A song of ascents.
1 My heart is not proud, Lord,
my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
or things too wonderful for me.
2 But I have calmed and quieted myself,
I am like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child I am content.
3 Israel, put your hope in the Lord
both now and forevermore.
Studying Psalm 131
Charles Spurgeon said, “Psalm 131 is it is a short ladder, if we count the words; but yet it rises to a great height, reaching from deep humility to fixed confidence.”
- I had extreme difficulty singing and writing music for Psalm 131
- Particularly where David said, “I have calmed and quieted myself.”
Question: Are there some songs that are difficult for you to sing to the LORD?
- When your life doesn’t match Scripture, make it a prayer.
Q: What’s the direction of Psalm 131:1-3? Direction One _____________
What’s the direction verse 3?
In the song for Psalm 131, I changed the direction and turned it into a prayer
Keep my heart calm, O LORD (Keep my heart calm, O LORD) 2x
Still and quiet my soul. Still and quiet my soul
I put my hope in You, LORD. I put my hope in You, LORD
Both now and forevermore. Both now and forevermore
Keep my heart calm, O LORD (Keep my heart calm, O LORD) 2x
Oh, let me be content. Oh, let me be content.
I put my hope in You, LORD. I put my hope in You, LORD
Both now and forevermore. Both now and forevermore
Q: What’s the new direction of the song? Draw the corresponding shape. ___________________
“Sit Down. Be Humble”
“If anyone in Israel had reasons to be proud, it was David.” ~Warren Wiersbe
Q: What were some of David’s accomplishments that might cause pride?
Psalm 131:1
“My heart is not proud, LORD, my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me.”
- David is saying he has humbled himself and has put God in his rightful place as Lord of his life.
- He said, “My eyes are not haughty.”
Haughty Eyes are one of the six things listed that the LORD hates. Proverbs 6:16-19
Last week, as we explored the theme of praying out hate from Psalm 129, we reflected on the following quote from Sinclair Ferguson: “You can’t love the things that God loves without taking great displeasure in the things that God does.”
Haughty Eyes literally means “eyes that are lifted up.
- It symbolizes arrogance, pride, or looking down on others with superiority
Psalm 18:27 – “You save the humble but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.”
James 4:10 – Humble thyself in the sight of the LORD, and He will lift you up.
D.L. Moody – “Be humble, or you’ll stumble.”
Q: What are your thoughts on shaping verse 1 into a prayer?
Like a Child With its Mother
Psalm 131:2 “But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content.”
David Guzik:
“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.”
- Psalm 131 reflects what Paul was teaching in Philippians 4.
Everyone is very familiar with Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Read Together Philippians 4:10-13 – “I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”
Q: What does Paul say he can do through Christ?
THE LORD IS MY PORTION
- In Psalm 131, David is saying he is content with the LORD as His Portion.
My Favorite Scripture Verse:
Psalm 73:26 “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
As we play Sing a prayer based on Psalm 73, read the following passages.
Deuteronomy 18:1-2 “The Levitical priests—indeed, the whole tribe of Levi—are to have no allotment or inheritance with Israel. They shall live on the food offerings presented to the LORD, for that is their inheritance. 2 They shall have no inheritance among their fellow Israelites; the LORD is their inheritance, as He promised them.”
Read the following Verses:
Lamentations 3:24 “I say to myself, ‘The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.'”
Psalm 16:5 “LORD, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure.”
Psalm 119:57 “You are my portion, Lord; I have promised to obey your words.”
Psalm 142:5 “I cry to you, Lord; I say, ‘You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.’
Q: What does it mean for the LORD to be your portion?
Q: What are your suggestions for turning verse 2 into a prayer?
“All My Hope”
Psalm 131 ends almost identically to the ending of Psalm 130
Psalm 130
Out of the depths I cry to You, LORD;¹ LORD, hear my voice.² Let Your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.³ If You, LORD, kept a record of sins,⁴ LORD, who could stand?⁵ But with You there is forgiveness,⁶ so that we can, with reverence, serve You.⁷
I wait for the LORD,⁸ my whole being waits,⁹ and in His word I put my hope.¹⁰ I wait for the LORD more than watchmen wait for the morning,¹¹ more than watchmen wait for the morning.¹² Israel, put your hope in the LORD,¹³ for with the LORD is unfailing love¹⁴ and with Him is full redemption.¹⁵ He Himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.¹⁶
The Phrase “Both Now and Forevermore is repeated three times in the songs of Ascents.’
Psalm 121:8 – “The LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”
Psalm 125:2 – “As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds His people both now and forevermore.”
Psalm 131:3 – “Israel, put your hope in the LORD both now and forevermore.”
Questions:
Q: Why do you think we need reminded three times “now and forevermore”
Q: How do we turn verse 3 into prayer? 3 Israel, put your hope in the LORD both now and forevermore.
Prayer
[Sit in quiet. Breathe]
Say: My heart is not proud. Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.
[Sit. Breathe].
Say: I do not occupy myself with things too great for me.
[Sit. Breathe].
Say:
I have calmed and quieted my soul. Like a young child with its mother.
I cling to You, LORD, secure in You and who You are.
You are El Shaddai, the all-powerful Giver of all good things.
[Sit. Breathe].
Say: We put my hope in the LORD from this time on and forevermore.
Spiritual Practices
Eugene Peterson’s version of Psalm 131 from The Message:
“GOD, I’m not trying to rule the roost, I don’t want to be king of the mountain. I haven’t meddled where I have no business or fantasized grandiose plans. I’ve kept my feet on the ground, I’ve cultivated a quiet heart. Like a baby content in its mother’s arms, my soul is a baby content. Wait, Israel, for GOD. Wait with hope. Hope now; hope always!”
Psalm 131 NIV:
“My heart is not proud, LORD, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. 2 But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content. 3 Israel, put your hope in the LORD both now and forevermore.
Write out your own version of Psalm 131:
Poem by Anselm (Reminiscent of Psalm 131)
Come now, little man, turn aside for awhile/ From your daily employment/
Escape for a moment from the tumult/ Of your thoughts/ Put aside your weighty cares,
Let your burdensome distractions wait/ Free yourself awhile for God/
And rest awhile in Him/ Enter the inner chamber of your soul/
Shut out everything except God/ And that which can help you in seeking Him/
And when you have shut the door/ Seek Him.
Now, my whole heart, say to God, “I seek Your face. Lord, it is Your face I seek.”
