Psalm 30 Continued…
Psalm 30:4 Sing to the Lord, you saints of his; praise his holy name.
The NIV translates the verbs “sing” and “praise” as “Sing to the Lord” and “praise his holy name” but the Hebrew clearly states to “Make music” and “give thanks.” These verbs occur again at the end of this Psalm in verse 12.
“you saints of his” denotes those to whom He has been gracious and merciful, and has blessed with pardoning grace and justifying righteousness, adoption, and a right to eternal life. They are holy godly persons; in whose hearts principles of grace and holiness are formed; and who are kind and generous to others, all which are called “saints” here; and these are the Lord’s; they are set apart for Him, and they are sanctified by Him; and therefore David calls upon them to give thanks to God, because of the mercy which he had experienced. He invites them to unite with him in praising God who had showed him so much mercy. It was not because they had been helped by these tokens of divine favor; but:
(1) Because when we receive divine mercy, we desire that others may join us in giving expression to the praise due to God.
(2) Because others may learn from the mercies bestowed on us that God is worthy of praise, or may see in His dealings with us an argument for His goodness; and may, therefore, appropriately unite with us in giving Him His due praise.
Unfaithfulness is solitary and antisocial; religion is social; and, no matter on whom the favor is bestowed, its effect is to unite the hearts of many to each other and to God.
David felt that he could not praise God enough himself, and therefore he would enlist the hearts of others. “Sing to the Lord, you saints of his.” David would not fill his choir with degenerates, but with sanctified persons, who could sing from their hearts. He calls to you, the people of God because you are saints: and if sinners are wickedly silent, let your holiness compel you to sing. You are His saints—chosen, blood-bought, called, and set apart for God and sanctified on purpose so that you could offer the daily sacrifice of praise. Abound in this heavenly duty, and “Sing to the Lord.”
Whatever the occasion was that prompted his praise, however, the people who had escaped the pestilence had almost exactly the same reason for praising and thanking God that David had, and were bound to join him in his thanksgiving service.
Psalm 30:5 For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.
The Hebrew is, there is but “a moment in his anger.” That is, his anger lasts for a short time or a brief period. The reference here is to the troubles and sorrows through which the psalmist had passed, as compared with his happiness which followed. Though at the time they might have seemed to be long, yet, as compared with the many mercies of life, with the joy which had come after them, and with the hopes now treasured, they seemed to last for only a moment. God, according to the view of David, is not a Being who takes pleasure in anger; not one who keeps it always in his mind; not one who is unwilling to show mercy and kindness: he is a Being who is willing to be merciful, and though he may be displeased with the conduct of men, yet his displeasure is not cherished and nourished, but passes away with the occasion, and is remembered no more. The seventy years of the Captivity were but as a moment of time compared with the long ages during which God had tenderly watched over and protected his Church, and, still more, compared with the eternity during which he was now about to show himself her constant Guardian and Protector. There had been a little wrath; or rather, one burst of wrath; and then Mercy had resumed her mastery.
Weeping may remain for a night
“Weeping” is represented here as a person. This is a reference to the time when afflictions usually seem the most severe and press the hardest upon persons; when they feel them more intensely, because they are free from diversions, and have the leisure time to grumble, and moan; and may cause a night of “weeping,” a night of affliction, or of darkness and desertion. “Remain for a night” denotes the short duration of the affliction. The word rendered here as “remain” means “to lodge, to sojourn,” as one does for a little time. The idea is, that weeping is like a stranger—a wayfaring person (wanderer, vagabond, a vagrant)—who lodges for a night only. In other words, sorrow will soon pass away and will be followed by joy.
But rejoicing comes in the morning
This has the idea of singing, shouting, and exultation. That is, if we have the friendship of God, sorrow will always be temporary, and will always be followed by joy. After a night of sorrow or affliction, the morning will come; a morning without clouds; a morning when the causes of sorrow and afflictions will disappear. This often occurs in the present life; it will always occur to the righteous in the life to come. The sorrows of this life last for just a moment, and they will be followed by the light and the joy of heaven. Then, if not before, all the sorrows of the present life, however long they may appear to last, will seem like it lasted for a brief moment. Weeping, though it may have made life here seem like one unbroken night, will be followed by one eternal day without a sigh or a tear.
Psalm 30:6 When I felt secure, I said, “I will never be shaken.”
The mental struggle through which David had made his way to this sublime faith is now told in the most vivid manner.
“Felt secure”—as it is used here is either the outward security he had when he was settled in his kingdom, and acknowledged king by all the tribes of Israel, and had gotten the victory over all his enemies, and was at peace with all those nations around Israel; or he means inward and spiritual security, for he had a spiritual appetite for the Word of God.
He thought he was past all danger of further troubles. The Hebrew word which has been rendered “secure,” denotes peace and tranquility, arising from an affluent, prosperous condition. When God had settled him quietly on the throne, he thought his troubles were over, and that he would enjoy uninterrupted happiness; that God had made him secure from all dangers, as though he had taken refuge in an inaccessible mountain, that he had made his prosperity firm, and no longer subject to change than a mountain is liable to be removed from its place.
The idea of this clause is the feeling of security, resulting from uninterrupted good fortune, and the carnal pride that is apt to spring from prosperity.
I said, “I will never be shaken.”
Instead of conceiving that we shall never be moved, we ought to remember that we shall very soon be moved completely. Nothing under the moon lasts forever. Because I happen to be prosperous today, I must not think that I shall be so tomorrow. Prosperity had evidently turned the David’s head, or he would not have been so self-confident. He stood by grace, and yet forgot himself, and so he took a fall. Dear reader, don’t we have the same proud stuff in all our hearts? Let us beware for fear that the fumes of intoxicating success get into our brains and make fools of us also.
PRAY
Thank you, Father, that trials do not last forever. Thank you for bringing me joy and never leaving me in sorrow.