Let’s begin by reading Psalms 30:1, “A Psalm and Song at the dedication of the house of David. I will extol thee, O LORD; for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me.” This is a psalm of praise. There is praise expressed here for the Lord had delivered David from his enemies. This psalm was probably sung at the dedication of David’s house being built. That seemed to be a usual tradition at the time. We read in Deuteronomy 20:5, “And the officers shall speak unto the people, saying, What man is there that hath built a new house, and hath not dedicated it? let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man dedicate it.” So, for David to dedicate his house to the Lord was not unusual.

This chapter can be divided into four distinct sections:

  • Verses 1-3 – David praises the Lord for delivering him out of life threatening bad health.
  • Verses 4-5 – David calls for others to join him in rejoicing at the love and compassion of the Lord.
  • Verses 6-7 – David confesses his pride and independence that caused the Lord to hide His face.
  • Verses 8-12 – Davis shows how he turned to the Lord, who turned his ‘mourning into dancing’. David declares that he will eternally praise the Lord.

To answer your good question, let’s read Psalms 30:6-7, “And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved. LORD, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled.” As often happens to men, even true believers on the Lord, when David became prosperous, he expressed confidence that he would never lose his riches. He seems to have forgotten that it was the grace of God that prospered Him and would sustain him. He was trusting in his riches. The Lord Jesus warned His disciples, and us, in Mark 10:24, “Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!”

In verse 7, David properly acknowledges that his prosperity was an act of God’s favor. Yet, he still speaks in a carnal manner, speaking of “my mountain” and declaring it to “stand strong” as if it “shall never be moved.” Because of this, the Lord withdraws His favor from David. He hid His face from David and that caused him to be troubled or to fear. What a lesson for us all to learn! We often receive wonderful grace from the Lord. He blesses us beyond our thought. Indeed, we learn in Ephesians 3:20 that the Lord “is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.”  Yet in that supply, we sometimes become relaxed and do not revere the Lord as we should. We respect the gift more than we do the giver!

What did David do in this situation? Verse 8 says, “I cried to thee, O LORD; and unto the LORD I made supplication.” When David realized that all he had confidence in was now gone, he called out to the Lord for help. Humbled because of his experience, David put his needs in the hands of the Lord. For that, the Lord turned David’s “mourning into dance.” Oh, how we need to follow David’s example and call upon the Lord to sustain us in all situations. (272.8)