British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and United States President Franklin Roosevelt met in 1941 to issue a joint declaration that became known as the Atlantic Charter.

They anchored their warships off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.

In a joint worship service, including the crews of the warships, British and American voices joined in hymns that spoke of the most sacred beliefs that the British and Americans shared.

These sacred beliefs anchored their historic proclamation:

[A]fter the final destruction of the Nazi tyranny, they hope to see established a peace which will afford to all nations the means of dwelling in safety within their boundaries, and which will afford assurance that all the [peoples] in all the lands may live out their lives in freedom from fear and want.

In addition to inspiring the British and the Americans, these sacred beliefs inspired many other peoples (who were neither British nor American) to destroy the Nazi tyranny so that all the peoples in all the lands may establish a peace with freedom from fear and want.

In the Bible, the Psalms are “hymns” that express sacred beliefs that guide all of us who love our one God—our one LORD—with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our strength and with all our mind. (Deuteronomy 6:4-6; Matthew 22:36-38).

Who is our one and only God? Who is our one and only LORD?

The God who forgives wickedness, rebellion and sin. (Exodus 34:6).

Many people believe there are stark differences between the God revealed by the Hebrew Scriptures (called the “Old Testament” by Christians) and the God revealed by Jesus (called the “New Testament”).

Often, people think of the God of the Old Testament as an angry, wrathful God, eager to find reasons to punish us. And they think of the God revealed by Jesus in the New Testament as a kind, loving God, eager to forgive us.

But the reality is that there is only one LORD. There is only one God.

If you meditate upon the Hebrew Scriptures, you’ll find numerous examples of the LORD God forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.

And if you meditate upon the Way of Jesus—who embodies the ideals of the Law of Moses and of the Prophets and of the Psalms and of the LORD God (Matthew 5:17; John 1:1-5,9-14,16-18)—you’ll find numerous examples of Jesus warning people that they will be punished for their wickedness, rebellion and sin, and that their bad choices will bring bad consequences.

For example, Jesus warned:

—that many who are “first” will become “last” (Matthew 19:30; Matthew 20:30; Luke 13:30);

—that those who rebuff the ways of the LORD God will be excluded from the blessings that the LORD God wants to give them (Matthew 7:12-24; Matthew 25:31-46); and

—that everyone who does not put into practice the words of Jesus is like a foolish person who built their house on sand:

The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds beat and blew against that house, and it fell with a great crash. (Matthew 7:26-27).

The very first Psalm lays out both a blessing and a warning.

The Psalmist warns that “[t]he wicked are like chaff that the wind blows away” and that “t]he way of the wicked leads to destruction.” (Psalm 1:4,6).

In contrast, blessed is anyone:

whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night.

That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,

   which yields its fruit in season

and whose leaf does not wither—

   whatever they do prospers.

(Psalm 1:1-3).

But what if you’ve been wicked, rebellious and sinful? How do you find forgiveness from the LORD God?

These are urgent questions.

Why?

Because the Prophet Isaiah taught us that all we like sheep have gone astray. Each of us has somehow been wicked, rebellious and sinful. Each of us has somehow made bad choices. (Isaiah 53:6).

The Apostle Paul quoted a number of Psalms to make this point in his letter to the churches at Rome (which were composed of both Jewish and non-Jewish followers of the Way of Jesus).

Paul quoted the following Hebrew Scriptures to prove that both “Jews and non-Jews alike are all under the power of sin. (Romans 3:9 (emphasis added); Romans 3:9-18):

There is no one righteous, not even one;

   there is no one who understands;

   there is no one who seeks God.

All have turned away,

   they have together become worthless;

   there is no one who does good,

      not even one. (Psalms 14:1-3; 53:1-3; Eccles. 7:20).

Their throats are open graves;

   their tongues practice deceit. (Psalm 5:9).

The poison of vipers is on their lips. (Psalm 140:3).

Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. (Psalm 10:7 (see Septuagint)).

Their feet are swift to shed blood;

   ruin and misery mark their ways,

   and the way of peace they do not know. (Isaiah 59:7,8).

There is no fear of God before their eyes. (Psalm 36:1).

Therefore, many of the Psalms talk about how to seek and receive the gift of forgiveness from the LORD God.

Psalm 51 is one of the most famous examples of being forgiven as an individual.

By drawing on the experiences of King David after he raped Bathsheba and murdered her husband, Psalm 51 teaches each of us how to obtain forgiveness for our personal wickedness, rebellion and sin.

King David confesses: “I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.” (Psalm 51:3).

Nevertheless, David has faith that God will forgive his wickedness, rebellion and sin.

