Sundays in the Psalms (30)

the Divine Knife

Psalm 30:5 “For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”

Text: Psalm 30

Introduction: The Sculptor’s Hand

Michelangelo was an extraordinary artist, sculptor, designer, painter, and architect.

On one occasion Michelangelo was asked how he was able to take a solid block of jagged Italian marble and carve from it a beautiful piece of art like his famous statue of David.

the great sculptor said. That was easy I just removed what was not supposed to be there in other words he removed everything that did not look like David.”

One Chisel. One Strike. One Chip at a time.

Day after day.

He slowly removed what did not need to be there

To someone watching, it probably looked destructive.

But Michelangelo was not destroying the marble, He was revealing what he saw in it.

In the same way, God works in our lives.

Sometimes He builds. Sometimes He removes.

Sometimes He comforts. Sometimes He corrects.

And when He corrects, it can feel painful.

This is the experience of David in Psalm 30.

Though this is a psalm of Thanksgiving, it focuses on God’s loving discipline of David in which the Lord chastened him for his sin In the superscription, the word “house” most likely refers to the temple of the Lord. David was dedicating the temple, after commiting a great trespass in 1chronicles 21 and 22. This is the recoed of the national plague that David caused when he arrogantly number the people and 70,000 died.

This caused David great stress and it caused him to morn in sackcloth begging God to have mercy on the people. (2 Sam 24:10,14)

The was no small matter in David’s life.

God brought him under the painful ordeal of a life threatening illness

He felt the crushing blows of God’s anger while possibly him and many of his loved ones tittered on the brink of death.

I am not saying your illness or aloved ones illness is a punishment from God

It may be that He is using this time to chip away at your rough edges so he can contimue to mold you into the masterpiece He sees in you.

But instead of getting mad at God and rising his fist, David went to God with a repentant spirit crying out for God’s mercy, asking for forgiveness.

God sometimes uses loving discipline to humble us, restore us, and bring us back to joyful fellowship with Him.

Instead of fighting aginst it, embrace it and allow God to do what He does best, shape us into a perfect image of His Son.

I. Rejoicing After Discipline (Verses 1–5)

“I will exalt You, O Lord, for thou hast lifted me up…”

David begins with praise.

Not complaint. Not bitterness. Not blame.

Praise.

Why?

Because he remembers where he was.

He was near death. He was weak. He was suffering.

But God pulled him up.

He remembers the pit that he was once in So he celebrates the rescue.

David says God healed him. God restored him. God saved him.

Then in verse 5, he gives us perspective:

“His anger endureth but for a moment, His favor is life (lifetime).”

God’s discipline is temporary.

God’s grace is permanent.

Illustration: A Parent’s Correction

A loving parent may discipline a child.

The child cries. The child feels hurt.

But that discipline lasts minutes.

The love lasts a lifetime.

God corrects briefly. He loves forever.

Then David says:

“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”

Night represents sorrow. Morning represents restoration.

Trouble is real. But it is not final.

Isaiah 54:7–8 “For a small moment have I forsaken thee; But with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; But with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, Saith the Lord thy Redeemer.”

God allowed David to suffer. But God did not abandon David.

Be Worshipful A New Day—From Night to Morning (vv. 4–5)

Weeping comes as a guest, but God’s gracious favor is with us for a lifetime. (See

II. The Reason for Discipline (Verse 6)

“and in my prosperity I said, ‘I shall never be moved.’”

Be Worshipful A New Heart—From Pride to Humility (vv. 6–10)

“Prosperity” means “careless ease, a carefree self-assurance because things are going so well.”

David admits something dangerous.

He got comfortable.

he said “I’m good. I’m strong. I’m secure.”

Be Worshipful A New Heart—From Pride to Humility (vv. 6–10)

This is frequently the attitude of the unconverted (10:6; 73:12;

David stopped leaning on God.

