Notes on the Book of Psalms, Psalm 30
The xxx. PSALM.
David upon his return to Ierusalem after Absaloms expulsion of him, dedicates his house anew, and thereat gratulates the mercies of God with this Psalm of praise for his deliverance and his enemies overthrow, exhorting the Israel of God to rejoyce with him, whom God had made such a monument of merciemercy to his people, whom though for sin he may afflict, as he did him, yet will he remember merciemercy and hear their prayers as he did his, to the end they may ever have cause to praise him, as for his part he had, and for ever would.Psalm xxx. A Psalm and song, at the dedication of the house of David.
A Psalm of praise and thanks-giving made by David at his peaceable and victorious return to Jerusalem after Absaloms rebellion, and appointed to be song with voice and instruments at the solemnity of dedicating his house, by purging it from those incestuous filthinesses committed in it, by him with his fathers concubines. Whom therefore he put apart, never to have any further knowledge of them.
1 AS I have great cause,1I Will extol thee, O Lord, for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoyce over me. so, O Lord, I will greatly magnifie the grace and merciemercy towards me, for thou hast again exalted me, and set me in my Kingdom, and given me the better of mine enemies that traiterously rebelled against me, and would have deposed me to have inthronized themselves in it.
2 Lord God of infinit power and goodness,2O Lord, my God, I cried unto thee; and thou hast healed me. such thou hast approved thy self to me, when I was in distress I made thee mine onelyonly refuge, to thee, alone did I in prayer and supplication make my moan, and of thee sought I relief, and thou hast accordingly quit me of all my troubles, and restored me to my Kingdom in peace and safety, as from death to life.
3 O Lord, to thy power and goodness do I wholly and solely ascribe my subsistence and recovery,3O, Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. so miraculous and wonderful hath been my deliverance from such dangers, that by no humane power could have been prevented from destroying me, hadst not thou preserved me alive beyond all humane hope or help.
4 O all ye my fellow-saints and servants, the adopted and called of the Lord,4Sing unto the Lord, (O ye saints, of his;) and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. joyn with me to bless and praise him with joyful hearts, in this my solemn memorial and thankful gratulation of his grace and faithfulness.
5 For this my strange and speedy deliverance and restorement;5For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. whereby he hath made me a monument of his goodness and merciemercy to his people, everlastingly in all ages, to encourage them to believe in him and pray to him, be their sin, and his displeasure seemingly never so great, for that in faithfulness he will remember merciemercy even in judgement, to such his anger is short-lived, and makes the return of his favour much more sweet and precious like life from death. If his people by sin grieve him, he may justly withdraw the light of his countenance & grieve them, but grace and merciemercy sought to in faith and humilitie will soon remove the eclipse, it shall be but as an evening to a morning, the light of grace like that of nature will certainly return, and with advantage, for short sorrow makes welcome joy.
6And in my prosperitie I said I should never be moved.6 And I for my part can give a full testimonie of this his dealing in my behalf, for when as I was setled peaceably in my Kingdom, and had brought under mine enemies, my heart began to contract securitie and carnal confidence, not living by faith and prayer as at other times, but thought my self unchangeably happie, never dreaming of such a strange revolt and rebellion.
7 Acknowledging but with a mixture of too much carnal confidence in my present condition,7Lord, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled. the grace of God in bestowing it on me, and establishing it unto me, not considering that he could as easily take it from me for sin, as bestow it on me in merciemercy; therefore God seeing cause, withdrew his favour and support from me, let me first fall into sin, and then into danger, to let me see what had preserved me from both, to wit, neither my goodness, nor my good condition, but his grace and favour, and that onelyonly can do it. For notwithstanding all the obligations on his part, and vows and promises on mine; yet so soon as he ceased to dispense his auxiliarie favour and grace, I fell into monstrous folly, which wrought me this trouble and miserie.
8 And hereupon I betook me to my never failing refuge of fervent and faithful prayer,8I cried to thee, O Lord: and unto the Lord I made supplication. which I put up to the Lord again and again.
9 Reasoning the matter thus in an humble boldness,9What profit is there in my bloud, when I go down to the pit? shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth? what satisfaction can my bloud make thee for my sin? or how can my death glorifie thee comparably to my life and restorement? what an opportunitie of praise wilt thou lose, if thou takest away my life? though I confess in justice I have forfeited it: but consider if according to thy merciemercy and faithfulness, thou so far beyond my merits shalt pardon and spare me, what praise it will bring thee, and how I and others for my sake shall be set on work to admire and magnifie the omnipotencie of thy grace, and infallibilitie of thy promise.
10Hear, O Lord, and have merciemercy upon me: Lord be thou mine helper.10 Therefore make not my life a prey to mine enemies, but hear my prayer, and in merciemercy pardon my sin, and grant me deliverance, be thou Lord my helper and saviour from my sin and danger.
11Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness.11 And upon my prayer the Lord hath helped me, yea, to thine everlasting praise be it spoken, thou, Lord, hast been merciful to me, and hast done away both my sin and thine anger; quit me of mine enemies, and restored me out of my sorrowful estate to a joyful condition, and out of my humiliation and abasement, into an established tranquillitie and happiness.
12To the end that my glorie may sing praise to thee and not be silent: O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.12 And this thou hast done for me; To the end I may by this merciful occasion have my tongue oiled from a heart enlarged to exalt thee, in thy never to be forgotten praises, by Psalms of thanks-giving: and accordingly, O Lord, that art the God of all my happiness, I will never forget this thy merciemercy, but with everlasting thankfulness according to my dutie and thy desert, will I celebrate the praise thereof unto thee.