"O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit… Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever." — Psalm 30:3,11-12
This psalm is a chronicle, as are many of the psalms, of personal struggle and ultimate triumph. It is also, especially in the verses we have selected for consideration today, what we might call a parable of salvation, an illustration of a true conversion experience.
First, there is recognition of the true condition of a lost soul: "Thou hast brought up my soul from the grave… " The unconverted soul is, in very fact, "dead in trespasses and sins (cf. Eph. 2:1)," and in principle already in the "pit." Conversion is equivalent to resurrection from the dead. The average convert of today does not, I fear, recognize the real nature of his lost condition, and comes to Christ without an adequate awareness of how desperate his plight really is apart from the grace of God revealed in Christ. In today's spiritual climate our views of both sin and God's holiness have been eroded into caricatures of the reality set forth in the word of God.
In the mind of the average man of today God (if he believes in God at all) has neither the will nor the power to seriously judge sin. And sin, if the concept remains in the mind at all, is a condition that merits more pity than judgment. The facts, of course, from the word of God, are far different. Sin, rooted in unbelief in the veracity of God's word, and resulting in disobedience to it, colliding with the holiness of God "Who cannot lie," accounts for every catastrophe in the world, in nature and history, at both corporate and individual levels. "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God [Heb. 10:31]."
It is only when we understand our true condition, through the Holy Spirit's illumination and conviction, that there will be a proper reaction to the experience of God's grace and salvation. Only then will our response parallel that of the psalmist here and bring forth from the depth of our souls the exultant cry, "Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: Thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness."
When the problem of sin and its consequences is rightly understood, and its solution through Christ properly perceived and received, all other problems fade by comparison, and a perennial joy is established in the soul. Short of that we will remain preoccupied with temporal matters and our relationship with God will remain superficial, rising and falling with the tides of earthly circumstances.
There is another point in which a valid salvation experience is illustrated here. This is reflective of the reason for redemption. Redemption is not first aimed at the welfare of man, but at the glory of God. The psalmist cites the purpose behind his great and glorious deliverance as "to the end that my glory may sing praise to Thee, and not be silent." Indeed, the aim of God's redemptive purpose is to form a choir of endless praise to Him. Paul puts it this way: "In Him (Christ) we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will: that we should be to the praise of His glory, who first trusted in Christ [Eph. 1:11-12 my italics]."
The response of the psalmist then illustrates what should be the constant aim and preoccupation of every redeemed sinner: "O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee forever." We have but recently noted Heb. 13:15, but it bears repeating here. Building on the atoning sacrifice of Christ the writer exhorts, "By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks unto His name." And the continuing aspiration of every true child of God will be not only to thank Him with our lips, but with our lives as well—forever!
For God's glory,
"Pastor" Frasier
This psalm is a chronicle, as are many of the psalms, of personal struggle and ultimate triumph. It is also, especially in the verses we have selected for consideration today, what we might call a parable of salvation, an illustration of a true conversion experience.
First, there is recognition of the true condition of a lost soul: "Thou hast brought up my soul from the grave… " The unconverted soul is, in very fact, "dead in trespasses and sins (cf. Eph. 2:1)," and in principle already in the "pit." Conversion is equivalent to resurrection from the dead. The average convert of today does not, I fear, recognize the real nature of his lost condition, and comes to Christ without an adequate awareness of how desperate his plight really is apart from the grace of God revealed in Christ. In today's spiritual climate our views of both sin and God's holiness have been eroded into caricatures of the reality set forth in the word of God.
In the mind of the average man of today God (if he believes in God at all) has neither the will nor the power to seriously judge sin. And sin, if the concept remains in the mind at all, is a condition that merits more pity than judgment. The facts, of course, from the word of God, are far different. Sin, rooted in unbelief in the veracity of God's word, and resulting in disobedience to it, colliding with the holiness of God "Who cannot lie," accounts for every catastrophe in the world, in nature and history, at both corporate and individual levels. "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God [Heb. 10:31]."
It is only when we understand our true condition, through the Holy Spirit's illumination and conviction, that there will be a proper reaction to the experience of God's grace and salvation. Only then will our response parallel that of the psalmist here and bring forth from the depth of our souls the exultant cry, "Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: Thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness."
When the problem of sin and its consequences is rightly understood, and its solution through Christ properly perceived and received, all other problems fade by comparison, and a perennial joy is established in the soul. Short of that we will remain preoccupied with temporal matters and our relationship with God will remain superficial, rising and falling with the tides of earthly circumstances.
There is another point in which a valid salvation experience is illustrated here. This is reflective of the reason for redemption. Redemption is not first aimed at the welfare of man, but at the glory of God. The psalmist cites the purpose behind his great and glorious deliverance as "to the end that my glory may sing praise to Thee, and not be silent." Indeed, the aim of God's redemptive purpose is to form a choir of endless praise to Him. Paul puts it this way: "In Him (Christ) we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will: that we should be to the praise of His glory, who first trusted in Christ [Eph. 1:11-12 my italics]."
The response of the psalmist then illustrates what should be the constant aim and preoccupation of every redeemed sinner: "O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee forever." We have but recently noted Heb. 13:15, but it bears repeating here. Building on the atoning sacrifice of Christ the writer exhorts, "By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks unto His name." And the continuing aspiration of every true child of God will be not only to thank Him with our lips, but with our lives as well—forever!
"Oh give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good."
For God's glory,
"Pastor" Frasier
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