In you, Yahweh, I take refuge. Let me never be disappointed. Deliver me in your righteousness.
Bow down your ear to me. Deliver me speedily. Be to me a strong rock, a house of defense to save me.
For you are my rock and my fortress, therefore for your name’s sake lead me and guide me.
Pluck me out of the net that they have laid secretly for me, for you are my stronghold.
Into your hand I commend my spirit. You redeem me, Yahweh, God of truth.
I hate those who regard lying vanities, but I trust in Yahweh.
I will be glad and rejoice in your loving kindness, for you have seen my affliction. You have known my soul in adversities.
You have not shut me up into the hand of the enemy. You have set my feet in a large place.
Have mercy on me, Yahweh, for I am in distress. My eye, my soul, and my body waste away with grief.
For my life is spent with sorrow, my years with sighing. My strength fails because of my iniquity. My bones are wasted away.
Because of all my adversaries I have become utterly contemptible to my neighbors, a horror to my acquaintances. Those who saw me on the street fled from me.
I am forgotten from their hearts like a dead man. I am like broken pottery.
For I have heard the slander of many, terror on every side, while they conspire together against me, they plot to take away my life.
But I trust in you, Yahweh. I said, “You are my God.”
My times are in your hand. Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me.
Make your face to shine on your servant. Save me in your loving kindness.
Let me not be disappointed, Yahweh, for I have called on you. Let the wicked be disappointed. Let them be silent in Sheol.
Let the lying lips be mute, which speak against the righteous insolently, with pride and contempt.
Oh how great is your goodness, which you have laid up for those who fear you, which you have worked for those who take refuge in you, before the sons of men!
In the shelter of your presence you will hide them from the plotting of man. You will keep them secretly in a dwelling away from the strife of tongues.
Praise be to Yahweh, for he has shown me his marvelous loving kindness in a strong city.
As for me, I said in my haste, “I am cut off from before your eyes.” Nevertheless you heard the voice of my petitions when I cried to you.
Oh love Yahweh, all you his saints! Yahweh preserves the faithful, and fully recompenses him who behaves arrogantly.
Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who hope in Yahweh.
John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 1. In thee, O Jehovah! have I put my…
1. In thee, O Jehovah! have I put my trust. Some are of opinion that this psalm was composed by David, after he had most unexpectedly escaped out of the wilderness of Maon; to which I do not object, although it is only a doubtful conjecture. Certainly he celebrates one or more of the greatest of his dangers. In the commencement he tells us what kind of prayer he offered in his agony and distress; and its language breathes affection of the most ardent nature. He takes it for a ground of hope that he trusted in the Lord, or continued to trust in him; for the verb in the past tense seems to denote a continued act. He held it as a principle, that the hope which depends upon God cannot possibly be disappointed. Meanwhile, we see how he brings forward nothing but faith alone; promising himself deliverance only because he is persuaded that he will be saved by the help and favor of God. But as this doctrine has been expounded already, and will yet occur oftener than once, it is sufficient at present to have glanced at it. Oh! that all of us would practice it in such a manner as that, whenever we approach to God, we may be able with David to declare that our prayers proceed from this source, namely, from a firm persuasion that our safety depends on the power of God. The particle signifying for ever may be explained in two ways. As God sometimes withdraws his favor, the meaning may not unsuitably be, Although I am now deprived of thy help, yet cast me not off utterly, or for evermore. Thus David, wishing to arm himself with patience against his temptations, would make a contrast between these two things, — being in distress for a time, and remaining in a state of confusion. “Feroit une antithese entre ces deux choses, Estre en destresse pour un temps, et demeurer confus.” — Fr.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 13, 14, 15, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 For then God declareth himself just, when he preserveth…
For then God declareth himself just, when he preserveth his according as he hath promised.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv1–24 Psa 31:1 « To the chief Musician, A Psalm…
Psa 31:1 « To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. » In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness.
A Psalm of David] Made, say Vatablus and others, at that time when Saul pursued David in the wilderness of Maon, 1Sa 23:24. But by many circumstances and passages of this psalm it appeareth more probable that it was, as the former, composed when Absalom was up, 2Sa 15:10-12 Sss Psa 31:11-12; Psa 31:22 of this psalm, with 2Sa 17:24; 2Sa 17:27; 2Sa 19:33; Joseph. Antiq. lib. 7, cap. 9.
Read full note →
Ver. 1. In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust] Hic Psalmus varia mixtus et magna effectuum vicissitudine insignis est. This psalm is strangely mixed and made up of many and divers passions and petitions, according to the change of times and estate. In the time of affliction he prayeth, in the time of consolation he praiseth the Lord, Ecc 7:15. In these three first verses is little said but what had been before said, and is already opened.
Let me never be ashamed] i.e. Repulsed, worsted, defeated.
In thy righteousness] And not according to mine own righteousnes, saith Kimchi, or, according to thy faithfulness.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 Let me never be ashamed, to wit, of my…
Let me never be ashamed, to wit, of my confidence in thy promises.
In thy righteousness, i.e. by or for; or, according to thy faithfulness and goodness; both which come oft under the name of righteousness.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Matthew Henry 1710 · Public Domain On vv1, 9, 19 Faith and prayer must go together. He that believes,…
Faith and prayer must go together. He that believes, let his pray - I believe, therefore I have spoken: and he that prays, let him believe, for the prayer of faith is the prevailing prayer. We have both here.
I. David, in distress, is very earnest with God in prayer for succour and relief. This eases a burdened spirit, fetches in promised mercies, and wonderfully supports and comforts the soul in the expectation of them. He prays, 1. That God would deliver him (Psa 31:1), that his life might be preserved from the malice of his enemies, and that an end might be put to their persecutions of him, that God, not only in his mercy, but in righteousness, would deliver him, as a righteous Judge betwixt him and his unrighteous persecutors, that he would bow down his ear to his petitions, to his appeals, and deliver him, Psa 31:2. It is condescension in God to take cognizance of the case of the greatest and best of men; he humbles himself to do it. The psalmist prays also that he would deliver him speedily, lest, if the deliverance were long deferred, his faith should fail. 2. That if he did not immediately deliver him out of his troubles, yet he would protect and shelter him in his troubles; "Be thou my strong rock, immovable, impregnable, as a fastness framed by nature, and my house of defence, a fortress framed by art, and all to save me." Thus we may pray that God's providence would secure to us our lives and comforts, and that by his grace we may be enabled to think ourselves safe in him, Pro 18:10. 3. That his case having much in it of difficulty, both in respect of duty and in respect of prudence, he might be under the divine guidance: "Lord, lead me and guide me (Psa 31:3), so order my steps, so order my spirit, that I may never do any thing unlawful and unjustifiable - against my conscience, nor unwise and indiscreet - against my interest." Those that resolve to follow God's direction may in faith pray for it. 4. That his enemies being very crafty, as well as very spiteful, God would frustrate and baffle their designs against him (Psa 31:4): "Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me, and keep me from the sin, the trouble, the death, they aim to entrap me in."
Read full note →
II. In this prayer he gives glory to God by a repeated profession of his confidence in him and dependence on him. This encouraged his prayers and qualified him for the mercies he prayed for (Psa 31:1): "In thee, O Lord! do I put my trust, and not in myself, or any sufficiency of my own, or in any creature; let me never be ashamed, let me not be disappointed of any of that good which thou hast promised me and which therefore I have promised myself in thee." 1. He had chosen God for his protector, and God had, by his promise, undertaken to be so (Psa 31:3): "Thou art my rock and my fortress, by thy covenant with me and my believing consent to that covenant; therefore be my strong rock," Psa 31:2. Those that have in sincerity avouched the Lord for theirs may expect the benefit of his being so; for God's relations to us carry with them both name and thing. Thou art my strength, Psa 31:4. If God be our strength, we may hope that he will both put his strength in us and put forth his strength for us. 2. He gave up his soul in a special manner to him (Psa 31:5): Into thy hands I commit my spirit. (1.) If David here looks upon himself as a dying man, by these words he resigns his departing soul to God who gave it, and to whom, at death, the spirit returns. "Men can but kill the body, but I trust in God to redeem my soul from the power of the grave," Psa 49:15. He is willing to die if God will have it so; but let my soul fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercies are great. With these words our Lord Jesus yielded up the ghost upon the cross, and made his soul an offering, a free-will offering for sin, voluntarily laying down his life a ransom. By Stephen's example we are taught in, our dying moment, to eye Christ at God's right hand, and to commit our spirits to him: Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. But, 2. David is here to be looked upon as a man in distress and trouble. And, [1.] His great care is about his soul, his spirit, his better part. Note, Our outward afflictions should increase our concern for our souls. Many think that while they are perplexed about their worldly affairs, and Providence multiplies their cares about them, they may be excused if they neglect their souls; whereas the greater hazard our lives and secular interests lie at the more we are concerned to look to our souls, that, though the outward man perish, the inward man may suffer no damage (Co2 4:16), and that we may keep possession of our souls when we can keep possession of nothing else, Luk 21:19. [2.] He thinks the best he can do for the soul is to commit it into the hand of God, and lodge that great trust with him. He had prayed (Psa 31:4) to be plucked out of the net of outward trouble, but, as not insisting upon that (God's will be done), he immediately lets fall that petition, and commits the spirit, the inward man, into God's hand. "Lord, however it goes with me, as to my body, let it go well with my soul." Note, It is the wisdom and duty of every one of us solemnly to commit our spirits into the hands of God, to be sanctified by his grace, devoted to his honour, employed in his service, and fitted for his kingdom. That which encourages us to commit our spirits into the hand of God is that he has not only created, but redeemed, them; the particular redemptions of the Old Testament church and the Old Testament saints were typical of our redemption by Jesus Christ, Gen 48:16. The redemption of the soul is so precious that it must have ceased for ever if Christ had not undertaken it; but, by redeeming our souls, he has not only acquired an additional right and title to them, which obliges us to commit them to him as his own, but has shown the extraordinary kindness and concern he has for them, which encourages us to commit them to him, to be preserved to his heavenly kingdom (Ti2 1:12): "Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth! redeem me according to a promise which thou wilt be true to."
III. He disclaimed all confederacy with those that made an arm of flesh their confidence (Psa 31:6): I have hated those that regard lying vanities - idolaters (to some), who expect aid from false gods, which are vanity and a lie - astrologers, and those that give heed to them, so others. David abhorred the use of enchantments and divinations; he consulted not, nor even took notice of, the flight of birds or entrails of beasts, good omens or bad omens; they are lying vanities, and he not only did not regard them himself, but hated the wickedness of those that did. He trusted in God only, and not in any creature. His interest in the court or country, his retreats or strongholds, even Goliath's sword itself - these were lying vanities, which he could not depend upon, but trusted in the Lord only. See Psa 40:4; Jer 17:5.
IV. He comforted himself with his hope in God, and made himself, not only easy, but cheerful, with it, Psa 31:7. Having relied on God's mercy, he will be glad and rejoice in it; and those know not how to value their hope in God who cannot find joy enough in that hope to counterbalance their grievances and silence their griefs.
V. He encouraged himself in this hope with the experiences he had had of late, and formerly, of God's goodness to him, which he mentions to the glory of God; he that has delivered doth and will. 1. God had taken notice of his afflictions and all the circumstances of them: "Thou hast considered my trouble, with wisdom to suit relief to it, with condescension and compassion regarding the low estate of they servant." 2. He had observed the temper of his spirit and the workings of his heart under his afflictions: "Thou hast known my soul in adversities, with a tender concern and care for it." God's eye is upon our souls when we are in trouble, to see whether they be humbled for sin, submissive to the will of God, and bettered by the affliction. If the soul, when cast down under affliction, has been lifted up to him in true devotion, he knows it. 3. He had rescued him out of the hands of Saul when he had him safe enough in Keilah (Sa1 23:7): "Thou hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy, but set me at liberty, in a large room, where I may shift for my own safety," Psa 31:8. Christ's using those words (Psa 31:5) upon the cross may warrant us to apply all this to Christ, who trusted in his Father and was supported and delivered by him, and (because he humbled himself) highly exalted, which it is proper to think of when we sing these verses, as also therein to acknowledge the experience we have had of God's gracious presence with us in our troubles and to encourage ourselves to trust in him for the future.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv1–24 In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust,....…
In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust,.... Not in any creature, but in the Lord Jehovah; the Targum, "in thy Word"; the essential Logos, or Word, which was in the beginning with God, and was God, and so an equal object of faith, trust, and confidence, as Jehovah the Father: this act includes a trusting all with God, body and soul, and the welfare of them, in time, and to eternity; and a trusting him for all things, both of providence and grace, and for both grace and glory, and is a continued act; for the psalmist does not say, "I have trusted", or "I will trust", but "I do"; and this was a very consider able thing to do in this time of his distress: the Lord is to be trusted in at all times;
let me never be ashamed; neither in this world, nor in that to come. The believer has no reason to be ashamed of anything in this life but sin, and the imperfection of his own righteousness, and his trust in it; not of the Lord, in whom he trusts; nor of his Word, or Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, in whom he believes as his Saviour and Redeemer; nor of the Spirit, and his work of grace upon him; nor of his faith, hope, trust, and confidence in them; nor of the Gospel, the means of faith, and of the support of it; nor of, the reproaches, afflictions, and sufferings, he endures for the sake of Christ and his Gospel; nor of his ordinances and his people; nor will he be ashamed hereafter at the coming of Christ, when he will appear in his righteousness, be clothed with white robes, have palms in his hands, and shall stand at his right hand, and be received into glory;
Read full note →
deliver me in thy righteousness; not in his own, by which he knew there was no acceptance with God, no justification before him, nor any deliverance and salvation from sin and death; but by the righteousness of God, which the Son of God has wrought out, God the Father accepts of and imputes, and the Spirit of God reveals and applies; by this there is deliverance from sin, its guilt, and damning power, and from the curses and condemnation of the law, and from wrath to come, and from the second death.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 19, 20, 21, 22 David professes his confidence in God, intermixing prayer to…
David professes his confidence in God, intermixing prayer to him, ver. 1-8. Complains to God and prays for deliverance, ver. 9-18. Concludes with giving glory to God, and encouraging others to trust him, ver. 19-24. To the chief musician, A psalm of David.
