David is suffering because of his own sin and the sinfulness of his enemies. Since Adam and Eve, every human being lives in this struggle against their own sinfulness and the sinfulness of others. It is an inescapable holy war. And so it is no surprise that we hear David so often crying out to God about his pain and suffering. And even though Jesus did not ever sin and even though Jesus lived a perfect life, Jesus did bear our sins on the cross, and the weight of bearing our sins crushed Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21, Isaiah 53:4-6, 1 Peter 3:18). Jesus suffered because of sin. Sin is an offence against God; Jesus knew this and felt deeply for the honour of God, His Father and Himself and the Spirit. Sin, like Satan, kills, steals, and destroys. So the weight of sin for the sinner is even greater for Jesus who bore it as though a sinner and as one keenly aware of the totality of the offence and havoc it wreaks on all things--even though Jesus was totally innocent.
MAIN POINT: Sin hurts us and sin hurts Jesus. We must confess our sins if we want relief from the pain of sin and to be close to God.
So as we read David’s confession and his suffering, we can think of Jesus who had to carry this to an even greater degree but was innocent.
Sin hurts everything, especially Jesus.
He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
Matthew 26:38
compare with
I am exhausted and completely crushed. My groans come from an anguished heart.
Psalm 38:8
Sin and sinners want to hurt us and plot and plan our pain and downfall.
And we know that Judas was coming with soldiers from the Pharisees, who had been planning the death of Jesus for a long time.
Meanwhile, my enemies lay traps to kill me. Those who wish me harm make plans to ruin me. All day long they plan their treachery.
Psalm 38:12
And the trap of sin is an old one; consider how God warned Cain.
You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.”
Genesis 4:7
Jesus was tested and even led into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan (Mark 1:12). And it wasn’t just pretend, it was real testing.
“This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.” (Hebrews 2:15)
Satan might be an accuser but we answer to God, so we confess to God and restore the relationship with God.
So when Jesus faces his accusers, He doesn't defend himself (Matthew 26:63, 27:12, 27:14, Mark 14:61, 15:5, Luke 23:9, John 19:9-10, Isaiah 53:7).
“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.
Psalm 38:13-14
Jesus wants us to know, just as David knew, that if we sin we have no place to turn except for God.
“What is he saying? This is blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!”
So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.”
Mark 2:7, 10
As the accuser, Satan wants us to respond to his accusations. But we can ignore him and go straight to God.
This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels. Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens, “It has come at last— salvation and power and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down to earth— the one who accuses them before our God day and night.
Revelation 12:9-10
But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
1 John 1:9
Come to God with your sin and the burden of your sin just as David did, just as Jesus had to do when bearing our sins and just as Jesus’ brother James taught us to do in these verses:
8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. 9 Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.
James 4:8-10
Conclusion:
Sin is a terrible, destructive, painful force that seeks to kill us and destroy everything. But God hears our confession and He alone can forgive our sins. In David’s prayer in Psalm 38 we have a foreshadowing of God’s way of caring for our sin through Jesus' death on the cross. So confess your sins and know with confidence God will rescue you from sin and sinners.
Comments
Post a Comment