Read Psalm 30 at Bible Gateway.
Psa 30 Hebrew paragraph divisions:
Psa 30:1 I will extol You, O Lord, for You have lifted me up, And have not let my foes rejoice over me.
Psa 30:2 O Lord my God, I cried out to You, And You healed me.
Psa 30:3 O Lord, You brought my soul up from the grave; You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.
Psa 30:4 Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.
Psa 30:5 For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; {n}
Psa 30:5b Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.
Psa 30:6 Now in my prosperity I said, “I shall never be moved.”
Psa 30:7 You have established, O Lord, by Your favor, my mountain as a stronghold; {n}
Psa 30:7b You hid Your face, and I was troubled.
Psa 30:8 I cried out to You, O Lord; And to the Lord I made supplication:
Psa 30:9 “What profit is there in my blood, When I go down to the pit? {n}
Psa 30:9b Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your truth?
Psa 30:10 Hear, O Lord, and have mercy on me; Lord, be my helper!”
Psa 30:11 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,
Psa 30:12 To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. {n}
Psa 30:23b O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever. {p}
Psa 30 chiastic structure:
1a) Psa 30:1a, I will extol You, O Lord
1b) Psa 30:1b-4, You have lifted me up + not let my foes rejoice/ therefore sing praise to the Lord:
1) Psa 30:1b-3, You have lifted me up from the grave, and not let my foes rejoice over me:
1a) Psa 30:1b, For You have lifted me up, And have not let my foes rejoice over me;
central axis) Psa 30:2, O Lord my God, I cried out to You, And You healed me;
2a) Psa 30:3, You brought my soul up from the grave + kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit;
2) Psa 30:4, Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His + give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name;
1c) Psa 30:5, His anger is for a moment/ His favor for a lifetime {n} + Weeping for a night/ joy in the morning;
1d) Psa 30:6-7 {n} Now in my prosperity I said, “I shall never be moved;” for You had established me as a stronghold;
central axis) Psa 30:7b, You hid Your face, and I was troubled;
2d) Psa 30:8-10, David’s plea for mercy when he was moved and his circumstances changed:
1a) Psa 30:8, I cried out to You, O Lord; And to the Lord I made supplication;
central axis) Psa 30:9, “What profit is there in my blood? {n} Will the dust praise You + declare Your truth;”
2a) Psa 30:10, Hear, O Lord, and have mercy on me; Lord, be my helper!;
2c) Psa 30:11a, You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
2b) Psa 30:11b-12a, You have put off my sackcloth + let me rejoice/ so that my glory may sing praise to You:
1) Psa 30:11b, You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness;
2) Psa 30:12a {n} To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent;
2a) Psa 30:12b {p} O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.
The D pair has the sense, that because David’s prosperity increased, and he was so firmly established, admittedly, by the Lord’s own doing, that he allowed himself to become complacent. Perhaps he allowed pride to get a foothold, or did not pursue the Lord with intensity and fervor as he had in his younger days. Therefore the Lord hid His face from David, and that caused him to be frightened (the Hebrew sense of the word). The Lord allowed him to be moved, i.e., He allowed circumstances to change for David, which shook him out of his complacency, and humbled him, and gave him a reason to pursue the Lord with the intensity and fervor of his younger days.
Does this mean that if, because of wise dealings and the Lord’s favor and blessing on our lives, if we increase in our stability and prosperity in this life, we are guaranteed to have it shaken and taken away? No … if we do not let our security and prosperity cause us to remove our trust from the Lord and put it instead in our security and prosperity. If we do not let our security and prosperity cause us to become prideful or complacent. If we keep the fire of offering and worship burning on the altar of our hearts, and never let it go out (Lev 6:12).
But no matter how trouble finds us, if we turn to the Lord and cry out to Him with repentance and humility, He will turn for us too, our mourning into dancing. ♥
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