Ashamed - Of my confidence in thy promise. Deliver me - According to thy faithfulness and goodness.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 The psalmist, with strong confidence in God, in a…
PSALM XXXI
The psalmist, with strong confidence in God, in a time of
Read full note →
distress prays earnestly for deliverance, 1-5.
He expresses his abhorrence of evil, 6;
gratefully mentions former interpositions of God, 7, 8;
continues to detail the miseries of his case, 9-18;
points out the privileges of them that fear God, 19, 20;
shows that God had heard his prayers, notwithstanding he had
given himself over for lost, 21, 22;
calls on the saints to love God, and to have confidence in him,
because he preserves the faithful, and plentifully rewards the
proud doer, 23, 24.
NOTES ON PSALM XXXI
This Psalm contains no notes of time or place, to help us to ascertain when, where, or on what account it was written. Nor have we any certain evidence relative to the author: it might have been written by David during his persecution by Saul. Some think Jeremiah to have been the author: the thirteenth verse begins exactly with the same words as Jer 20:10. There are several other apparent references to passages in the book of Jeremiah, which shall be produced in the notes.
Verse 1. In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust] I confide in thee for every good I need: let me not be confounded by not receiving the end of my faith, the supply of my wants, and the salvation of my soul.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv1, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 14, 18, 19, 20, 21, 23, 24 Psa 31:1-3. Never let me be ashamed — Namely,…
Psa 31:1-3. Never let me be ashamed — Namely, of my confidence in thy promises. Deliver me in thy righteousness — By, or for, or according to thy faithfulness and goodness, both which often come under the name of righteousness. Deliver me speedily — Because of the greatness and urgency of my danger, which is even ready to swallow me up. For thy name’s sake lead me — For the glory of thy name, that is, of thy power, and truth, and mercy to thy miserable servant. And guide me — Lead and guide are two words expressing the same thing with more emphasis. Direct me clearly and continually in a right and safe path: for, without thy conduct, I can neither discern the right way nor continue in it.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv1–24 In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust…
In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust - This is the ground of the petitions which follow; or the reason why the psalmist thus appeals to God. It was his firm confidence in Him; in His character; in His promises; in His ability to deliver Him in the time of danger. Compare the notes at Psa 7:1.
Let me never be ashamed - That is, let me never have occasion to be ashamed for having put this confidence in Thee. Let Thy dealings toward me be such as to show that my confidence was well founded. The word is not used here in the sense of being unwilling to confess his faith in God, or his love for Him, as it is often now (compare Rom 1:16; Rom 5:5; 2Ti 1:12), but in the sense of being so “disappointed” as to make one ashamed that he had thus relied on that which was unworthy of confidence. See the notes at Job 6:20; compare also Isa 30:5; Jer 2:26; Jer 14:3-4. The psalmist prays that God would interpose in his behalf in answer to his prayers, and that he would show that He was worthy of the confidence which he had reposed in him, or that He was a God who might be trusted in the time of trial; in other words, that he might not be subjected to the reproach of the wicked for having in his troubles relied upon such a God.
Read full note →
Deliver me in thy righteousness - In the manifestation of Thy righteous character; in the exhibition of that character as righteous; as doing justice between man and man; as pronouncing a just sentence between me and my enemies.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures 1864 · Public Domain On v1 Psalms 31
Psalms 31
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David
Read full note →
1 In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust;
Let me never be ashamed:
Deliver me in thy righteousness.
2 Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily:
Be thou my strong rock, for a house of defence
To save me.
3 For thou art my rock and my fortress;
Therefore for thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me.
4 Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me:
For thou art my strength.
5 Into thine hand I commit my spirit:
Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.
6 I have hated them that regard lying vanities:
But I trust in the Lord.
7 I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy:
For thou hast considered my trouble;
Thou hast known my soul in adversities;
8 And hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy
Thou hast set my feet in a large room.
9 Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am in trouble:
Mine eye is consumed with grief,
Yea, my soul and my belly.
10 For my life is spent with grief,
And my years with sighing:
My strength faileth because of mine iniquity,
And my bones are consumed.
11 I was a reproach among all mine enemies,
But especially among my neighbours, and a fear to mine acquaintance:
They that did see me without fled from me.
12 I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind:
I am like a broken vessel.
13 For I have heard the slander of many: fear was on every side:
While they took counsel together against me,
They devised to take away my life.
14 But I trusted in thee, O Lord:
I said, Thou art my God.
15 My times are in thy hand:
Deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.
16 Make thy face to shine upon thy servant:
Save me for thy mercies’ sake.
17 Let me not be ashamed, O Lord; for I have called upon thee:
Let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave.
18 Let the lying lips be put to silence;
Which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous.
19 Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee;
Which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee
Before the sons of men!
20 Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man:
Thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.
21 Blessed be the Lord:
For he hath shewed me his marvellous kindness in a strong city.
22 For I said in my haste,
I am cut off from before thine eyes:
Nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cried unto thee.
23 O love the Lord, all ye his saints:
For the Lord preserveth the faithful,
And plentifully rewardeth the proud doer.
24 Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart,
All ye that hope in the Lord.
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
Its Contents and Composition.—According to Luther, this Psalm “is spoken in the person of Christ and His saints, who are plagued their life long, internally by trembling and alarm, externally by persecution, slander and contempt, for the sake of the word of God, and yet are delivered by God from them all and comforted.” Brentz, Calv., and many of the older interpreters have, with Augustine, interpreted this Psalm as directly Messianic, because the crucified Saviour in the moment of dying (Luk_23:46) used the words which begin Psa_31:5. Then the “iniquity,” Psa_31:10 c, is understood of the sins of the world imputed to Christ. But Stier very properly recognizes in the words of Psa_31:5 : into Thy hand I commit my spirit, only “the appropriation of an expression which is full of confidence,” which cannot have a prophetical reference, because David, according to Psa_31:4; Psa_31:8; Psa_31:15, hoped for deliverance from the danger still in this life and for this life. Stier maintains the Davidic composition of the Psalm, although he gives up the historical reference of most earlier interpreters, which is again advocated by Delitzsch, to the situation of David in the wilderness of Maôn during his persecution by Saul (1 Samuel 23. sq.). There is certainly no weight to be put upon the merely apparent correspondence of the word בְחָפְזִי, Psa_31:22, with 1Sa_23:26, to which the title of the Sept. ἐκστάσεως, Vulg. pro ecstasi is referred by many with the explanation, “for the trembling,” because the Sept., Psa_31:22, translates ἐκ ἐκστάσει. Yet many resemblances are apparent with the Psalms which are generally put in that period, and if partly the elegiac softness, partly the character of the language remind us of the prophet Jeremiah, and especially Psa_31:13 a strikingly agrees with Jer_20:10, yet, as even Hupfeld states, there is no evidence in this for the composition of the Psalm by Jeremiah, as Hitzig and Ewald contend, especially as there are frequently found in this prophet expressions and turns of thought from more ancient books, particularly from the Psalms. There is a change in experience, and a transition from expressions of confidence and trust to a lamenting description of need, but this does not show, any more than the final transition from praising God to the exhortation of all the pious, that only after deliverance had taken place (Ruding., Rosenm.), the prayer in time of danger has been connected with thanksgiving for deliverance. When Hengstenberg regards David as speaking from the person of every righteous man in severe trouble, he defaces the historical character of the Psalm, and does away with the limits between explanation and application. The contents are divided into three principal groups, so that at first the prayer for deliverance (Psa_31:1-2) bases itself on the confidence in the grace of God peculiar to Him (Psa_31:3-5) and previously exhibited to the Psalmist (Psa_31:6-8); then from the description of present trouble (Psa_31:9-13) it rises anew with protestations of trust in God (Psa_31:14-16) and the assurance of being heard (Psa_31:17-18); finally it passes over into thankful praise of God for His gracious dealings with all the pious (Psa_31:19-20), particularly for the hearing of prayer particularly afforded to the Psalmist (Psa_31:21-22), and in the exhortation of all the favored ones to believing hope in God (Psa_31:23-24). Compare the hymn: “In dich hab’ ich gehoffet Herr.”
[Str. I. Psa_31:1. In Thee, Jehovah, have I taken refuge.—Vid.Psa_7:1; Psa_11:1.—Let me not be shamed forever.—Most interpreters, ancient and modern, regard this as=never be shamed, which could not very well be expressed otherwise in Hebrew. Hengstenberg however, interprets it: “Though I am put to shame now, yet let not that shame last forever.” This verse and the two following reappear with few variations in Psa_71:1; Psa_71:3.
Psa_31:2. Be Thou to me for a rock of defence, for a house of fortification, to save me.—Compare these figures with those of Psa_18:2.—C. A. B.]
[Str. II. Psa_31:3. For Thou art my rock and my fortress.—Perowne: “This has been called illogical. But is it so illogical as it seems? The Psalmist prays, ‘Be Thou to me,’ or rather ‘become to me, prove Thyself to be, my rock and house of defence; for I know that Thou, and Thou only, art my refuge.’ This is the logic of the heart, if not of the intellect; the logic, it may be added, of every prayer of faith.”—Wilt lead me and guide me.—Perowne: “The futures here and in the next verse are not to be rendered as imperatives. They express the strong hope and confidence that it will be done according to his faith and his prayer.”
Psa_31:4. Wilt pull me out of the net.—Comp. Psa_9:15; Psa_25:15.—For Thou art my defence.—The Thou is emphatic. Moll renders it, for Thou, Thou art, etc.
Psa_31:5. Into Thy hand I commit my spirit.—Perowne: “Upon the expression of confidence in the power and faithfulness of God, follows the expression of the singer’s resolve. My spirit (ruach) is more than my soul or life (nephesh). It is not only from sickness and death, but from sin and all ghostly enemies, that the man of God would be kept, and therefore he commends to God, not his body or his bodily life alone, but the life of his spirit, which is more precious (comp. Isa_38:16, ‘life of my spirit’).—I commend (παρατίθεμαι), i.e. place as a deposit, entrust.”—C. A. B.]1
Str. III. Psa_31:6. I have hated them that regard vain idols.—The Vulgate, Syriac and Arabic versions translate after the Septuagint, “Thou hast hated,” which is preferred by some interpreters, as Venema, Hitzig, Ewald, Olsh., on account of the contrast in the second member of the verse, comp. in Psalms 5. Psa_31:5 with Psa_31:7, whilst they read with Cod. 170 Kenn. the second person shanêtha. The “regarding” does not refer to portents in the sense of the interpretation of signs and magic (Aben Ezra), nor does it express the obedient regarding in the sense of reverence (most interpreters, with reference to Hos_4:10; Pro_27:18), but the trusting and waiting attention which is contained therein (Rosenm., Hengst., Hupf., Delitzsch). The object is not vain things and things of naught in general (Calv., Ruding., Rosenm., Stier), although these are literally designated as “breath of nothingness,” but the idols as the “unsubstantial things of naught” (Hitzig), as the use of this passage in Jon_2:9 shows. The plural of hebel denotes likewise in Deu_32:21; Jer_2:5; Jer_8:19; Jer_14:22, the idols on the side of their vanity. Their delusive nature (Hengst.) is here expressed by שָׁוְא, Psa_7:14; Jer_18:15. God constitutes the contrast as El êmeth, for which 2Ch_15:3 has Elohe êmeth, with the change from the true being of God which ever proves itself true, to the faithful disposition of God which ever proves itself thus as El êmûnah,Deu_32:4 (Delitzsch).—[As for me, I have trusted in Jehovah.—The I is emphatic, as the Thou in Psa_31:4, and is opposed to those trusting in vain idols.—C. A. B.]
