You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, to the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever. (Psalm 30:11-12)
If you recall, we previously mentioned that it is believed this psalm was written shortly after a plague swept over David’s kingdom as a consequence of an illegal census he ordered. As the angel tasked with striking down the men of Judah made its way to Jerusalem, the Bible says that, “David lifted his eyes and saw the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven, having in his hand a drawn sword stretched out over Jerusalem. So David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell on their faces” (1 Chronicles 21:16). Recognizing his sin, David petitioned the LORD for mercy and forgiveness, which was granted.
Thus we see that, in a very literal sense, God’s compassion and forgiveness transformed David’s mourning for his people into dancing; David and his elders were able to remove their sackcloth and be clothed with gladness. Out of this tragedy came forth the initial steps that would eventually culminate in the building of the Temple. Though this was surely a traumatic time in David’s reign — he was responsible for the deaths of many — yet, he was quick to recognize his error and forever grateful for God’s mercy and compassion. His gratitude was so great that he could not keep silent about it; he was determined to declare God’s praises for the rest of his life. If we take into account that he was the driving force in the effort to construct God’s House in Jerusalem, then he played a significant role in making it possible for countless more to worship God in the beauty of holiness.
One last thought: what does he mean by “my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent”? As used here, the Hebrew term translated as “glory” is understood to be synonymous with the soul. The reasoning is that the soul, the inner man, is more glorious when compared to the body (dust). Furthermore, the soul of man came, not from the dust of the earth, but from the Throne of Glory, around which are living beings who constantly sing praises and give honor unto the One who sits upon the Throne of Glory. In other words, our soul (our glory) has one function — to give glory unto our Creator. This, in part at least, is why He was and is so committed to see the soul of man redeemed. Through the Messiah, our sins are forgiven and our soul (our glory) is released from mourning and sackcloth that we may sing His praises and declare His glory in this world.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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