OCTOBER 17, 2023
“But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation. I will sing unto the LORD, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.” (Psalm 13:5-6)
This is yet another Psalm of David, but, like the last one I covered, we have yet to determine the time it was written or the circumstances under which it was composed. It would seem to have been written during a time of great persecution, and it would be most natural to assume those were persecutions David suffered from Saul. The Psalm, though undoubtedly composed concerning the various trials of the author, always contains sentiments applicable to believers and may be regarded as exemplifying how they should express themselves in such endeavors.
It is not a rarity for some to endure such circumstances as in the Psalm. It is of great and permanent value because it illustrates that even good people might sometimes feel desolate and forsaken as if God had left them. But even so, they will, in such times, cry earnestly to God for His interposition.
Today’s verses highlight the cheerful confidence that children of God can have. They can hold onto the hope that He will grant them this favor and interpose on their behalf. God’s people can trust in His mercy and promises; they only find their confidence in God, not themselves. David still maintained this confidence, and now, as a result, he began to delight in the conviction that he would be safe. His idea here is, “I have trusted in the mercy of God, I trust now, and I will trust forever.”
The “salvation” referred to in Vs.5 does not refer to salvation in the future (accomplished by Christ) but to deliverance from David’s present troubles and condition of safety. He was confident that God would intervene, and there would yet be cause to rejoice in the salvation as accomplished. He now calls on his heart to rejoice in the assurance that it would be his. So it should be with us as well. There will not only be rejoicing in salvation when accomplished, but there may, and should be, in the firm conviction that it will be ours.
David writes that he will sing unto the Lord because God had shown him kindness, thus laying the foundation for gratitude and praise. The Psalm closes with expressions of joy, thankfulness, and triumph. Though it begins from a place of depression, it ends with joy. This is often an observable trend in the Psalms, often from the author feeling overwhelmed with sorrow and earnestly pleading with God. The clouds disperse; the darkness disappears. New views of the goodness and mercy of God are imparted; an assurance of His favor is brought to the soul; confidence in His mercy springs up in the heart; and the Psalm that began with sorrowful complaining ends with the language of praise and joy. So, too, it is in our own experience. Afflicted, depressed, and sad, we go to God.
Our souls take hold of the promises of God, and though we came to the throne sad and discouraged, we can rise from our devotions filled with praise and joy. We can be submissive to the trials that made us so sad before and rejoice in the belief that all things will work together for our good.
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