Psalm 131 – Not Proud
In Psalm 131 – not proud, David humbles himself before God, resting in God’s arms like a small child. What keeps you from this childlike wonder and trust before God?
Psalm 131
Psalm 131 is another song of ascent sung by pilgrims to the Temple, this time attributed to David. David had humble beginnings. A simple shepherd, he never forgot those beginnings even once king. He had faults but did not give into the excessive pride that refuses to acknowledge his faults. As such he was a truly great leader and a model for others in positions of leadership. As pilgrims approached the Temple, it is fitting to reflect on these beautiful words of their most famous king.
The psalm begins with a negative, what he does not do:
“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.” (1)
followed by what he does do:
“But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content.” (2)
It ends with admonishing Israel to put it’s hope in the Lord.
“Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore.” (3)
A powerful message packed into three short verses. Let’s unpack that message further.
Pride
Pride, according to Webster, is: reasonable self-esteem: confidence and satisfaction in oneself. pleasure that comes from some relationship, association, achievement, or possession that is seen as a source of honor, respect, etc. What’s so bad about that? The key word is reasonable. Pride is also defined as exaggerated self-esteem.
Pride is one of the seven deadly sins, seven vices that spur other sins and further immoral behavior. “In the theological sense, pride is defined as an excessive love of one’s own excellence.” Pride | Definition, Seven Deadly Sins, Scripture, & Facts | Britannica
There is nothing wrong with feeling satisfied with accomplishment or having a healthy self-esteem. “Unlike the healthy pride of self-affirmation, sinful pride disposes a person to think more of oneself than one ought to, with no recognition of or appreciation for the gifts one has received from God. The danger of pride is that it pushes God to the margins of one’s spiritual, moral, and temporal existence, putting the prideful person at the moral centre. If God exists at all to the prideful person, it is only to gratify one’s ego and sense of importance.” Pride | Definition, Seven Deadly Sins, Scripture, & Facts | Britannica
For David, God remained foremost in his thoughts and actions. Even when he sinned in taking another man’s wife, Bathsheba, and then sending that man to his death at the front of the battle, David recognizes his sin and seeks forgiveness from God rather than stubbornly exercising his own will. Out of his recognition of his sinfulness, he wrote beautiful penitential psalms (6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, 143).
Humility
David was a humble man, despite accusations that may have been made about him wanting to be king. Commentators suggest two possible occasions for the composition of this psalm.
“The first may be when Saul hunted David, and David was repeatedly accused of ambition for the throne of Israel. The second may be David’s in response to his wife, Michal, when she accused him of being vulgar and undignified after he danced in the procession of bringing the ark of the covenant into Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:16-23).” Psalm 131 – Enduring Word
In response to these charges David declares he is not proud. “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.” Psalm 131 – Enduring Word
David also recognizes his limits as we see in this psalm. He doesn’t spend time worrying about things that are far beyond his comprehension. He leaves these to God. In all things he remains humble and obedient to God.
“David understood the principle of Deuteronomy 29:29: The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” Psalm 131 – Enduring Word
A Weaned Child
David compares himself to a weaned child, another figure of humility.
“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 – Enduring Word
David used the beautiful image of mother with child to represent our relationship with God. “This is one of the few passages where God is represented in some way as a mother. Others include Isaiah 49:15 and Isaiah 66:13.” Psalm 131 – Enduring Word
He repeats this phrase for emphasis. “David sees himself as this child, humble, somewhat helpless, lacking in understanding of things great and marvelous, simply trusting in One greater than himself.” Psalm 131 Commentary — Psalms in Life
David then turns from his own experience to encourage his people to have similar trust in God. “See how lovingly a man who is weaned from self thinks of others! David thinks of his people, and loses himself in his care for Israel.” (Spurgeon) Psalm 131 – Enduring Word
Psalm 131 – Not Proud
To be weaned is to learn to do without something on which you once depended. It is a step towards growth. Those who are weaned spiritually, no longer love and trust God for what God gives them but for who God is and who they are in relationship to him.
God invites us into this deeper relationship with him.
Psalm 131 – not proud, reminds us that we are but babes in arms when it comes to God. This requires humility, not pride. Nothing is more important than to rest in that relationship.
Does pride keep you from trusting in God?
(For another take on this psalm, see Psalm 131: A Child At Rest – Patricia M Robertson)
This post is part of a series of blog posts on the Psalms. Sign up to follow this blog and receive a free copy of Still Dancing, the second book in my Dancing through Life Series. click here to sign up
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