Illustration: A Ladder Without Support

Imagine climbing a ladder that’s leaning against a wall.

you dont tie it off, you say to your self, “ I will just be careful and as long as I dont go to fast or postion the ladder just right it will be just fine.

Then a gust of wind comes and blows the ladder and it begins to slide.

Self reliance would be trying to grab unto the roof while the ladder is sliding off

it will leave you hanging on for dear life in desperate nedd of a rescue.

David was climbing the ladder without a tie off

He removed God from the anchor system of his life.

He didn’t become an atheist.

he became something worse

He became self-reliant

Because self-reliance hides behind religion.

You still go to church. You still read Scripture. But you stop trusting.

Success is spiritually dangerous.

When things are hard, we pray. When things are good, we relax.

Wiersbe said this:

Be Worshipful A New Heart—From Pride to Humility (vv. 6–10)

Prosperity without humility can lead to adversity.

David’s prosperity made him careless.

And God loved him too much to leave him there.

III. The Reality of Discipline (Verse 7)

“thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled.”

God did Not remove His love. He did Not remove His covenant.

He just withdrew His sense of closeness.

David felt alone. Weak. Shaken.

Illustration: A Teacher’s Silence

A teacher helps a student during practice.

Then during a test, the teacher steps back.

Not because they hate the student. Because the student must learn.

God sometimes steps back to teach dependence.

David had once felt like a mountain—strong and unmovable.

Now he was trembling.

Illustration: Power Outage

When electricity goes out, you realize how much you depend on it.

Suddenly: No lights. No heat. No internet.

You didn’t notice it before.

Now you feel it.

When God’s presence felt distant, David realized how much he needed Him.

Discipline is not God leaving you.

It is God awakening you.

It exposes weakness so healing can begin.

IV. The Removal of Discipline

(Verses 8–12)

“I cried unto thee, O Lord…”

David’s response is key.

He doesn’t run. He doesn’t hide. He doesn’t pretend.

He prays.

Illustration: The Broken Bone

When a bone breaks, it hurts.

But if you ignore it, it heals wrong.

You must go to the doctor. Endure pain. Allow correction.

David went to God.

He says:

“What profit is there in my blood? (death)”

Not in arrogance. but Humility.

“Lord, I need You. I want to praise You.”

He confesses. He repents.

And God responds.

“thou hast turned my mourning into dancing.”

Notice 7 times David wrote thou hast, this bears witness to the strong and gracious hand of the Lord working on his behalf.

Even God’s chastening of David was an expression of His love (Heb. 12:1–11).

Once David knew he was forgiven and accepted, he moved from the funeral to the feast.

He took off the sackcloth of sadness and put on the garments of gladness. (Wiersbe)

Everything changed

Pain → Praise Sorrow → Singing Silence → Thanksgiving

God took David from mourning to celebration.

God does not just forgive.

He restores joy.

He doesn’t just remove guilt. He renews hearts.

That’s grace.

Application and Conclusion:

Living Psalm 30

1. Learn From Pain

Pain is a teacher.

Ignore it, and you repeat the lesson. Learn from it, and you grow.

Ask your self :“Lord, what are You teaching me?”

1. Learn From Pain

2. Guard Against Pride

Success whispers, “You don’t need God.”

Fight that lie.

Stay praying. Stay humble. Stay dependent.

1. Learn From Pain

2. Guard Against Pride

3. Respond Quickly

Delayed repentance prolongs discipline.

Quick confession brings quick restoration.

1. Learn From Pain

2. Guard Against Pride

3. Respond Quickly

4. Trust God’s Hand

If God is correcting you, He hasn’t given up on you.

He’s still shaping you.

Maybe you are in the place this evening that you feel the weight of God’s heavy hand on you. you are not sure how much longer you can endure it seems as if you have been in this for sometime.

Can I give you some good news this evening,

Psalm 30 gives us a wonderful promise:

Morning is coming.

The Sculptor is still working.

And when He’s finished, you’ll look more like Jesus.