April 21, 2004
Title: Psalm 30
Text: Psalm 30
Introduction
1. Last year, we studied the Psalms during Sunday Nights throughout the summer.
• This year, I thought we would resume our study of the Psalms, only on Wednesday evenings…
• Here in Florida, it can get pretty hot …
• Most people have begun to use their air conditioners…
• Because, when it is so hot outside…
• There’s just something that is so refreshing about the nice cool air from the air conditioner.
• That’s what the Psalms are like…
• They are a breath of fresh air when life gets “hot”…
• Or out of control.
• When I get discouraged…
• When life seems particularly heavy…
• I turn to the Psalms, and when I do…
• God never fails to lift my spirits…
• Through reading the Psalms.
2. It is my hope that through this study of the Psalms…
• That God will truly speak to us as individuals, and us as a church…
• You know, summers can get pretty tough around here…
• And I’m not just talking about the weather…
• We have many “snowbirds” who fly back North for the summer…
• Already, many of them have made the journey up North…
• With more to leave very soon.
• We love our snowbirds…
• While they are here…they are a real blessing to us…
• And when the leave, we really miss them.
• Not only that, but sometimes, just life in general seems to get us down…
• It can seem like a long time from Sunday to Sunday…
• Hearing a Word from the Lord…
• And sometimes, these Wednesday Nights can become more than just a mid-week service…
• These Wednesday Nights can become an oasis…
• Where we can stop and receive some much needed refreshment…
• In order to make the journey through the rest of the week.
3. So, if you are tired…
• If you are weary…
• If you are thirsting for a touch from the Lord…
• You’ve come to the right place…
• Come to the well…
• Receive the cool water of the Holy Spirit that refreshes our spirit.
Read Text: Psalm 30
1. Background
A. The title of this Psalm states, “A psalm. A song..”
• These words were intended to be a song sung along with musical instruments.
• The content of the Psalm seems to indicate that it was written to give thanks for the recovery from a serious illness.
• Verse 3 basically indicates that he was at death’s door…
• But that God brought him back.
B. The title goes on to say, For the dedication of the temple. Of David”
• In 1 Chronicles 22:1-6, it tells us that David provided the building materials and the property for the Temple…
• And as you probably remember, David was not allowed to build the Temple; since he was a man of war…
• So God allowed David’s son, Solomon to build the Temple instead.
• But even still, David was involved by providing some of the materials.
C. During Hanukkah, the Jews recite Psalm 30 in their liturgy…
• Hanukkah is a feast that celebrates the rededication of the Temple by Judas Maccabeus…
• After it had been desecrated by Antiochus Epiphanes in 168 BC.
• Antiochus Epiphanes entered the Holy of Holies, …
• And desecrated the sanctuary by offering unclean animals upon the alter of burnt-offerings,…
• He boiled pigs (considered unclean) in water…
• And polluted the whole building by sprinkling it with the water that the pigs had been boiled in.
• Then he dedicated the Temple to Jupiter
• Erecting a statue of Jupiter in the Temple…
• And stealing all the items of value from the Temple.
• Eventually the Jews revolted …
• And the Temple was rededicated 3 years later. (1)
D. When we study this passage of Scripture…
• We not only look at it from the standpoint of David, it’s author…
• But we also see a parallel with the Israelites…
• As happens in so many passages of Scripture…
• And it also speaks to us today.
2. The Rescue vv 1-5
A. In verses 1-5, we see praising the Lord for his rescue.
• He says, “I will exalt you, O Lord…
• For You lifted me out of the depths”.
• This is a very interesting phrase…
• First of all, David indicates that he will “exalt” the Lord…
• That word exalt means to glorify, praise, and honor…
• But it also means to “lift up” our praise and worship.
• We know this in our music…
Majesty
Hayford, Jack
Majesty, worship His majesty.
Unto Jesus be all glory,
Honor and praise.
Majesty, kingdom authority
Flow from His throne
Unto His own, His anthem raise.
So exalt, lift up on high
The name of Jesus.
Magnify, come glorify
Christ Jesus, the King.
Majesty, worship His majesty.
Jesus who died, now glorified,
King of all kings.
© 1981 Rocksmith Music (Mandina/Rocksmith Music [c/o Trust Music Management, Inc.])
CCLI License No. 946077
• According to Stephen Lennox, The words David uses to describe God lifting him from the depths…
• Are used elsewhere to describe the lifting of water from a well. (2)
• So, what we have here is David basically saying…
• God, because You lifted me up from the deep, dark pit that I was in…
• I have no hesitation about lifting YOU up in my praise and worship.
B. David was at death’s door…
• He was about to breath his last (whether literally or figuratively, we don’t know)…
• But he cried out to God…
• And God heard him…
• And not only did God hear him…
• But He healed him as well.
