Devotional Short Note to Psalm 30: Scholars were totally confused about the title of this Psalm. They could not understand how the dedication of his palace, or Solomon’s Temple or the site selected for the Temple could be brought into scope here. They could not see a dedication for the site selection.

 

E. W. Hengstenberg, who was the Gerhard Hasel of Berlin University since 1825, but writing on Psalm 30 in 1842 made some comments on the Psalm that was echoed later by Alfred Edersheim and a handful years later when Ellen White browsed through Edersheim, she also used here and there the same “jargon” that both men were using. Utilizing sources is the way all of us operate. When something is true, the Holy Spirit will use it to compose His own work. Hengstenberg sees behind this Psalm, 2 Samuel 24 and 1 Chronicles 21. Hengstenberg collected his jargon in turn also from the source all three shared: these chapters in the Bible or the Word of God.

 

Ellen White described David’s unfaithful numbering sinful act in Patriarch and Prophets written in 1890 on pages 746-749 and Alfred Edersheim discussed the same issues in Volume V of his Bible History in (1876-1887), pages 38-39. Plagiarism by Ellen White? No. Just a word here and there and the same thoughts also in the Word of God. David’s sin in Psalm 30:7 is described by Hengstenberg as “pride”. By Edersheim later as “pride” and “ambition” and Ellen White also said “It was pride and ambition that prompted this action of the king”. Psalm 30:7 says: “And I had said in my security, ‘I shall not [Phoenician loanword showing the bad influence of cross-culturalism on him] be moved’. Hengstenberg and  Edersheim said nothing about it but Ellen White indicated that “intercourse with heathen peoples led to a desire to follow their national customs and kindled ambition for worldly greatness . . . they cared rather for their standing among other nations” (EGW Patriarch and Prophets 73). The Phoenician negative particle is used by David to show that he was involved in what Ellen White is pointing out here. Many scholars missed it. The Spirit of God is always correct.

 

David started numbering the people and Edersheim wrote a few years before Ellen White: “Remonstrance having been vain . . .” and Ellen White wrote: “they [people] did not look with favor upon David’s plan for so greatly extending the military service . . .The proposed enrollment caused much dissatisfaction”.

 

Psalm 30:12b is talking about a “sackcloth” and so is 1Chronicles 21:16 and this is mentioned by Edersheim (38) but also by Ellen White in PP 748.

 

An interesting connecting between Ellen White and Alfred Edersheim is that the Holy Spirit chose to agree that the site David selected for his altar after this bitter experience that he brought upon himself, is actually Mount Moriah or the place where Abraham was to offer Isaac.

 

Whereas Edersheim says the angel was “just above Mount Moriah” Ellen White says “He stood upon Mount Moriah”. According to both texts: 2 Samuel 24:15 and 1 Chronicles 21:15 Ellen White is more literally correct to the Hebrew text than Edersheim. The preposition `im means “with” and not “above”. Above would be `al. For the angel to stand with the site (White and original Hebrew) is different than to stand above the site (Edersheim).

 

One last item about a difference in number of years of the punishment of pestilence/famine (7 years in 2 Samuel 24:13 as opposed to 3 years of pestilence/famine in 1 Chronicles 21:12). Is it a contradiction? No. This is how it happened: III was three and III III was six but III [with a line through the middle] was seven. The scribe copying thought he saw III [actually 3] as III [seven with a line through the middle].

 

Some thought that David in this Psalm is singing this song at the Dedication of the future Temple site, which happen to be where he erected the altar after his sin. David is happy because the Lord has raised him up (Psalm 30:2a). It is connected to a sickness since in Psalm 30:3 he talks about healing that he received. He almost died and because God healed him, he was saved from a soul that was to disintegrate in the Sheol (Psalm 30:4). He was kept alive by God not to go to the pit. He asked the people to sing together with him and give thanks. He said: “And give thanks to the memory of His Holy One”. It Christ that they must remember, the Son of God. David did sin since in Psalm 30:6a he mentioned about the “anger” of God that “is but for a moment”. God was angry with him but then changed again. It means that he sinned and Hengstenberg is correct that this sin is related to the numbering display of fame that David was involved in in 2 Samuel 24 and 1 Chronicle 21. “His anger is in a moment, a life in His favor” (very literal translation) (Psalm 30:6a-b).

 

He said that one may weep during the night but in the morning comes joy (Psalm 30:6c-d) and that is what David did when he regretted what he did. Says Ellen White: “The numbering was not finished when David was convicted of his sin” (EGW PP 747). Says Edersheim of the same: “and the royal order itself resulted before the territory of Benjamin was reached. For already David’s conscience was alive to guilt which he had incurred” (Edersheim Vol V: 38).

 

He thanked the Lord for establishing his mountain as a stronghold (Psalm 30:8). It is possible that this was also connected to his false security about himself. People sometimes sin but still call on the name of the Lord as their help. God hid His face in Psalm 30:8b and the same can be found in 2 Samuel 24 and 1 Chronicle 21 when he did the numbering. The pestilence came (see 2 Samuel 24) and “I was affrighted” (Psalm 30:8b).

 

He called upon the Lord asking God what value praise to God will have if he dies (Psalm 30:10a-b). It substantiates the fact that death is a sleep in which no part of the body or soul is alive or existing to praise God.

 

God answered his prayer and turned his mourning into dancing. He was mourning and in sackcloth. He also dressed in sackcloth in 1 Chronicles 21:16 after his sin. He wanted this turning of God to him so that he can sing praises to God and not be silent. He wishes to give thanks to the Lord forever (Psalm 13b). It is a future verbal form so that it may mean that he contemplates that when God takes him one day to heaven to also live there, he will forever give thanks to the Lord.