Psalm 131

 A Song of Ascents. Of David. 

1 O LORD, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high;

I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.

Like the first two verses of Psalm 1, David begins with a negative, stating what he does not do (vs. 1), followed by a verse stating what he has done (vs. 2). Each verse contains three lines so they parallel each other in structure as well. What David chooses not to do is this: be proud. This is expressed in three different ways. First, he vows not to lift up his heart. The heart represents the center of one’s being, and it is more than just emotion with which we associate the heart in English. David is not exalting himself, not placing himself above all other things. Second, he states that his eyes are not raised too high. He’s not eyeing ways to advance himself, not overlooking people to get above them. Eyes that are “raised high” are associated with pride as in David’s own Psalm 18:27 - “For you save a humble people, but the haughty eyes you bring down.” Third, David does not concern himself with things too great or marvelous for himself. The word translated “concern” is the ordinary word “walk” which by extension often means lifestyle or behavior, something one goes around doing. He doesn’t get worked up about things he will never understand. This doesn’t mean that it’s wrong to think about weighty matters, but it does mean that you shouldn’t boast that you’ve figured them out. Surely we are to ponder the wonders of God, after all, according to Aquinas, theology is the queen of the sciences. We just need to make sure that we don't elevate our ideas about God or our ability to express them in a way that exalts ourselves. In short, the great poet/warrior David, whose words we are still reading and admiring 3,000 years after his death, states that it is his ambition to be humble. May we follow his example of humility and even more so, follow the example of Christ who being in very nature God did not consider equality with God something to be held onto tightly. 

2 But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.

3 O Israel, hope in the LORD from this time forth and forevermore.

After stating his resistance to pride, David describes what he has done to restrain the urge toward self-exaltation. He has calmed, literally, “leveled, smoothed” and “made dumb” his soul. This may be leading us toward the image that follows, a weaned child with its mother. This is a child that is no longer nursing, so not a baby. The leveling, smoothing, and quieting are something that we innately do with a fussing child, patting him on the head, gently touching his back to let him know that all is well as we hold him in our arms. This is what David is doing to his soul -- smoothing, holding, stroking and whispering words of comfort to himself. This is a child that is no longer crying for milk because that’s all he knows to do, but one that just needs to be reminded that everything is going to be okay because he is in his mother’s arms. David sees himself as this child, humble, somewhat helpless, lacking in understanding of things great and marvelous, simply trusting in One greater than himself. Jesus said that unless we become like little children, we will never enter the kingdom of heaven, echoing what David said here 1,000 years before. David then appeals to everyone else to adopt this same attitude toward pride -- reject arrogance and instead calm yourself with the truth that God is in control, and like a parent who satisfies every need of his child, you can rest in his arms. Israel, do this now and every day hereafter.