Psalms 65:3

Iniquities prevail against me: as for our transgressions, Thou shalt purge them away.

Sin overcoming and overcome

There is an intended contrast in these two clauses, between man’s impotence and God’s power in the face of the fact of sin. The first clause might be translated, “iniquities are too strong for me”; and the “Thou” of the next clause is emphatically expressed in the original, “as for our transgressions” (which we cannot touch), “Thou shalt purge them away.” Despair of self is the mother of confidence in God; and no man has learned the blessedness and the sweetness of God’s power to cleanse who has not learnt the impotence of his own feeble attempts to overcome his transgression. The very heart of Christianity is redemption. Only he who knows the cruel bondage of sin understands and appreciates the meaning and the brightness of the Gospel of Christ. He was called Jesus because He should “save His people from their sins.” So here we have our own hopelessness and misery, but also our confidence in the Divine help.

I. The cry of despair. “Too strong for me,” and yet they are me. Me, and not me; mine, and yet, somehow or other, my enemies, although my children--too strong for me. The picture suggested by the words is that of some usurping power that has mastered a man, laid its grip upon him so that all efforts to get away from the grasp are hopeless. But some of you say, “We were never in bondage to any man.” You do not know or feel that anything has got hold of you which is stronger than you. Well, let us see. Consider for a moment. You are powerless to master your evil, considered as habits. You do not know the tyranny of the usurper until a rebellion is got up against him. As long as you are gliding with the stream you have no notion of its force. Turn your boat and try to pull against it, and when the sweat-drops come on your brow, and you are sliding backwards, in spite of all your struggles, you will then know the force of the stream. Did you over try to cure some trivial bad habit, some trick of your fingers, for instance? You know what infinite pains and patience and time it took you to do that, and do you think that you would find it easier if you once set yourself to cure that lust, say, or that petulance, pride, passion, dishonesty? Any honest attempt at mending character drives a man to this--“Iniquities are too strong for me.” And so also it is with sin regarded as guilt, you cannot rid yourself of it. What is done is done. “What I have written I have written.” Nothing will ever wash that little lily hand white again, as the magnificent murderess in Shakespeare’s great creation found out. You can forget your guilt; you can ignore it. You do not take away the rock because you blow out the lamps of the lighthouse. And you do not alter an ugly fact by ignoring it. I beseech you, as reasonable men and women, to open your eyes to these plain facts about yourselves, that you have an element of demerit and liability to consequent evil and suffering which you are perfectly powerless to touch or to lighten in the slightest degree.

II. The ringing cry of confident hope. Jesus Christ, when trusted, will do for sin, as habit, what cannot be done without Him. He will give the motiye to resist, which is lacking in the majority of cases. He will give the power to resist, which is lacking in all cases. He will put a new life and spirit into our nature which shall strengthen and transform our feeble wills. The only way to conquer the world, the flesh, and the devil, is to let Christ clothe you with His armour. (A. Maclaren, D. D.)

Iniquities

I. The language of complaint--“Imquities prevail,” etc. They may do so--

1. In the growing sense of our guilt. As light increases, we see them more and more.

2. In the power of their acting. This prevalence cannot be entire, for sin shall not have dominion over the believer in Christ. He may be bruised, but he is not enslaved.

II. Of triumph. The Lord purges away our transgressions.

1. By His pardoning mercy.

2. By His sanctifying grace. And that He will do this the Christian is confidently persuaded. (W. Jay.)