Read Psalm 131
Questions from the Scripture text: What sort of song is this (superscript)? Whose Psalm is it? Whom does it address (Psalm 131:1a)? What does the psalmist say about his heart (verse 1b)? What does he say about his eyes? With what two things does he not concern himself (verse 1c–d)? What has he definitively done (Psalm 131:2a)? Like whom (verse 2b–c)? Whom does the psalmist address in Psalm 131:3? What does he tell them to do? In Whom? Starting when? Until when?
How does true humility happen? Psalm 131 looks forward to the opening portion of morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these three verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that humility comes by hope.
When chased by Saul, or berated by Shimei, or several other incidents, Scripture recounts the gracious fruit of humility in David. This makes him a well-selected instrument for bringing us this Psalm.
Before Whom, and unto Whom, to address ourselves. Our flesh is virulently proud and ambitious. What can be done about this? Ultimately, obviously, only the Lord Himself can do anything about this. And, even as He works in us, our relating to Him is one of the primary things that He uses to deal with pride and ambition. When the mind is conscientiously set upon Him, the gracious heart must be humbled. So that is where the psalmist begins: “YHWH.” He addresses the one, true living God, his Creator and Redeemer.
From the heart to the eyes. How are proud, arrogant looks to be avoided? To do so genuinely, more is needed than merely restraining facial and ocular muscles. For the eyes to be brought low appropriately, it must begin with the heart. Again, addressing the Lord Himself is the key here: not only because of His greatness, but also because it is He alone Who can see our hearts. People have a tendency of trying to convince others of what their hearts are like. But there will be no persuading God. Indeed, the believer desires to know from God what is the condition of his own heart (cf. Psalm 139:24; 1 John 3:20).
Pride and ambition. Believers desire to present to God that which He loves. And God hates pride and ambition. Even men find pride immediately distasteful; how much more it must offend the infinitely exalted God. So, the psalmist vigorously disavows both before Him. He refuses to think highly of himself (his heart is not haughty) or to present himself as exalted (his eyes are not lofty). Even when our hearts are not well-conditioned in humility, let us do our best to discipline our manners.
Next to pride is ambition. Injecting ourselves into situations and issues that the Lord has not assigned to us (“great matters”), or that the Lord has not equipped us to be able to do (“too marvelous for me”). The vocabulary of Psalm 131:1d hints at a particular ambition. That which is translated “profound,” is actually a word for “wonderful works.” It is especially the domain of God Himself. Not only does fleshly man constantly pry into the “secret things that belong to YHWH” (cf. Deuteronomy 29:29), but he has a tendency even to give his own assessment of what God has sovereignly decreed (as many a conversation about “election” or “predestination” demonstrates). How wicked, indeed, our flesh must be, that it would presume even to criticize the living God!
Weaning the soul. Psalm 131:2 is more than just a poetic description of the calmed soul. It is an expert prescription for calming the soul. His soul within him (verse 2c) is as a weaned child with his mother (verse 2b), and it is he himself who has done this (verse 2a). How is a child weaned? By slowly, regularly introducing solid food. The same must be done with our soul. Rather than nursing it whenever it cries to have its pride and ambition satisfied, our soul must be regularly fed upon the glory and wisdom and goodness of God. When nourished upon hoping in Him, our soul will not be distressed at every “hunger” pang, but have the confidence to weather the ups and downs of life with steadiness and sweetness.
Corporate, eternal application of personal spiritual experience. Here is another place that the greatness of God overwhelms our personal smallness: when we realize Who He is, and what He is like, our own hoping in Him is not enough for us. We desire for Him to be hoped in by all of His Israel (Psalm 131:3a). And not just now, but forever and ever (verse 3b). Believers ought not be satisfied with private, personal faith. Every enjoyment of God should produce in us a desire that He be glorified by His corporate people for unending ages.
How are you fighting against pride in your heart? How are you fighting against acting proud toward others? What place has the Lord given you in your home? In the church? In the community/nation? How are you devoting your focus to fulfilling that place as well as grace will sustain you to do? What is your habit for feeding your soul upon a steady diet of the character, word, and work of the Lord? How is your desire for God’s corporate praise expressed in your heart? How is it borne out in your priorities and choices?
Sample prayer: Lord, how wondrously exalted You are! You created all things, and You uphold all things by the Word of Your power. The great matters belong to You. And Yours are the wonderful works that You have decreed, and that You now carry out. We thank You for Your worship, in which You set Yourself before us, that our souls may be nourished by a regular diet of hoping in You. Come, and meet us in that worship, and stir up our hope in You that we may rest upon You now and forever, we ask through Christ, AMEN!
Suggested Songs: ARP131 “My Heart Is Not Exalted, LORD” or TPH131B “Not Haughty Is My Heart”
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