In Psalms 26 to 30, David displays his unerring and continual love and respect for God. He remembers God during his turbulent times as well as when he is happy and celebrating his victory.
Psalm 26
In the previous Psalm, David asked for God’s guidance and wisdom so that he would live the rest of his life in God’s obedience. Here we read that David is again pleading to God to vindicate him. The exact situation is not clear however we know from previous Psalms that David was surrounded by enemies and “friends” who did not wish him well. David asks God’s favor in proving him right before his enemies and the plea he presents is that he has been extremely devoted and faithful to God therefore God must stand by him in his hour of difficulty. David says that God already knows how righteous he has been however if God wants to test him further, David would be more than willing to prove himself, yet again. He says that the trial from God would help him identify any weaknesses that still remains at his end.
David says that he has attained a level of righteousness that God approves of; he has learnt to stay away from the wicked who do nothing but wrong; he does not mingle with the worthless who only desire the riches of this world; he can see through the hypocrisy of those who pretend to be pious; he abstains from the company of the evildoers who preach what they do not practice about God’s Word.
David justifies to God that now when he is completely faithful to Him and has become a true example of a blessed man, he wants to worship the Lord in His sanctuary. He wants to rejoice in what God does for His people and sing praises of the Lord for what He is. David says that he feels that the House of God is the only place where he will be absolutely safe.
David begs God to forgive him in a way that none of his previous sins would be judged and he would not be held accountable for the sins he committed in his earlier life. This would elevate him in the eyes of his enemies because they will realize that David’s God is the Almighty, while their sins and sinful ways will be awarded harsh punishment.
Psalm 27
David is still talking about God’s Mercy and Grace for himself and Justice for his enemies. He says that God is his light, salvation and stronghold of life; He has always stood by David and he is sure that God will always be there for him:
- God’s light has been a shield against all dark and negative forces
- God’s salvation has always delivered him and blessed him with victories against his enemies
- God’s protection has always surrounded him
David is confident that the strongest of his enemies will not be able to harm him as God will be His protector.
David expresses a longing to live in the house of the Lord so that he can be near Him and see how He works for His righteous ones. David says that being in the house of the Lord will be like being on a rock from where he will look down at his enemies but they will not be able to reach him or harm him.
Here again David is desperately calling out for God’s protection against his enemies who are awaiting David’s defeat and embarrassment. He says that he wants to see God’s Face, which could mean that he wants to feel God’s presence in his life, to feel that God is right beside him all the time. He implores God to guide him toward the right path and keep him from the ways of the evil doers. He is sure that God is listening to him and his prayers and will answer in His own time.
Psalm 28
David is still calling out to God for His help and says that He only depends on God’s Mercy to deliver him again. David now appears desperate for divine assistance and fears that God might be testing his patience or disciplining him. He says that if God forsakes him, he will surely not survive. He asks God not to doubt him or treat him like he would treat the wicked, who have always mocked Him and refused to lead their lives according to the commandments and statutes of God. David asks God to do unto the wicked as they do unto others!
David has finally received God’s favor after immense devotion and is now jubilant. He sings God’s praises and exalts His might and power by thanking Him. He says that he understands that God does not only work for the betterment of one person but for the betterment of all those who believe in Him and hold their faith strong in Him. David prays for all those who are righteous and are awaiting God’s Mercy, Assistance and Support.
Psalm 29
David exalts God and His magnificence and emphasizes that everyone should recognize and celebrate the blessings of God. He says that the “Heavenly beings” should also praise the Lord. This term could have multiple meanings and people of varying beliefs would understand it differently:
- The men of importance;
- The angels that are in the heavens above, should keep singing praises of God;
- David could be mocking the gods that the pagans had created and worshipped ; he could be calling out to say that they should know that there is only One God who is in control and who deserves praise for all that He does for everyone.
The next phrase “in the splendor of His holiness” refers to the piety of the one who is worshipping God as well as to the ultimate piousness of God.
