All the days of our life

In the house of Jehovah"'.

(The Companion Bible, Appendix 67).

The number of years added to Hezekiah's life (2 Kings 20:6),

corresponds with the number of Psalms in this group, namely fifteen.

Hezekiah evidently composed ten of these Psalms, which do not bear the

author's name; the remaining five he took from the writings of David and

Solomon.  It is natural to expect that in his chastened condition he would

find the language of David in Psalm 131 expressed much of his own heart's

feelings.  At the first reading of Psalm 131, it might appear that there was

not much in it to call for careful attention, but no believer in the

inspiration of all Scripture can adopt such an attitude.  When we ponder the

opening words:

'Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty',

we discover a definite link with Hezekiah himself, and the whole Psalm begins

to cry out for examination.  Why should Hezekiah have selected this Psalm of

David for inclusion in his fifteen Songs of the Degrees, surely there must

have been very good reasons if we can but discover them?  Let us look at the

word 'haughty'.  The Hebrew word is gabah and is actually used of Hezekiah in

2 Chronicles 32:25,26:

'But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto

him; for his heart was Lifted Up ... Hezekiah humbled himself for the

Pride of his heart'.

Here the word gabah occurs twice, and supplies good reason why Hezekiah

should seize upon the confession of David to express his own condition.  But

this is not all.  One would hardly expect, reading the English translation,

that the Hebrew word 'weaned' occurs also in 2 Chronicles 32:25, yet it is

so.  The Hebrew here is gamal, which is usually translated 'to reward', 'to

recompense', but in certain forms is used to indicate the 'weaning' of a

child, although no lexicographer has offered a completely satisfactory

explanation of this fact.  Fact, however, it is, that where we read in 2

Chronicles 32:25 that Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit

done unto him, there we read the same Hebrew word gamal that is translated

'weaned' in Psalm 131.  David had not been 'haughty', Hezekiah had.  David

adopted the humble and trusting spirit of a weaned child, Hezekiah had not.

Passing to the Psalm itself and its bearing upon our own quest, we observe

that David said that he had not exercised himself in 'great matters' nor in

things 'too high' for him.  Hezekiah, it will be remembered 'wept sore' when

he heard the words of the prophet telling him that he should die.  The margin

of 2 Kings 20:3 tells us that he wept with a great weeping, using the same

words that David used when he spoke of 'great matters'.  It would be natural

for the English reader to consider that the words of Psalm 131:1, 'lofty'

(Heb. rum) and 'too high' (Heb. pala), were an intended repetition.  This is

not so, however, as the margin of the A.V. indicates.  The Hebrew word pala

means 'wonderful', and brings David, Hezekiah and Job into line:

'Therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful

for me, which I knew not' (Job 42:3).

'Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain

unto it' (Psa. 139:6).