Psalm 130:7 NKJV
O Israel, hope in the Lord;
For with the Lord there is mercy,
And with Him is abundant redemption.
Trusting the God of Abundant Redemption
My Notes
Psalm 130:7 NKJV
O Israel, hope in the Lord;
For with the Lord there is mercy,
And with Him is abundant redemption.
There are seasons when the soul feels buried beneath waves of distress, guilt, or prolonged affliction. Darkness presses in, prayers seem unanswered, and the heart feels stretched beyond its limits. Yet Scripture calls out to us in such moments with a steady, gentle voice:
“Trust in the LORD.”
The psalmist writes from a place not of theoretical comfort but of personal rescue. Out of “the depths,” he cried to the Lord, and the Lord answered. Having experienced God’s faithfulness firsthand, he pleads with the people of God to place their hope in the One who never fails.
Just as night unquestionably gives way to dawn, so will God’s deliverance rise upon His people. No darkness is permanent for the child of God. No guilt is too deep for His mercy. No suffering is beyond His redemption.
The Gospel Assurance
God promises that whoever believes in Christ will be saved—saved from sin, saved from wrath, and saved for everlasting life. The Father has given Christ to be the One who secures forgiveness and eternal joy. The Holy Spirit Himself serves as the pledge that God will finish what He has begun.
Look Not to Yourself — Look to Him
Our hope is not in what we possess.
Our comfort does not lie in our worthiness, our progress, or our righteousness.
“With us there is sin, but with the LORD there is mercy.”
Stop looking only at the water—look for the well.
Stop analyzing your condition—look to Christ Himself.
It is easier to see Jesus lifted up than to measure your own level of spirituality or sanctification. He did not say, “Look at your faith and be saved,” but:
“Look to Me and be saved.” (Isaiah 45:22, NKJV)
Redemption That Cannot Run Dry
God’s redemption is not small, fragile, or limited. It is full, overflowing, and inexhaustible. Christ redeems His people from all sin, from all iniquity, and from the condemning and enslaving power of sin (Matthew 1:21; Titus 2:14; Romans 11:26).
Redemption in Christ is:
- As full as the ocean, though it has poured forth its waters since creation
- As bright as the sun, though it has shone through countless ages
- As strong now as when Christ first rose from the grave
This is why we hope in Him.
This is why we abandon idols and false confidences.
This is why the soul finds peace—even “out of the depths.”
Better to be in the deep waters with David, hoping in God’s mercy, than on the mountain of self‑righteousness, boasting in your own ability.
Prayer
Abba, in my moments of distress, lift my eyes from myself and fix them on You. Thank You that with You there is mercy, and with You there is abundant redemption. Teach me to trust You in the darkness and to wait for You with hope. Let Your light break upon my soul as surely as the morning dawns. Redeem me from my sin, my fear, and my weakness. Draw me deeper into Christ, my Savior and Redeemer. I ask for this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Key Takeaways
- Your darkness is not final. Dawn is guaranteed for those who hope in the Lord.
- Mercy is God’s nature. Hope flows not from what is in you, but from what is in Him.
- Look at Christ, not at yourself. Redemption is found in the Redeemer, not in your performance.
- God’s redemption is abundant. It is never depleted, never exhausted, never insufficient.
- Faith rests on God’s promises. Whoever believes in Christ shall be saved.
Cross‑References (NKJV)
- Isaiah 45:22 – “Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.”
- Lamentations 3:22–23 – Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.
- Matthew 1:21 – And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
- John 3:16–17 – For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
- Micah 7:18–19 – Who is a God like You, Pardoning iniquity And passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, And will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins Into the depths of the sea.
Meditation Questions
- Where am I feeling “in the depths” right now?
- How have I seen God’s mercy in past seasons of distress?
- What am I tempted to trust instead of God?
- What does it mean for me personally that redemption is “abundant”?