Psa_31:7-8. Let me exult and rejoice in Thy mercy, Thou who hast regarded my distress, taken knowledge of the needs of my soul; and hast not shut me up in the hand of the enemy, hast set my feet on a wide place.—In Psa_31:7 cידע with בּ does not denote a theoretical knowledge, but a practical and operative taking knowledge, a looking into (a being concerned about). Hupfeld says that this construction is an unheard of one, and since usage and the accents do not allow of taking the soul as the object of the knowledge (Luther, Stier), he would supply the object and indeed either the suffix, me, or from the immediate context, my distress. But Delitzsch, as the ancient interpreters, refers to Job_12:9; Job_35:15, and Hitzig compares, besides the last passage, Gen_19:33; Isa_9:8, likewise the Arabic, and remarks that על is used for בּ in Job_37:16.—It is possible to regard אשׁר Psa_31:7 b as a conjunction=that, because (Geier, Delitzsch, Hitzig), so that the subject of the exultation would be stated in the following clauses, as then likewise the perfects are for the most part regarded as prophetical perfects. But it is much more natural to regard it as a relative clause, as Psa_31:5 b without the relative, an appeal to previous experience as the motive of the prayer and reason of the hope of being heard (Hupf.), so that Psa_31:7 a is not an antecedent and a promise (most interpreters [A. V.]), but a prayer (Ruding., J. H. Mich.). [Alexander: “To shut up in the hand of any one is to abandon to his power. The expression is a figurative one, but occurs in prose, and even in the history of David. See 1Sa_23:11; 1Sa_26:8. The figure of the last clause is a favorite with David. See above, on Psa_4:1; Psa_18:19; Psa_18:36.”—C. A. B.]
Str. IV. [Psa_31:9-10. Mine eye is consumed with vexation—my soul and my belly.—Compare Psa_6:7. The soul and belly are general terms enlarging and adding emphasis to the more specific term, eye. The belly stands for the body, yet with a more particular reference to the bowels as the seat of the affections, or as Delitzsch, “the interior of the body reflecting the spiritual and physical activities and experiences.” The soul and the belly thus represent the entire man. The expressions of Psa_31:10 are to be compared with Psa_102:3 sq.; Jer_20:18, as well as Psalms 6. The clauses are parallel, the general terms becoming in each case more specific, thus life has its parallel years; grief, sighing; strength, bones. The bones are the frame-work of the body, vid.Psa_6:3. His iniquity is regarded by the Psalmist as the real cause of all his trouble.—C. A. B.]
Psa_31:11. Because of all my adversaries I have become a reproach, and to my neighbors a burden, and a terror to mine acquaintance.—J. D. Mich. already conjectured that מְאֹד was a substantive, with the meaning of burden, and compared with the Arabic. Fleischer, in Delitzsch’s commentary, has proved this more accurately and thus made an end of all the difficulties, which arise if we retain the usual meaning of “very,” which the Sept. already expressed with σφόδρα. It has likewise the present order of words, so the placing of “and to my neighbors” after “friends” (Olsh.) does great violence to the text. The words “because of all my adversaries” could be attached to the preceding clause with less difficulty (Ewald) than this. But the translation which is then proposed, “I have become a reproach even to my neighbors exceedingly,” is wrecked upon the fact that the intensive signification of the ו (even, likewise), which most interpreters with Calvin and Geier accept, in connection with the usual division of the clauses and connection of words cannot be proved. It is admissible to regard the ו as explanatory (= and indeed). But this meaning, accepted here by Piscator, Stier, et al., makes such a drawling clause that Hupfeld would rather suppose that the ו has come into the text by mistake or that a substantive has been omitted. Hitzig translates: fled from my neighbors, since he regards the א as a corruption of a נ, but he now reads no longer מָנֹד, but מֻנָּד. Instead of “because of all my enemies,” he translates likewise: from all, etc., which is certainly better than the translation, more than all (Vulg., and many of the older interpreters, even Rosenm.), although it is likewise allowed by the language.
[Psa_31:12. Alexander: “The next stage of his calamity was that of contemptuous oblivion, which usually follows the acute one of disgust and shame described in the foregoing verse.—From the heart,i.e. the memory; the expression seems to correspond exactly to the second member of the English proverb: out of sight, out of mind.—The comparison with an earthen vessel, at best of little value, easily broken, and when broken worthless, only fit to be contemptuously thrown aside, is a favorite with Jeremiah, who appears to have derived it, with some other favorite ideas and expressions, from the Psalm before us. See Jer_19:11; Jer_22:28; Jer_25:34; Jer_48:38, and compare Hos_8:8.”—C. A. B.]
Psa_31:13. For I hear the whispering of many; terrors round about; whilst they take counsel together against me—they devise to take away my life.—[The usual interpretation of דִבָּה slander does not suit here as Hupfeld shows, and so Hitzig, Delitzsch, Moll, et al. Ewald translates, report. The phrase, “terrors round about,” magor missabib, is a favorite formula in Jeremiah, probably having become a current phrase in the mouths of the people in troublous times. Jer_20:10; also Jer_6:2; Jer_20:3-4; Jer_46:5; Jer_49:29; Lam_2:22.—C. A. B.]
[Str. V. Psa_31:15. My times are in Thy hand.—Perowne: “My times, i.e., all my life, with its ‘sundry and manifold changes,’ its joys and sorrows, its hopes and conflicts, are not the sport of chance, or the creatures of a blind fate but are in Thy hand, O Thou living personal Redeemer. On this confidence are grounded the petitions which follow and the hopes expressed, Psa_31:18. The second of the petitions, Psa_31:16, is borrowed from the High Priest’s blessing, Num_6:25. Comp. Psa_4:7.”
Psa_31:17. Let the wicked be shamed, be silenced in the world below.—For an explanation of Sheol, vid.Psa_6:5, and the corresponding fate of the wicked, Psa_9:15. Alexander: “He distinguishes himself as one who calls upon God, from the wicked who do not, and appeals to the righteousness of God as requiring that defeat, and disappointment, and frustration of the hopes, should fall, not upon the class to which he belongs and of which he is the representative, but upon that represented by his enemies, of whom it has been well said, that they are not reckoned sinners because they are his enemies, but enemies because they are sinners, or in other words, enemies to him because they are the enemies of God.”
Psa_31:18. Let lying lips be put to silence—that is the silence of destruction, as is clear from Psa_31:17 where the world below is added. The reference is back to the whispering of Psa_31:13.—Which speak arrogantly against a righteous man with pride and scorn.—Hupfeld: “עָתָק not=hard (as Geier, J. H. Mich.), nor impudent (as Gesen. and most recent interps.) but arrogant, properly with the neck thrown back comp. Psa_75:5. ‘Speak not with a stiff neck,’ comp. נְטוּי גָרוֹןIsa_3:16), that is proudly, as in all passages where the word occurs (Psa_75:5; Psa_94:4; 1Sa_2:3, and here). So Luther already (stiff) and Rosenm.”—C. A. B.]
[Str. VI. Psa_31:19. Thou hast laid up.—Perowne: “Literally ‘hidden,’ comp. Psa_17:4. and ‘the hidden manna,’ Rev_2:17. This is the love of God manifested to the soul in secret; the next clause tells of its open manifestation, ‘Thou hast wrought.’ ”
Psa_31:20. Thou screenest them with the screen of Thy countenance from the conspiracies of men.—Hupfeld: “This is here naturally not as Job_24:15, the screen with which his countenance was concealed (mask), but which the countenance of God afforded. The countenance of God (usually in an evil sense as Psa_21:9) is here the gracious presence of God turned towards the pious in a friendly manner (vid.Psa_4:6), and the source of all good (vid.Psa_16:2), particularly His protection, His guarding countenance (comp. the eye of God. Psa_33:18; Psa_34:15, comp. Psa_32:8.) as it marched in the pillar of cloud and of fire with the Israelites through the wilderness, Exo_33:14-15, which, therefore, in Isa_4:5-6 likewise serves as a screen. Here this presence is in connection with the figure of one seeking protection, whom God receives into His dwelling as a guest, where he is ‘before the face of God;’ hence a screen (properly hiding-place, latibulum=מַחֲבֵא comp. Isa_4:6; Isa_32:2) is attributed to him so far as the dwelling-place of God is such, instead of screen of His tent.Psa_27:6 (whence the passage was probably derived), comp. the parallel בְסֻכָּה (as in Psa_27:5); thus mingling it with the figure of a shelter.”—C. A. B.]
Str. VII. Psa_31:21. In a strong city.—This expression is usually taken as a figure of safety either with the comparison omitted “as in a strong city” (Symm., Stier), or the בּ is regarded as an expression of the comparison, “as a strong city” (Hengst.). If we suppose that there is a historical reference, it is more natural to refer to Ziklag (Delitzsch) than Keila. It is possible from the language to translate; in a besieged city, which then can either be taken as a figure of trouble or be referred to an actual fact. It is taken in the latter reference by Hitzig who refers to Jeremiah 38.
Psa_31:22. [In my confusion.—Hupfeld: “This is not my hasty flight (Hengst.) but in my surprise, confusion, as Jerome in stupore meo, Aquil. ἐν θαμβάσει, Symm. ἐκπληξει, Calv. in præcepitatione mea = perturbatione animi (which then drives to hasty flight, but is not the flight itself). It is the infin. constr. of חפז=to be terrified, confused (comp. בהל) Deu_20:3 (with יָרֵא) 2Sa_4:4, (לָנוּם) 2Ki_7:15; Job_40:23; and only afterwards flee (as in the Niphal=הִמָּזוֹן)”—C. A. B.]—I am cut off from the presence of Thine eyes.—Instead of “cut off” (=separated), which Delitzsch and Hupfeld advocate, Hengst. and Hitzig translate after the Rabbins, Geier et al. “blotted out.”
Str. VIII. Psa_31:23. Jehovah keepeth faith.—It is possible to translate this likewise: Jehovah preserveth the faithful. (Chald., Jerome, Rabbins, Calvin, et al.) finally Hupfeld. [So A. V.]. Yet the parallelism does not force us to regard this abstract as concrete. But this pretended parallelism is rather produced by this interpretation.2
[Psa_31:24. All ye that wait.—Perowne. “(The Psalm ends as Psalms 27.). Hope and waiting are marks peculiarly of the Old Testament dispensation. It is true even in the New, one apostle writes, ‘We are saved by hope.’ And another says, ‘It doth not yet appear what we shall be:’ but he adds what no believer in the days of types and shadows could have said, ‘We know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.’ Wonderful indeed is the hopeful trust of the saints of old in God, when we remember that they did not know Him as God manifest in the flesh.—C. A. B.”]
DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL
1. “This Psalm is again a true song from the depths as well according to the extent and measure of the sufferings as the corresponding experience of faith and grace; therefore it is a song of the struggling Church and for the militant Church.” (Taube). In severe troubles those have a great consolation, who have previously gained not only the true knowledge, but likewise the living knowledge of God and a personal experience of the blessings of trust in God and communion with God. It is to them a true help in prayer and serves to strengthen their faith, as well as to awaken new hopes and encourage to perseverance. David “is in the position to give God a name, which alone has already been a mighty shield in the day of trouble. He names Him the faithful God, has learned to know that all other hopes previous to this, are vain, and knows that God knows about him in the day of need.” (Tholuck).
2. The name of God says not only, who God is, what God desires, what God does, but likewise reminds the souls of the pious of what they have already received from God and what they may always expect from God. They need merely to entreat it in faith and to accept it and appropriate it in humility with thanksgiving. There is connected with such a remembrance, therefore, a refreshment and an encouragement. John Huss strengthened himself on his way to the stake by repeatedly praying from Psa_31:5 of this Psalm. The same verse was the last word of the dying Stephen, of Polycarp, of Basil the Great. For many examples: vid. Geier and Bake.
3. The soul often feels itself straitened by bodily trouble; and again anxiety of heart causes likewise the body to fail. The only reliable helper against both kinds of need is Jehovah, the faithful God, whose government is as just as it is gracious. He is the redeeming and the delivering God. It is therefore well done to commit our spirits into the hands of this God even with respect to the life of the body. The servant of God thus declares not only his pious disposition and the wish to be preserved by the power and grace of God, but he likewise makes his deliverance sure. For whether he is externally about to die or to live, his communion with God is strengthened and sealed by this resignation, and thus he gains the pledge, that he has not taken refuge with God in vain.
4. The true communion and closer union of the pious with Jehovah constitute not only the pledge of their deliverance, but at the same time the foundation of their hopes and the means of their realization. For on the one side they know that they are internally and externally separated from the worshippers of idols in all things, by the fact that they hold fast to, witness to and strengthen this communion with God by faith and trust in God in the severest sufferings and trials, amid the terrors which surround them and in connection with the scorn and threats of those who regard them as lost; on the other side they continue to be mindful of their sins as well as their weakness and are led to communion with God in the strongest manner even by this, that they have to base their deliverance as well as their salvation not on their own works and merits, but solely on the power and grace of God and that they can safely expect it from the faithfulness of God. Ut infinitum non potest finiri, ita nec termini misericordiæ statui (Savonarola).
