Psalm 30: Don't fly too high My little bird

koot van wyk (DLitt et Phil; ThD)

Visiting Professor

Department of Liberal Education

Kyungpook National University

Sangju Campus

South Korea

Conjoint lecturer of Avondale College

Australia

Psalm 30 is a Psalm of David. Verse one tells us that it was a song of dedication to the house. Some commentaries took it for the temple, but that is not correct. It is a song for the dedication of the house of David.

2 Samuel 5:4 tells us that David was 30 years old when he started to reign. The year was 1114 BCE. He was born in 1144. Verse 5 tells us that he reigned in Hebron for 7 years six months until 1007 BCE and in Jerusalem he reigned 33 years over Israel and Judah until 974 when Solomon became co-ruler until David's death in Solomon's fourth year in 970 BCE so that Solomon can build the temple. David could not build the temple since he had too much blood on his hands. He killed too many people or caused their death. 2 Samuel 5:7 states that David captured the stronghold of Zion and called it the city of David in 1007 BCE. Also verse 9. Verse 10 says that David became stronger and stronger "for the Lord God of hosts was with him". Verse 11 states that he wanted to build a house and the Phoenician Hiram of Tyre sent messengers and gifts of cedar trees and carpenters and stonemasons to build his house. "And they built a house for David" (2 Samuel 5:11). That was in 1007 BCE. And David realized that the Lord had established him as king over Israel and He had exalted his kingdom for the sake of His people Israel (verse 12).

In verse 2 David says that he will extol the Lord for He has lifted him up. The second reason is that the enemies did not rejoice to him (v. 2b). When David was sick he cried to the Lord and the Lord healed him (v. 3). David almost died and the Lord brought his soul from Sheol (the death level) (v. 4a. The Lord kept David alive (hiyyitani) from goring down a pit (v. 4b). Pit and Sheol are synonyms of the same level in death.

David asked then the audience to also worship God. The kind ones are to sing to the Lord. They are to give thanks to the remembrance of His Holiness (v. 5).

The reason is spelled out by David is the character of God: His anger is in a moment, life is in His favor (v. 6a). Weeping lingers in the night (v. 6b) and to the morning is joy. Someone said weeping is likened to a traveller who spend the night over at a place and moves on in the morning.

David remembers his follies: he claimed with emphasis (double I used in the Hebrew) that in his security he can never be moved (v. 7).

"Lord, in Your favor You have caused to stand to my mountain, strength" (v. 8a). The Lord has placed strength for him on his mountain, not soldiers, not fortresses, not walls, not indirect entry gates. "You have caused to hide Your face. My life was frightened" (v. 8b). One Jewish commentator commented: "when all was well with me, I was unconscious of the truth that the strength and security in which I boasted had been bestowed upon me by God in His favour" (Cohen 1950).

The reality of where his power and life and strength came from, made David call for help in the right direction: vertical. "Unto You, O Lord, I will call". He continues to say that unto the Lord he will make his supplication (v. 9).

Already knowing the answer, David asks whether there is any profit in his blood when he goes down unto the pit (of death) (v. 10a). It is the blood of Christ that gives life and his own blood is of no avail. He asks whether the dust (later result of his death and body decay process) will praise the Lord? The answer is similar to Job and Moses, that there is no afterlife beyond death until God resurrects (v. 10b). Dust cannot tell the truth of the Lord.

David asks the Lord to hear him and be kind to him. "The Lord is (emphasized with a being verb) a Helper to me" (v. 11b).

David says that the Lord turned his mourning (probably over the death of a loved one) for him to dancing (mahol) (v. 12a). Before we think that holy dancing is permitted in church because of David's dancing, we need to think again. The Lord took away his sackcloth and gird him with gladness (simchat). Gladness is not an external action, it is internal. Mourning is an external manifestation but the dancing here lines up in synonymous parallelism, well known and well used in both the Bible and outside the Bible literature as similar thoughts. Since gladness is inside the connecting word in the earlier line, dancing, is a dancing of the heart not a physical dancing. It cannot be used to justify holy dancing in church or participation in modern dancing anywhere.

"So that glory sing to You and not be silent" (v. 13a).

David ended the Psalm by saying that he will give thanks to the Lord always.