Proverb for Today
Do not boast about tomorrow, For you do not know what a day may bring forth. Proverbs 27:1 NKJV
Daily Scripture
And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord. Deuteronomy 8:2-3 NKJV
Bill
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Summary of Commentaries:
In times of deep distress, God’s people must not despair. Like the psalmist, we are called to trust the Lord, whose mercy and redemption are abundant and inexhaustible. Salvation and forgiveness come through Christ, who frees us from all sin and secures eternal life. Our hope rests not in ourselves but in God’s character. Better to cry from the depths with faith than to stand in self‑reliance, for with the Lord is unfailing mercy and plenteous redemption.
Commentaries:
Charles Spurgeon
“Let Israel hope in the LORD.” Or, “Hope thou, Israel, in Jehovah.” Jehovah is Israel’s God; therefore, let Israel hope in him. What one Israelite does he wishes all Israel to do. That man has a just right to exhort others who is himself setting the example. Israel of old waited upon Jehovah and wrestled all the night long, and at last he went his way succored by the Hope of Israel: the like shall happen to all his seed. God has great things in store for his people; they ought to have large expectations.
“For with the LORD there is mercy.” This is in his very nature, and by the light of nature it may be seen. But we have also the light of grace, and therefore we see still more of his mercy. With us there is sin, but hope is ours, because “with the Lord there is mercy.” Our comfort lies not in that which is with us, but in that which is with our God. Let us look out of self and its poverty to Jehovah and his riches of mercy.
“And with him is plenteous redemption.” He can and will redeem all his people out of their many and great troubles; nay, their redemption is already wrought out and laid up with him, so that he can at any time give his waiting ones the full benefit thereof. The attribute of mercy and the fact of redemption are two most sufficient reasons for hoping in Jehovah, and the fact that there is no mercy or deliverance elsewhere should effectually wean the soul from all idolatry. Are not these deep things of God a grand comfort for those who are crying out of the depths? Is it not better to be in the deeps with David, hoping in God’s mercy, than up on the mountain tops, boasting in our own fancied righteousness?
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Enduring Word
O Israel, hope in the LORD: With this verse, the phrasing turns from the personal to the public. What the psalmist learned in waiting upon God and trusting Him from the depths is now put to use as he calls upon Israel to put their hope in Yahweh Adonai. (Guzik)
i. Hope in the LORD: The psalmist put his faith and hope in the Lord Himself, not in the mercy or redemption God would bring. He looked to the Giver before the gift. (Guzik)
ii. “Cease looking for the water, and look for the well. You will more readily see the Savior than see salvation, for he is lifted up, even he who is God, and beside him there is none else. You will more easily fix your eye on Jesus than upon justification, sanctification, or any other separate blessing.” (Spurgeon)
For with the LORD there is mercy: What he learned in his personal life, he can put to application for the whole nation. When God’s people humbly look to Him, there is mercy and abundant redemption for both the individual and the community. (Guzik)
Abundant redemption: “Are our sins great? with God there is mercy, matchless mercy. Are our sins many? with God is plenteous redemption, multa redemptio; he will multiply pardons as we multiply sins, Isaiah 55:7.” (Trapp)
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Albert Barnes
Let Israel hope in the Lord – In such circumstances of affliction and distress, let not the people of God despair. In the darkest night, in calamities deep and prolonged, let not those who love God despair. The morning will dawn; the light will break in the east; deliverance and joy will come. The Hebrew here is, “Trust, O Israel, in the Lord.” The design of the Psalmist seems to be, from his own experience, to persuade others – the afflicted people of God – to put their trust in Him in whom he had himself hoped. From the very depths of affliction, guilt, and almost despair, he had looked to the Lord: encouraged and persuaded by his example, he would now entreat the people of God everywhere and always, in like manner, to trust him.
For with the Lord there is mercy – He is merciful, and in his mercy we may trust.
