Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 131:3
Let Israel hope in the LORD from henceforth and forever.
3. Hope, Israel, in Jehovah,
From this time forth and for evermore.
In this spirit of resignation and contentment let Israel patiently wait for the development of God’s purposes. Cp. Psa 130:7.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Let Israel hope in the Lord … – The connection would seem to require us to understand this as the assertion of him who had been accused of thoughts which seemed to be too lofty. As the result of all his reflections (of those reflections for which he was rebuked and charged with pride, but which were really conceived in a modest spirit) – as expressing what he saw that seemed to be in advance of what others saw, or to indicate a habit of thought beyond his years – he says that there were reasons why Israel should hope in the Lord; that there was a foundation for confident trust; that there was that in the divine character which was a just ground of reliance; that there was that in the course of events – in the tendencies of things – which made it proper for the people of God, for the church, to hope, to confide, to feel assured of its ultimate and permanent safety. This would indicate the nature of the suggestions which he had expressed, and which had exposed him to the charge of arrogance; and it would also indicate a ripe and mature habit of thinking, beyond what might be expected from one in very early life. All this was, probably, applicable to David in his early years, as to the reflections which might have foreshadowed what he would be in future; this was eminently applicable to Davids Descendant – greater than he – who, at twelve years of age, astonished the Hebrew doctors in the temple with his understanding and answers Luk 2:47; this gives a beautiful view of modesty joined with uncommon gifts in early life; this shows what is always the nature of true religion – as producing modesty, and as prompting to hope.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Psa 131:3
Let Israel hope in the Lord.
Hope in the Lord
Humility is the root of hope. Hope is the blossom of meekness. As these graces of the true child develop themselves in the heart of a man, he cherishes the Divine, the sublime conviction that it is God the Spirit who is working within him, both to will and to do.
I. A large portion of experimental religion, and of the Divine life within a man, may be considered under the form of hope. Religious experience is a strong and well-grounded expectation that the promises which God has made to us will not be broken. Such expectation will triumph over the delusion of our senses, over the bitter accusations of our consciences, and the apparently stern decrees of Gods providence. We are saved by hope. A young Christian begins by hoping for salvation, and the earnest worker hopes for his reward. Gods servant bears his precious seed and casts it into the furrows, but he could not do so without the hope. All the strongest intuitions of faith are of the nature of hope. We are prisoners of hope so long as we are pent up in this durance vile of flesh and death. The essence of faith is to turn to the stronghold, and look for the changeless life beyond the reach of our present turmoil, temptations, and disappointment.
II. There are certain characteristics of hope expressed in this psalm which we can at once transfer to our own experience.
1. It is a Divine hope, hope in the Lord; hope thou in God; truly my soul waiteth upon God. The confidence of Israel in their own destiny and deliverance sprang not from their strange history, not from their own mental power, not from their value in their own esteem, not from their deserts, but from the Lord Jehovah. The root of their being was the eternal, ever-living, holy, faithful, covenant-keeping God. He could not be untrue, and He had promised.
2. It is a diffusive hope. The hope of the psalmist was strong enough to quicken the hope of all around him: he sang, Let Israel hope in the Lord. A Christians hope should be so thorough and earnest, and rational and life-giving, that he should be able to say by his very look, I hope in the Lord, why should not you? and should thus move like incarnate sunshine through this dark world, the messenger of peace to ,broken spirits, the conqueror of death to the death-doomed, the minister of joy and gladness.
3. It is a practical hope. This characteristic is to be gathered out of the words from henceforth. It takes its start from the actual circumstances in which we are placed. Some one exclaims, May I not wait until I have received some clearer evidence of the love of God? May I not wait until this mystery of His providence shall be solved? May I not wait until I see whether the promises of God are more decidedly vindicated? No! take the hint of my text, and in the hour of your deepest depression hope in the Lord from henceforth.
4. It is an eternal hope. From henceforth, even for ever, is the watchword of our psalm. Our hope should and must take the long for ever in. It has to do with unchanging realities, with an everlasting salvation; it looks forward to unseen things; it anticipates the ultimate fulfilment and accomplishment of all things that have been spoken by holy prophets since the world began. (H. R. Reynolds, D. D.)
