Psalm 30:7 Ulasan

This is a psalm of thanksgiving for the great deliverances which God had wrought for David, penned upon occasion of the dedicating of his house of cedar, and sung in that pious solemnity, though there is not any thing in it that has particular reference to that occasion. Some collect from divers passages in the psalm itself that it was penned upon his recovery from a dangerous fit of sickness, which might happen to be about the time of the dedication of his house. I. He here praises God for the deliverances he had wrought for him (Psa 30:1-3). II. He calls upon others to praise him too, and encourages them to trust in him (Psa 30:4, Psa 30:5). III. He blames himself for his former security (Psa 30:6, Psa 30:7). IV. He recollects the prayers and complaints he had made in his distress (Psa 30:8-10). With them he stirs up himself to be very thankful to God for the present comfortable change (Psa 30:11, Psa 30:12). In singing this psalm we ought to remember with thankfulness any like deliverances wrought for us, for which we must stir up our selves to praise him and by which we must be engaged to depend upon him. A psalm and song at the dedication of the house of David.

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 30 A Psalm [and] Song [at] the dedication of the house of David. This is the first time that a psalm is called a song; some psalms are called by one name, some by another, and some by both, as here; and some are called hymns: to which distinction of them the apostle refers in Eph 5:19. A psalm was sung upon musical instruments, a song with the voice; it may be this psalm was sung both ways: the occasion of it was the dedication of David's house: the Targum interprets it of the house of the sanctuary, the temple; and so most of the Jewish commentators (i); which might be called his house, because it was his intention to build it; his heart was set upon it, he provided materials for it, and gave his son Solomon the form of it, and a charge to build it; and, as is thought, composed this psalm to be sung, and which was sung by the Levites at the dedication of it: others, as Aben Ezra, are of opinion it was his own dwelling house, made of cedar, which he dedicated according to the law of Moses, with sacrifices and offerings, prayer and thanksgiving, Sa2 5:11; so Apollinarius calls it a new house David built; but since there is nothing in the whole psalm that agrees with the dedication, either of the temple, or of David's own private house, it seems better, with other interpreters, to understand it of the purging of David's house from the wickedness and incest of his son Absalom, upon his return to it, when the rebellion raised by him was extinguished; which might be reckoned a new dedication of it; see Sa2 20:3; and to a deliverance from such troubles this psalm well agrees. Theodoret interprets it of the restoration of the human nature by Christ, through his resurrection from the dead. (i) Jarchi, Kimchi, & Abdendana.

Lord, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong,.... The psalmist found himself mistaken, and acknowledges it; that as it was not owing to his own merit that he enjoyed the prosperity that he did, so neither was the continuance of it owing to his goodness, power, and strength, but to the free grace and favour of God; as the church of God is compared to a mountain, and the several individuals of believers are like to Mount Zion, so the soul of a child of God may be called his mountain, which is made strong by the Lord as to its state in Christ, being set on him, the Rock of ages, and sure foundation, where it is safe and secure; and as to its grace, whenever it is in any strong exercise, which is altogether owing to the favour of God, and continues as long as he pleases; thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled; the Lord may hide his face from his people, and yet their state be safe; their mountain stands strong in that respect; yet this generally produces a change of frames; it gives trouble, and faith and hope become feeble and languid in their acts and exercises; this shows the changeableness of frames, that they are not to be depended upon; that they are entirely owing to the pleasure of God, and that rejoicing only should be in him: very likely some regard is had to the affair of Absalom's rebellion, which came unawares, unthought of, when David was in the greatest prosperity and security.

They who are engaged in the examination of the reason for virtues have said that some of the virtues spring from contemplation and some are noncontemplative … beauty and strength are noncontemplative virtues since they follow from the contemplative.… But, for this, namely, that beauty may exist in the soul and also the power for the fulfillment of what is proper, we need divine grace.… For I was beautiful according to nature but weak, because I was dead by sin through the treachery of the serpent. To my beauty, then, which I received from you at the beginning of my creation, you added a strength that is appropriate for what is proper. Every soul is beautiful that is considered by the standard of its own virtues. But beauty, true and most lovely, that can be contemplated by him alone who has purified his mind, is that of the divine and blessed nature. One who gazes steadfastly at the splendor and graces of it receives some share from it, as if from an immersion tingeing his own face with a sort of brilliant radiance.… Moses also was made resplendent in face by receiving some share of beauty when he held converse with God. Therefore, one who is conscious of his own beauty utters this act of thanksgiving: “O Lord, in your favor, you gave strength to my beauty.”

God is said to turn away his face when in times of troubles he permits us to be delivered up to trials, in order that the strength of him who is struggling may be known.… We pray always for the face of God to shine on us, in order that we may be in a state becoming to a holy person, gentle and untroubled in every way, because of our readiness for the good. “I am ready,” he says, “and am not troubled.”

