Psalm 30:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: As for me, I said in my prosperity, "I shall never be moved."

NIV: When I felt secure, I said, "I will never be shaken."

NASB: Now as for me, I said in my prosperity, 'I will never be moved.'

CSB: When I was secure, I said, "I will never be shaken."

NLT: When I was prosperous, I said, 'Nothing can stop me now!'

KJV: And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved.

NKJV: Now in my prosperity I said, “I shall never be moved.”

This verse gives more insight into why the Lord disciplined David (Psalm 30:1–5). The context of this psalm seems to be the dedication of the future temple site (1 Chronicles 22:1), just after God brought judgment on David for resisting His will (1 Chronicles 21:7–17). Whether David was one of those who became sick, or simply grieved over the incident, he recognized that God was rebuking him for arrogance.

David became too self-confident: he felt secure in his prosperity. The word translated as "complacency" in Proverbs 1:32 comes from the same root word from which the Hebrew translated as "prosperity" here does. One might think of it as being at ease or tranquil. Thanks to success and stability, David started to assume he could never be defeated. He allowed his trust in the Lord to vanish, replacing it with trust in his own merits.

It is crucial for believers to recognize how insecure they are without the Lord's presence and power. Whoever thinks he is immovable, like David did, should be careful before they suffer a fall (1 Corinthians 10:12). Job confesses, "I was at ease, and he broke me apart; he seized me by the neck and dashed me to pieces" (Job 16:12). The Lord can use discipline to reveal a person's false sense of confidence. The Laodicean church was consumed with a false sense of security. It boasted that it needed nothing, but the Lord called for repentance. If the church failed to repent, it would fail to exist (Revelation 3:15–19).

Psalm 30:6–10 contains David's appeal for God's mercy. These words may have been his prayer when appealing to God for forgiveness over a sinful choice he made as king (1 Chronicles 21:7–17). He calls on the Lord, his helper, to be merciful to him. David frames his request as one who wants to live so he can continue to worship God.

David praises God for His mercy and rescue. This psalm speaks of God pulling David from the brink of ruin, while also speaking of God's righteous judgment. This was likely composed in response to the plague which struck Israel when David took an improper census (1 Chronicles 21:7–14). For believers, the Lord's discipline is temporary, but His love is eternal. Because David has been rescued, he can continue to praise God and worship His name.

Psalm 30 is a song of praise for merciful deliverance. King David sinned by taking a census against God's wishes, resulting in God's discipline. The Lord could have let David fall to his enemies, but instead sent a plague on Israel (1 Chronicles 21:7–14). The pestilence was cut short as David begged for leniency (1 Chronicles 21:15–17). Shortly after this, David set aside the future site of the temple (1 Chronicles 22:1; 2 Chronicles 3:1). That dedication seems to be the setting for Psalm 30.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.