Confidence in God
1. His nature invites our confidence. Boundless in love, He longs intensely to do us good. Infinite in knowledge, He is acquainted with every aspiration of our heart. Unsearchable in wisdom, it is easy for Him to form the best plans for accomplishing His purposes. Omnipotent in power, all agencies are at His disposal, and none can stay His hand from working.
2. His deeds also invite our confidence. They furnish the most instructive commentary on His character. He has uniformly manifested Himself as a God who delights in mercy: He has never failed to succour those who hoped in Him. (N. McMichael.)
Hope evermore
Tennyson sings of the mighty hopes which makes us men. Have you ever thought of the worst loss which can come to a man? Loss of property? That is a sad loss, but not the worst. Loss of friends? That is a sad loss, but not the worst. Loss of opportunity? Nor is that the worst of losses. Loss of hope, when the heart dies, and the courage fails, and the hands hang listlessly, and a man begins only and sadly to drudge–this, the loss of hope, is the blackest loss. Ive just got back from Washington, where Ive been since the election, trying to get an appointment, said a politician. Gave up hope, eh? said a sympathizing friend. Oh no, was the quick reply. I came home to hope. Its cheaper to hope here. I like that: hope any way. Get, if you must, the cheapest place to hope, but hope! (W. Hoyt, D. D.)
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Psa 132:1-18
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 3. Let Israel hope in the Lord] Act all as I have done; trust in him who is the God of justice and compassion; and, after you have suffered awhile, he will make bare his arm and deliver you. Short as it is, this is a most instructive Psalm. He who acts as the psalmist did, is never likely to come to mischief, or do any to others.
ANALYSIS OF THE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FIRST PSALM
I. The psalmist, having been accused of proud and haughty conduct, protests his innocence, states his humble thoughts of himself, and the general meekness of his deportment.
II. That his confidence was in God; in him he trusted, and therefore was far from ambition.
III. And by his own example calls on Israel to trust in God as he did.
I. He protests his humility.
1. There was no pride in his heart; and he calls God to witness it: “Lord, my heart is not haughty.”
2. There was no arrogance in his carriage: “Nor mine eyes lofty.”
3. Nor in his undertakings: “Neither do I exercise myself in great matters.” He kept himself within his own bounds and vocation, and meddled not with state affairs.
II. What preserved him from pride was humility. He brought down his desires, and wants, and views to his circumstances.
1. “Surely I have behaved and quieted myself.” Have I not given every evidence of my mild and peaceable behaviour? and I certainly never permitted a high thought to rise within me.
2. I acted as the child weaned from his mother. When once deprived of my comforts, and brought into captivity, I submitted to the will of God, and brought down my mind to my circumstances.
III. He proposes his own example of humility and peaceableness for all Israel to follow.
I. “Let Israel hope.” Never despair of God’s mercy, nor of his gracious providence. The storm will be succeeded by fair and fine weather.
2. “Let Israel hope in the Lord.” Never content yourselves with merely supposing that in the course of things these afflictions will wear out. No; look to God, and depend on him, that he may bring them to a happy conclusion.
Remember that he is Jehovah.
1. Wise to plan.
2. Good to purpose.
3. Strong to execute, and will withhold no good thing from them that walk uprightly.
4. Trust from henceforth. If you have not begun before, begin now.
5. And do not be weary; trust for ever. Your case can never be out of the reach of God’s power and mercy.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Let all Israelites learn by my example to commit themselves to God in well-doing, and to fix all their hope and trust upon him alone.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
Let Israel hope in the Lord from henceforth and for ever. What he did himself, and found it good for him to do, that he knew was good for others, and therefore exhorts and encourages to it, to hope in the Lord and wait for his salvation; and which should be done constantly, and to the end of life, or till the thing hoped for is enjoyed; see Heb 3:6. Perhaps some respect is here had to the people of Israel, especially the friends of David, who were weary of Saul’s government, and impatient to have David on the throne; whom he advises to wait patiently, and not take any indirect steps to bring it about, but leave it with God, and hope and trust in him; compare with this
1Sa 24:7;
[See comments on Ps 130:7].
