Psalm 30

Extolling the Lord (vs. 1-3)—The heading of this psalms says it is a song at the dedication of the house of David. It isn’t exactly known where this information came from; it isn’t in the text of the psalm itself. David extols the Lord for having lifted him up (against his enemies, v. 1), healing him (spiritually?, v. 2), and saving him from death (v. 3). Whether that was literal or not, we don’t know; this is poetry, remember. But it also doesn’t sound like a dedication of a house, either. Keep in mind that the headings at the beginning of each psalm were added later and are not part of the song itself.

Thanksgiving for God’s mercy (vs. 4-7a)—God’s people should sing praises and give thanks to Him, of course (v. 4), and for numerous reasons. David mentions the brevity of His anger, and the enduring favor He bestows upon us (v. 5). There will be sorrows in this life, but they, too, will soon pass—“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning” (v. 5). Prosperity and steadfastness are also gifts of Jehovah (vs. 6-7). Thus, our thanksgiving should be at every “remembrance of His holy name” (v. 4).

A prayer for deliverance (vs. 7b-12)—The last statement in verse 7, “You hid Your face, and I was troubled,” obviously belongs with the rest of the psalm. How David knew that the Lord had “hid [His] face” is unknown; the king obviously attributes some trouble in life to God turning away from him. Perhaps a sin that David knew he had committed, or a test from Jehovah. In this case, verse 9 seems to indicate pressure from some enemy. Regardless, David made his supplication to God, and argued, in verse 9, that he couldn’t very well praise God if he were dead: “What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your truth?” So, he pleads for mercy—always acknowledging that it is only by God’s mercy that he is delivered. I again marvel at the humility of an absolute monarch. The tone changes in verses 11 and 12 where David has obviously obtained the relief he seeks. His “mourning” had been turned into “dancing,” and his “sackcloth” (a sign of grief) was now “gladness” (v. 11). And the end result of that was that “my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent,” and that he might “give thanks to You forever” (v. 12). Hopefully, we won’t wait for something good to happen to us before we offer God the praise of thanksgiving that we owe Him.