5. There may certainly be times in the life of pious men, when the countenance of God seems to be turned away or veiled from them and the feeling of the presence of God threatens almost to vanish. In such gloomy times the more earnestly the light of the Divine countenance is sought and the more fervently the attestation of the Divine presence, which alone comforts and helps, is implored out of the experience of the trouble of abandonment, the more manifestly is disclosed to the soul, the faithfulness of God, or the Being and Providence of God which are eternally the same, the more vitally do the riches of the Divine fulness of power and grace present themselves, the more powerfully does the remembrance of the self-evidencing miracle of the distribution of these treasures work upon them. Thus the confidence of trust in God returns, and in the assurance of the hearing of prayer, the cry for help is transformed into a song of praise and the praise of the Lord is connected with the exhortation of their companions to love God, in thankfulness for His grace which has been previously shown to them; and the encouragement to steadfastness in waiting upon God in the view of His righteous Providence. The conception of the virtus totius psalmi in the Gloss. ord. is to narrow, “ne carnis fragilitas timeat tot mala seculi.” Burk’s divisions are more correct in his Gnomon: “fiducia erga dominum declaratur; exercita eam promoventia narrantur; preces ad dominum adduntur; usus generalis exinde elictur.”
HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL
Our confession says what we know and teach about God; our prayer, what we believe and hope about God; our life how we love and honor God.—Our sins bring us to shame and disgrace, but not so with our trust in God.—Man can do nothing better than trust in God’s faithfulness, build on God’s strength, look upon God’s countenance.—He who has God as his friend, need not fear the crowd of his enemies; God provides him a better refuge than a fortified city.—A hearty trust in God can only exist in connection with a sincere resignation to God, both mutually strengthen one another and lead to waiting for help and salvation.—We can observe how the soul prospers by that upon which it puts its confidence; upon what its love depends; upon what its hope is directed. That man alone is helped, who not only commits his external fortunes, but likewise his spirit into the hand of God.—It is not enough to have hopes in the mind; all depends to what they are directed, upon what they are based, how long they hold out—God sees not only our misery; He is concerned about our needs; He delivers, those who trust Him from ruin; This is reason enough for prayer, praise and thanksgiving,—The effects of sin extend to the soul and the body; but God is the Redeemer and Helper in time of need; this is experienced by those who believe on Him, turn to Him, wait on Him.—We may know that we are innocent towards men and appeal to the righteousness of God to protect us against their unrighteous treatment of us, and yet we must confess ourselves guilty before God and console ourselves with the grace of God.—For those who fear God, there is not only laid up a treasure of good things in the future, but God likewise imparts to them now out of these riches that which is needful of grace.—Communion with God is the tabernacle of safety for believers in all the trials and dangers of life.
Starke: Believing hearts speak with their God as a child with his father, secretly lament their troubles to Him, are comforted by His almighty protection and commit themselves to His Divine government.—Although we may not prescribe the time and hour of help to our God, yet He allows us to call upon Him to hasten the help, though with entire resignation to His will.—He who allows himself to be led by human advice and wisdom alone, often errs, but he who is guided by the advice of God can accomplish great things. If Satan and his followers have ventured even to lay snares for our Redeemer, how much more will he strive to do us harm? But he who has the Lord of strength with him will not be injured by him.—The impenitent know of no true sorrow for sin; but the penitent feel anxiety of conscience so, that soul and body are often nigh to death.—A true servant of God is not excluded forever from the light of grace, nor cast out in the darkness.—God’s chamber of grace has many secret corners, in which our enemies will be obliged to leave us alone.—Believers may strengthen themselves and confirm their confidence in God by a faithful use of the promises of grace and a believing use of prayer.
Calvin: Nothing is more difficult when we see our faith mocked by the whole world, than to direct our words to God alone and to rest in the testimony of our conscience that He is our God.—Osiander: Although we are sinners, yet we may call upon God for help on account of the unreasonableness of our enemies, when our cause is a just one.—Selnekker: These are glorious consolations to a godly man: 1) that God gives him to know heavenly Wisdom 2) that He protects him against all tyrants and all misfortunes; 3) that He gives him everlasting treasures and everlasting goods, eternal life and eternal blessedness.—Menzel: How shall suffering Christians strengthen their confidence and their faith? David refers us: 1) to God’s righteousness, 2) to His strong power, 3) to the honor of His name, 4) to His faithfulness and goodness, 5) to his own example and experience.—We learn: 1) what distresses and trials befall the believer; 2) that our dear Lord God does not reject His own children on account of such weaknesses, but spares them, and indeed can suffer that they pour out and lament their weaknesses before Him; 3) we should be careful not to meddle with those who are plagued and troubled.—Bake: Let us believe without guile, live without guile, die without guile, and so we will please God.—Arndt: All temporal and eternal consolation arises from this faith and hope, that God is our God.—Where faith and love meet together and both depend on God, God cannot refuse us anything.—Franke: If we had our heart truly given to God, the world would soon show itself displeased.—Frisch: To know one in trouble is the mark of true friendship. The pious David boasts this of our God. Make and retain God as your friend; He knows your soul in trouble. His knowledge is power, consolation and life.—Tholuck: Great evil serves to awaken in man the consciousness of sin.—The faith of David sees not the number and power of his enemies, but the hand of God alone, which distributes to men their lots. Thus the believer transacts his business in his chamber with his God instead of with his enemies; and whilst they fancy that they are entirely safe, the power of his prayers fights against them from heaven.—Schaubach: It is so easy to explain the word “trust:” it is not so difficult to believe that the Almighty God is able to help out of every trouble; but to be sure that the Lord will and wishes to help likewise me and thee in every affliction, in which we have fallen for the sake of His honor, that will only be learned and exercised by true and manifold experience.—Taube: How hope does not let a believer’s heart be ashamed even in the deepest need: 1) it impels to prayer and supports prayer; 2) it hopes even under circumstances where nothing is to be hoped; 3) it is therefore so gloriously crowned with the assurance of a hearing, that it praises loudly and extols the wonderful goodness and faithfulness of the Lord.
[Matth. Henry: They that have in sincerity avouched the Lord for theirs may expect the benefit of His being so, for God’s relations to us carry with them both name and thing.—It is the wisdom and duty of every one of us solemnly to commit our spirits into the hands of God to be sanctified by His grace, devoted to His honor, employed in His service, and fitted for His kingdom.—Those know not how to value their hope in God who cannot find joy enough in that hope to balance their grievances, and silence their griefs.—Let those that are airy and gay take heed of running into extremes, and never set sorrow at defiance; God can find out ways to make them melancholy if they will not otherwise learn to be serious.—Such swallow friends the world is full of, that are gone in winter. Let those that fall on the losing side not think it strange if they be thus deserted, but make sure a Friend in heaven that will not fail them, and make use of Him.—There is enough in God’s goodness both for the portion and inheritance of all His children, when they come to their full age, and for their maintenance and education during their minority. There is enough in bank, and enough in hand.—The saints are God’s hidden ones.—Special preservations call for particular thanksgivings.—Barnes: We shall live as long as God has appointed; we shall pass through such changes as He directs; we shall die when and where and how He chooses. In the faithful discharge of our duty, therefore, we may commit all these things to Him and leave all at His disposal.—Spurgeon: Faith’s repetitions are not vain. The avowal of our reliance upon God in times of adversity is a principal method of glorifying Him.—In our most importunate intercessions, we must find breathing time to bless the Lord; praise is never a hindrance to prayer, but rather a lively refreshment therein.—Better spend our years in sighing than in sinning.—If we wantonly give a portion of our strength to sin, it will by and by take the remainder from us.—We must not look for the reward of philanthropy this side of heaven, for men pay their best servants but sorry wages, and turn them out of doors when no more is to be got out of them.—The sovereign arbiter of destiny holds in His own power all the issues of our life; we are not waifs and straws upon the ocean of fate, but are steered by infinite wisdom toward our desired haven. Providence is a soft pillow for anxious heads, an anodyne for care, a grave for despair.—We generally speak amiss when we are in a hurry. Hasty words are but for a moment on the tongue, but they often lie for years on the conscience.—C. A. B.]
Footnotes:
[1][Perowne: “With these words our Lord breathed out His life, Luk_23:46, as He had before used words from another Psalm in His agony on the cross. The first words were from a Psalm (the 22) which, typically at least, foreshadowed His sufferings; whereas, this is not in the same way predictive. But the Holy One of God, in that last hour of mortal agony, chose these words of one of His servants, to express the solemn surrender of His life. And in so doing, He gave them a new interpretation. The Jewish singer only meant by them that he put himself and all his hopes into the hand of God. Jesus meant by them, that by His own act, of His own free will, He gave up His spirit, and therewith His life, to the Father. And they who have died with their Lord, have died with the same words on their lips. These were the last words of Polycarp, of Bernard, of Huss, of Jerome of Prague, of Luther, Melanchthon, and many others. ‘Blessed are they,’ says Luther, ‘who die not only for the Lord, as martyrs: not only in the Lord, as all believers; but likewise with the Lord, as breathing forth their lives in these words, Into Thy hand I commend my spirit.’ ”—C. A. B.]
[2][Hengst., Hitzig, Riehm and Alexander agree with Moll in his rendering. Riehm: “The clause is parallel not with the first clause of the verse, but with the third as the accusatives indicate, and forms the contrast to it, as in Exo_34:7.” Perowne follows Hupfeld and the more ancient interpreters.—C. A. B.]
Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures (Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical), ed. John Peter Lange, English translation edited by Philip Schaff (1864–1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv2, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 19, 20, 22, 23 He seeks help in God's righteous government (Psa 5:8),…
He seeks help in God's righteous government (Psa 5:8), and begs for an attentive hearing, and speedy and effectual aid. With no other help and no claim of merit, he relies solely on God's regard to His own perfections for a safe guidance and release from the snares of his enemies. On the terms "rock," &c., (compare Psa 17:2; Psa 18:2, Psa 18:50; Psa 20:6; Psa 23:3; Psa 25:21).
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 23 1. In thee, O Lord, do I put my…
1. In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust—A favourite form, with David, of beginning his most earnest supplications or his most sorrowful complaints.
Let me never be ashamed—Rather, Let me not be ashamed for ever. Matters had come to the last extremity with him. “He shows that he must either be immediately delivered or put to shame for ever.”—Venema.
Read full note →
In thy righteousness—The appeal is not so much to the judicial justice of God as to his faithfulness in upholding both his laws and his gracious covenant of promise. See Psa_143:1; 1Jn_1:9
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 1. do I put my trust] Have I taken…
1. do I put my trust] Have I taken refuge. Cp. Psa_7:1 (note); Psa_11:1; Psa_16:1; Psa_25:20.
let me never be ashamed] Disappointed and confounded by finding that my trust was vain. Cp. Psa_31:17; Psa_25:2; Psa_25:20; Psa_22:5.
Read full note →
in thy righteousness] To desert His servant (Psa_31:16) would be inconsistent with Jehovah’s righteousness.
1–8. The prayer of faith, Psa_31:1-3 are repeated in that beautiful mosaic, Psalms 71; and Psa_31:1 a forms the close of the Te Deum.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 (1) The words of this verse are interesting as…
(1) The words of this verse are interesting as being the last words of Xavier, and as concluding the Te Deum.
Psa_31:1-3 occur again with slight variations in Psa_71:1-3.
Read full note →
Let me never.—Literally, let me not for ever be ashamed.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv1–24 THIS psalm is, in the main, a cry for…
THIS psalm is, in the main, a cry for deliverance out of pressing danger and trouble; but it is interspersed with passages of a more cheerful tone, expressive of faith and confidence (vers. 5-8, 14, 15); and it winds up with an eulogy of God"s goodness (vers. 19-22), and an exhortation to the saints of God to "be strong," and trust in him. The title declares it to be David"s; and it both breathes his spirit, and has many of his turns of expression. It has been thought to belong to the period of his early persecution by Saul; but, on the whole, it seems rather suggestive of the later period of trouble connected with the rebellion of Absalom. Dr. Kay divides it into three main portions:
(1) vers. 1-13;
Read full note →
(2) vers. 14-18; and
(3) vers. 19-24;
but part 1 might be further subdivided into three, and part 2 into two portions. The psalm thus fails into six divisions: part 1 (vers. 1-4), prayer; part it. (vers. 5-8), self-encouragement; part 3 (vers 9-13), causes of his trouble; part. 4 (vers. 14-18), profession of faith and prayer; part 5 (vers. 19-22), praise of God"s goodness; part 6. (vers. 23, 24), exhortation to the people to praise God.
In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust. If prayer to God for aid in a special time of trouble is the main object of the psalm, the expression of full trust in God is a secondary object, and is maintained throughout (see vers. 3-8, 14, 19-21, 24). Notwithstanding the extremity of his danger, his belief is firm in the coming overthrow of his enemies, and in his own deliverance and restoration. Let me never be ashamed (comp. ver. 17, where the idea is expanded). David"s enemies having come to an open rupture with him, and appealed to arms, (2Sa_15:10-12 2Sa_17:24-26) one party or the other must of necessity be put to shame. Here he prays that it may not be himself; in ver. 17 he goes a step further, and asks that the shame may fall upon his enemies. Deliver me in thy righteousness. Seeing that my cause is the righteous one.
