David's soul

Reflections 

Don't be fooled by the peaceful images. A few minutes earlier these toddlers were throwing violent tantrums. And even now, as they lie on their mother's breast, they sometimes still shudder from the powerful emotions that overtook them earlier. Emotions that can even overtake us in our adult lives. If we led our immature self lead us, we can feel possessed.

David knows his weaknesses. God had told him that his temple could not be built by a warlord with blood on his hands. That could have enflamed David, but not this time. A proud heart and an arrogant gaze can easily excite his soul and lead her to sin (as in Proverbs 21:4). A soul can get frustrated and angry. For David, his soul is like his inner child: innocent, irrational and immature. He needs to calm her as once his mother did with him. Then she can be directed toward play and exploration. He needs to direct her desires towards the LORD of creation, so she will find true joy.

The image is extraordinarily powerful: you do not have to hate yourself for doing stupid things or losing control. Instead, you may take your mother's role and take hold of your soul as her cherished child. You are that child. Or better: the patterns that were created in your childhood are still the most powerful drivers of your behavior today. For better and for worse. Approaching them from a position of love and responsibility can help you forward.

The psalm is labelled, perhaps reused, as a 'song of ascent' - a song for pilgrims walking upward to the temple of the LORD. I imagine that the melody lent itself for repetition, so that the people joined together in the common emotion of directing their desires towards the presence of the LORD.