Psalms 30 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Psalm 30

Joy Comes with the Morning

A Psalm of David. A song at the dedication of the temple.

30:1   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.¹
4   Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints,
    and give thanks to his holy name.²
5   For his anger is but for a moment,
    and his favor is for a lifetime.³
  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,⁴
    if I go down to the pit?⁵
  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!

Footnotes

[1] 30:3 Or to life, that I should not go down to the pit
[2] 30:4 Hebrew to the memorial of his holiness (see Exodus 3:15)
[3] 30:5 Or and in his favor is life
[4] 30:9 Hebrew in my blood
[5] 30:9 Or to corruption

Commentary

A psalm of personal thanksgiving, and exaltation to praise; it may be dated in 2 Sam 6-7, when the ark was brought was Jerusalem; and the Lord's covenant with Israel was renewed.

v1-3: Gratitude to God for what He has done; He lifted me, healed me, brought me up, and spared me from death. David's testimony could be verified by others; they knew his words were true. The events of His life were no accident, but the hand of God.

v4: An invitation to others to join the song of praise.

v5: Anger replaced by favour; for us weeping by joy; Ps 126.5-6; Is 54.7-8.

v6-7: Time of pride and carelessness; there was a time when God seemed to hide His face. This was a real experience for the psalmist, and others have shared it.

v8-10: Prayer to God; a cry for help and mercy; 'I can only serve God in this life.' This is the day of opportunity and testimony. There is coming a time when this opportunity will end.

'if we take God for grantedm abd try to press on in ministry in our own strength, he has a way of hiding his face until we cry out to him.' (Stephen Kneale, the pastor with a thorn in his side)

v11: As in v5, mourning replaced by dancing, sackcloth by gladness; we may experience sorrows form God (Job 2.10), but they are for a season.

v12: The desire of the godly man; to sing praise to God, and to give thanks to God.