Calming and Quieting the Soul (v.2)
“But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.”
Why does David’s soul need calming and quieting? Perhaps he struggles with inordinate longing (overvaluing something he wants), obstinate clinging (overvaluing something he has), distrustful worrying (undervaluing God’s power), or ungrateful murmuring (undervaluing God’s goodness). Whatever the case, he claims to have “calmed and quieted [his] soul, like a weaned child with its mother.”
What’s David’s point? “The weaned infant,” explains Thomas Manton, “challenges nothing, expects nothing, but what his mother will give him.” A weaned child is cut off from his mother’s milk, implying he no longer receives what he expects. Similarly, David calms and quiets his soul by cultivating self-denial. He weakens his attachment to the world and learns to esteem things according to their true value.
Moreover, a weaned child is reliant upon his mother for everything, and he rests in his mother’s provision. Similarly, David calms and quiets his soul by cultivating dependence, recognizing that all things come from God. Finally, a weaned child is happy with what his mother gives him. In other words, he’s
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