HOMILIES BY C. CLEMANCE Vers. 1-24. The saint rehearsing his experience of the great Protector"s care.
There is no good reason to doubt that this is one of David"s psalms. Its forms of expression bear the marks of his pen, and the "undesigned coincidences" between it and the history of his life are both interesting and striking. The old interpreters supposed the psalm to belong to the time when David fled from Saul into the wilderness of Maon; others attribute it to the time of his deliverance from being shut up in Keilah, with which, indeed, it seems well to agree. While, in some respects, the psalm resembles others, yet, in others, it has features exclusively its own. Its title, according to the LXX, is, "For the end, a Psalm of David, of extreme fear" (ekstasewv ). The Vulgate has pro extasi. Under such emotion, it is not to be wondered at if the verses bid defiance to all logical order. There is, however, beneath the surface an order which is full of helpful teaching, by which, when perceived, the beauty of the psalm will stand revealed, as otherwise it could not have been. This order we will seek carefully to follow and to expound.
I GOD"S SAINTS MAY BE AT TIMES IN EXTREME DISTRESS. The list of troubles here specified is an unusually long one.
1. A net is spread for David (ver. 4).
2. There is a design on his life (ver. 13).
3. Bands of men are conspiring together (ver. 20, Hebrew).
4. His friends forget him (ver. 12).
5. His enemies are guilty of falsehood (ver. 18), reproach (ver. 11), slander (ver. 13).
6. Others unfeelingly flee from him (ver. 11).
7. He is in perplexity (ver. 9).
8. His strength faileth, his bones are consumed, because the consciousness of his own sin adds its bitterness to his woe (ver. 10).
9. His alarm (Hebrew) is so great, that he regards his case as one deserted by God (ver. 22).
Here, surely, is a list of woes longer than most men could reckon up. There are few against whom enemies would take so much trouble to plot! But David was in a high position, and therefore he was a mark to be shot at! Note: The higher our position, and the greater our usefulness, the more likely is it that Satan will aim at us with his fiery darts. The more we disturb him, the more he will disturb us. And, for wise and holy reasons, the Lord may allow a messenger of Satan to buffet us.
II EVEN WHEN IN THE LOWEST DEPTHS, THERE IS NO MISTAKING THE SAINT FOR A SINNER, the believer for an alien, the godly one for a godless man. Scarce any one could have a longer list of woes to enumerate than David had, but yet the saint shines through all.
1. He knows where to flee for protection. (Ver. 1, Hebrew) The way in which he still speaks to God as his God, his strong Rock, etc., is inexpressibly touching. "Be thou my Rock,... because thou art my Rock," is a wonderfully tender appeal to the loving heart of God. Even in the densest darkness the loving child must clasp the Father"s hand, and cry, "Father!" Yea, because of the darkness, and the denser it is, the louder and more piercing will be his cry.
2. He knows to whom he flees even to One who has redeemed him (ver. 5). (For the Scripture usage of this word "redeemed," see Deu_9:26 Deu_21:8 1Ch_17:21 Isa_29:22 Jer_31:11 Mic_6:4 Psa_130:8 Psa_25:22 Hos_13:14) David was one who knew God, not only as a Deliverer from earthly calamity, but as a Redeemer from sin. And he could well put in this as a plea on which to base his petitions. The richest evangelical form of this argument is given in Rom_5:10 Rom_8:32. If God has taught us and drawn us by his Spirit to plead with him, that is the witness of the Spirit to the fact that we are redeemed out of the world.
3. He knows he may tell all his woes to God, just as they are. It has been no small comfort to us in writing these homilies to note, again and again, how the psalmist told God everything, just as he felt it. This we, too, may do, knowing that God will accept the prayer of faith and will bury all its faults.
4. He can absolutely leave all with God, not as one who finds it useless to contend with the inevitable, but as one who can implicitly trust his redeeming God.
(1) All his times are in God"s hand; the entire ordering of them; nothing will be neglected or overlooked.
(2) He trusts his spirit in God"s hands (ver. 5); i.e. his inner self, the immortal part of his being, wherein he is made in the image of God. Note: Since we know God as our redeeming God, who has graciously promised to be ours to the end, in our deepest sorrows, we may trust everything with him.
III GOD"S SAINTS CAN SCARCELY END THEIR MOAN ERE THEIR WORDS TURN TO SONG. When the Spirit of God presides at the soul"s keyboard, the sounds may at first be in the minor key, hut they will not long continue so. The plaint will be a diminuendo, and will be substituted by a crescendo of joyful song. Hence so many of the psalms which begin woefully end joyfully. There are three several mercies here recorded.
1. Deliverance. (Vers. 7, 8) The narrow straits in which David was hedged up gave way, and he had amplitude of room. And sooner or later, in his own time and way, God will deliver the righteous out of the hands of the wicked.
2. Treasures of goodness laid up. (Ver. 9) The thought of this evokes a very shout of praise, as well it may. Let the student compare the three expressions in ver. 4, "the net which they have laid privily;" ver. 19, "goodness... laid up secretly;" ver. 20, "Thou shalt keep them secretly." Is not the antithesis beautiful? The wicked have their nets laid in secret. But God"s secrecy of love outwits theirs. He hides the saints in the secret place of his "pavilion," and prepares for them in secret "treasures of goodness," to be brought forth in all their richness as occasion requires. Note: God will be bringing forth from his secret treasury of love to all eternity.
3. Marvellous kindness manifested; and this in a beseiged (Heb 5:21) city. (cf. Psa_23:5) At the very moment foes were encamping round him, God ministered such rich loving-kindness as to bear him up and bring him through. So it will ever be. The moment of man"s fiercest plots will be that of God"s most vigilant care. (Psa_121:4) And within the walls of the thickest dungeon God can minister richest supplies of heavenly food!
IV SUCH EXPERIENCES WILL LEAD THE SAINTS TO CALL ON THEIR FELLOW-BELIEVERS TO HOPE IN THE LORD, AND TO WAIT FOR HIM. (Vers. 23, 24) The new experience of God"s loving-kindness and care, which is born of such deliverances in answer to prayer, gives believers wondrous vantage-ground in exhorting others to put their whole trust in the Lord.
Note:
1. It is an infinite mercy that God"s providential care has preserved to us these records of the struggles, the prayers, and the triumphs of his saints.
2. Those who have known the most trouble are those who can afterwards minister most comfort to those who are troubled. (2Co_1:3-5)
3. Let those who have known the depths of sorrow, and who have learnt how God can deliver, make their experience known to others. (Psa_66:16-20)
4. How abundant even now is God"s recompense for his people"s sorrows, when he thereby gives them such tastes of his love as they could not else have had, and then makes them "sons of consolation"! C.
HOMILIES BY C. SHORT Vers. 1-8. A prayer for grace in trouble.
Authorship uncertain. Some give it to David, in Ziklag; others to Jeremiah. Three divisions.
(1) He prays God to be gracious to him in his trouble, expressing at the same time his confidence in him, as if the prayer had been already fulfilled (vers. 1-8);
(2) he pours out the story of his sufferings and sorrows, and repeating his prayer (vers. 9-18);
(3) he concludes with praise and thanksgiving (vers. 19-24).
I THE PSALMIST"S PRAYER. The trouble that oppressed him had been of long duration, as appears from the tenth verse.
1. He prays for deliverance from his trouble. (Ver. 1) Does not qualify the prayer, but seeks absolute deliverance. It was to him an unqualified evil, and, as evil, he had no thought it could be working any good for him. So the Lord"s Prayer, "Deliver us from evil," would be put to shame if not delivered.
2. He prays for protection and defence. (Ver. 2) He apart from God was weak against the united power of his enemies. "If God be for us, who can be against us" with any success?
3. He prays for leading and guidance. (Ver. 3) That he may see and feel the way of safety amid the bewildering dangers of his path. Christ is our great Leader, "the Beginner and Finisher of our faith." Striking description of Christ.
4. He prays that he may escape out of the secret snares that were set for him. (Ver. 4) We cannot fight against hidden dangers.
II THE EXULTING FAITH IN WHICH HE PLEADS WITH GOD. He trusts:
1. In Gods righteousness. (Ver. 1) God"s righteousness demands that he should not give him over to the unrighteous. He could not doubt that.
2. He knew that God was his Strength and Refuge. (Vers. 3, 4) Prove thyself to be to me what I know thou art my Rock and House of defence. "Thou art my Strength.
3. He knew that God had redeemed him. (Ver. 5) And therefore he surrenders his spirit into his keeping, knowing him to be a God of truth, i.e. faithful to his word and to his work. "He who hath begun a good work," etc.; "Perfect that which concerneth me.
4. He knew that God saw his trouble and adversities. (Ver. 7) And that therefore out of merciful compassion he would interpose to rescue him. "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him," etc.
5. He enjoys deliverance already by anticipation. (Ver. 8) "Thou hast set my feet in wide, open spaces," where I can roam at liberty. Faith like this removes mountains of difficulties "Laughs at impossibilities, And says, "It shall be done. S.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Charles H. Spurgeon 1885 · Public Domain On vv1–24 Title. To the Chief Musiciana Psalm of David. The…
Title. To the Chief Musiciana Psalm of David. The dedication to the chief musician proves that this song of mingled measures and alternate strains of grief and woe was intended for public singing, and thus a deathblow is given to the notion that nothing but praise should be sung. Perhaps the Psalms, thus marked, might have been set aside as too mournful for temple worship, if special care had not been taken by the Holy Spirit to indicate them as being designed for the public edification of the Lord's people. May there not also be in Psalms thus designated a peculiar distinct reference to the Lord Jesus? He certainly manifests himself very clearly in the twenty-second, which bears this title; and in the one before us we plainly hear his dying voice in the fifth verse. Jesus is chief everywhere, and in all the holy songs of his saints he is the chief musician. The surmises that Jeremiah penned this Psalm need no other answer than the fact that it is "a Psalm of David."
Subject. The psalmist in dire affliction appeals to his God for help with much confidence and holy importunity, and ere long finds his mind so strengthened that he magnifies the Lord for his great goodness. Some have thought that the occasion in his troubled life which led to this Psalm, was the treachery of the men of Keilah, and we have felt much inclined to this conjecture; but after reflection it seems to us that its very mournful tone, and its allusion to his iniquity demand a later date, and it may be more satisfactory to illustrate it by the period when Absalom had rebelled, and his courtiers were fled from him, while lying lips spread a thousand malicious rumours against him. It is perhaps quite as well that we have no settled season mentioned, or we might have been so busy in applying it to David's case as to forget its suitability to our own.
Read full note →
Division. There are no great lines of demarcation; throughout the strain undulates, falling into valleys of mourning, and rising with hills of confidence. However, we may for convenience arrange it thus: David testifying his confidence in God pleads for help, Ps 31:1-6; expresses gratitude for mercies received, Ps 31:7-8; particularly describes his case, Ps 31:9-13; vehemently pleads for deliverance, Ps 31:14-18; confidently and thankfully expects a blessing, Ps 31:19-22; and closes by showing the bearing of his case upon all the people of God.
Ver. 1. In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust. Nowhere else do I fly for shelter, let the tempest howl as it may. The psalmist has one refuge, and that the best one. He casts out the great sheet anchor of his faith in the time of storm. Let other things be doubtful, yet the fact that he relies on Jehovah, David lays down most positively; and he begins with it, lest by stress of trial he should afterwards forget it. This avowal of faith is the fulcrum by means of which he labours to uplift and remove his trouble; he dwells upon it as a comfort to himself and a plea with God. No mention is made of merit, but faith relies upon divine favour and faithfulness, and upon that alone. Let me never be ashamed. How can the Lord permit the man to be ultimately put to shame who depends alone upon him? This would not be dealing like a God of truth and grace. It would bring dishonour upon God himself if faith were not in the end rewarded. It will be an ill day indeed for religion when trust in God brings no consolation and no assistance. Deliver me in thy righteousness. Thou are not unjust to desert a trustful soul, or to break thy promises; thou wilt vindicate the righteousness of thy mysterious providence, and give me joyful deliverance. Faith dares to look even to the sword of justice for protection: while God is righteous, faith will not be left to be proved futile and fanatical. How sweetly the declaration of faith in this first verse sounds, if we read it at the foot of the cross, beholding the promise of the Father as yea and amen through the Son; viewing God with faith's eye as he stands revealed in Jesus crucified.
Ver. 1. In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust. Let us therefore shun mistrust; doubt is death, trust alone is life. Let us make sure that we trust the Lord, and never take our trust on trust. Let me never be ashamed. If David prays against being ashamed, let us strive against it. Lovers of Jesus should be ashamed of being ashamed. C. H. S.
