Heart of a Psalmist - Worshipping Christ Through The Psalms

These wounds are reminiscent of the festering boils of Job. Being bent over reminds us of the woman in the gospel of Luke. Mankind’s sin has given the devil a foothold to work in our bodies and only Jesus can free us: “ One Sabbath day as Jesus was teaching in the synagogue, he saw a woman who had been crippled by an evil spirit. She had been bent double for eighteen years and was unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, ‘ Woman, you are healed of your sick- ness!’”(Lk. 13:10-12) • Emotional- “ My days are filled with grief.” (6) • Physical- “ A raging fever burns within me, and my health is broken.”(7) • Emotional- “ I am exhausted and completely crushed. My groans come from my anguished heart.” (8) The correlation between sin and our physical and emotional health is worthy of respect. The re- moving of the burden of sin and the restoring of our health and joy is the essence of the good news. We can be free of sin and its effects through confession, repentance and faith towards God. Jesus forgave the sins of a paralytic man and it resulted in his healing. “ Some people brought him a paralyzed man on a mat…Jesus said to the paralyzed man, ‘Take heart, son! Your sins are forgiven.”(Mt. 9:2) In the midst of this tragic scene David reminds the Lord that he truly wants forgiveness and right standing with God. The Holy Spirit interprets our sighs and groaning into prayers before the throne of mercy: “ But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.”(Rom. 8:26) • More Physical Symptoms- “ My heart beats wildly, my strength fails, and I am going blind.” (10) Sin produces a spiritual condition of blindness to the realities of the Kingdom of God. We cannot see or comprehend what is true in the spiritual realm. Only the Holy Spirit can illuminate our soul and allow us to see the true nature of our need of Christ and his salvation. • Broken Relationships- “ My loved ones and friends stay away, fearing my disease. Even my own family stands at a distance. Meanwhile, my enemies lay traps for me; they make plans to ruin me. They think up treacherous deeds all day long.”(11,12) Sin affects all of our relationships with people, as it is a betrayal of confidence and trust. David vio- lated the closest circles of intimacy, his loved ones, his friends and his family. Our enemies, both spiri- tual and natural, are invigorated by our downfall and renew their desire to destroy us. II. PEOPLE AFFECTED BY SIN - 9-14 “ You know what I long for, Lord (Adonai); you hear my every sigh.”(9)

The silent defense- “ But I am deaf to all their threats. I am silent before them as one who cannot speak. I choose to hear nothing, and I make no reply.” (13, 14)

Guilt has no answer. David has no defense for his actions, no excuses, and no justifications. Christ took the guilt of our sins upon himself and stood silent before his accusers: “ He (Herod) asked Jesus question after question, but Jesus refused to answer.”(Luke 23:9)

III. PRAYER OF CONFESSION – 15-22

“ For I am waiting for you, O Lord. (Yahweh) You must answer for me, O Lord, (Adonai) my God.” (Elo- him) (15)

Here David calls upon the Lord not merely to ‘answer him’ but to ‘answer for him,’ to justify him even though he is guilty of the accusations. Again we can see the faint image of the one God in three per- sons acting on our behalf. The enemy rejoices- “ I prayed, ‘Don’t let my enemies gloat over me or rejoice at my downfall.’ (16) Just as the angels in heaven rejoice at the repentance of one sinner, so hell rejoices at one who falls into the trap of sin.

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