Matthew Henry Commentary Psalms 30
Matthew Henry Commentary
Psalms 30
Matthew Henry Commentary
Psalms 30
"I will extol thee, O Jehovah; for thou hast raised me up, And hast not made my foes to rejoice over me. O Jehovah my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me. O Jehovah, thou hast brought up my soul from Sheol; Thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. Sing praise unto Jehovah, O ye saints of his, And give thanks to his holy memorial [name]. For his anger is but for a moment; His favor is for a life-time: Weeping may tarry for the night, But joy [cometh] in the morning." — Psalms 30:1-5 (ASV)
The great things the Lord has done for us, both by his providence and by his grace, bind us in gratitude to do all we can to advance his kingdom among men, though the most we can do is only a little. God's saints in heaven sing to him; why should not those on earth do the same?
Not one of all God's perfections carries in it more terror to the wicked, or more comfort to the godly, than his holiness. It is a good sign that we are in some measure partakers of his holiness, if we can heartily rejoice at the remembrance of it.
Our happiness is bound up in the Divine favor; if we have that, we have enough, whatever else we lack. But as long as God's anger continues, so too does the saints' weeping.
"As for me, I said in my prosperity, I shall never be moved. Thou, Jehovah, of thy favor hadst made my mountain to stand strong: Thou didst hide thy face; I was troubled. I cried to thee, O Jehovah; And unto Jehovah I made supplication: What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth? Hear, O Jehovah, and have mercy upon me: Jehovah, be thou my helper. Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing; Thou hast loosed my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; To the end that [my] glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O Jehovah my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever. " — Psalms 30:6-12 (ASV)
When things are well with us, we are very prone to think that they will always be so. When we see our mistake, we should think with shame upon our carnal security as our foolishness. If God hides His face, a good man is troubled, though no other calamity befall him. But if God, in wisdom and justice, turns from us, it will be the greatest foolishness if we turn from Him.
No; let us learn to pray in the dark. The sanctified spirit, which returns to God, will praise Him and will be continually praising Him. However, the services of God's house cannot be performed by the dust, for it cannot praise Him. There is no such activity or work in the grave, for it is the land of silence. We ask rightly for life when we do so in order that we may live to praise Him.
In due time God delivered the psalmist out of his troubles. Our tongue is our glory, and never more so than when employed in praising God. He would persevere to the end in praise, hoping that he would soon be where this would be the everlasting work. But let all beware of carnal security.
Neither outward prosperity nor inward peace, here on earth, are certain and lasting. The Lord, in His favor, has fixed the believer's safety as firm as the deep-rooted mountains, but he must expect to meet with temptations and afflictions. When we grow careless, we fall into sin. Then the Lord hides His face, our comforts droop, and troubles assail us.
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