Psalms 131
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Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me.
2 Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother: my soul is even as a weaned child.
3 Let Israel hope in the Lord from henceforth and for ever.
Public Domain KJV text from Wordproject.org
Psalm 131:1-3
I Have Calmed and Quieted My Soul
A Song of Ascents. Of David.
1O 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.
2But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
3O Israel, hope in the Lord
from this time forth and forevermore.
ESV Bible text displayed through the American Bible Society's Global Bible Widget
Psalm 131:1-3
Psalm 131
A song of ascents. Of David.
1My heart is not proud, Lord,
my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
or things too wonderful for me.
2But I have calmed and quieted myself,
I am like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child I am content.
3Israel, put your hope in the Lord
both now and forevermore.
NIV Bible text displayed through the American Bible Society's Global Bible Widget
Commentary
In Psalm 131, David talks about how he is not haughty, his eyes aren’t lofty, he’s not concerning himself with great matters. One commentator I read suggested that David wrote this in response to King Saul calling him too ambitious. Being too ambitious is not a concept most people talk about today. For many folks, it seems to be the goal to aim as high as possible and display your accomplishments (real or imagined) on social media for everyone to see. Some folks say that the Biblical ideal of being humble and meek is just weak and only the tough and strong do well in today’s world. But if we look to Jesus, He does not lead many of us into worldly fame or riches (although sometimes I wish he would lead me into riches … just kidding). Jesus leads us into humble places where people need help, where people need food, where people need a listening ear. Maybe if David had maintained the goal of being humble and meek instead of using his God-gifted power to inflict his will on others, he would have had a much happier reign and everyone would have been much better off.
Laura Muse
Hospice Chaplain, Indiana, USA (as of this writing)
