Walk Of Life – Day 15, February 2023 – Thoughts From The Book Of Psalms
Psalm 131
Lord my heart is not haughty, nor my eyes lofty. Neither do I concern myself with great matters, nor with things too profound for me. Psalm 131 : 1
A short and sweet psalm with only three verses but lots of valuable lessons. This psalm is written by King David. A king who was so much powerful that even till date in the flag of Israel Star of David remains proclaiming his majesty and glorious reign. There is nothing that he hasn’t conquered. When God tells him that he will not build the temple of God but his son Solomon would built he accumulates all the required treasures to build the temple of God. But such a great king makes his own confessions to the Lord in this psalm. What are they?
1. My heart is not haughty nor my eyes lofty
2. I do not concern myself with great matters nor with things too profound for me.
3. I have calmed and quieted my soul like a weaned child with his mother.
By saying Lord my heart is not haughty David confirms here that he has learned to reject pride. David came before the Lord in conscious humility. He understood the principle explained in Proverbs and quoted twice in the New Testament: God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble (Proverbs 3:34, James 4:6, 1 Peter 5:5).
By saying Nor my eyes lofty David learned to reject arrogance. Under the influence of pride, we become arrogant and look down on other people. Though David had accomplished great things and had a great destiny in front of him, he didn’t go around thinking of himself as better than others.
Arrogance is an expression of pride. It is the proud who are arrogant, but arrogance goes beyond pride in that it is pride looking down on other people.
Neither do I concern myself with great matters.
David had learned to reject selfish ambition, and he chose not to pursue things too profound for him. He did not set his focus on promotion or position above what God had appointed in the present season. Jesus taught us to accept a lower place (Luke 14:8-11) and wait patiently for God to lift us up in His wisdom and timing.
There are godly aspirations (Philippians 3:12-14) “I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
and then there are selfish ambitions (2 Corinthians 12:20, Galatians 5:20, Philippians 1:16 and 2:3). One way to distinguish between them is to look for a focus on God (related to spiritual aspirations) or a focus on self (selfish ambition).
Having a Selfish ambition is not just with the things of the world. Frequently, too, we exercise ourselves in great matters by having a high ambition to do something very wonderful in the church. This is why so very little is done.
“The great destroyer of good works is the ambition to do great works.” (Spurgeon)
Instead of being proud or having selfish ambitions the psalmist shares his principle of living. What will he do?
Instead of proud pursuits, David determined to find satisfaction and serenity of soul, content with God and His works. Those who feel constantly driven to do and achieve more in their relationship with God should learn some of what David here learned.
David phrased this with an emphasis on what he did. Of course it was ultimately the work of God within him, but it was vitally connected to his own will and choices. God didn’t do this for him; God used the operation of David’s choice. We must choose to calm and quiet our soul. How this quietness should be?
Like a weaned child with his mother: A child not-yet weaned embraces his mother with the thought of food and immediate satisfaction. A weaned child embraces his mother out of a desire for love, closeness, and companionship. Such was David’s humble desire to draw near to God. God’s people could only learn and live the lesson David sang of in this short psalm if they set their hope in the LORD, and in nothing else. Nothing or no one else gives the same assurance. The decision to place one’s hope in the LORD must have a beginning point, and that point should be now (from this time). From there, it should go forth and forever, never ending.