Ver. 1. Deliver me in thy righteousness. For supporting thy faith, mark well whereon it may safely rest; even upon God's righteousness, as well as upon his mercy. On this ground did the apostle in faith expect the crown of righteousness 2Ti 4:7-8, because the Lord from whom he expected it is a righteous judge; and the psalmist is bold to appeal to the righteousness of God. Ps 35:24. For we may be well assured that what God's goodness, grace, and mercy moved him to promise, his truth, his faithfulness, and righteousness will move him to perform. William Gouge.
Ver. 1-3.:
Shadows are faithless, and the rocks are false;
No trust in brass, no trust in marble walls;
Poor cots are even as safe as princes' halls.
Great God! there is no safety here below;
Thou art my fortress, thou that seemest my foe,
It is thou that strik'st the stroke, must guard the blow.
Thou art my God, by thee I fall or stand;
Thy grace hath given me courage to withstand
All tortures, but my conscience and thy hand.
I know thy justice is thyself; I know,
Just God, thy very self is mercy too;
If not to thee, where, whither shall I go?
Francis Quarles.
Ver. 1. Faith expressed, confusion deprecated, deliverance sought.
Ver. 1. (first clause). Open avowal of faith.
1. Duties which precede it, self examination, etc.
2. Modes of making the confession.
3. Conduct incumbent on those who have made the profession.
Ver. 1. (last clause). How far the righteousness of God is involved in the salvation of a believer.
Psalms 31:2*
Ver. 1-3.: See Psalms on "Ps 31:1" for further information.
Charles H. Spurgeon's The Treasury of David (1869–1885) — public domain. Psalms only. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23, 24 In Thee, O Lord, do I put my trust.
Psa_31:1-8
In Thee, O Lord, do I put my trust.
Read full note →
Man trusting in Jehovah
I. Here is man trusting in Jehovah Is great trials.
1. It seems strange that God should allow a man who trusts in Him to become involved in trials. Love is the reason. He knows that oven the best of His children are so fractious and wayward that they need the chastening rod.
2. It seems strange that a man should be able to trust God when in trial. Good men can, and have done so. Job: Paul.
II. Here is man trusting in Jehovah and earnestly praying--
1. For the vindication of his trust.
2. For deliverance from trial.
3. For an audience with the Almighty.
4. For protection from danger.
5. For guidance in perplexity.
6. For extrication from the snares of enemies.
III. Here is man trusting in Jehovah and surrendering himself.
1. The language of dedication.
2. The motive--gratitude.
IV. Here is man trusting in Jehovah and abhorring sinners. A God-loving soul must ever recoil with profound disgust from the false, the dishonest, the mean, the profane, whenever or wherever they appear. The soul cannot love moral opposites. To hate characters, however, does not necessarily imply the hating of man. Mans bad character is of himself, he made it: but his nature is of God, He formed it.
V. Here is man trusting in Jehovah, and rejoicing in deliverance. 1, When deliverance comes to a good man, it comes from mercy.
2. The soul in deliverance rejoices in its freedom and security. (Homilist.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Expositor's Bible 1887 · Public Domain On v1 Psalms 31
Psalms 31
THE swift transitions of feeling in this psalm may seem strange to colder natures whose lives run smoothly, but reveal a brother-soul to those who have known what it is to ride on the top of the wave and then to go down into its trough. What is peculiar to the psalm is not only the inclusion of the whole gamut of feeling, but the force with which each key is struck and the persistence through all of the one ground tone of cleaving to Jehovah. The poetic temperament passes quickly from hope to fear. The devout man in sorrow can sometimes look away from a darkened earth to a bright sky, but the stern realities of pain and loss again force themselves in upon him. The psalm is like an April day, in which sunshine and rain chase, each other across the plain.
Read full note →
"The beautiful uncertain weather,
Where gloom and glory meet together"
makes the landscape live, and is the precursor of fruitfulness."
The stream of the psalmists thoughts now runs in shadow of grim cliffs and vexed by opposing rocks, and now opens out in sunny stretches of smoothness; but its source is "In Thee, Jehovah, do I take refuge" (Psa_31:1): and its end is "Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all ye that wait for Jehovah" (Psa_31:24).
The first turn of the stream is in Psa_31:1-4, which consist of petitions and their grounds. The prayers reveal the suppliants state. They are the familiar cries of an afflicted soul common to many psalms, and presenting no special features. The needs of the human heart are uniform, and the cry of distress is much alike on all lips. This sufferer asks, as his fellows have done and will do, for deliverance, a swift answer, shelter and defence, guidance and leading, escape from the net spread for him. These are the commonplaces of prayer, which God is not wearied of hearing, and which fit us all. The last place to look for originality is in the "sighing of such as be sorrowful." The pleas on which the petitions rest are also familiar. The man who trusts in Jehovah has a right to expect that his trust will not be put to shame, since God is faithful. Therefore the first plea is the psalmists faith, expressed in Psa_31:1 by the word which literally means to flee to a refuge. The fact that he has done so makes his deliverance a work of Gods "righteousness." The metaphor latent in "flee for refuge" comes into full sight in that beautiful plea in Psa_31:3, which unsympathetic critics would call illogical, "Be for me a refuge rock, forThou art my rock." Be what Thou art; manifest Thyself in act to be what Thou art in nature: be what I, Thy poor servant, have taken Thee to be. My heart has clasped Thy revelation of Thyself and fled to this strong tower. Let me not be deceived and find it incapable of sheltering me from my foes. "Therefore for Thy names sake," or because of that revelation and for its glory as true in mens sight, deliver me. Gods nature as revealed is the strongest plea with Him, and surely that cannot but be potent and acceptable prayer which says; Be what Thou art, and what Thou hast taught me to believe Thee.
Psa_31:5-8 prolong the tone of the preceding, with some difference, inasmuch as Gods past acts are more specifically dwelt on as the ground of confidence. In this turn of the stream, faith does not so much supplicate as meditate, plucking the flower of confidence from the nettle of past dangers and deliverances, and renewing its acts of surrender. The sacred words which Jesus made His own on the cross, and which have been the last utterance of so many saints, were meant by the psalmist to apply to life, not to death. He laid his spirit as a precious deposit in Gods hand, assured that He was able to keep that which was committed to Him. Often had he done this before, and now he does it once more. Petitions pass into surrender. Resignation as well as confidence speaks. To lay ones life in Gods hand is to leave the disposal of it to Him, and such absolute submission must come as the calm close and incipient reward of every cry for deliverance. Trust should not be hard to those who can remember. So Jehovahs past redemptions-i.e., deliverances from temporal dangers-are its ground here; and these avail as pledges for the future, since He is "the God of truth," who can never falsify His past. The more nestlingly a soul clings to God, the more vehemently will it recoil from other trust. Attraction and repulsion are equal and contrary: The more clearly it sees Gods faithfulness and living power as a reality operating in its life, the more penetrating will be its detection of the falseness of other helpers. "Nothingnesses of emptiness" are they all to one who has felt the clasp of that great, tender hand; and unless the soul feels them to be such, it will never strongly clutch or firmly hold its true stay. Such trust has its crown in joyful experience of Gods mercy even before the actual deliverance comes to pass, as wind-borne fragrance meets the traveller before he sees the spice gardens from which it comes. The cohortative verbs in Psa_31:7 may be petition ("Let me exult"), or they may be anticipation of future gladness, but in either case some waft of joy has already reached the singer, as how could it fail to do, when his faith was thus renewing itself, and his eyes gazing on Gods deeds of old? The past tenses in Psa_31:7-8 refer to former experiences. Gods sight of the psalmists affliction was not idle contemplation, but implied active intervention. To "take note of the distresses of my soul" (or possibly, "of my soul in distresses") is the same as to care for it. It is enough to know that God sees the secret sorrows, the obscure trials which can be told to none. He loves as well as knows, and looks on no griefs which He will not comfort nor on any wounds which He is not ready to bind up. The psalmist was sure that God had seen, because he had experienced His delivering power, as he goes on joyfully to tell. The figure in Psa_31:8 a points back to the act of trust in Psa_31:5. How should God let the hand of the enemy close round and crush the spirit which had been entrusted to His own hand? One sees the greedy fingers of the foe drawing themselves together on their prey as on a fly, but they close on nothing. Instead of suffering constraint the delivered spirit walks at liberty. They who are enclosed in Gods hand have ample room there; and unhindered activity, with the ennobling consciousness of freedom, is the reward of trust.
Is it inconceivable that such sunny confidence should be suddenly clouded and followed, as in the third turn of thought (Psa_31:9-13), by plaintive absorption in the sad realities of present distress? The very remembrance of a brighter past may have sharpened the sense of present trouble. But it is to be noted that these complaints are prayer, not aimless, self-pitying wailing. The enumeration of miseries which begins with "Have mercy upon me, for-," has a hidden hope tinging its darkness, like the faint flush of sunrise on clouds. There is no such violent change of tone as is sometimes conceived; but the pleas of the former parts are continued in this section, which adds the psalmists sore need to Gods past and the suppliants faith, as another reason for Jehovahs help. He begins with the effects of his trouble on himself in body and soul; thence he passes to its consequences on those around him, and finally he spreads before God its cause: plots against his life. The resemblances to Psalms 6 and to several parts of Jeremiah are unmistakable. In Psa_31:9-10 the physical and mental effects of anxiety are graphically described. Sunken eyes, enfeebled soul, wasted body, are gaunt witnesses of his distress. Cares seem to him to have gnawed his very bones, so weak is he. All that he can do is to sigh. And worse than all, conscience tells him that his own sin underlies his trouble, and so he is without inward stay. The picture seems exaggerated to easy-going, prosperous people; but many a sufferer has since recognised himself in it as in a mirror, and been thankful for words which gave voice to his pained heart and cheered him with the sense of companionship in the gloom.
Psa_31:11-12 are mainly the description of the often-repeated experience of friends forsaking the troubled. "Because of all my adversaries" somewhat anticipates Psa_31:13 in assigning the reason for the cowardly desertion. The three phrases "neighbours," "acquaintance," and "those who see me without" indicate concentric circles of increasing diameter. The psalmist is in the middle; and round him are, first, neighbours, who pour reproach on him, because of his enemies, then the wider range of "acquaintances," afraid to have anything to do with one who has such strong and numerous foes, and remotest of all, the chance people met on the way who fly from Him, as infected and dangerous. "They all forsook Him and fled." That bitter ingredient mingles in every cup of sorrow. The meanness of human nature and the selfishness of much apparent friendship are commonplaces, but the experience of them is always as painful and astonishing, as if nobody besides had ever suffered therefrom. The roughness of structure in Psa_31:11 b, "and unto my neighbours exceedingly," seems to fit the psalmists emotion, and does not need the emendation of "exceedingly" into "burden" (Delitzsch) or "shaking of the head" (Cheyne).
In Psa_31:12 the desertion is bitterly summed up, as like the oblivion that waits for the dead. The unsympathising world goes on its way, and friends find new interests and forget the broken man, who used to be so much to them, as completely as if he were in his grave, or as they do the damaged cup, flung on the rubbish heap. Psa_31:13 discloses the nature of the calamity which has had these effects. Whispering slanders buzz round him; he is ringed about with causes for fear, since enemies are plotting his death. The use of the first part of the verse by Jeremiah does not require the hypothesis of his authorship of the psalm, nor of the prophets priority to the psalmist. It is always a difficult problem to settle which of two cases of the employment of the same phrase is original and which quotation. The criteria are elastic, and the conclusion is very often arrived at in deference to preconceived ideas. But Jeremiah uses the phrase as if it were a proverb or familiar expression, and the psalmist as if it were the freshly struck coinage of his own experience.
Again the key changes, and the minor is modulated into confident petition. It is the test of true trust that it is deepened by the fullest recognition of dangers and enemies. The same facts may feed despair and be the fuel of faith. This mans eyes took in all surrounding evils, and these drove him to avert his gaze from them and fix it on Jehovah. That is the best thing that troubles can do for us. If they, on the contrary, monopolise our sight, they turn our hearts to stone; but if we can wrench our stare from them, they clear our vision to see our Helper. In Psa_31:14-18 we have the recoil of the devout soul to God, occasioned by its recognition of need and helplessness. This turn of the psalm begins with a strong emphatic adversative: "But I-I trust in Jehovah." We see the man flinging himself into the arms of God. The word for "trust" is the same as in Psa_31:6, and means to hang or lean upon, or, as we say, to depend on. He utters his trust in his prayer, which occupies the rest of this part of the psalm. A prayer, which is the voice of trust, does not begin with petition, but with renewed adherence to God and happy consciousness of the souls relation to Him, and thence melts into supplication for the blessings which are consequences of that relation. To feel, on occasion of the very dreariness of circumstances, that God is mine, makes miraculous sunrise at midnight. Built on that act of trust claiming its portion in God, is the recognition of Gods all-regulating hand, as shaping the psalmists "times," the changing periods, each of which has its definite character, responsibilities, and opportunities. Every mans life is a series of crises, in each of which there is some special work to be done or lesson to be learned, some particular virtue to be cultivated or sacrifice made. The opportunity does not return. "It might have been once; and we missed it, lost it forever."
