Psalm 79 (KJV): O remember not against us former iniquities

From Psalms

Psalm 79
(A Psalm of Asaph.)

¹O god, the heathen are come into thine inheritance;
      thy holy temple have they defiled;
      they have laid Jerusalem on heaps.
²The dead bodies of thy servants have they given
      to be meat unto the fowls of the heaven,
      the flesh of thy saints unto the beasts of the earth.

³Their blood have they shed like water
      round about Jerusalem;
      and there was none to bury them.
⁴We are become a reproach to our neighbours,
      a scorn and derision to them that are round about us.

⁵How long, LORD? wilt thou be angry for ever?
      shall thy jealousy burn like fire?
⁶Pour out thy wrath upon the heathen
      that have not known thee, and upon the kingdoms
      that have not called upon thy name.
⁷For they have devoured Jacob,
      and laid waste his dwelling place.
⁸O remember not against us former iniquities:
      let thy tender mercies speedily prevent us:
      for we are brought very low.

⁹Help us, O God of our salvation,
      for the glory of thy name:
and deliver us, and purge away our sins,
      for thy name's sake.
¹⁰Wherefore should the heathen say,
      Where is their God?
let him be known among the heathen in our sight
      by the revenging of the blood of thy servants which is shed.
¹¹Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee;
      according to the greatness of thy power
      preserve thou those that are appointed to die;

¹²And render unto our neighbours sevenfold into their bosom
      their reproach, wherewith they have reproached thee, O Lord.
¹³So we thy people and sheep of thy pasture
      will give thee thanks for ever:
we will shew forth thy praise
      to all generations.

The psalmist here starts with a horrible picture of Israel in rubble.  Dead people strewn across the ground.  The holy temple defiled.  It was likely written about how the Babylonians invaded and occupying Israel and Jerusalem.  Seems like a certain kind of hell to me.

In much the same way as addicts we create our own kind of hell.  We isolate from our family and friends.  We push away their love.  We retreat into our hole of addiction to temporarily mask our pain.  Only to make problems with career and money worse.  We make illogical decisions that risk our lives (or the lives of our loved ones) in terms of potentially contracting life threatening diseases, driving drunk, or even over-dosing.  At this point, our life becomes a proverbial hell.  There seems to be no way out.

It's at that point we turn to God and we say, "Help me God, of our salvation"..."for I am brought very low"...purge me of my sins"..."according to your greatness"...and "remember not against me my former iniquities."  And this I would say was when we got through step 2 of the 12 steps.  When we came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.  This step goes on everyday.  Even in sobriety we wake every morning and pray that He deliver us according to his greatness, and foregive us of our former iniquities.

Thanks for letting me share.