Fruit

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord!  

       O Lord, hear my voice!...

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,

    and in his word I hope;

my soul waits for the Lord

    more than watchmen for the morning,

    more than watchmen for the morning.

O Israel, hope in the Lord!

    For with the Lord there is steadfast love,

    and with him is plentiful redemption.

And he will redeem Israel

    from all his iniquities.

(Psalm 130:1, 5-8 ESV)

Plentiful. Abundance. Overflowing. Complete. Full redemption is everything.  Down to the roots, down in the dirt, every last worm rooted out--and fruit. Plentiful. 

To the roots? Every worm? Everything? Plentiful? Truly? Can we believe it? Or do we not dare to hope about that shame, that past, that thing? No sin, no shame, nothing done to you, against you. Not allowed to bring ultimate harm to you but like Joseph, he will turn it to good (Gen. 50:20). All iniquities—redeemed. We look at ourselves, we see our lack—but he will finish it. He will complete it. Plentiful! Overabounding! SuperfluousabundunDANCE! Floriforous full fruit! 

And we shy away from God's promises with our eyes so focused on the dirt sometimes. Goldingay in his commentary elucidates: The Old Testament perspective didn’t just see this as mere (as if mere!) forgiveness and spiritual renewal. But physical—redeeming them from the exile, the mess they had gotten themselves in by their own sin. The very greatness of the Lord’s commitment is shown in the very depths we get ourselves in.  He doesn't just change circumstances, he changes the roots, the fears, the shame and gives fruit. “The greatness of Yhwh’s commitment and redemption means that these experiences will not have the last word.”

He will do it. Plentiful. Completely. Everything. He has the last word, and we live by his word. 

NOTES
John Goldingay, Psalms (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2006): 3:530-531.