And so, David says:

“Have mercy on me, O God,

   according to your unfailing love;

according to your great compassion

   blot out my transgressions.

Wash away all my iniquity

   and cleanse me from my sin.” (Psalm 51:1-2).

What will be the results of God forgiving David’s wickedness, rebellion and sin?

—God will create in him a pure heart and renew a steadfast spirit within him. (Psalm 51:10).

—God will restore to him the joy of his salvation and grant him a willing spirit, to sustain him. (Psalm 51:12).

—David will continue to be kept as the apple of God’s eye. (Psalm 17:8).

What about finding forgiveness from God when the wickedness, rebellion and sin is committed by a group of people?

There are many such groups of people that commit wickedness, rebellion and sin, including our families, our faith communities, our nations, and our cultures.

To teach us about wickedness, rebellion, and sin by a group of people, the Psalms recall: (1) Israel traveling from slavery in Egypt to blessings in the Promised Land; and (2) Israel being cast out of the Promised Land into exile in Babylon.

Despite punishments and bad consequences, Israel remained God’s people who God kept as “the apple of his eye”.  (Deuteronomy 32:10). Eventually, Israel was restored to their Promised Land—to the literal and figurative places where Israel blesses all peoples.

For example, Psalm 78 recalls times when Israel was “stubborn and rebellious” (Psalm 78:8). Times when they “willfully put God to the test by demanding the food they craved”. (Psalm 78:18). Times when “they were disloyal and faithless, as unreliable as a faulty bow” (Psalm 78:57).

Psalm 79 recalls how “the sins of past generations” led to Israel being “in desperate need.” (Psalm 79:8).  The Psalmist lamented:

O God, the nations have . . . defiled your holy temple,

     they have reduced Jerusalem to rubble. (Psalm 79:1).

Nevertheless, God eventually forgave the wickedness, rebellion and sin of Israel!

Ans so, in Psalm 126, the Psalmist rejoices:

When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion,

   we were like those who dreamed.

Our mouths were filled with laughter,

   our tongues with songs of joy. . . .

Those who sow with tears

   will reap with songs of joy.

Those who go out reaping,

   carrying seed to sow,

will return with songs of joy,

   carrying sheaves with them.

(Psalm 126:1-6).

The specifics vary among different groups of people—among different families, faith communities, nations, and cultures. But the same principles apply.

Our group will be “defiled” and reduced to “rubble”:

—if we are stubborn and rebellious;

—if we willfully try to manipulate the LORD God by demanding he give us things we crave;

—if we are disloyal and faithless, as unreliable as a faulty bow;

—if we do not follow the ideals of the Law of Moses and of the Prophets and of the Psalms; or

—if we do not follow the ideals of the Spirit of the LORD embodied in Jesus (Matthew 5:17; John 1:1-5,9-14,16-18).

Fortunately, the LORD God remains compassionate and gracious, as eager to forgive wickedness, sin and rebellion (Exodus 34:6-7)—as full of amazing grace—as Jesus was when he hung on the cross and said, “Father, forgive them. They don’t know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34).

Therefore, if we will accept this amazing grace—this amazing gift of forgiveness from the LORD God for ourselves and for our groups:

—we will laugh and sing songs of joy;

—we will realize that we are the apple of God’s eye; and

—we will reap with songs of joy, carrying sheaves we harvested by putting into practice the words of Jesus—by putting into practice the ideals of the Law of Moses and of the Prophets and of the Psalms and of the LORD God. (Matthew 5:17; Matthew 7:24-27; Matthew 13:3-23; John 1:1-5,9-14,16-18).

—what ways will you “anchor your warship” to stop wickedness, rebellion and sin?

QUESTIONS TO THINK ABOUT

When have your bad choices led to bad consequences?

When have bad choices by your family, faith community, nation, or culture led to bad consequences?

When the LORD has forgiven wickedness, sin and rebellion by you or by your family, faith community, nation, or culture, what have been the signs and the consequences?

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For my related thoughts, please read my blogs “Healing with Psalms: The Atlantic Charter”, “Healing with Psalms: Light Overcoming Darkness”, “Healing with Psalms: The LORD Is Compassionate”, “Healing with Psalms: The LORD Is Gracious”, and “Healing with Psalms: The LORD Is Slow To Anger”.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus referred to his fulfillment of the Law and of the Prophets. But it was common to talk about the Law, the Prophets and the Psalms. (Luke 24:44). Since this blog is about healing with Psalms, I’m explicit that the Psalms speak of all of the teachings of the LORD God, including the ideals of the Law of Moses and the ideals of the Prophets. (Psalm 19; Psalm 33; Psalm 51; Psalm 98; Psalm 119).