Psalm 30 (KJV) Title: Joy Cometh in the Morning

by John Lowe
(Woodruff, S.C.)

July 16, 2014
Tom Lowe


Psalm 30 (KJV)


Title: Joy Cometh in the Morning part 1
A psalm of David.
Psalm 30 (KJV)

1 I will extol thee, O LORD; for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me.
2 O LORD my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.
3 O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.
4 Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.
5 For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
6 And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved.
7 LORD, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled.
8 I cried to thee, O LORD; and unto the LORD I made supplication.
9 What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?
10 Hear, O LORD, and have mercy upon me: LORD, be thou my helper.
11 Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;
12 To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.


Introduction

The scope of the Psalm corresponds well with a state of rest, and meditation on his past trials. The psalm begins with a celebration of God's delivering favor, in which he invites others to join him; he relates his prayer during a time of distress, and God's gracious and prompt answer.

Commentary
1 I will extol thee, O LORD; for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me.

I will extol thee, O Lord
Or “lift thee up on high.” The name of the Lord is high above all other names, He is the most High; and in His nature, there is none besides Him, and there is none like Him; He dwells in the high and holy place; He is above all angels and men; He is above all gods; He is the King of kings, and Lord of lords; He cannot be higher than He is: to extol Him, therefore, is to declare Him to be what He actually is. The psalmist was determined to exalt Him with high praises. The word translated here as “extol” is rendered exalt in other places:
• Psalm 34:3: “O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.”
• Psalm 99.5: “Exalt you the LORD our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy.”
• Psalm 99:9: “Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at his holy hill; for the LORD our God is holy.”
David might say: ‘“I will extol thee.’ I will have high and honorable conceptions of thee, and give them utterance in my best music. Others may forget thee, murmur at thee, despise thee, blaspheme thee, but "I will extol thee," for I have been favored above all others. I will extol thy name, thy character, thine attributes, thy mercy to me, thy great forbearance to my people; but, especially will I speak well of thyself; ‘I will extol thee,’ O Jehovah, this shall be my cheerful and constant business.’” He would make God first and supreme in his thoughts and affections; he would do what he could to make Him known; he would elevate Him high in his praises.

for thou hast lifted me up
The Hebrew word used here for “lifted” means ‘to draw out,’ as from a well; and ‘to deliver,’ and ‘to set free.’ Because God had lifted him up, it was appropriate that he would show his gratitude by "lifting up" or extolling the name of God.

“For thou hast lifted me up,” that is to say: from the depths of trouble; from the pit of Sheol; He draws out of it by his effective grace.From the low estate of being unregenerate, and unrepentant.From the mire and clay of sin and misery, in which all men are while unconverted; and out of which they cannot lift themselves, being without strength, and dead in sin: this is God's work. He raises up the poor out of the dust, and lifts up the beggar from the dunghill; and this is an instance of his grace and mercy.This may regard some great fall into sin, from which he was restored, through the grace and power of God.He was lifted up above his enemies, which agrees very well with his being brought to his palace and throne again, upon the defeat of Absalom. He had been drawn up like a prisoner from a dungeon, like Joseph out of the pit, and therefore he loved his deliverer. The Psalmist's praise was reasonable. He had a reason to give the praise that was in his heart. Grace has uplifted us from the pit of hell, from the ditch of sin, from the Quagmire of despondency, from the bed of sickness, from the bondage of doubts and fears. How high has our Lord lifted us? Lifted us up into the children's place, to be adopted into the family of God; lifted us up into union with Christ, “to sit together with him in heavenly places.” Lift high the name of our God, for he has lifted us above the stars.

And hast not made my foes to rejoice over me
The psalmist declares that the Lord has not permitted his enemies to overcome him; that is, He has delivered him from them. He may be recalling a time when he had been restored to health after suffering from a dangerous illness, and that his enemies had not been allowed to rejoice over his death. Compare:
• Psalm 41:5: “But my enemies say nothing but evil about me. ‘How soon will he die and be forgotten?’ they ask.”
• Psalm 35:19: “Don't let my treacherous enemies rejoice over my defeat. Don't let those who hate me without cause gloat over my sorrow.”
• Psalm 35:24: “Judge me, O LORD my God, according to Your righteousness, And do not let them rejoice over me.”
• Psalm 38:16: “For I said, Hear me, lest otherwise they should rejoice over me: when my foot slippeth, they magnify themselves against me.”
• Lsmentations 2:17: “The LORD has done what he planned; he has fulfilled his word, which he decreed long ago. He has overthrown you without pity, he has let the enemy gloat over you, he has exalted the horn of your foes.”

This was the judgment which David feared the most out of the three evils; he said, let me fall into the hand of the Lord, and not into the hand of man. It would indeed be terrible if we were handed over to the will of our enemies. Blessed be the Lord, for we have been safeguarded from such an awful fate. The devil and all our spiritual enemies have not been allowed to rejoice over us, for we have been saved from their deception and snares. Let us give all the glory to Him who has saved us from the terrors of hell and has not allowed our enemies to defeat us.


2 O LORD my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.

O Lord my God, I cried unto thee
During those occasions when he was in danger and trouble David would cry out to his covenant God and Father? It should be noted that verses 8-10 are an expansion of this verse.

And thou hast healed me
There is not enough information given in the psalm to say with certainty what the psalmist means by “thou hast healed me, but there are several possibilities advanced by Bible scholars. Compare:
1. “Healed” may be used figuratively for the removal of mental sufferings; but here David may be referring specifically to his grief when he saw the sufferings of his people from the plague, which seems to have completely prostrated him, both in mind and body. Compare:
• Psalm 41:4: “I said, LORD, be merciful to me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against you.”
• Psalm 147:4: “I said, LORD, be merciful to me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against you.” In restoring my soul to spiritual health by forgiving the sin which is the cause of my sickness; or it may mean, restore my life - regarding his life as if it were diseased and in danger of extinction.

1. “Healed me”—Bodily diseases affect all of us eventually, and relief comes by healing. Compare:
• Psalm 6:2: “Have mercy on me, O LORD; for I am weak: O LORD, heal me; for my bones are vexed.” This is language which would be applied to a case of sickness.
• Psalm 107:20: “He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.” He sent his word, and healed them—He did it by a word; it was necessary for him merely to give a command, and the disease left them.

“And thou hast healed me”—the Lord restored his health. The language here evidently refers to the fact that he had been sick, and had then been restored to health. The phrase should be taken literally as restoration from bodily disease, for the Lord is the physician of the body, as well as of the soul; and he either heals immediately, or by giving a blessing to the physician; and the glory for healing mercy should be given to him—“Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name” (Psalm 103:1).

1. “Healed me” may be understood in a civil sense, of restoring him to his house, his throne and kingdom, and restoring the peace along with it.

1. The Lord may have “healed” him of soul diseases, which are natural and hereditary, epidemical, nauseous, mortal, and incurable, except by the grace of God and blood of Christ. The healing of them consists of either the pardon of their sins at conversion and forgiving sins; or the application of pardoning grace, after one falls into sin (back slides)—and this is God's work; no one can heal but Him, and He does it effectively, universally, and freely, which calls for our thankfulness.