David says that he heard God’s voice during the thunderstorm. He mentions it seven times; seven is an important number in the Bible and carries forward from the beginning where God said that He made the heavens and the earth in six days and rested on the seventh day. By using the number seven David emphasizes on the fact that God commands over the heavens and the earth and everything in between so nothing can happen without His consent. David continues to describe the Might and Glory of God:
- The nature is subservient to Him and does as God commands;
- The waves of the sea, rough as they may be, cannot disobey God;
- The cedars of Lebanon, known for their strength and height have no worth before God’s command as they will shatter on God’s one call;
- Mount Sirion, also known as Mount Hermon, is the mightiest of mountains in Israel but they shake with fear like a baby ox when they hears God’s voice;
- The lightening in the storm obeys God’s command;
- All creatures in the wilderness tremble at God’s powerful and commanding voice, even so that the pregnant doe delivers prematurely;
- God’s authoritative voice scares all creatures in the forest while the angels in the heavens above sing to God’s Glory.
David says that God is seated on His Majestic Throne, in full Glory and Splendor but just imagine that even though He is so powerful and controls everything, He is always readily passing out His blessings to everyone. He is a caring and loving God. All His creations tremble with fear when they hear His voice, but for those who are righteous, God’s voice is a solace against all evil and they know that they are safe and protected in God’s Word.
Psalm 30
David thanks God for saving his life after a prolonged illness that nearly took his life. It is said that the illness got from bad to worse as God was disciplining David for some sinful act that he had committed. David kept praying to God for his recovery by God was quiet. However as David was nearly consumed by death, God dipped down His hand and lifted David, blessing him with complete recovery. David is perhaps referring to both his physical and spiritual recovery. He says that his recovery is the proof that God had forgiven him physically and spiritually.
David urges the believers to praise the Lord as only those people can praise God who recognize Him as their sovereign. He says that God should be praised as “His anger only lasts a moment but His favor, a lifetime.” David means to say that God is patient and slow to anger but when He deems necessary He lashes out with punishment so that His beloved children learn and return to Him in righteousness. He says that the troubled times are hard to bear and God’s abandonment weighs heavy but when God forgives, His blessings, love and mercy start anew.
We see here that God punished David for his pride. David became strong and self-sufficient and fear of displeasing God eluded him. He committed adultery with Bathsheba. When he realized his mistake, David begged God for His forgiveness and repented for his sin. He implored God to excuse him and restore his health for what avail would David’s death be to God? However, his recovery would be a sign that David’s God is a loving and forgiving God and listens to His children when they repent sincerely. He said that he would sing praises of God and let everyone know what a Great God He is. David recovered and kept his word in praising the Lord for His favors and blessings.
I would like to elaborate upon Psalm 30.
Main point of the passage
God always loves His children whatever might they do; His way of correcting them is by turning away from them so that they might realize their sin(s), repent and ask for His forgiveness.
Most Important Truth from the Text
God is always there watching over us, but He wants us to turn back to Him and ask for His forgiveness, with a vow never to act the same way again, and He forgives us and embraces us with His love and blessings again.
What is one area in your life from a practical perspective that the text pointed out
This Psalm is so close to our lives today, where God admonishes us for our lacking. God does not want to punish anyone. He is a loving God and relishes peace and harmony but when He sees His child going astray, He reprimands the child in accordance to the wrongful act that was committed. He is a Just God and never awards more punishment than the child deserves. The duration of the punishment will however continue for as long as it takes for the child to realize the mistake, repent and beg for forgiveness.
It is true when it is said that God created man in His image! A mother and a father would do the same to correct their son or daughter by grounding them or forbidding them their favorite things till they repented, said sorry and promised never to repeat their misconduct again.
God is a loving Father, forever attentive and generous. All that He requires from us is faith and obedience and His blessings will keep flowing all through our lives. Humans, however, will unfortunately err, but the important thing is to realize, repent, ask for forgiveness and endeavor never to be in the bad books of God!
