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我们都曾试过选择自己的道路，而不去跟从神的意旨。在这些时候，我们便需要诗篇一百三十篇的提醒了。这篇诗篇是一篇祈求神赦免个人的罪的祷告词。“神啊，这次我真的把事情弄得一团糟！我的罪令我难以入睡，我不断在寻找祢赦免我的征兆。”

我们都会在个人层面犯罪，但那些罪并非独立的。每一个在个人层面所犯的罪，都是一个更大的罪恶网罗中的一环；这些罪恶污染了家庭、乐队和棒球队，它污染了监牢、警局、法庭和课室，它污染了城市规划、法律、宪章和社团文化。

诗篇一百三十篇更全面地反映出这幅图画。开始时可能是在个人层面犯的罪，但它会发展为污染整个以色列民族的罪。从他们在埃及为奴的时候，直到被掳到巴比伦，这罪性一直在困扰以色列民！以色列民需要从这些罪恶中被拯救出来，而他们只有一个希望。这篇诗篇就是存着这个希望结束的：“（耶和华）必救赎以色列脱离一切的罪孽”。（参诗 130:8）

当主的使者告诉马利亚要如何给婴孩起名字时，他就是在传达这个希望。“耶稣”的意思是“耶和华拯救”。然而，耶稣不是单单拯救以色列民，祂更要除去世人的罪孽，（参约 1:29）这包括我和你个人的罪。

We all have times when we choose our own way instead of God's way. That's when we need Psalm 130. This psalm is a prayer for personal forgiveness. "God, I really messed up this time! I can't sleep because of my sins. So I keep watching for some sign that you forgive me."

We all commit personal sins. But those sins don't stand alone. Every personal sin is embedded within a larger web of sinfulness. That sinfulness infects families, orchestras, and baseball teams. It infects prisons and police departments, courtrooms and classrooms. It infects zoning laws, constitutions, and gang culture.

Psalm 130 reflects this bigger picture. It may start with personal sins, but it moves on to the sinfulness that has infected Israel as a nation. That sinfulness troubles Israel from their time of slavery in Egypt all the way to their exile in Babylon! Israel needs to be saved from this sinfulness. And there is only one hope. The psalm ends on that note: "[The Lord] himself will redeem Israel from all their sins" (v. 8).

The angel of the Lord speaks of this hope when he tells Mary what to name her baby. "Jesus" means "the Lord saves." But not only will Jesus save Israel; he will also take away the sin of the world (John 1:29). And that includes me and you, personally.