Epiphany 6 B > Psalm 30 > Exaltabo te, Domine
Psalm 30 (NRSV)
Psalm 30 RCL context (BCP)
6 Weeping may spend the night, *
but joy comes in the morning.
We often hear this sentiment in the New Testament: Revelation 7:17. (Did you know it's also in Isaiah 25:8?) But I like the way the psalmist say it.
He doesn't seem to believe it though, because a short while later, he's bargaining with God.
10 "What profit is there in my blood, if I go down to the Pit? *
will the dust praise you or declare your faithfulness?
At least, that's the way I read it the first time.
But when I looked again, I could see that the psalm is very clearly divided into three sections.
1 to 6 - an introductory hymn of praise
7 to 11 - a narrative account of some scary event when the Lord hid His face.
12 and 13 - the joyful conclusion
So there's a neat little rhetorical structure going on.
First, the psalmist says "Pay attention! God is good! Here's why." And then he talks about why God is so good.
This is all a preface to the part where God hides his face. This is a scary time. But as we keep reading, it gets better.
What I like about this Psalm is that we know what the ending will be. The psalmist is so overjoyed at what the Lord has done, that he places the praise first.
Our lives are like this too. We know what the ending will be, so even in the darkest times, we can afford to be joyful. Even when weeping spends the night, we can rest in the hope that Joy comes in the morning.
Psalm 30 RCL context (BCP)
6 Weeping may spend the night, *
but joy comes in the morning.
We often hear this sentiment in the New Testament: Revelation 7:17. (Did you know it's also in Isaiah 25:8?) But I like the way the psalmist say it.
He doesn't seem to believe it though, because a short while later, he's bargaining with God.
10 "What profit is there in my blood, if I go down to the Pit? *
will the dust praise you or declare your faithfulness?
At least, that's the way I read it the first time.
But when I looked again, I could see that the psalm is very clearly divided into three sections.
1 to 6 - an introductory hymn of praise
7 to 11 - a narrative account of some scary event when the Lord hid His face.
12 and 13 - the joyful conclusion
So there's a neat little rhetorical structure going on.
First, the psalmist says "Pay attention! God is good! Here's why." And then he talks about why God is so good.
This is all a preface to the part where God hides his face. This is a scary time. But as we keep reading, it gets better.
What I like about this Psalm is that we know what the ending will be. The psalmist is so overjoyed at what the Lord has done, that he places the praise first.
Our lives are like this too. We know what the ending will be, so even in the darkest times, we can afford to be joyful. Even when weeping spends the night, we can rest in the hope that Joy comes in the morning.
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