. Our iniquities, our sins are laid out before Him.
And so, because God is perfectly good, righteous and holy, our sins are like raw sewage to His nose. They are the waste and misuse of a life He generously created. This results in us “passing our days under His wrath.” Suffering is a direct and indirect result of our sin.
Direct - e.g. when our lies catch up with us and cause us more trouble.
Indirect - e.g. when we suffer from the droughts/floods of a cursed world.
Sin is the reason for suffering. The Psalmist calls us to wisdom. “That we would understand the power of God’s wrath,” he says. Let’s finish with that today. Tomorrow, there is hope for sinful sufferers.
For Today:
- Do you see God as Holy? Righteous?
- Do you understand something of the power of God’s wrath?
- Pray that God would give you wisdom to see.
Pray:
- Praise the Father that He is Holy, righteous and perfectly good.
- Give thanks for Jesus Christ who exchanges our filthy rags for a white robe of righteousness.
- Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help you and others wisely fear the wrath of God.
Posted in Psalms
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