Psalms 131
BSASBThis short Song of Ascents, attributed to David, is a quiet prayer of humility. The psalmist gives up pride and the restless need to understand everything, and rests his soul in the Lord like a contented child. He then invites all Israel to share that same hope.
Psalms 131:1
David tells the Lord that his inner life is free of pride. The heart is the center of will and thought, and the eyes show what it is looking at. He does not reach for greatness or for secrets beyond him. He is content to be a creature before God.
BSA: heart (“the seat of feelings, will, and intellect”): Humility here reaches the whole inner person, including what he wants, feels and thinks. aspire (“exercise myself, concern myself”): He does not busy himself with matters beyond his reach, and so he is free from anxious striving.
Hebrew: גָּבַהּ (gavah, H1361) — “to be high, lifted up.” The word pictures a heart or eyes raised up in self-importance. Humility is the opposite posture: looking level, or looking down, instead of looking over others.
See also: Proverbs 6:16-17; Micah 6:8.
Psalms 131:2
Instead of striving, David has calmed his own soul. He compares himself to a weaned child resting against its mother. This child no longer cries for milk. It rests in her presence for her own sake. So David trusts God without demanding answers or gifts.
BSA: weaned (“content, at peace”): The child is no longer fretful and demanding, but quiet because it is with its mother. quieted (“kept silent, still”): David hushes the noisy complaints and ambitions inside him.
Hebrew: שִׁוִּיתִי (shivviti, H7737) — “I have leveled, smoothed, set.” The word carries the idea of making a rough surface smooth. David has deliberately calmed his troubled inner waters, which shows that quietness can be chosen and practiced.
See also: Matthew 11:28-29; Philippians 4:6-7.
Psalms 131:3
David turns from his own heart to the whole nation. What he has found, he urges everyone to seek. Hope in the LORD is not for one season only. It is for today and for all time, because God does not change.
BSA: hope (“wait patiently, trust confidently”): Hope here is a settled, patient trust in God, not wishful thinking.
See also: Psalm 130:7; Romans 15:13.