And with him is plenteous redemption – It is ample; it is full; it abounds. It is not limited; it is not exhausted; it cannot be exhausted. So we may always feel when we come before God, that his mercy is ample for all the needs of all the sinful and the suffering; that the provisions of his grace are inexhausted and inexhaustible. Applying this, as we may, to the work of the Savior, we may feel that the redemption which is in him is adequate to the needs of a world, and that although numberless million have been saved by it, yet that it is still as rich, as full, and as free as it was in the beginning; as the ocean, though from the beginning of the world it has supplied the materials for rain and dew to water the hills, the vales, the continents, and the islands, is still full; as the light of the sun, though for thousands of ages it has poured its light on the planets, and on all the vast space between itself and those orbs, and has sent out its light into the vast regions beyond, still shines with undiminished splendor, and pours its floods of day and of glory on all those worlds.
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John Gill
Let Israel hope in the Lord,…. The psalmist having himself hope in the Lord and in his word, through a view of forgiveness with him, exhorts and encourages others to do so likewise, even every Israelite indeed; and such may comfortably hope in him for salvation, which was designed, contrived, promised, and now wrought out for sinners, the chief of sinners, and to be had freely; and the Gospel declaration is, that whosoever believes in Christ shall be saved; as well as for the remission of sin, which God has promised in covenant; proclaimed in Christ, whom he has sent to obtain it, and exalted to give it; and has declared in the Gospel that whoever believes in him shall have it; and also for eternal life and happiness, which is the gift of God through Christ; is in the hands of Christ, and of which the Spirit of God is the earnest and pledge. Arguments encouraging hope follow:
for with the Lord [there is] mercy; which is natural and essential to him; as displayed, is either general, and over all his works, and towards all his creatures; or special, only shown to whom he will: this flows through Christ, and is very large and abundant; and appears in various instances, in the covenant, in the mission of Christ, and redemption by him; in regeneration, the forgiveness of sins, and in salvation; as well as it is bestowed on innumerable objects: and this nerves much to encourage hope, since there is plenty of it, and God is plenteous in it; and it is kept for many, for thousands, and even the vilest of sinners, share in it; God has set up a throne of grace and mercy for men to apply to, and he delights in showing mercy, and in those that hope in it: or, there is “grace” with him; an abundance of it in his heart; a fulness of it in his son; and large abounding of it through Christ, in conversion, pardon, and other things;
and with him [is] plenteous redemption; the purpose of it was in him; the scheme of it was drawn by him; the covenant of it was made with Christ; the promise of it was published, and now the thing itself is done, and is with Christ the author of it: and this is “plenteous,” if we consider the number of persons redeemed from among men, being such as no man can number; what of them is redeemed, even all of them, their souls and bodies; what they are redeemed from, from all sin, the law, its curse and condemnation, from death and hell, from Satan and all enemies; the several blessings included in it, or connected with it, pardon of sin, justification of persons, adoption, sanctification, and eternal life; the great price paid for it, the blood, the life of Christ, yea, himself: and the large display of love, grace, and mercy, wisdom, power, justice, and holiness, made in it. Kimchi interprets this of redemption from Egypt, Babylon, &c.
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Matthew Henry
The nature of this redemption; it is redemption from sin, from all sin, and therefore can be no other than that eternal redemption which Jesus Christ became the author of; for it is he that saves his people from their sins (Mt. 1:21), that redeems them from all iniquity (Tit. 2:14), and turns away ungodliness from Jacob, Rom. 11:26. It is he that redeems us both from the condemning and from the commanding power of sin.
The riches of this redemption; it is plenteous redemption; there is an all-sufficient fulness of merit and grace in the Redeemer, enough for all, enough for each; enough for me, says the believer. Redemption from sin includes redemption from all other evils, and therefore is a plenteous redemption.
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Miscellaneous Comments
“Let Israel hope in the LORD.” Whereas, in all preceding verses of the Psalm, the thoughts, the sorrows, the prayer, the penitence, the awe, the waiting, the watching, were all personal and confined to himself; here, a great change has taken place, and it is no longer “I,” but “Israel;” all Israel. “Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption. And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.” This is as it always ought to be. … It is the genius of our religion to go forth to multitudes.
—James Vaughan.
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