C. Here’s that first breath of refreshment that the Holy Spirit gives to us…
• Do you ever feel like you are just buried?
• Lost and alone at the bottom of a deep, dark, slimy pit?
• Perhaps you feel that way even tonight…
• Well, we can cry out to God…
• And God will hear us…
• And He will lift us up out of the pit of fear and despair…
• Perhaps the worst thing about going through those difficult times…
• Whether it is a physical illness…
• Or if it is a time of spiritual dryness…
• The worst thing is the feeling that we are all alone…
• We feel abandoned…
• We feel that no one knows where we are…
• We feel that no one cares…
• We feel that we are at the bottom of that dank pit…
• But our text tells us that when we cry out for help…
• God is there…
• He hears us…
• He knows all about us…
• So we aren’t as alone as we thought we were!...
• We are never alone when we have God….
• One of my favorite passages of Scripture is found in Romans 8….
• In fact, I have part of it inscribed on my personal checks…
• I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39 (NIV)
D. In fact, David gets so excited in his praising the Lord…
• In verse 4, he asks all the saints to join him in praising the Lord as well.
• William MacDonald says, “Let the solo become a choir”. (3)
• That’s what I love about our testimony times…
• We have the opportunity to tell other people what Jesus is doing in our lives…
• And by so doing, we can join together in celebrating what the Lord has done.
• I get blessed when I know that God has done something special in my own life…
• But I get blessed all over again, when I hear what God is doing your life too.
E. In Verse 5, David tells us “For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime;” Psalms 30:5 (NIV)
• When God gets angry…
• It is always at sin…
• It is always for our repentance..
• And it only lasts a short time…
• But His blessings are abundant…
• And they far outweigh the anger.
• David goes on to write what I think is the most beautifully written phrase in this entire Psalm: weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. Psalms 30:5 (NIV)
• At night, everything seems worse…
• It seems like if our kids are going to get sick…
• It’s at night…
• If one of them needs a doctor’s emergency attention…
• It happens at night…
• And during the night…
• Whatever the difficulty seems to be…
• It feels like it will last forever!
• But come morning…
• The long night is past…
• The pain is gone…
• Life gets back to normal…
• And we are able to rejoice!
• And now that we KNOW that…
• When you find yourself in the midst of that “dark night of the soul”
• When you find yourself feeling alone…
• Hurting…
• Discouraged…
• We can “hang it there”…
• Because we know that “joy comes in the morning”
3. Learning from our Mistakes vv 6-10
A. In the next stanza, verses 6-10, David looks back at some mistakes he made…
• And by looking back, he hopes to learn a lesson…
• That hopefully won’t have to be repeated.
• David indicates that God blessed him so much…
• That he had begun to take it for granted…
• And perhaps he had begun to think he had accomplished it by his own efforts…
• Without God’s help.
B. But when he came to his senses…
• He realized that God alone was responsible…
• And so David cries out for mercy…
• He says, “What gain is there in my destruction,…Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness?” Psalms 30:9 (NIV)
• Basically, David is saying, …
• “God, I’m sorry…
• I realize that You are in control…
• You are the boss…
• if you will give me another chance…
• I will most certainly acknowledge the source of my blessing…
• I will most certainly lift up my voice in praise…
• Lord, please don’t let me die like this…
• I want to live to praise You…
• If I’m a corpse…I cannot praise You…
• Please forgive me and let me sing your praises”
4. The Celebration vv 11-12
A. And finally, comes the celebration…
• After crying out to God…
• And God lifting him out of the pit of despair…
• After acknowledging his arrogance of thinking that his own efforts were responsible for his blessing…
• David turns to celebration…
• He says, You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
12 that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.” Psalms 30:11-12 (NIV)
B. God has heard David’s cry…
• And now David is singing a new song of praise…
• No longer taking credit…
• But in singing out his praise to the Lord…
• And in an indication that he has learned his lesson…
• He says, “I will give YOU thanks forever”!
Conclusion
1. Sometimes we think we are pretty hot stuff…
• We become proud of our accomplishments…
• We start to pat ourselves on the back…
• But like we are learning in our “Purpose Driven Life” series,
• “It’s not about me”!
2. When you are in the pit…
• Cry out to God…
• He will hear you…
• And He will lift you up…
• And when He does…
• Whatever you do…
• Don’t forget about what God has done…
• You cried out to God…
• He heard and answered you…
• Give Him the credit…
• Share your testimony…
• Give God the glory…
• Tell Him “Thank you!”
• He lifted you up…
• Now it’s time to lift Him up…
• Sing “I Exalt Thee”
1. http://latter-rain.com/Israel/antep.htm
2. Stephen J. Lennox, Psalms: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition (Indianapolis: Wesleyan Publishing House, 1999), p. 95.
3. William MacDonald, Believers Bible Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995), p. 589.
