Psalm 30

A Psalm of David. A song at the dedication of the temple. 1 I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up and have not let my foes rejoice over me. 2 O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me. 3 O Lord, you have brought up my soul from Sheol; you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit. 4 Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. 5 For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning. 6 As for me, I said in my prosperity, “I shall never be moved.” 7 By your favor, O Lord, you made my mountain stand strong; you hid your face; I was dismayed. 8 To you, O Lord, I cry, and to the Lord I plead for mercy: 9 “What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness? 10 Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me! O Lord, be my helper!” 11 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, 12 that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!

Psalm 30 ESV

The Psalms are one of the great literary treasures of history. For a historian these works constitute a treasure trove of information concerning Hebrew history, culture, and most of all language. Many of the writers of the Psalms had an absolute masterful command of the language they employed. And to study the Psalms simply for the academic benefit, many would not be disappointed.

The Psalms are one of the great literary treasures of history.

For a historian these works constitute a treasure trove of information concerning Hebrew history, culture, and most of all language. Many of the writers of the Psalms had an absolute masterful command of the language they employed. And to study the Psalms simply for the academic benefit, many would not be disappointed.

However for the Jew, the Psalms contain the words of David, Solomon, Moses, Asaph, the Korahites, and other important men from their history. The Psalms are some of the most personal and spiritually acute writings that a Jew accesses.

Finally, for a Christian, the Psalms provide a deep well of soul sustaining worship text that can be drawn from regularly.

Athanasius wrote a letter to a friend who was sick, who was reading the Psalms.

“before He came among us, He sketched the likeness of this perfect life for us in words, in this same book of Psalms; in order that, just as He revealed Himself in flesh to be the perfect, heavenly Man, so in the Psalms also men of good-will might see the pattern life portrayed, and find therein the healing and correction of their own. “ -THE LETTER OF ATHANASIUS, CHURCH FATHER, ARCHBISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, TO MARCELLINUS ON THE INTERPRETATION OF THE PSALMS

In the Psalms we find the life of Christ.

And we discover Christ hidden in the pages of the Psalms.

Christ existed in eternity past and eternity future before and after the life of David.

David and the other Psalmists spent time with Jesus, through faith.

The faith of the Psalmists is seen in technicolor as we read the Psalms.

Through the inspiration of the Spirit of Christ these men penned a vast array of soul food.

Think about the incredible eternal ministry that these men engaged in when they first wrote these words down.

Psalm 103:15–19 LEB

15 As for man, his days are like the grass. As the flower of the field, so he blossoms. 16 When the wind passes over it, it is no more, and its place knows it no longer. 17 But the loyal love of Yahweh is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to their children’s children, 18 to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his precepts. 19 Yahweh has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.

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Anything else these men could have written would likely have not survived past their generation, but when they penned the Psalms, it’s as if they were drawing an eternal ink from the side of Christ. An ink drawn from heaven that lasts forever. Words that transcend time and sorrow, right to the heart of men and women, forever.

And so we do find Christ in the Psalms, and we find the Psalms in Christ.

Jesus would have learned the Psalms as a little boy, and would have grown up singing and reciting them in the synagogue.

When he was a man, and he began his ministry, Jesus recited the Psalms more than any other old Testament book.

He was asked for a sign to show who He is (, )the Jews wanted to stone Him for claiming to be God. (, ). He called Himself the chief cornerstone (, , , ). countering the Pharisees on several occasions (, , , , , , ). foretelling Jerusalem’s destruction (; , ). talking about his betrayal (, ). telling that He would be hated without cause (, , ). Pilate asked if He is the son of God (, , ). dying on the cross: (; , ). committing his spirit to His Father (, ). speaking about those who try to work their way into the Kingdom (, ). speaking of the hate the world has for Him (; , ) speaking of the sorrow of His soul (,, , , ) speaking of Man’s reward for his works (, ) speaking of the manna God gave to their forefathers (, ) telling about the time they will see Him again (, )

Jesus summarized this for his disciples after he had risen from the dead by showing them his hands and his feet.

Luke 24:44 LEB

44 And he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything that is written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled.”

We find Jesus praying the Psalms, and so we find that these prayers can be adopted for the life of the believer?

“You cannot know the inner life of the Lord Jesus without being profoundly familiar with the Psalms.” -Sinclair Ferguson

To bring that down to an immediate example, imagine if your spouse had an all time favorite movie. It’s a well known movie, and it’s really shaped who they are they love it so much. They watch it at least once a month and they are constantly quoting the lines from it.

But you don’t know the lines because you haven’t seen the movie! This huge part of your spouses humor, cultural references, and worldview are all shaped by this movie, but you have not seen the value in watching it.

How sad that would be to not share that with your husband or wife!

How much more sad to never trace the lines of the Psalms with your finger and worship our God while you do so...

