We turn out
hearts of study again this week to Psalm 30. Some believe this
Psalm was written when David became King and built a permanent
dwelling place. In II Samuel 5:11 the King of Tyre sent cedars to
build this house to celebrate that David was no longer a cave
dweller but now Israel’s King. We should call together our
Christian friends when there is a new dwelling and show to all that
where we dwell, God has an altar.
Some believe it was written
on David’s second attempt to move the Ark of the Covenant back to
Jerusalem. When the ark was moved six paces David sacrificed an
animal and danced before the Lord.
Some believe it was written
when David numbered the people and was cursed with a plague. In
order to stay the plague he bought land from Araunah the Jebusite
and offered a sacrifice. This land was Mt. Moriah, the future site
of the temple of worship. No matter which of these interpretations
is right we are sure of one thing, this was a very dark time in
Israel’s history and God brought them out into the light. In
response they celebrated Him by giving Him glory. It is called a ‘Song’
and a ‘Psalm’ in the title, which indicates that the voices
were to be accompanied by musical instruments.
Let us look at verses 1-3,
which say, “I
will extol thee, O LORD; for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not
made my foes to rejoice over me. O LORD my God , I cried unto thee,
and thou hast healed me. O LORD, thou has brought up my soul from
the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the
pit.”
In verse 1 David responds
in like kind to what God has done in his own life. He ‘extols’
the LORD because the LORD has ‘lifted’ him up. The word ‘extol’
means to be exalted on high and lifted up. Oh, let us who know our
Lord extol His Name, His Character, His Attributes,
His Mercy, and His Great Patience with us His people.
David has been ‘lifted’. This word means to let down into a
well and draw up full. He is excited that the Lord has not allowed
his enemies to rejoice over him. David’s enemies would have counted
him down by a knock out, but he is lifted with a throne to sit upon
and the anticipation of a temple to worship in.
In verse 2 David becomes
more intimate with the Lord. He moves from ‘O LORD’ in verse
1 to ‘O LORD my God’ in verse 2. It is a blessed thing to say
of Him, ‘He is my creator’. When there is a need of healing
let us go first to our Lord. King Asa and the woman with the issue
of blood sought for the Doctor and were none the better. If our
watch were broken we would not take it to a plumber but a
watchmaker. Let us take our bodies to the Great Physician who
created them. He can make them right. If we need medicine let us
not forget it is still the Lord that must touch that medicine with
His healing power.
On three different
occasions in verses 2-3 David used the phrase, ‘thou hast’.
It is not a phrase of ‘hope so’ but a ‘confident
expectation’. David proclaims with glad confidence that he has
been healed, he has been delivered from the edge of the grave, and
he has been kept from the pit of distressing depression.
At this time of the year as
we look over what the Lord has done for us, whether it be little or
much, let us extol the Lord before this world.
