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I Have Calmed and Quieted My Soul
A Song of Ascents. Of David.
131 O LORD, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.
But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
O Israel, hope in the LORD
from this time forth and forevermore.
(ESV)
Psalm 131 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
“Here we find the description of a humble, a broken and contrite spirit. It has well been said, ‘All virtues together are a body of which humility is the head.’ How many Scriptures teach the great importance and value of such true humility.”
Dr. Arno C. Gaebelein
Pride is such a faith killer. Not only that, it consistently flies under the radar, duping even the most dedicated Christ-followers into following their own hearts.
Author David Powlison has written the anti-psalm to Psalm 131. It serves to contrast the real thing in order to teach us exactly what kind of heart and attitude oppose God. This is what he writes…
Self,
my heart is proud (I’m absorbed in myself),
and my eyes are haughty (I look down on other people),
and I chase after things too great and too difficult for me.So of course I’m noisy and restless inside, it comes naturally,
like a hungry infant fussing on his mother’s lap,
like a hungry infant, I’m restless with my demands and worries.
I scatter my hopes onto anything and everybody all the time.David Powlison
How many of us (just this week) have been absorbed in ourselves? How many of us have looked down on others? How many of us have or are currently chasing after things that are too great or difficult for us?
There is a direct connection between humility and peace. I have seen it firsthand. Not only in myself, but in others as well. Have you ever noticed that the most prideful people are often the most restless and busy? They are constantly trying to find significance in their achievements. They go above and beyond to try and prove their spiritual value to others. When they receive praise, their pride goes into overdrive, grasping for more and more “ladders to nowhere”.
“Psalm 131 is holy eavesdropping on the thought processes of a man at peace inside. 131:1 reveals how our proud self-will is our biggest problems, and causes the noisy static inside. 131:2 describes the process by which we become quiet and composed, and vividly likens it to the weaning of a child. 131:3 gives the reason for quiet in compact form. Examines a series of particulars, “ladders to nowhere” that pride erects: achievement, acquisition, appetite, and avoidance. Shows how Jesus reconfigures our inner mindset to become like His own.”
David Powlison