Eternal grace with no expiration date (Psalm 30)

Eternal grace with no expiration date (Psalm 30)

 

Introduction)

There is usually an expiration date for foods and many other things in the world. The expiration date is roughly set for ramen, eggs, flour, rice, bread, etc.  So you have to check the expiration date for canned foods, snacks, sauces, and medication a couple of times a year.

 

Today, David thinks about a poem praising the overflowing gratitude whenever he looks back on what he has done to make himself king of the kingdom of Israel, which has been lacking throughout his life by the grace of Jehovah.

 

 David was anointed king of Israel, a king of God-centered orthodoxy, and although he was the greatest king and poet in Israel's history, he also had to go through all the hardships caused by his sinfulness because he was an imperfect human being.

David's life is also the image of all the saints who have already acquired heaven's citizenship (Phil 3:20) but have to live in this world until the end of the world without being completely cleared of their sins.

 

The subtitle of the Psalm 30 is marked as 'A song, for the dedication of the temple', which indicates that the poem was used for the temple, But even though David prepared for the temple construction, but he died before the completion of temple construction

 

The main point)

The text can be divided into 4 paragraphs.   Verse 1-3 first praises God for his kindness throughout his life, and verses 4-5 reveal the reason by asking the people to praise God. Verses 6-10 are David's testimony of faith, a sincere confession of the fact that he had previously suffered as a result of arrogance before God, and that he desperately sought God and was saved by his compassion. Verse 11-12 is David's declaration of faith that he cannot help but praise God forever, confessing that God has responded to his plea.

 

A) Thank you for your lifelong kindness.

1 I will exalt you, Lord,
    for you lifted me out of the depths
    and did not let my enemies gloat over me.

The poet is saved by God's grace in great crises and is thrilled to raise gratitude and praise. The word "to raise the Lord" means "I praise you," meaning that the poet has saved him from extreme difficulties, so he is thrilled by the grace and is praised for his gratitude.

 

2 Lord my God, I called to you for help,
    and you healed me.

David praised God for saving, fixing, and forgiving him, all when he faced a crisis or suffered from a disease that could be destroyed by sin.

3 You, Lord, brought me up from the realm of the dead;
    you spared me from going down to the pit.

 

Jehovah is a central poetic language that has been mentioned 10 times in this poem. This means thanking and praising God for protecting and giving grace to him throughout his life, highlighting the personal closeness of the poet's relationship with God by calling Jehovah's name every verse. 'Mpu' means 'death itself' or 'grave'. "Salisa me" is a word that is usually used to refer to the resuscitation of a person who was almost dying, or to the maintenance of a life.

 

B. The reasons to praise God.

 

4 Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people;
    praise his holy name.

David stresses that not only he but also all the people should praise God. Because God's people lived under God's unchanging love.

5 For his anger lasts only a moment,     but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may stay for the night,    but rejoicing comes in the morning.

The representative reason was that the grace, the grace of God, remained unchanged for the rest of his life. Here, 'no salt' refers to God's wrath against human sin. And 'grace' refers to God's forgiveness and mercy on those who repent and undo their sins.

 

David sometimes introduces God as a person who gives anger and suffering for the sins of the saints, but it is brief, and ultimately eternal grace. This is why the saints cannot help but praise God even if they are in trouble. Just as the morning when the glorious sun shines after night, those who repent and wear the grace of God's sinfulness sing that Jehovah will forget all the hardships and suffering of the past and enjoy true joy and peace in the spirit. Hallelujah!

 

6 When I felt secure, I said,   “I will never be shaken.”

In the past, the poet himself introduces why he bought the Lord's wrath and suffered greatly, and how God's grace saved him from such hardships and brought him joy. I repent and confess that when the poet was in trouble, he was arrogant as if he had achieved it on his own.

 

C) Proof of grace to David

7 Lord, when you favored me,  you made my royal mountain[c] stand firm;
but when you hid your face,  I was dismayed.

 

The "mountain" symbolizes an immortal image that doesn't change over time, and a robustness that doesn't fluctuate during any turmoil. This could mean one's life and kingship. David uses images of these mountains to prove that the steadfastness of the kingdom of David, which used Zion as its capital, is entirely due to Jehovah's grace. This is the realization that David gained only after God's disciplinary action for his mistakes. The word "hiding your face" means to reap grace and bring down your wrath. This section shows the foolishness of life in which one realizes the importance of God's grace only after being disciplined for leaving for conceit.

 

8 To you, Lord, I called;     to the Lord I cried for mercy:
9 “What is gained if I am silenced,     if I go down to the pit?
Will the dust praise you?     Will it proclaim your faithfulness?

The poet emphasizes that when he was disciplined, he cried and cried only to the Lord. This stems from not only the clear realization of what sin he has committed against Jehovah, but also the acute realization of his existence that cannot sustain life for a moment other than the grace of the Lord. "What good will my blood do?" = What good will the Lord take from my death? It means that, and the reason why Jehovah should prolong his life is given in "How can Jinto praise the Lord?" Jin-to (only written in Korean ver of bible) means dust or soil, but here it symbolically refers to a dead, rotten body, a body that has lost its life (Psalm 6:5; 88:10; 155:17;Isaiah 38:18). How can a body that has lost its life praise God and proclaim God's word? That's what I'm saying. If David dies, he will never be able to recover what he previously overshadowed the glory of the Lord for his sins, and he will no longer be able to give glory to God, so he wants him to prolong his life?

 

10 Hear, Lord, and be merciful to me;  Lord, be my help.”

 

David is not at all in a position to seek the help of the Lord when he thinks he has done something arrogant, but he only relies on Jehovah's compassion to seek help. Indeed, when we reflect on our sinful appearance, we cannot help but confess that our salvation is completely impossible except for God's compassion and mercy, which does not turn away from the cry of the chosen sinner.

D)Declaration of Faith by David

 

11 You turned my wailing into dancing;
    you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

 

It proves that God has responded to his plea. God has stopped the poet's suffering and restored his former prosperity. David was able to dance and rejoice because of the response of such prayers. And for this reason, as you can see in verse 5, 5 For his anger lasts only a moment,
    but his favor lasts a lifetime;' The "sockcloth" was a garment worn by the Hebrews to show their mourning feelings and sorrows. 1 Chronicles 21 said 16 David looked up and saw the angel of the Lord standing between heaven and earth, with a drawn sword in his hand extended over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell facedown. Therefore, it is a confession that God has stripped David of his sorrow, dressed him in new clothes of joy, and groomed him by listening to David's prayer for self-conscription and compassion.

 

12 that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.
    Lord my God, I will praise you forever.

 

Jehovah's great grace to himself means that David himself is to praise with all his heart with his soul. "I will thank the Lord forever.'= This is an expression of faith that he will live a life of gratitude and devotion to God until he dies. David swore a thorough commitment to God who saved him again, who had no choice but to die because of sin.

 

 

Conclusion)

This confession of David's faith teaches us what the proper attitude of all our saints, who have been saved by the grace of Jesus Christ today, should be. The grace has no expiration date. So our appreciation of God should have no expiration date. Hallelujah!

 

 

 

062021 By IK SUN AHN, Translated by Sung Hyun Ahn