"The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate." [Psa 34:22]
Seeing that The Bible tells us “all scripture is God-breathed,” [2 Tim 3:16] and that “the word of the Lord endureth for ever,” [1 Pe 1:25] we would do well to pay close attention to what each word says. In this particular verse, Psalms 34:22, there is a precious jewel for us to find which is hidden beneath the KJV word “desolate.” The Hebrew word behind this English translation in the King James Bible does not mean barren or empty, as we would normally think; rather, the word means “to bear one’s guilt [for wrongdoing]; to suffer punishment due for [wrongdoing].”
This is a beautiful word and verse. The forgiveness of God is unsurpassable; Yes, “who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?” [Ex 15:11] None can compare to our great God; “there is none holy as The LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any Rock like our God.” [1 Sam 2:2] We see here that not one single person who trusts in Jesus Christ shall ever suffer the punishment due for their sins. They shall never bear the guilt of their sins, for we see also in Hebrews that through the application of Jesus’ blood by faith, God has “purge[d] [our] conscience[s] from dead works to serve the living God.” [Heb 9:14] Again, Paul tells us in Romans, quoting Psalms, “Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.” [Rom 4:8] Yes, blessed indeed is that man to whom The LORD shall never accredit any sin. What glorious forgiveness God shows us. In reality, it is a fearful thing; for like the servant in the parable Jesus told, we owe our master ten thousand talents but for His compassion we have been loosed from our debt. In Psalms we read, “If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.” [Psa 130:3-4]
It is a fearful and wonderful thing, an awe-inspiring thing, that God has forgiven us in such a manner that we shall never bear punishment or guilt for our sins, and this is solely because Jesus Christ bore the punishment and guilt. For all of our wrongdoing, Jesus bore the punishment. And through faith in His blood forgiveness for such is obtained. What an incredible God we serve, who so willingly and freely and lovingly offers us this atonement.
Click here to see other posts in Daily Meditations on The Glory of Jesus, Vol I