"O Lord, in Your will You have afforded strength unto my beauty" [Psalm 30:7]. But that this my abundance, O Lord, is not of myself, but that in Your will You have afforded strength unto my beauty, I have learned from this, " You turned away Your Face from me, and I became troubled;" for You have sometimes turned away Your Face from the sinner, and I became troubled, when the illumination of Your knowledge withdrew from me.

"But I said, in my abundance." Above he gave thanks for the divine benefits; here he pursues the whole order of how he obtained this. Where he does three things. First he sets forth the process of his direction. Second, his recourse to prayer, at "To you, O Lord, I will cry out." Third he shows the hearing of his prayer, at "The Lord has heard." According to the Gloss, the first things are understood of Christ and of every man. And first let us explain how they are understood of every man: Sir. 10: "The beginning of all sin is pride." And therefore in the process of direction, first the presumption of those who trust in themselves is set forth. Second, the falsity of the presumption, at "O Lord, in your will." Third, the punishment of the presumption, at "You turned your face away from me." He says therefore: "I said," that is, I presumed in my heart, "in my abundance" of bodily prosperity, "I shall not be moved," that is, I shall not fail: Rev. 18: "I sit as a queen," etc. Sir. 11: "In the day of good things, do not be unmindful," etc. Or "in my abundance" of spiritual goods, as Adam was in Paradise: Ezek. 28: "Full of wisdom, perfect in beauty, in delights." And in this abundance they say, "I shall not be moved." Against which it is said in 1 Cor. 10: "He who thinks he stands, let him take heed lest he fall." He shows the falsity of the presumption when he says, "O Lord, in your will," etc. The beauty of man temporally is temporal prosperity: therefore it is compared to a flower: Is. 40: "All flesh is grass." But this beauty does not have power to endure of its own nature, as is said in Jas. 1: "Like the flower of the grass it shall pass away. For the sun rose with its burning heat and dried the grass, and its flower fell, and the beauty of its countenance perished: so also shall the rich man," etc. But from where does it have power and firmness and constancy? Certainly from the will of God. And therefore I said, but presumptuously, "I shall not be moved." But it is not so; rather, as long as it pleased you, you gave strength to my beauty. Indeed in perpetuity, because these things are eternal for the saints in the fatherland; but here, at his will. Likewise beauty can be taken for spiritual virtue: Prov. 31: "Strength and beauty," etc. This also of its own nature is not strong: because we have this beauty in earthen vessels, 2 Cor. 4; Lk. 24: "Stay in the city, until you are clothed with power from on high." And therefore he says, "You gave strength to my beauty, but in your will": Rom. 9: "He has mercy on whom he will." And he proves this by the effect: because "when you turned your face from me, I perished." God is said to turn his face from a man so as not to see him, or so as not to be seen by him. He sees all with a simple vision and knowledge; but some he sees with a vision of mercy: Ps. 24: "Look upon me, and have mercy on me." "You turned your face from me," therefore, so as not to have mercy on me. And immediately "I was troubled," either spiritually by falling into sin, or temporally into adversity. Or "you turned your face," so as not to be seen by me. And this seems to be the sense of Jerome's text. In any adversity whatsoever, the strength of man is to have his eyes fixed on God: Ps. 76: "I remembered God, and was delighted." "You turned away," therefore, so that I might not see. "And I was troubled." But if it is explained of Christ, then in this, "I said," not indeed presumptuously but with the certainty of knowledge, "in my abundance," that is, of virtues and graces: Jn. 1: "We saw his glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father." "I shall not be moved" from the will of God: Jn. 8: "I always do the things that are pleasing to him." And this because "you gave strength to my beauty," namely, of working miracles and of resisting adversaries: Rom. 1: "He was predestined as the Son of God in power." And this is clear: because "when you turned your face from me" in the passion: Ps. 21: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" "I was troubled," not in reason but in sensuality: Jn. 12: "Now my soul is troubled."

Literally, "A Psalm-Song"--a composition to be sung with musical instruments, or without them--or, "Song of the dedication," &c. specifying the particular character of the Psalm. Some suppose that of David should be connected with the name of the composition, and not with "house"; and refer for the occasion to the selection of a site for the temple (Ch1 21:26-30; Ch1 22:1). But "house" is never used absolutely for the temple, and "dedication" does not well apply to such an occasion. Though the phrase in the Hebrew, "dedication of the house of David," is an unusual form, yet it is equally unusual to disconnect the name of the author and the composition. As a "dedication of David's house" (as provided, Deu 20:5), the scope of the Psalm well corresponds with the state of repose and meditation on his past trials suited to such an occasion (Sa2 5:11; Sa2 7:2). For beginning with a celebration of God's delivering favor, in which he invites others to join, he relates his prayer in distress, and God's gracious and prompt answer. (Psa 30:1-12) lifted me up--as one is drawn from a well (Psa 40:2).

troubled--confounded with fear (Psa 2:5).