Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, Like a weaned child with his mother; Like a weaned child is my soul within me. Psalm 131:2
Childlike Repose in the Lord
Psalm 131, a psalm of trust, is one of four songs of ascent attributed to David (also Ps. 122, 124, 133). This psalm is a prayer of total trust. The arrogant rely on themselves and refuse to submit to God, but the true believer is as dependent on God as a little child is on his parents.
131:1 my heart is not haughty: David presents himself with genuine humility, a delicate balance between self-abasement and arrogant pride. From the life of David we know that he was not always able to keep this balance. But it was his desire, and at times – by God’s grace – a reality in his life.
1 A Song of Ascents. Of David. Lord, my heart is not haughty, Nor my eyes lofty. Neither do I concern myself with great matters, Nor with things too profound for me.
131:2, 3 Like a weaned child: The image is that of a child who is no longer unsettled and discontented, but one who is at peace and trusting in his mother, who is there to comfort and to meet his needs. The words hope in the Lord recall 130:7 (“O Israel, hope in the Lord; For with the Lord there is mercy, And with Him is abundant redemption.”).
2 Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, Like a weaned child with his mother; Like a weaned child is my soul within me. 3 O Israel, hope in the Lord From this time forth and forever.
** A mature and yet childlike person. King David was such a person. He did not start out that way but ended up that way later in his life. God was so pleased by him because he never ignored God. He always went to God to report everything that was happening in his life.
He was a child to God all the days of his life. As a result, he was able to grow out of his old self — a helpless baby who cries all the time. A baby stops crying when he sees his mom.
131 1 A Song of Ascents. Of David. Lord, my heart is not haughty, Nor my eyes lofty. Neither do I concern myself with great matters, Nor with things too profound for me. 2 Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, Like a weaned child with his mother; Like a weaned child is my soul within me. 3 O Israel, hope in the Lord From this time forth and forever.
