Summary
Whether fiction or nonfiction, stories of healing and recovery from illness always seem to fill both our hearts and those in the story with joy. Families and friends rejoice that their loved one has come through the dark night of sickness and entered a new day of renewed health and healing.
Psalm 30 is a song of thanksgiving for healing from illness. It separates neatly into two stanzas (or verses, if you will). The first stanza generally outlines David’s illness and deliverance, while the second stanza expands on the first with a detailed description of his deliverance.
Our passage explained
v1-3
Psalm 30 begins with a song of thankfulness for his deliverance. David promises that he will “extol you, O LORD” (v.1) because God had “drawn me up” like a bucket from a dark well. In verse three, the idea of being drawn up is expanded on where God has “brought up my soul from Sheol” and “restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.” Sheol, the place of death is often described as a dark gloomy place like the bottom of a pit or a well.
The other reason for extolling God is that he did “not let my foes rejoice over me” (v.1), but instead when David cried to God for help he healed him (v.2). Presumably, the foes would be happy at David’s death by sickness, as he would no longer get in the way of their plans.
v4-5
In verses four and five David encourages all of God’s people to join him in extolling God. He wants all God’s “saints” to praise God’s name for his deliverance of David (v.4). The term saints refers to everyone in a covenant relationship with God.
David’s encouragement to praise is because of God’s lovingkindness. Speaking of the triumph of mercy over judgment, David proclaims “For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning” (v.5).
While God’s anger lasts only a short time, God’s love and mercy endures forever. The interruption of sadness may intrude for a season, but God’s love chases it away like the sun’s dawn rays chase away the darkness.
v6-9
In the second stanza of this psalm, David provides more details of his deliverance. We learn that David had been self-reliant in his prosperity before his sickness (v.6), forgetting health and prosperity are gifts from God (v.7). When God took away his strength and hid his face, “I was dismayed” (v.7).
Realising his condition, David turned to God for help. He cried out to God, pleading for mercy (v.8), arguing “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?” (v.9).
v10-12
From David’s perspective, if God allowed him to die there would be no gain, as it would stop David from glorifying God in this life. Casting aside his earlier self-reliance, he asks God to “be merciful to me” and “be my helper” (v.10).
Expanding on verses four and five, David describes the deliverance from sickness he received. God takes away David’s sorrow, described outwardly as mourning. He removes his “sackcloth” (v.11), common clothes worn in mourning, much like we often wear black to funerals. Instead he is given signs of joy, as mourning becomes “dancing” and sackcloth becomes garments of “gladness” (v.11).
Instead of mourning and death, God has healed him and clothed him in gladness so that he “may sing your praise and not be silent” as he would have been if he had died (v.12). For this, David “will give thanks” to the “LORD my God … forever” (v.12).
Our passage applied
David admits in this psalm to self-reliance. Like David, we can fall into the trap of thinking our good health and prosperity is entirely of our own making, rather than a gift of God which could be removed. This psalm reminds us that self-reliance is something we should always seek to avoid in our hearts.
Instead, we should seek to trust and rely on God, as David did when he fell into sickness. Indeed, it is entirely biblical to turn to God when sickness and affliction strikes. God is sovereign over all things, and perhaps he will respond to our requests for healing positively.
This trust and reliance should also feature when things go well, praying God will continue to keep us prosperous and with opportunities to sing praises to his name among the nations.
But this psalm also reminds and encourages us that God’s mercy triumphs over judgment for all who trust in him. God may or may not grant health in this life, but if he does not then we will not be silenced forever. One day, redeemed in Christ, we will stand in God’s presence where he will wipe away every tear, singing praises for eternity. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.
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