God who shows great grace in the midst of great sins
[Psalms 106:6-12]
In the Bible verses, at least in my head, there is a word that God gives me grace through that word in times of need. That word of God is Romans 5:20b – “… but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.” God is revealing my sins through this word. What is amazing in the work of the Holy Spirit is that the grace of God fills my heart. In other words, I experience the magnitude of God's grace among the magnitude of sin.
In Psalms 106:6-12, when we think about what kind of God is God, our God is “ God who shows great grace even in the midst of great sins.” I hope and pray that I will be able to meet this God through Psalms 106:6-12.
The first thing we need to think about is the great sin committed by the Israelites. In Psalms 106:6, the psalmist confesses, “We have sinned like our fathers, We have committed iniquity, we have behaved wickedly.” What was the wicked sin they committed with their ancestors? There are three things we can think of:
First, the evil sins the Israelites committed with their ancestors was that they didn’t understand the Lord's wonders.
Look at Psalms 106:7a – “Our fathers in Egypt did not understand Your wonders ….” The Israelites didn’t realize God's wonders in Egypt at the time of the Exodus. They didn’t care at all. In other words, in David's day, the Jews committed the sin of forgetting God's works (wonders) in the lives of their ancestors in Egypt (v. 7). How about us? Aren’t we committing the same sins as the Israelites? I don't think we are very different either. We too are quickly forgetting what the good things that God has done for us in the past. Even now, as we live in this world, we don’t realize what God is doing in our lives. This is our great sin pointed out in today's text.
Second, the evil sins the Israelites committed with their ancestors was that they didn’t remember God’s abundant kindnesses.
Look at psalms 106:7b – “… They did not remember Your abundant kindnesses ….” In the days of David, the Israelites forgot God's wonders in the lives of their ancestors in Egypt, so they committed the sin of forgetting God's many love as well. How about us? How often do we often forget the great and many love that God has shown us through the works of God in the past? This is also said to be a great sin in the Bible.
Third and last, the evil sins the Israelites committed with their ancestors was that they rebelled against God.
Look at Psalms 106:7c – “… But rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea.” In front of the Red Sea, the Israelites complained against Moses when they saw the Egyptian army chasing them (Exod. 14:11). To blame the leader God has established is the same as blaming God Himself.
What was God's great grace for the Israelites who committed such great sin? It was salvation. Look at Psalms 106:8 – “Nevertheless He saved them for the sake of His name, That He might make His power known.” God made great works of salvation to the Israelites who committed great sins. What a wonderful thing and great grace? It was the grace of God who saves despite the Israelties sinning. Why did God save the ungrateful Israelites who committed great sins? The reason was for the sake of His name (v. 8). What is the meaning of the name “Jesus”? Isn’t it ‘God is salvation’ or ‘God is the Savior’? Even though we have sinned, the Savior, our Lord, saves us for the sake of His name. What a great grace is this? Furthermore, He made His power known to the Israelites through salvation of the great grace that God had given them. Although the Israelties feared the Egyptian soldiers, God saved Israelties by rebuking the Red Sea to dry it and led the Israelites through the deeps, as though the wilderness (v. 9). Therefore, God saved the Israelites from the hand of their haters and redeemed them from the hand of their enemies (v. 10). Why did He do that? It was because the Egyptians, enemies of the Israelites, hated them, but God loved the Israelites who sinned against Him. God's great power was revealed not only in the salvation of His beloved people, but also in the destruction of the Egyptian army, the enemy of the Israelites (v. 11).
How should the saints, who have committed a great sin against the holy God but have experienced great saving grace through the great power of God, should respond? Look at Psalms 106:12 – “Then they believed His words; They sang His praise.” The Bible says two things: (1) They should believe in the Word of God more and more. In other words, believe in the word of God's promise and live a life that is led by His word. It means that believers who have experienced God's great grace in the midst of their great sins will trust God more and more. (2) They should praise God. Those who have experienced God's saving grace cannot but praise God. May God bless us with this grace.
With gratitude to God for showing great power with great grace even in my great sins,
James Kim
(Prior to the Saturday New Life Festival)