But the psalmist is thinking rather of the varying complexion of his days as bright or dark; and looking beyond circumstances, he sees God. The "hand of mine enemies" seems shrivelled into impotence when contrasted with that great hand, to which he has committed his spirit, and in which are his "times"; and the psalmists recognition that it holds his destiny is the ground of his prayer for deliverance from the foes paralysed grasp. They who feel the tender clasp of an almighty hand need not doubt their security from hostile assaults. The petitions proper are three in number: for deliverance, for the light of Gods face, and for "salvation." The central petition recalls the priestly blessing. {Num_6:25} It asks for consciousness of Gods friendship and for the manifestation thereof in safety from present dangers. That face, turned in love to a man, can "make a sunshine in a shady place," and brings healing on its beams. It seems best to take the verbs in Psa_31:17-18, as futures and not optatives. The prayer passes into assurance of its answer, and what was petition in Psa_31:1 is now trustful prediction: "I shall not be ashamed, for I cry to Thee." With like elevation of faith, the psalmist foresees the end of the whispering defamers round him: shame for their vain plots and their silent descent to the silent land. The loudest outcry against Gods lovers will be hushed some day, and the hands that threatened them will be laid motionless and stiff across motionless breasts. He who stands by God and looks forward, can, by the light of that face, see the end of much transient bluster, "with pride and contempt," against the righteous. Lying lips fall dumb; praying lips, like the psalmists, are opened to show forth Gods praise. His prayer is audible still across the centuries; the mutterings of his enemies only live in his mention of them.
That assurance prepares the way for the noble burst of thanksgiving, as for accomplished deliverance, which ends the psalm, springing up in a joyous outpouring of melody, like a lark from a bare furrow. But there is no such change of tone as to warrant the supposition that these last verses (Psa_31:19-24) are either the psalmists later addition or the work of another, nor do they oblige us to suppose that the whole psalm was written after the Peril which it commemorates had passed. Rather the same voice which triumphantly rings out in these last verses has been sounding in the preceding, even in their saddest strains. The ear catches a twitter hushed again and renewed more than once before the full song breaks out. The psalmist has been absorbed with his own troubles till now. but thankfulness expands his vision, and suddenly there is with him a multitude of fellow dependants on Gods goodness. He hungers alone, but he feasts in company. The abundance of Gods "goodness" is conceived of as a treasure stored, and in part openly displayed, before the sons of men. The antithesis suggests manifold applications of the contrast, such as the inexhaustibleness of the mercy which, after all revelation, remains unrevealed, and after all expenditure, has not perceptibly diminished in its shining mass, as of bullion in some vault; or the varying dealings of God, who sometimes, while sorrow is allowed to have its scope, seems to keep his riches of help under lock and key, and then again flashes them forth in deeds of deliverance; or the difference between the partial unfolding of these on earth and the full endowment of His servants with "riches in glory" hereafter. All these carry the one lesson that there is more in God than any creature or all creatures have ever drawn from Him or can ever draw. The repetition of the idea of hiding in Psa_31:20 is a true touch of devout poetry. The same word is used for laying up the treasure and for sheltering in a pavilion from the jangle of tongues. The wealth and the poor men who need it are stored together, as it were; and the place where they both lie safe is God Himself. How can they be poor who are dwelling close beside infinite riches? The psalmist has just prayed that God would make His face to shine upon him; and now he rejoices in the assurance of the answer, and knows himself and all like-minded men to be hidden in that "glorious privacy of light," where evil things cannot live. As if caught up to and "clothed with the sun," he and they are beyond the reach of hostile conspiracies, and have "outsoared the shadow of" earths antagonisms. The great thought of security in God has never been more nobly expressed than by that magnificent metaphor of the light inaccessible streaming from Gods face to be the bulwark of a poor man.
The personal tone recurs for a moment in Psa_31:21-22, in which it is doubtful whether we hear thankfulness for deliverance anticipated as certain and so spoken of as past, since it is as good as done, or for some recently experienced marvel of lovingkindness, which heartens the psalmist in present trouble. If this psalm is Davids, the reference may be to his finding a city of refuge, at the time when his fortunes were very low, in Ziklag, a strange place for a Jewish fugitive to be sheltered. One can scarcely help feeling that the allusion is so specific as to suggest historical fact as its basis. At the same time it must be admitted that the expression may be the carrying on of the metaphor of the hiding in a pavilion. The "strong city" is worthily interpreted as being God Himself, though the historical explanation is tempting. Gods mercy makes a true man ashamed of his doubts, and therefore the thanksgiving of Psa_31:21 leads to the confession of Psa_31:22. Agitated into despair, the psalmist had thought that he was "cut off from Gods eyes"-i.e., hidden so as not to be helped-but the event has showed that God both heard and saw him. If alarm does not so make us think that God is blind to our need and deaf to our cry as to make us dumb, we shall be taught the folly of our fears by His answers to our prayers. These will have a voice of gentle rebuke, and ask us, "O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?" He delivers first, and lets the deliverance stand in place of chiding.
The whole closes with a summons to all whom Jehovah loves to love Him for His mercys sake. The joyful singer longs for a chorus to join his single voice, as all devout hearts do. He generalises his own experience, as all who have for themselves experienced deliverance are entitled and bound to do, and discerns that in his single case the broad law is attested that the faithful are guarded whatever dangers assail, and "the proud doer" abundantly repaid for all his contempt and hatred of the just. Therefore the last result of contemplating Gods ways with His servants is an incentive to courage, strength, and patient waiting for the Lord.
William Robertson Nicoll, ed., The Expositor's Bible (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1887–1910) — public domain. 65 of 66 books (1 Corinthians is not separately keyed, as that volume carries no machine-parseable verse references); section-level commentary keyed to the opening verse. Introductory and overview sections not keyed to a specific passage are excluded.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary 1892 · Public Domain On v1 A psalm, in which the psalmist rises by prayer,…
INTRODUCTION
A psalm, in which the psalmist rises by prayer, from trouble, to lively faith and hope in God. The older interpreters founding on the use of the same word in Psa_31:2-3 (Heb.), and 1Sa_23:25, for the most part, refer the psalm to the time when David fled from Saul into the wilderness of Maon. Ewald, Hitzig, and others attribute it to Jeremiah, chiefly because of its plaintive character, and from the fact that certain expressions found in this psalm are also found in Jeremiah (cf. Psa_31:14. and Jer_20:10, and the recurrence of the phrase “Fear on every side,” Jer_6:25; Jer_20:3; Jer_46:5; Jer_49:29; Lam_2:22). As to this, Tholuck says, “That the prophets used the psalms, and not the psalmist the prophets, may be inferred from the fondness of Jeremiah to weave the sayings of the ancients into his compositions (cf. Psa_1:3; Psa_33:7). Perowne says, “On other grounds there is no reason why the psalm should not be David’s. It breathes throughout his rare tenderness of spirit, as well as his faith and courage. The figures of the stronghold and the rock so often repeated (Psa_31:2-4), are most suitable in his mouth (cf. Psalms 18), and so are the expressions in Psa_31:8 and in Psa_31:21.”
Read full note →
PRAYER THE RESOURCE OF THE GODLY IN AFFLICTION
(Psa_31:1-8.)
This prayer:
I. Springs from trust in God (Psa_31:1-3).
1. The Almighty Father. This is the character in which God has revealed Himself. He is infinitely just, and holy, and merciful. His people are His children. All of them are dear to Him, but the weak and the sorrowful are the special objects of His care. As a father watches his sick child, and bends to listen to his feeblest cry, so “our Father in heaven” bows down in pitying mercy to His people when they are in trouble.
2. The everlasting refuge (Psa_31:1). “In Thee have I found refuge.”—Perowne. Various figures are employed to set forth the strength and impregnableness of this refuge (Psa_31:2), “Strong Rock,” “House of Defence” (Psa_31:3). “My rock and my fortress” (cf. Psa_18:2). The fitness and force of these images must have been deeply felt by David, who had so often found safety from his enemies in the caves and fastnesses of the rocks. “The psalmist grounds his prayer on the fact that the Lord is in reality his rock and his fortress, because he knew Him as such by the faith which God never puts to shame.”—Hengstenberg. “The psalmist prays ‘Be thou to me,’ or rather, ‘Become to me, prove Thyself to be my rock and house of defence; for I know that Thou, and Thou only, art my refuge.’ This is the logic of the heart, if not of the intellect; the logic, it may be added, of every prayer of faith.”—Perowne.
II. Implores the highest blessings.
1. Vindication of his hope (Psa_31:1). “ ‘Shamed,’ i.e., utterly confounded, disappointed and frustrated in his hopes” (Psa_6:10; Psa_22:5; Psa_25:2; Psalms 20).—Alexander. Such a fate would be terrible. It would be dishonourable to God, as well as to His servant. But God will never suffer those who trust in Him to be put to confusion.
2. Deliverance in righteousness (Psa_31:2). “In Thy righteousness set me at liberty.”—Perowne. He longed for freedom; but he would not seek even such a boon, save in a way that was for the glory of God. “God is a just God and a Saviour.”
3. Guidance in the way of holiness (Psa_31:3. cf. Psa_23:2-3). “The double word indicates an urgent need—we require double direction, for we are fools, and the way is rough. Lead me as a soldier, guide me as a traveller! Lead me as a babe, guide me as a man; lead me by Thy hand, guide me by Thy Word. The argument used is one which is fetched from the armoury of free grace; not for my own sake, but for Thy name’s sake, guide me.”—C. H. Spurgeon.
4. Protection to the end of life (Psa_31:4-5). The “net” refers to the craft and malice of enemies. There are dangers known and unknown, there are foes who face us openly, and there are foes who plot and work in secret. Our daily prayers should be, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
III. Characterised by the noblest emotions.
1. Humility. “Bow down.”
2. Earnestness. “Speedily.”
3. Aspiration. “Be Thou my strong rock.”
4. Zeal for God’s glory. “For Thy name’s sake.”
5. Self-surrender. “Into Thy hand I commend my spirit.” “My spirit (ruach) more than my soul or life (Nephesh). It is not only from sickness and death, but from sin and all ghostly enemies, that the man of God should be kept, and therefore he commends to God, not his body or his bodily life alone, but the life of his spirit, which is more precious” (cf. Isa_38:16).—Perowne.
6. Unbounded trust. “Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.” Past deliverances are strong supports of faith. What the Lord was, He is; what He has done, He is able to do again, yea, and much more, exceeding abundantly above all we can ask or think. He is the mighty one who is ever true to Himself and to His word. The gods of the heathen are “lying vanities,” but Jehovah is worthy of the highest trust.
IV. Followed by the grandest deliverance (cf. 1Sa_23:1-11). The psalmist exults (Psa_31:7-8) in the wondrous redemption wrought out by God.
1. Sovereign mercy. “I will be glad and rejoice in Thy mercy.”
2. Tender sympathy. “Thou hast considered my trouble.” There are different forms of consideration (cf. Job_1:8; Psa_31:7; Psa_41:1)
3. Benign interposition (Psa_31:8).
4. Delightful freedom (Psa_31:8, cf. Psa_4:1). “Though the mariner sees not the polestar, yet the needle of the compass which points to it tells him which way he sails. Thus the heart that is touched with the loadstone of divine love, trembling with godly fear, and yet still looking towards God by fixed believing, interprets the fear by the love in the fear, and tells the soul that its course is heavenward—towards the haven of eternal rest.”—Leighton.
THE GREAT DEPOSIT
(Psa_31:5.)
“With these words, our Lord breathed out His life (Luk_23:46), as He had before used words from another psalm in His agony on the cross. The first words were from a psalm
(22) which, typically at least, foreshadowed His sufferings; whereas this is not in the same way predictive. But the Holy One of God, in that last hour of mortal agony, chose these words of one of His servants to express the solemn surrender of His life. And, in so doing, He gave them a new interpretation. The Jewish singer only meant by them that he put himself and all his hopes into the hand of God. Jesus meant by them, that by His own act, of His own free will, He gave up His spirit, and therefore His life, to the Father. And they who have died with their Lord, have died with the same words on their lips. These were the last words of Polycarp, of Bernard, of Huss, of Jerome of Prague, of Luther, Melancthon, and many others. ‘Blessed are they,’ says Luther, ‘who die not only for the Lord, as martyrs,—not only in the Lord, as all believers,—but likewise with the Lord, as breathing forth their lives in these words, “Into Thy hand I commend my spirit” ’ ”—Perowne.
I. The soul survives the shock of death.
II. The care of the soul is the supreme concern in death.
III. The well-being of the soul, in life and in death, consists in its dedication to Christ.
THE STORY OF A SUFFERER
(Psa_31:9-18.)
I. Mark the divine listener. “O Lord” (Jehovah). Ten times does David use this name of hope. Who is like God, so kind, so patient, so sympathising? He has infinitely more pity than the most loving father (Psa_103:13), infinitely more tenderness than the most faithful mother (Isa_66:13; Isa_49:15). The sorrows of countless millions are being poured into His ear, but He is never weary. He listens to the tale of the humblest child, as if he were the only object of His care.
