Sing praises to the Lord, O you His saints, and give thanks to His Holy name…You have turned for me my mourning into dancing… and clothed me with gladness…
Psalm 30
Most psalms have a title or, notation, telling who the author is. Psalm 30 has an extra notation that it was “a song at the dedication of the temple.” This may reference the tent structure built by David to house the Ark brought to Jerusalem from Shiloh. David built on the site where Solomon’s Temple would be built later. It is also possible the reference in the notation may have been added at the time of the dedication of Solomon’s Temple. David speaks, in Psalm 30, of a cycle of life (i.e. moving from lamentation to praise) coalescing the psalm with praise throughout. David begins and ends this prayer with pledges of praise to God. Early in the prayer, David attributes healing to God alone. In verse 5, David makes a contrast by saying God’s anger is for but a moment while God’s favor is for eternity. Though we may suffer the consequences of our sin, weeping over our disobedience to God, it will only last a little while, “for the night” but, “joy comes in the morning.” This verse is repeated by many a sinner who has disobeyed God and, now repentant, weeps over his disobedience through the night. But, when morning comes, God’s mercies are new. David recalls his own independence from God and his arrogant behavior before God. But, God’s grace revealed to David that he was acting just like his adversaries. David, then, pleads to God for His mercy and to help David. Then, David ends his prayer with praises to God for making David glad and wanting to dance as David sings praises to God, giving God thanks forever! May Christians, today, see David’s prayer structure in this psalm as a structure for some of the prayers we pray. When we study God’s Holy Scriptures, we find more than just words, stories or history. God gives us structure to use in our Christian life.
Source: S C Ball May 16, 2023
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