Sin

Psalm 38

English Standard Version (ESV)

A Psalm of David, ^(A)for the memorial offering.

38 O Lord, ^(B)rebuke me not in your anger,
    nor discipline me in your wrath!
² For your ^(C)arrows have sunk into me,
    and your hand ^(D)has come down on me.

³ There is ^(E)no soundness in my flesh
    because of your indignation;
there is no health in my ^(F)bones
    because of my sin.
⁴ For my ^(G)iniquities have gone over my head;
    like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.

⁵ My wounds stink and fester
    because of my foolishness,
⁶ I am ^(H)utterly bowed down and ^(I)prostrate;
    all the day I ^(J)go about mourning.
⁷ For my sides are filled with burning,
    and there is ^(K)no soundness in my flesh.
⁸ I am feeble and crushed;
    I ^(L)groan because of the tumult of my heart.

⁹ O Lord, all my longing is before you;
    my ^(M)sighing is not hidden from you.
¹⁰ My heart throbs; my strength fails me,
    and ^(N)the light of my eyes—it also has gone from me.
¹¹ My ^(O)friends and companions ^(P)stand aloof from my ^(Q)plague,
    and my nearest kin ^(R)stand far off.

¹² Those who seek my life ^(S)lay their snares;
    those who seek my hurt ^(T)speak of ruin
    and meditate ^(U)treachery all day long.

¹³ But I am like a deaf man; I do not hear,
    like ^(V)a mute man who does not open his mouth.
¹⁴ I have become like a man who does not hear,
    and in whose mouth are no ^(W)rebukes.

¹⁵ But for ^(X)you, O Lord, do I wait;
    it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.
¹⁶ For I said, “Only ^(Y)let them not rejoice over me,
    who ^(Z)boast against me when my ^(AA)foot slips!”

¹⁷ For I am ^(AB)ready to fall,
    and my pain is ever before me.
¹⁸ I ^(AC)confess my iniquity;
    I am ^(AD)sorry for my sin.
¹⁹ But my foes are vigorous, they are mighty,
    and many are those who hate me^(AE)wrongfully.
²⁰ Those who ^(AF)render me evil for good
    ^(AG)accuse me because I ^(AH)follow after good.

²¹ Do not forsake me, O Lord!
    O my God, be not ^(AI)far from me!
^22 (AJ)Make haste to help me,
    O Lord, my ^(AK)salvation!

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2Sam%2016:7-2Sam%2016:8&version=ESV

Do you see any similarities in the passage above and the following passage?

Matthew 27:45-56

English Standard Version (ESV)

⁴⁵ Now from the sixth hour^[a] there was darkness over all the land^[b] until the ninth hour.^[c] 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus ^(A)cried out with a loud voice, saying, ^(B)“Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” ⁴⁷ And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” ⁴⁸ And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with ^(C)sour wine, and put it on a reed and ^(D)gave it to him to drink. ⁴⁹ But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” ⁵⁰ And Jesus ^(E)cried out again with a loud voice and ^(F)yielded up his spirit.

⁵¹ And behold, ^(G)the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And^(H)the earth shook, and the rocks were split. ⁵² The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of ^(I)the saints ^(J)who had fallen asleep were raised, ⁵³ and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into ^(K)the holy city and appeared to many.^54 (L)When the centurion and those who were with him, ^(M)keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, ^(N)“Truly this was the Son^[d] of God!”

⁵⁵ There were also ^(O)many women there, looking on ^(P)from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ^(Q)ministering to him, ⁵⁶ among whom were ^(R)Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph and ^(S)the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2027:45-56&version=ESV)

The similarity is this, SIN.  The first one is David’s sin and the second one is our sin.  David was not perfect and was bound to sin.  When others knew about his sin they turned from him. It didn’t matter what all good things he did prior to the sin, he sinned and the consequences of his sin came upon him.  He felt as though God has turned his back on him and that no one loved or cared about him anymore.  Have you ever felt that way?   

The second passage is the crucifixion of Jesus.  As you read this passage you will note that Jesus had much the same feelings as David with one major difference, David was guilty and Jesus was not! 

Jesus suffered on the cross and felt rejected by God and his closest friends because He bore our sins on that cross.  All that He went through was the result of sin but not His sin, OURS!  When I think of that I realize I am the one that should be rejected by God, I am the one whose friends should turn their back on me, it is my sin that went to that cross and Jesus bore it all instead of me in order for His Father to be glorified.  Yes, Christ went to the cross for our sins but He did it in order that the Father could be glorified. 

Sin can still have the same results today. Christ did not take away the consequence of sin but made a path for us to get to the Father.  When we sin we can feel a separation from God but He is where He has always been, we are the ones that drift.  Sin can cause us to lose friendships and to feel alone.  As a result of sin there will be murmurings about us some true and some not.  Sin will make you sick to your bones,  but only if you recognize it as David did.  He recognize the One he had sinned against was God and that made David a righteous man, a man after God’s own heart.  Many a criminal will go to jail blaming someone else for the crime (sin) that they have committed.   Consider the two criminals at the side of Christ, one recognized Christ and the other one mocked Him.  It still happens today, many a sinner has gone to their grave not realizing there was a Father who would forgive them of their sin and those who are forgiven are with Christ in paradise. 

As you seek Him today, if you are in the midst of sin and know that it is wrong, then stop it!  Jesus bore our sins on the cross, now we need to honor Him with be like David, recognizing our sin and confessing it to our Father.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila