Week 4
Day 1

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Psalms about Temptation

Temptation Even to Despair

Psalm 32

Of David; a maskil¹.

Happy is he whose transgression is lifted,

Whose sin is covered.

Happy is the man to whom Jehovah reckons not iniquity,

If only in his spirit there is no deceitfulness.

When I was silent,

My bones were worn out by my roaring all the day.

For day and night Thy hand was heavy on me;

My moisture was turned into the droughts of summer. Selah.

I made known my sin to Thee,

And my iniquity have I not covered;

I said, I will confess unto Jehovah concerning my transgressions;

And Thou hast lifted the iniquity of my sin. Selah.

On account of this let every merciful one pray to Thee at the time of finding Thee;

Therefore the overflow of many waters shall not reach to him.

Thou art a hiding place for me;

Thou wilt preserve me from adversity;

With loud songs of deliverance

Thou wilt surround me. Selah.

I will make thee to have intelligence and instruct thee in the way which thou shalt go;

I will give counsel with My eye upon thee.

Be ye not as the horse, as the mule, with no understanding,

Whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, so that he may not come near to thee.

Many are the pains of the wicked;

But he who trusts in Jehovah, mercy shall surround him.

Be glad in Jehovah, and rejoice, you just;

And sing aloud, all you upright of heart.

My bones were worn out by my roaring all the day.

AE 601.7. That roaring signifies grievous lamentation from grief of heart can be seen from these passages. In David:

When I kept silence my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day (Ps. 32:3).

In the same:

I am weakened and crushed exceedingly; I have roared by reason of the roaring of my heart (Ps. 38:3)

The overflow of many waters shall not reach to him.

AC 736.3. “Waters” and “rivers” here are falsities and phantasies.... In David:

For this shall everyone that is holy pray unto Thee at a time of finding; so that in the inundation of many waters they shall not reach unto him; Thou art my hiding place; Thou wilt preserve me from trouble (Ps. 32:6-7).

Here the “inundation of waters” denotes temptation, which is also called a “flood.” In the same:

Jehovah sits at the flood; yea, Jehovah sits King forever (Ps. 29:10).

From these passages . . . it is evident that a “flood” or “inundation” of waters signifies nothing else than temptations and vastations, although described in story form, after the manner of the most ancient people.

Be glad in Jehovah, and rejoice.

AE 660.4. Exultation, like joy, is predicated of good, because it relates to love, to the heart, and to the will; as in the following passages:

Jacob shall exult, Israel shall be glad (Ps. 14:7; 53:6).

I exult and am glad in Thy kindness (Ps. 31:7).

Be glad in Jehovah, and exult, ye just (Ps. 32:11).

Mount Zion shall be glad, and the daughters of Judah shall exult (Ps. 48:11).

Let all that trust in Thee be glad, and let them that love Thy name exult in Thee (Ps. 5:11).

This is the day that Jehovah hath made, let us exult and be glad in it (Ps. 118:24).

¹Psalm 47:7 identifies “maskil” as a type of psalm. It is named from the Hebrew word meaning “giving intelligence.”

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