Psalms 30 - Introduction

This Psalm would appear to be an expression of thanksgiving for healing from what had appeared to be a fatal disease. His illness has reminded the Psalmist of his mortality, and has warned him against complacency, but now it re-echoes in praise. Now he is filled with gratitude and thanksgiving. It is such an individual psalm that we must surely see it as originating out of personal circumstances, even if it came to be used in wider ways

Heading.

‘A Psalm; a Song at the Dedication of the House. Of David.'

The psalm is such an individual one that this heading pulls us up short. And it raises the question as to which ‘house' is being spoken of. It is possible that we are intended to see it as referring to ‘the house of David'. It may be that this was written by a young descendant of David who had not as yet borne children, but had been very ill and had expected to die. Thus having been healed of what he had thought was a fatal illness, he may well by this psalm have been rededicating his ‘house' to God.

Others have seen it as referring to the plague that swept Israel as a result of David's sin (2 Samuel 24:15). It may then be seen as David's lament on behalf of his people as he identifies them with himself, and his resulting thanksgiving as a result of God's mercy.

Still others, however, see the dedication as indicating a purpose to which the Psalm was later put, possibly at the rededication of the second Temple (see Haggai and Zechariah). It may then be seen as having been taken over in order to reflect the deliverance of Israel from Babylon, a deliverance which had eventually resulted in the second Temple, for what happened to the king was regularly seen as reflecting what happened to the people. He was their very breath (Lamentations 4:20). We can also compare how Isaiah saw Israel and Judah as a desperately plagued person who needed restoring (Isaiah 1:4).

But in the end everyone who sang it saw it as referring to himself, as one among the people of God, and saw it in the light of his own blessings.

We may see the Psalm as dividing up as follows;

1) An Expression Of Gratitude To YHWH For His Deliverance From Death (Psalms 30:1).

2) He Calls For All The People To Join With Him In His Gratitude (Psalms 30:4).

3) He Reminisces On The Complacency That Had Been His When He Was Well And The Shock That His Illness Had Been To Him (Psalms 30:6).

4) He Expresses His Prayer For Deliverance (Psalms 30:8).

5) He Offers Up His Final Praise And Thanksgiving Because He Has Been Delivered (Psalms 30:11).