START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 30
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM
OBSERVE:
This is a Psalm of Thanksgiving on the occasion of “Recovery from Grave Illness,” according to the Psalm’s ascription [NRSV].
David’s experience of illness brought him close to death. He gives thanks that the Lord has drawn him up, and then reveals his plight:
O Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol,
restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit.
This is an example of the literary device called parallelism, often used in the Psalms. The first line makes a statement, and then the second line paraphrases the first line in such a way that it is amplified.
Here, that technique relates to David’s sense that he was already virtually dead. He was very close to Sheol. Sheol is not identical with the Christian understanding of Hell, but it does describe the shady, gloomy experience of an afterlife without hope or joy. He had the sense that he was already among the dead who were in the Pit of the grave.
In the second section (verses 4-5), David invites the faithful to praise God. He is not necessarily describing his own experience, but describes God’s inclination toward mercy, again with the technique of parallelism:
For his anger is but for a moment;
his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may linger for the night,
but joy comes with the morning.
This is a vivid way of describing the temporary nature of suffering, especially when compared with God’s grace and joy. God’s favor and joy are enduring, and anger and grief are momentary.
The Apostle Paul expresses this same understanding of suffering:
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us (Romans 8:18).
But David also confesses that he had begun to take his well-being for granted prior to his catastrophe:
As for me, I said in my prosperity,
“I shall never be moved.”
He had counted on the Lord’s constant favor, but he learned not to be presumptuous:
By your favor, O Lord,
you had established me as a strong mountain;
you hid your face;
I was dismayed.
Only so long as the Lord sustained him did he experience the Lord’s favor.
But David responds to his plight as any faithful believer might respond — he cries out in supplication. Interestingly, he frames his prayer as a kind of debate, putting forth his request for healing and life as a better bargain for the Lord than his death:
“What profit is there in my death,
if I go down to the Pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it tell of your faithfulness?
Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me!
O Lord, be my helper!”
In this section, he reminds us a little of Job, who felt comfortable enough in his relationship with the Lord to challenge God to a debate! In this case, though, David is arguing that he can serve God far more effectively if he lives than if he dies.
As David closes this Psalm of praise, he celebrates:
You have turned my mourning into dancing;
you have taken off my sackcloth
and clothed me with joy,
so that my soul may praise you and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever.
This passage reminds us of David when he danced with all his might as he led the ark of the covenant into Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:14-15).
Sackcloth was the garment of a penitent. We are reminded of David’s profound penitence when Nathan confronted him with his sin of adultery and murder (2 Samuel 12:13). We are also reminded of his heartsickness as he prayed and fasted when his infant son was dying (2 Samuel 12:16).
This Psalm is a triumphant declaration that God does heal.
APPLY:
This is a Psalm that explores the spiritual and emotional dynamics of serious illness and the tremendous relief of healing.
Someone who has experienced cancer or heart surgery or kidney failure may be able to identify with the feeling that he was already in the grave. To be delivered from such an illness is almost like a resurrection!
But this Psalm also captures our very human tendency to take our health and well-being for granted — until something happens that reminds us of just how fragile our health may be.
And, to be honest, we have a very human tendency to want to bargain with God when we are in “the pits.” But we are reminded by this Psalm that God’s grace and mercy far exceed our superficial negotiations:
his favor is for a lifetime.
RESPOND:
One thing is clear — all of us will go through hard times. We will watch our friends and our family members suffer. And we will also suffer.
I have visited with folks many times in my ministry who have been perilously close to death. In nearly all cases, when they recover they have a sense that they have been rescued from the grave and been given a reprieve.
They have almost always said to me: “God did this for a reason. I have been given another chance. Now I need to find out what he wants me to do.”
Lord, I have prayed many times for those who have been grievously ill. In some cases they recovered. In a few cases they did die. I have thus far escaped serious illness in my own life — but I know that if I live long enough, I will face those moments as well. I pray that I might not bargain with you when that time comes, but that I will trust you that whether I live or die, I am in your hands. Amen.
PHOTOS:
“Psalm 30-3 1024×768” by Dr. Johnson Cherian is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.
SOAR Lectionary Bible Study 