Psalm 131 is the twelfth of the fifteen “Ascent Songs” or
“Pilgrim Psalms”. This is a psalm about humility. From the title we know it was
written by David. If anyone in Israel had reasons to be proud, it was David.
The eighth son of a common citizen, he began as a humble shepherd and yet
became Israel's greatest king. A courageous soldier, a gifted general and
tactician, and a sincere man of God, it was David who defeated Israel's
enemies, expanded her boundaries, and amassed the wealth that Solomon used to
build the temple. David was human, and like all of us, he was guilty of
disobeying the Lord, but he was always repentant and sought God's merciful
forgiveness. Except for a few lapses into selfishness and sin, David walked
with the Lord in a humble spirit. In this brief psalm, he shares with us three essentials
of a life that glorifies God and accomplishes His work on earth.
In verse 1, we first learn that we need to be honest and accept
ourselves. We move toward maturity when we honestly accept who we are,
understand what we can do, accept both and live for God's glory. Rejecting or
hating ourselves, fantasizing about ourselves, and envying others are marks of
immaturity. David had seen some of this kind of behavior in his own son Absalom
as well as in King Saul. A proud heart refuses to face reality, a high look
covers up hidden inadequacy, and arrogant ambition impresses some people but
leads ultimately to embarrassing failure (Jer. 45:5). When you accept yourself
and your lot and thank God for the way He made you, you do not need to impress
people. They will see your worth and love you for who you are. Spoiled children
want to be seen and heard and they get involved in things they cannot handle.
David did not promote himself; it was all God's doing.
In verse 2, we should seek to have a humble heart and accept
God's will. Hebrew children were weaned at ages three or four, and this
experience marked the end of their infancy. But most children do not want to be
deprived of their mother’s loving arms and satisfying breasts, and they feel
rejected and unwanted. But after the crisis of birth, each child must
eventually be weaned and learn the first lesson in the school of life: growing
up involves painful losses that can lead to wonderful gains.
If children are to grow up and not just grow old, they must
be able to function apart from mother. This means weaning, going to school,
choosing a vocation, and probably marrying and starting a new home. They must
learn that there is a difference between cutting the apron strings and cutting
the heartstrings and that these separations do not rob them of mother's love. Weaning can be painful but is
necessary in life!
The child that David described wept and fretted but
eventually “calmed” down and accepted the inevitable. The word describes the
calming of the sea or the farmer's leveling of the ground after plowing (Isa.
28:25). Instead of emotional highs and lows, the child developed a steady
uniform response, indicating a giant step forward in the quest for maturity.
Successful living means moving from dependence to independence, and then to
interdependence, always in the will of God.
Finally in verse 3, we must place our hope in the LORD as
we anticipate the future (v. 3). Infants do not realize that their mother's
decision is for their own good, for weaning sets them free to meet the future
and make the most of it. The child may want to keep things as they are, but
that way lies immaturity and tragedy. In the Christian vocabulary, hope is not
"hope so" or “wishful thinking”. It is joyful anticipation of what the
Lord will do in the future, based on His changeless promises. Like the child
being weaned, we may fret at our present circumstances, but we know that our
fretting is wrong.
Today we need to remember that our present circumstances
are the womb out of which new blessings and opportunities will be born (Rom.
8:28).
God bless!
