Psalm 90:8 (ESV) 8 You have set our iniquities before you,
our secret sins in the light of your presence.
- You are omnipresent (everywhere always, including in the land if the living!)
- You are omniscient (nothing is unknown to you)
Reflections on verse 8-
You show more of your amazing attributes in this verse Lord and it is clear that there is no hiding from you in deed or in essence. You demonstrate the power to hold our guilt and place it here or there. You know the secrets of our hearts. Your presence is unavoidable and the light of your holiness exposes our depravity and our guilt and our natural-born state of separation from you.
Jeremiah 23:24 (ESV)24 Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord.
The psalmist in Psalm 139 knows well but understands not how you "hem me in"…
Psalm 139:1–12 (ESV) 1 O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
3 You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
5 You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is high; I cannot attain it.
7 Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
9 If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,”
12 even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you.
The Hebrew word for "hem" is an active verb...
צוּר (ṣûr (lay siege, besiege, i.e., encircle and enclose a fortified area as an aggressive military strategy to defeat a city or nation
Swanson, J. (1997). Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament) (electronic ed.). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
Clearly there is no escaping your presence or your sight Lord. You make it clear that all things are exposed by the light of your holiness by the power of your name.
From The Treasury of David-
“Thou hast set our iniquities before thee.” Hence these tears! Sin seen by God must work death; it is only by the covering blood of atonement that life comes to any of us. When God was overthrowing the tribes in the wilderness he had their iniquities before him, and therefore dealt with them in severity. He could not have their iniquities before him and not smite them. “Our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.” There are no secrets before God; he unearths man’s hidden things, and exposes them to the light. There can be no more powerful luminary than the face of God, yet, in that strong light, the Lord set the hidden sins of Israel. Sunlight can never be compared with the light of him who made the sun, of whom it is written, “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” If by his countenance is here meant his love and favour, it is not possible for the heinousness of sin to be more clearly manifested than when it is seen to involve ingratitude to one so infinitely good and kind. Rebellion in the light of justice is black, but in the light of love it is devilish. How can we grieve so good a God? The children of Israel had been brought out of Egypt with a high hand, fed in the wilderness with a liberal hand, and guided with a tender hand, and their sins were peculiarly atrocious. We, too, having been redeemed by the blood of Jesus, and saved by abounding grace, will be verily guilty If we forsake the Lord. What manner of persons ought we to be? How ought we to pray for cleansing from secret faults?
Spurgeon, C. H. (2009). The treasury of David, Volume 4: Psalms 88-110 (62–63). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
Lord this truth can bring such sweet comfort as you tell me you are my Abba Father who loves me and who perfectly designed a way for my exposed sin to be taken away just as you placed it before you, so also you can throw it into the sea…
Micah 7:18–20 (ESV) 18 Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity
and passing over transgression
for the remnant of his inheritance?
He does not retain his anger forever,
because he delights in steadfast love.
19 He will again have compassion on us;
he will tread our iniquities underfoot.
You will cast all our sins
into the depths of the sea.
20 You will show faithfulness to Jacob
and steadfast love to Abraham,
as you have sworn to our fathers
from the days of old.
You love me and deliver me with covenant love- an always and forever, never ceasing, never slowing, never ending kind of love Lord. My sins are separated from me farther than I can know…
Psalm 103:11–12 (ESV) 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
This steadfast love Lord you say is for those that fear you. Teach me to fear you in this manner Lord that I might understand this steadfast love that delivers me from your wrath. Thank you that you can hold my guilt and shame in your hand and based on the mysterious work of your Son on the cross you can throw that sin into the sea or an infinite distance as the east is from the west…you make it go away Lord!
Thank you that I do not ever need to stand before you as one who is guilty. Thank you that the reflection of this psalm is one that brings me unto this fear that instantly frees me of all fear due to your grace that has called me into faith and has given me repentance and trust in your Son. This is why you tell those who fear you to "fear not" but to those that will not fear you there are terrible things and good reason to fear. Let me yet tremble at your Word and at the understanding of the fate I would bear but by your saving grace alone that has delivered me.
From the Treasury of David-
It is to us a wellspring of delights to remember that our sins, as believers, are now cast behind the Lord’s back, and shall never be brought to light again: therefore we live, because, the guilt being removed, the death-penalty is removed also.
Spurgeon, C. H. (2009). The treasury of David, Volume 4: Psalms 88-110 (63). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
I go to this place of rescue quickly Lord because tomorrow's look upon your wrath will be terrible and I want to maintain the reality that I am not under this wrath before diving headlong into contemplating the fierceness with which you deliver it.
Application and prayer:
Lord let me ever be aware of my own sin. Please search my heart and show me where I am yet not surrendering my life to you, my heart to you. Show me how I can better surrender in the manner that you direct me to. Let me hear your voice and grant me the faith to respond with obedience Lord. Let me understand how this works out practically Lord- what does this look like. Let me understand that I am your tabernacle on earth and that while you separate me from my sin, I desire to walk blameless and I desire to dwell on your holy hill. Let me be humble, contrite, and trembling at your Word Lord that your glory might fill this temple. Let me also always trust that you are here with me wherever I am and you know exactly what I am concerned about and stressed about and before I speak my prayer you know it. Comfort me in this when I face difficulty or suffering Lord. I ask this in Jesus name, amen.
Soli Deo Gloria!
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Thanks for commenting- I will probably post it if you dont seem to be a crazy person!