What does this look like for the church?

What does it look like when the church becomes profoundly familiar with the inner life of the Lord Jesus Christ?

Ephesians 5:18–19 ESV

18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,

Ephesians 5:19 LEB

19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and singing praise in your heart to the Lord,

A symphony of saints saved from sin singing spiritual songs

Could that be Desert Son?

Could our worship and praise be an outpouring and extension of our faith through the Spirit?

YES

Lots of ways people in the Bible spoke to God: Petition Query Response Praise Complaint Confession Intercession Thanksgiving Blessing Affirmation Repentance Imprecation Oath Lament Curse Consecration

Types of Psalms: Praise, Lament, Thanksgiving, Trust , Hymn, Wisdom, Royal

is a Psalm of Thanksgiving, one of 8. These Psalms are a joyful expression of praise and thanks towards God, typically in response to a request made that God has answered.

A Psalm of thanksgiving is a Psalm that gives very intentional thought towards something that God has done, and less like “count your blessings” and more like “try and quantify how good God is.”

is a Chiasm. 49 of the Psalms are.

“A chiasm (also called a chiasmus) is a literary device in which a sequence of ideas is presented and then repeated in reverse order.”

Thought A, Thought B, Thought B, Thought A

ABBA? Maybe think Dancing Queen to remember how this works.

Of course there can be more than 2 thoughts that are being taught and then retaught in reverse order.

Chiasm’s are all over Scripture

Luckily for us, this Psalm to me appears to only have two thoughts being used...

Praise, Salvation, Salvation, Praise

Praise for what God has done

vs 1-4

Psalm 30:1–4 ESV

1 I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up and have not let my foes rejoice over me. 2 O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me. 3 O Lord, you have brought up my soul from Sheol; you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit. 4 Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name.

“I will extol you, O Lord.” The word extol means lifting up, or exalting something that is already lifted up.

“For you have drawn me up” It’s as if David is like a child who has reached up for his father, to get away from a dog, and as soon as he’s in his fathers arms he stares at his face and goes “Thanks dad!”

“O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me. O Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol; you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.”

I identify closely with the words David uses in this Psalm.

The pit.

Have you ever felt like you’re in the pit?

I sure have.

This Psalm has been one that I return to regularly in times of feeling that I have strayed from God.

So what is the pit?

Some translations use Sheol, which is the old testament Hebrew understanding of Hell.

Sheol was a physical place that one only reached through death.

David spoke of Sheol more than once, and we see through his prayers to God that through faith, David believed God would rescue and redeem Him from such a place.

English Standard Version Psalm 16

I have set the LORD always before me;

because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;

my flesh also dwells secure.

10 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,

or let your holy one see corruption.

Psalm 30:4–5 ESV

4 Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. 5 For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.

The favor of the Lord is for a lifetime! What a beautiful promise.

David doesn’t ignore the realities of the anger of God, and weeping.

Intense sorrow is the lot of a son of Adam.

We live in a broken, crippled world. David had reasons for sorrow.

A previously anointed king who was intimidated by him and hated him, losing his best friend to death young, marital unfaithfulness that drew him away from God, violent murderous nephews who constantly caused him problems, sexual assault and murder amongst his own sons and daughters, a son who tears the hearts of the people away from him and starts a rebellion that results in the death of said son, and finally a prideful, ill-advised, and satanically incited census that resulted in the plague deaths of 70,000 men in Israel.

David knew sorrow, but he also knew that Joy, true Joy, was to be found in knowing Him.

But what about David’s accomplishments?

David’s pride leads to distress

Psalm 30:6–7 LEB

6 But as for me, I had said in my prosperity, “I shall not be moved ever.” 7 O Yahweh, by your favor you caused my strong mountain to stand. You hid your face. I was bewildered.

Vs 6-7 But as for me, I had said in my prosperity, “I shall not be moved ever.” O Yahweh, by your favor you caused my strong mountain to stand. You hid your face. I was bewildered.

But as for me, I had said in my prosperity, “I shall not be moved ever.” O Yahweh, by your favor you caused my strong mountain to stand. You hid your face. I was bewildered.

How terribly the children of Adam are revisited by the same spirit that led the firstborn of creation into rebellion against God.

David truly was an incredible man with a long list of accomplishments.

The underdog beheading of Goliath followed by a routing of the Philistines. Unification of Israel. Conquering Jerusalem. The Ark. Davidic Line.

Even one of these accomplishments would be enough to stroke the pride of any man ever.

In fact, after David killed Goliath, the people of Israel already viewed him as a celebrity.

“Saul has killed his thousands but David tens of thousands”

There is another king in scripture that experienced this same fatal mistake.

