A Psalm. A Song at the Dedication of the House. Of David
1. I will exalt You, O Yahweh, for You draw me up,
And You do not make my enemies rejoice over me.
2. O Yahweh my God, I cry unto You,
And You heal me.
3. O Yahweh, You cause my soul to ascend from Sheol.
You make me live from my descending to the pit.
4. Hymn to Yahweh, O His saints,
And give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness,
5. Because for a moment is His anger,
For a lifetime is His favor.
For a night weeping will lodge,
And in the morning will be shouting.
6. And I say in my prosperity,
"I will not be shaken forever."
7. O Yahweh, in your favor You cause my mountain to stand.
You hide Your face; I am disturbed.
8. To You, O Yahweh, I will call,
And from the Lord I will implore grace.
9. "What profit is in my blood
When I descend to corruption?
Will dust give You thanks?
Will it declare Your truth?
10. Hear, O Yahweh, and be gracious to me.
O Yahweh, be a help to me."
11. You transform my wailing to dancing for me.
You loosen my sackcloth and clothe me with rejoicing,
12. So that my glory may hymn to You and not be silent.
O Yahweh my God, forever I will give thanks to You.
A correct understanding of Psalm 30 hinges on two things. 1) The song is not a song for the dedication of the temple but for the dedication of the house that David built for himself when he had established himself firmly on the throne of Israel. “Then Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar tress, and carpenters and masons. And they built David a house. So David knew that the LORD had established him as king over Israel” (2 Sam. 5:11-12). 2) Verse 6 is a confession of sin. In his prosperity David fell into the sin of pride and said, “I will not be shaken forever.”
These two points shed light on verse 7. It is an acknowledgment that the Lord’s favor had established him and that the hiding of the Lord’s face brought trouble. The rest of the psalm is a celebration of the Lord’s mercy to him in not allowing sheol and corruption to overwhelm him.
Our Lord Jesus Christ, of course, never fell into the sin of pride. Nevertheless, He took David’s sin of pride on Himself and descended into sheol for him. He cried to the Lord and the Lord drew him up from the grave so that there was profit in His blood. The Lord made His mountain stand, turned His mourning into dancing, and clothed Him with rejoicing. Therefore, He calls on us, His saints in the New Testament, to give thanks at the remembrance of the Lord’s holiness.