Psalm 30: What Profit Is There In My Death?

September 25, 2008

In John Bunyan’s greatest book The Pilgrim’s Progress, Christian comes to Interpreter’s house shortly after he has entered upon the way of life. Interpreter is a figure of the Holy Spirit, who leads him about showing him what he needs to know through images and the experiences of other people. Toward the end of his stay in Interpreter’s house, he comes to a room where a man is sitting with downcast eyes in an iron cage.

Now the man, to look on, seemed very sad; he sat with his eyes looking down to the ground, his hands folded together, and he sighed as if he would break his heart. Then said Christian, What means this? At which the Interpreter bid him talk with the man.

Then said Christian to the man, What art thou? The man answered, I am what I was not once.

CHRISTIAN: What wast thou once?

THE MAN: The man said, I was once a fair and flourishing professor [Christian] both in mine own eyes, and also in the eyes of others: I once was, as I thought, fair for the celestial city, and had then even joy at the thoughts that I should get thither.

CHRISTIAN: Well, but what art thou now?

THE MAN: I am now a man of despair, and am shut up in it, as in this iron cage. I cannot get out; Oh now I cannot!

CHRISTIAN: But how camest thou into this condition?

THE MAN: I left off to watch and be sober: I laid the reins upon the neck of my lusts; I sinned against the light of the word, and the goodness of God; I have grieved the Spirit, and he is gone; I tempted the devil, and he is come to me; I have provoked God to anger, and he has left me: I have so hardened my heart, that I cannot repent.

This man has always troubled me, ever since I was a little boy, with all three illustrated versions of the Pilgrim’s Progress that we owned spread around me on the floor. I don’t know exactly what Bunyan meant by him, but I think I understand how he came “into this condition.” It occurred to me this morning.

This man’s problem is that he forgot the tides of the Christian life. Quite possibly he was very sinful. Maybe even after he had professed to be a Christian–maybe his worst sins occurred then. But he had never got hold of the truth that acts like the moon to those tides I mentioned.–The truth that God’s plan is to be worked out through our salvation. People who aren’t Christians simply can’t say with any conviction,

What profit is there in my death?

Meaning, How would it profit you Lord to go back on your promises and refuse to acknowledge the salvation that is in your Son? How would if profit you for my spiritual death to occur despite me spiritual rebirth? We know you are sovereign, that all thing’s work toward your glory in ways we can’t understand, but you have covenanted solemnly with us that your glory will here, in our lives, be displayed through grace and mercy.

Psalm 30 is the warrant to plead for mercy. To wrestle with God for faithfulness to his promises. That is the only sure antidote to an iron cage of despair.