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
3. Let Israel hope in the Lord Same as Psa 130:7, which is copied from this. Israel, no less than the psalmist, had been chastened and weaned. The discipline was effective, and should reassure the national hope in Jehovah.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Psa 131:3. Let Israel hope, &c. i.e. “Let all good men, all the children of God, in like manner, modestly place their confidence and hope in the Lord, as long as their live; and choose rather to be depressed, than by any undue means to raise themselves to greatness and honour.”
REFLECTIONS.We have,
1. David’s profession of his integrity. Lord, my heart is not haughty; naturally it is so in every man, but by divine grace he had been brought to entertain humble apprehensions of himself, since a discovery of his sin, helplessness, and corruption had, by the word and Spirit of God, been made to him; nor mine eyes lofty, superciliously looking down upon inferiors with disdain, or looking up to superiors with envy: he bowed before God, as the publican, in deep humility; and, far from aspiring thoughts, could have been content, if God so pleased, to have continued among the sheepfolds: neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me; no ambitious projects filled his mind, nor did he affect to be wise above what is written, desiring to pry into the secrets of providence and grace, which are too deep for our shallow line to fathom. Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother: my soul is even as a weaned child; so far from proudly assuming state, or being of a turbulent spirit, he had at Saul’s court ever shewed the greatest meekness and most harmless behaviour, and no more sought the honours, wealth, and greatness of the world, than a child the breast from which it hath been weaned. Note; (1.) Humility is the great ornament of every station. (2.) Proud looks shew a proud heart. (3.) To wade out of our depth, either in religion or learning, is dangerous. It is wisdom enough to know the way to heaven, without intruding into the arcana of God’s counsels. (4.) A child-like spirit is the best symptom of a gracious heart.
2. He encourages others from his example to trust in the Lord. Let Israel hope in the Lord from henceforth, and for ever. Many of the people might be impatient of Saul’s government, and eager to see him on the throne; but he exhorts them to leave the matter to God, who in his own time would fulfil all his designs. Note; They who hope in Jesus, and wait for his salvation, may confidently expect to partake of it, not only in time but in eternity; and shall be sure to possess it, if they continue to live by faith in the Son of God.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
REFLECTIONS
BLESSED Lord Jesus! whenever we think of humbleness, to whom shall we look for the brightest illustration of it, but to thee. Here, Lord, as in all things excellent, thou hast also the pre-eminency! Impart to my soul large portions of this grace, I beseech thee, O Lord; and let the same mind be in me which was also in thee. And the larger portions thou givest to me of this grace, they will work in me more exalted views of thy glory. Let me often think both of thy humiliation, in first taking our nature: and then of thy humiliation in looking upon me, visiting me, and forming thyself in my heart, the hope of glory. Oh! for grace thus to look to Jesus until every faculty of my soul be humbled to the dust before thee, and every power of my heart goes forth in praises to thee, the God of my salvation.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Psa 131:3 Let Israel hope in the LORD from henceforth and for ever.
Ver. 3. Let Israel hope ] See Psa 130:7 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Israel. Not “a liturgical addition”, but used to link the three Psalms of this group together (Psa 129:1; Psa 130:7, Psa 130:8; Psa 131:3). For Israel is to find rest and peace where their kings (David, and Hezekiah) found it.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Let Israel: Psa 115:9-11, Psa 130:7, Psa 146:5, Jer 17:7, Jer 17:8
from henceforth: Heb. from now, Psa 115:18, Isa 26:4
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
2. A model of hope 131:3
David called on the nation to follow his example and rest in confidence that the Lord would provide what His people needed. This dependent trust is a need God’s people never outgrow.
"The piety reflected in this psalm is directly opposed to modernity with its drive toward independence, self-sufficiency, and autonomy. It is worth noting that the Psalms deny the Oedipal inclination that there can be freedom only if the controlling, authoritarian father-god be slain or denied. The myth of modernity believes that real maturity is to be free of every relationship of dependence. But when the metaphor is changed from a harsh controlling father to a gently feeding mother, it is evident that the human goal need not be breaking away, but happy trust." [Note: Brueggemann, p. 49.]
This psalm is an excellent exposition of what it means to have faith as a child. We can trust God because He is who He is. We must trust Him because we are who we are.