Tokonaki Sune 5, 2021
But I have trusted in your steadfast love
Ka ko au Kuo u falala ki ho‘o meesi
(13:5-6) Ka ko au Kuo u falala ki ho‘o meesi; ‘E fiefia hoku loto ‘i ho‘o fakamo‘ui. Ka u hiva mu‘a kia Sihova; He kuo ne ‘ofa‘i kita.
(13:5-6) But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.
* G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible*
This little psalm is very full of beauty as it traces the way by which many a tried and , tempest-tossed soul has found consolation and strength. First of all, there is the cry almost of despair. Foes are oppressing the men of faith. There seems to be no succor even from Jehovah. Yet carefully note that his faith in Jehovah, who is God, abides. He is able to help. To Him then he cries.
This is a lesson of profound value. If the heart be overburdened and Jehovah seems to hide His face, let the story of woe be told to Him. It is a holy exercise. Men may not understand it. They may even charge us with failing faith; when, as a matter of fact, while all other anchorage crumbles in the storm, faith fastens itself more surely on the Rock. How does the psalm end? With a song of triumph. Yet it is a song of faith, for deliverance is not yet realized. How, then, does the song emerge from the wail? Carefully examine the words:
But I have trusted in Thy mercy; My heart shall rejoice in Thy salvation.
That backward look has served to remind the troubled heart of deliverances and a new confidence is born of the memory which utters itself in a song. It is good to "forget the things behind" if memory of them would hinder present consecration. It is also good to remember all the way Jehovah has led us when the day was dark with fear.
*Commentary: David Guzik – Study Guide on the Psalms*
(5a) David's trust in God's mercy.
But I have trusted in Your mercy;
I have trusted: David, after his prayer, came to a place of confidence and trust. I have trusted speaks in the past tense; it is as if David remembered that he really did trust God and he cleared away the fog from his sleepy eyes as God enlightened his eyes.
In Your mercy: At this place of discouragement, David could not trust in God's justice, or in God's law, or in God's holiness. Those things might condemn him because his feelings had made him not see clearly. But he could always trust in God's mercy. When you can't trust anything else, trust in God's mercy.
"He begins his prayer as if he thought God would never give him a kind look more … But by the time he had exercised himself a little in duty, his distemper wears off, the mists scatter, and his faith breaks out as the sun in its strength." (William Gurnall, cited in Spurgeon)
(5b-6a) David's joy in the LORD and His salvation.
My heart shall rejoice: Now, David was still in the realm of feelings (rejoice). But he directed his feelings instead of having his feelings direct him (shall rejoice). He told his heart to get busy rejoicing!
In Your salvation: This is what David rejoiced in. David, if he could rejoice in nothing else, could rejoice in the salvation God gave him. This is solid ground for any believer. If you are saved, you can rejoice, and tell your heart to start rejoicing.
I will sing to the LORD: David knew rejoicing is wonderfully expressed in singing. So, he would sing to the LORD. Singing to the LORD would both express his joy and increase his joy.
"There is not half enough singing in the world … I remember a servant who used to sing while she was at the wash-tub. Her mistress said to her, 'Why, Jane, how is it that you are always singing?' She said, 'It keeps the bad thoughts away.'" (Spurgeon)
David moved from being depressed and
feeling abandoned by God, to singing joy. "The
fact that we feel abandoned itself means that we really know God is there. To
be abandoned you need somebody to be abandoned by. Because we are Christians
and have been taught by God in the Scriptures, we know that God still loves us
and will be faithful to us, regardless of our feelings." (Boice)
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