Daniel 4:28–33 LEB

28 All this happened to Nebuchadnezzar the king. 29 At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon. 30 And the king answered and said, “Is this not the great Babylon which I have built as a royal palace by the strength of my own power, and for the glory of my own majesty?” 31 While the words were still in the mouth of the king, a voice from heaven came, saying, ‘To you, King Nebuchadnezzar, it is declared that the kingdom has departed from you, 32 and you will be driven away from human society and your dwelling will be with the animals of the field and they will cause you to graze the grass like oxen, and seven times will pass over you, until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdom of humankind and that he gives it to whom he wills.’ 33 Immediately the word was fulfilled concerning Nebuchadnezzar, and he was expelled from human society and he ate grass like oxen, and his body was bathed with the dew of heaven until his hair was like the hair of an eagle and his nails grew like a bird’s claws.

Daniel 4:28-

My all-time favorite jerky was called Divine Bovine.

That’s what he became...

Both David and Nebuchadnezzar made the same fatal mistake of looking at all God had given them and then glorifying themselves.

Branch analogy pointing at the tree saying it’s not there...

A plea for salvation

David cries out to God when he realizes God’s face has turned away from him.

Psalm 30:8–10 LEB

8 To you, O Yahweh, I called, and to the Lord I pleaded for grace saying, 9 “What gain is there in my death, in my going down into the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness? 10 “O Yahweh, hear and be gracious to me. O Yahweh, be my helper.”

Psalm 30:8-

There’s an interesting question posed to God here by David...

Will the dust praise you?

What’s the answer?

YES

But God doesn’t want the rocks to praise Him.

If He did He would have made a universe of rocks.

But instead He did something that defies our understanding.

He made creatures in His own image.

Creatures with choice

A choice to love Him or reject Him.

Many times when we fall into despair because of our sin, we tend to think the way we are feeling is because we are condemned or we can’t measure up, when in actuality we are simply feeling terrible because we are focusing on our sin and not on God’s face!

God created us to be sitting in His lap, praising Him, and when we aren’t there we feel terrible.

Praise and honor attributed to God

Psalm 30:11–12 ESV

11 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, 12 that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!

English Standard Version Psalm 30

11 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;

you have loosed my sackcloth

and clothed me with gladness,

12 that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent.

O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever!

Into Your Hand I Commit My Spirit

That MY glory may sing your praise and not be silent.

What’s the difference between David’s glory and God’s glory?

David’s glory is derivative and reflective of God’s Glory

“The glory of God is the infinite beauty and greatness of God’s manifold perfections.” - John Piper

So David’s glory is God given, and is a microscopic glimpse of God’s perfections.

The Glory of God is the

Nebuchadnezzar figured this out in a big way. The completion of his story goes like this...

Daniel 4:34–37 LEB

34 “But at the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up my eyes to heaven, and then my reason returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and the one who lives forever I praised and I honored. “For his sovereignty is an everlasting sovereignty, and his kingdom continues from generation to generation. 35 And all the dwellers of the earth are regarded as nothing, and he does according to his desire in the host of heaven and among the dwellers of earth, and there is not one who can hold back his hand, or ask him, ‘What are you doing?’ 36 “At that time my reason returned to me, and also the glory of my kingdom and my majesty and splendor returned to me, and my advisers and my lords searched me out, and I was established over my kingdom and abundant greatness was added to me. 37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and honor the king of heaven, for all his works are truth, and his ways are justice and that he is able to humble those who walk in pride.”

Daniel 4:34-

Nebuchadnezzar got reformed!!

Recap for the two groups. Those in the pit and those in pride.

There are those in this room who are experiencing intense suffering today.

I can’t tell you that today is the day your circumstances change,

but I can tell you that for David, in his moments of need, gazing on God’s face brought him to joy.

And there are those who are feeling prideful in the blessings that God has given them.

Watch Out!

Glorifying oneself feels good, but not being able to see God’s face may be devastating for you.

The answer is the same for both. God’s face is the treasure above all else.=-0-0

God’s glory in the New Testament is described as being found in the face of Christ.

Christ crucified and resurrected is the hope of today.

Explain...

Do you wish that you could see it all made new?

Knowing Him and gazing upon is face is the soothing balm for those hurting, and the cure for unrestrained pride.

“Oh God full of glory and grace Open in me a fountain of faithful praise Let it flow from the depths of my heart like great lakes Let my soul be the sweetness that spreads its fragrance Save me from the love of the world that you created More than the God whose beautiful hands made it Break me from pride and consecrate me Make me feel the weight of my sin, sorrow and safety Let me sing with the saints of your great salvation And join in the songs of all creation Let the winds obey, the oceans wave, the mountains cave Let every star you placed display grace Let my speech do the same as the skies proclaim Let everything that has life and breath bless your name Let the earth be the stage where all creation aims To heaven in endless praises and adoration” -Doxology by Beautiful Eulogy

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