O 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. But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, hope in the LORD from this time forth and forevermore – Psalm 131

I often overlook short Psalms. Sometimes I perceive them as not “meaty” enough to support a decent Bible? study. Or, I may read them precisely because I think their content is “bite-sized,” good enough to check off the “devotions” box. It feels good to read through an entire chapter of the bible in one sitting even if it is just three verses. If you’re like me, our neglect is to our detriment.

Attributed to King David, Psalm 131 is a mighty three verses in the midst of the Psalms of Ascent. They pack a powerful word that convicts us to surrender our lofty ambitions to things beyond ourselves and encourages us to trust in God’s sovereignty.

Verse 1: The Problem With Ambition

The chapter contains three short sections conveniently separated as verses. The first verse says the same thing in three different ways. David describes his state of humility but in the negative. The repetition serves to reinforce the same idea that he, and by application we, is finite and knows there are things beyond his grasp. He uses the eyes, heart, and mind as three different metaphors to demonstrate that his whole being doesn’t pridefully seek after knowledge beyond his grasp.

In the wake of Enlightenment progress and achievement, our culture often champions unbridled ambition. David, a king no less, takes the time to rein in such an attitude. So far as the Hebrew people were concerned, their king occupied the highest seat in the land. If anyone on earth should busy themselves with the highest thoughts and achievements of life, it should be the king. Nevertheless, the man after God’s own heart demonstrates his wisdom and humility in that he recognizes where his domain stops.

Verse 2: Anxious Habits Reexamined

Verse two expands the same idea by phrasing it in the positive. David sees his relationship to God like that of a child who calmly rests in its mother’s trustworthy arms. As a father of young children, I remember my kids as babies rooting around and whining for their mother when they became hungry. Eventually they weaned off breastfeeding and began to trust in the regular timing of meals. David acknowledges that he’s grown to trust God’s sovereignty in the same way. Instead of being agitated and anxious, his soul rests in God’s control over the questions we can’t answer.

Perceptive parents of young children may accurately point out the metaphor isn’t as fitting since even weaned children cry when they’re hungry. This is true, and maybe David is stretching the metaphor since he likely didn’t have to be involved in early childhood rearing as King. On the other hand, perhaps the metaphor serves a secondary purpose in showing us that we’re prone to fall back into old, anxious habits despite already knowing that God is trustworthy to oversee the cosmos.

Verse 3: Postures of Humility, Trust & Hope

The final verse ends with a simple and common plea for God’s people as a corporate body to place their hope in the LORD. Even after several readings, I passed over this verse without pausing on its meaning and placement. While similar phrases commonly end Psalms, the move to address the people corporately is significant. David starts by speaking of his own soul, but he encourages the people as their king to adopt the same posture of humility, trust, and peace. Even if an individual humbles himself before God, a corporate body may have a “soul” whose posture remains prideful.

Especially in today’s culture of identity politics, can you think of a “tribe” whose ambition has blinded them of their inherent limitations? Such is a grave consequence of idolatry. Whether knowingly or not, when we surrender our trust and give our worship to something other than God (e.g. a political party, the expectations of others, a charismatic figure, money), we begin to expect from our idols that which they could never provide. We’re left rooting around in anxiety and despair without hope.

David’s words remain just as true for us today – both individually and corporately. Only the sovereign creator God can bear the weight of it all. God promises that trusting in him yields peace for our communities and us. Sometimes trusting him requires we stop our ambitious pursuits and recognize he is in control. It always requires we place our hope in him. There is no peace elsewhere.

Our culture champions unbridled ambition. But the man after God’s own heart demonstrates his wisdom and humility in that he recognizes where his domain stops. Click To Tweet