The Song of the Righteous Concerning the Night of Weeping and Morning of Joy

This psalm is entitled, “A psalm and song of David.” Thus we have one of the evidences of what Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16 mean. A psalm is a song and a song is a psalm. It is thought that this was composed and sung for a festival, perhaps the dedication of David’s house.

The substance of the psalm acts as a warning to the believer not to be complacent under the blessings of God. David knew prosperity in his affairs, and had rested in the confidence that he had. Under the favour of God his mountain had stood strong, but when God withdrew His favour he plunged into dismay and distress, and even tasted as it were, the depths of death. He had shed tears, vented his mourning, and worn sackcloth, and God had heard him and turned from His anger. What a change; now he danced, wore joy as a garment, and sang and shouted with that joy.

To be chastened by God because of self-reliance and trusting in one’s arm of flesh is humbling, but recovery and restoration rejoice the heart. It is as life from the dead. Our Lord, after knowing the terrors of God and of the grave, could say in the words of Psalm 22, “He cried unto Him and He heard and my praise shall be of Thee in the great congregation.”

Pastor Jeff O’ Neil

Recommended Tune: St Minver, St Fulbert

Psalm 30

¹LORD, I will thee extol, for thou
Hast lifted me on high,
And over me thou to rejoice
Mad’st not mine enemy.

²O thou who art the LORD my God,
I in distress to thee,
With loud cries lifted up my voice,
And thou hast healed me.

³O LORD, my soul thou hast brought up,
And rescued from the grave;
That I to pit should not go down,
Alive thou didst me save.

⁴O ye that are his holy ones,
Sing praise unto the LORD;
And give unto him thanks, when ye
His holiness record.

⁵For but a moment lasts his wrath;
Life in his favour lies:
Weeping may for a night endure,
At morn doth joy arise.

⁶In my prosperity I said,
That nothing shall me move.
⁷O LORD, thou hast my mountain made
To stand strong by thy love:

But when that thou, O gracious God,
Didst hide thy face from me,
Then quickly was my prosp’rous state
Turn’d into misery.

⁸Wherefore unto the LORD my cry
I caused to ascend:
My humble supplication
I to the LORD did send.

⁹What profit is there in my blood,
When I go down to pit?
Shall unto thee the dust give praise?
Thy truth declare shall it?

¹⁰Hear, LORD, have mercy; help me, LORD:
¹¹Thou turned hast my sadness
To dancing; yea, my sackcloth loos’d,
And girded me with gladness;

¹²That sing thy praise my glory may,
And never silent be.
O LORD my God, for evermore
I will give thanks to thee.