“To Thee alone my sorrows shall appeal,
Hath earth a wound too hard for heaven to heal.”—Quarles.
II. Ponder the sad complaint. Like Hezekiah (2Ki_19:4), the psalmist pours out his heart before the Lord. We seem to hear his sobs and cries.
1. Consumed by grief (Psa_31:9-10). “Eye, soul, belly, the seats and means of intelligence, will, and power.”—Murphy. Body and mind were alike exhausted.
2. Depressed by conscious tin (Psa_31:10). His eye turned within as well as without. His real trouble was in his sin “Mine iniquity.” It was his, his very own, for which he and he only was responsible. So it is; others may have tempted or taken part in the transgression, but so far as it is our act, it is our property. What a burden is sin! What a terrible plague is the plague of a sinful heart “O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me?”
3. Wounded by the cruel treatment of his contemporaries. The reproach of foes was bad, the distrust of acquaintances was worse, but the alienation of friends was worst of all. He complains of the “slander of many.” The tongues of not only Doeg, Nabal, and the Ziphites, but of many more, were let loose against him.
“Be thou as chaste as ice, as pure as snow,
Thou shalt not escape calumny.”
“Its edge is sharper than the sword; whose tongue outvenoms all the worms of Nile; whose breath rides on the posting winds; and doth belie all corners of the world.”—Shakespeare.
4. Disheartened by the unrelenting malice of his enemies (Psa_31:13). “Fear was on every side.” Wherever he turned he met a foe. One fell purpose inspired them all. They were like the conspirators against Paul, “who bound themselves with an oath that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed him” (Act_23:21). Jeremiah, who was also a “man of sorrows,” complains in the same words: “Fear was on every side” (Jer_20:10); and once and again he uses similar terms (Jer_6:25; Jer_20:3-4; Jer_46:5; Jer_49:29; Lam_2:22).
5. Utterly self-desponding. The brightness of life was gone—his reputation and usefulness were ruined. He seemed good for nothing. Forsaken and forlorn, he was as a “dead man out of mind.” But for his trust in God, all hope would be lost (cf. Psalms 43).
III. Rejoice with the relieved sufferer (Psa_31:14-18).
1. Filial trust in God (Psa_31:14). “Mighty strength of faith when a man conscious of his own sinfulness (Psa_31:10), and with a world in arms against him, yea, forsaken of his own friends (Psa_31:11), can still turn to God and say, ‘Thou art my God.’ ”—Perowne.
2. Humble acquiescence in the Divine will (Psa_31:15). “MY TIMES, i.e., all my life, with its ‘sundry and manifold changes,’ its joys and sorrows, its hopes and conflicts, are not the sport of chance, or the creatures of a blind fate, but are in Thy hand, ‘O Thou living, personal Redeemer.’ ”—Perowne. Thus, to have faith in God’s will and rule, is to enter into rest. “Providence is a soft pillow for anxious heads, an anodyne for care, a grave for despair.”
3. Confident hope of a happy issue to all his troubles (Psa_31:16-18). His faith rises to certainty. He anticipates the time when the lips of lying should be struck dumb, when his enemies should be put to shame, or lie silent in the grave, and when he himself should rejoice in the sunshine of Jehovah’s love (Num_6:25).
“Oh! there is never sorrow of heart
That shall lack a timely end,
If but to God we turn, and ask
Of Him to be our friend.”—Wordsworth.
BURIED ALIVE
(Psa_31:12.)
Now and again accidents happen, such as the falling of earth and the closing up of mines, by which people are buried alive. There are also horrible tales of persons who, of design, have suffered this cruel fate. David speaks here of a sort of moral counterpart. Driven into exile, and cut off from the society of friends and the business of life, he soon came to be as if forgotten. He whose exploits had but lately been the theme of song, and whose name was on every lip, was now “as a dead man, out of mind.” This has been the experience of many since, though the form of the calamity has varied. People may be buried alive—
I. By the malice of enemies. There may be such a persistent covering of their names, with lies and slander, that at last they are, like David, given up to “contemptuous oblivion.” “Public envy is an ostracism.”—Bacon.
II. By the neglect of contemporaries. “Out of sight, out of mind.” After Butler had preached his famous sermons at the Rolls Chapel, he accepted a country charge, where he lived in great retirement. Years passed and he was forgotten. A friend spoke to the Queen about him, and she answered that she thought he was dead, and appealed to Archbishop Blackburne if it were not so. His reply was, “No, madam, he is not dead, but he is buried.” This is the way in which the world has treated many of its greatest men.
III. By the lack of opportunities for distinction. While every one has his chance, so to speak, some have better chances than others. Two persons may have equal merits, but one rises high, while the other remains to the last in the same humble position. There are latent talents that are never called forth,—minds of high power that are never developed. Gray sings of this in his “Elegy in a Country Churchyard”:—
“Perhaps in this neglected spot is laid
Some heart once pregnant with celestial fire;
Hands that the rod of empire might have sway’d,
Or wak’d to ecstasy the living lyre:
But knowledge to their eyes her ample page,
Rich with the spoils of time, did ne’er unroll;
Chill penury repress’d their noble rage,
And frose the genial current of the soul.”
IV. By the failure of capacity for usefulness. Changes take place. Popularity may fade. Broken health or misfortune may necessitate retirement. Men who once bulked large in the public eye are lost sight of and forgotten. Hence, when their death is published, it comes as a surprise. It is said, We thought they had been dead long ago. They had been virtually buried alive years before their death.
All these things prophesy of a hereafter. If we serve God truly, it matters little whether we have praise of men or not. Our record is on high. In heaven there will be a balm for every wound, and redress for every wrong, and many who are first shall be last, and who are last shall be first.
THE GOODNESS OF THE LORD
(Psa_31:19-24.)
His well-grounded hope now brings triumphant certainty, and this breaks forth in glad acknowledgment of God’s goodness to the righteous, and an exhortation to all to wait on Him in unshaken confidence of heart. “Oh! how great is Thy goodness.”
David’s exclamation leads us to consider the goodness of God—
I. As a spectacle of surpassing beauty. “How great!” Creation, providence, redemption, reveal God’s goodness. More and more, in the course of the ages, it is unfolded, and calls forth wonder, love, and praise.
“My heart is awed within me, when I think
Of the great miracle that still goes on
In silence round me—the perpetual work
Of Thy creation, finish’d, yet renew’d
For ever.”—Bryant.
“His are the mountains, and the valleys his,
And the resplendent rivers,—his t’ enjoy
With a propriety that none can feel;
But who with filial confidence, inspired,
Can lift to heaven an unpresumptuous eye,
And smiling say, My Father made them all!
Are they not his by a peculiar right,
And by an emphasis of interest his,
Whose eyes they filled with tears of holy joy,
Whose heart with praises, and whose exalted mind
With worthy thoughts of that unwearied love
That plann’d, and built, and still upholds a world
So clothed with beauty for rebellious man.”
—Cowper.
II. As a treasury of inexhaustible wealth. “Thou hast laid up,” lit. “hidden” (cf. Psa_17:4, and “the hidden manna,” Rev_2:17). “This is the love of God manifested to the soul in secret.”—Perowne. “Layest up.” “This Intimates that much of the Divine goodness was yet in store for him. This is true of all God’s saints, if we include the unending future.”—Murphy. God’s goodness is partly seen, and partly unseen. What is seen, may, as it were, be measured; but what is unseen, is boundless. What is a river to the ocean! What is the landscape, that the eye can reach, to the vast unseen realms of the earth. What are the thousand stars that crowd the winter sky, to the millions upon millions that are hid in the depths of space! So with the goodness of God. The sons of Jacob carried away their “ass loads” of the finest of the wheat, but what were these to the stores laid up in Egypt’s granaries. The Queen of Sheba’s heart fainted when she saw the treasures of Solomon, for the half had not been told her of his wisdom and his wealth; but a greater than Solomon is here, whose riches are unsearchable, and whose wisdom is past finding out. “The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him.” “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.”
III. As a work of infinite beneficence. “Oh! how great is Thy goodness, which Thou hast wrought for them that trust in Thee, before the sons of men.” This refers to the open manifestation of goodness. “Goodness is laid up in the promise, wrought in the performance, and that goodness which is laid up, is wrought for them that trust in God; and thus, as God’s faithfulness engageth us to believe, so our faith, as it were, engageth God’s faithfulness to perform the promise.”—N. Hardy.
Scripture, observation, and memory, supply countless proofs of God’s kindness. “The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.”
What God hath wrought is set forth in two divisions.
1. General (Psa_31:20). “Thou protectest them in the hiding-place of Thy presence from the factions of men.”—Delitzch. “The hiding-place of Thy presence, or ‘of Thy countenance;’ elsewhere of God’s tabernacle (Psa_27:5); or of His wings (Psa_61:5); or of His shadow (Psa_91:1). But this is the most striking figure of all: to be hidden in the light of God’s face, hidden in that splendour where His power is hidden (Hab_3:4). What an image at once of safety and blessedness!”—Perowne.
2. Particular (Psa_31:21). David here speaks of himself. Probably the reference is to God’s signal interposition in his behalf at Ziklag (Delitzch).
(Psa_31:22). “In my haste.” “David and his people wept, till they had no more power to weep, for the burning of Ziklag and the capture of their wives and children (1 Samuel 27). ‘I am cut off.’ This was a fatal blow, apparently indicating the deep displeasure of God, and His final departure from him. ‘Yet Thou heardest.’ David at length encouraged himself in the Lord his God, who heard his cry, and restored to him all that he had lost.”—Murphy.
“Through every period of my life,
Thy goodness I’ll proclaim;
And after death, in distant worlds,
Resume the glorious theme.”
TWO COUNSELS OF WISDOM
Psa_31:23-24. David speaks here to all to whom God has been gracious.
I. Love the Lord. This is the first and great commandment, and finds an echo in every true heart.
Reason says “Love the Lord.” Who is worthy of the heart but the Supremely Good? “We needs must love the highest, when we see it.”—Tennyson.
Gratitude says “Love the Lord.” Consider not only what God is in Himself, but what He has done for His people. “His saints.” They are His favoured ones, loved, redeemed, and sanctified. “We love Him because He first loved us” (1Jn_4:19).
Experience says “Love the Lord.” This is the voice that comes down from the pious of every land and age, back to the days of paradise. Nothing but good comes from loving God. The more we love Him, the higher we rise in dignity and strength. The more we love Him, the fitter we become for the duties and trials of earth, and the meeter for the inheritance of the saints in heaven. “Faith-keeping is Jehovah,” alike as to His promises and His threatenings, alike in His retributive providence towards His people who trust in Him, and towards the proud and the evil-doers, who reject His counsel and His love. “In His favour is life.”
II. Be of good courage (Psa_31:24). There are differences as to courage. There is the courage of the flesh. This is common to us with the lower animals. See what Job says of the war-horse (Job_39:19), and Solomon of the lion (Pro_30:30). Most men when their blood is up will do what are called brave deeds.
There is the courage of the mind. This is higher. It implies resolution, firmness, a capacity to gird one’s self for deeds of daring and difficulty.
But noblest of all, is the courage of the soul. This implies a heart that is right with God, and hence a heart that is loyal to truth and to duty, a heart that is continually being recruited with new strength, and that is ready for any fate. “Be of good courage,” i.e., be brave, firmly reliant on God, “and He will strengthen your heart.” “Be strong in purpose and desire, and He will make you strong in fact.”—Alexander. “All ye that hope in the Lord.” “The psalm ends as Psalms 27. Hope and waiting are marks peculiarly of the Old Testament dispensation. It is true, even in the New, one apostle writes, ‘we are saved by hope.’ And another says, ‘It doth not yet appear what we shall be,’ but he adds what no believer in the days of types and shadows could have said, ‘We know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.’ Wonderful is the hopeful trust of the saints of old in God, when we remember that they did not know Him as God manifest in the flesh.”—Perowne.
“Love the Lord,” “Be of good courage.” These two counsels are intimately connected. Love and courage go together. What will not the mother dare for love of her child, and the patriot for the love of his country!
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Sermon Bible 1900 · Public Domain On v1 (with Luke xxiii., ver. 46, and Acts vii., ver.…
Psa 31:5
(with Luke xxiii., ver. 46, and Acts vii., ver. 59)
Read full note →
I. Regard the words as supplying the true watchword of life. When we commit our spirit into the hand of God, three results accrue. (1) We approach the duties of life through a series of the most elevating considerations, (a) We are not our own. (b) We are parts of a great system. (c) We are servants, not masters. (d) The things that are round about us are beneath our serious notice except for momentary convenience or instruction. (2) We accept the trials of life with the most hopeful patience. They are disciplinary; they are under control; they are needful. (3) We recognise the mercies of life with the most joyous thankfulness.
II. Regard the words as supplying the true watchword of death. This watchword, as spoken by Jesus and as spoken by Stephen, shows (1) their belief in a state of being at present invisible; (2) their assurance of the limitations of human malice. In view of these considerations, there are four points of practical application. (1) Where the spirit is fit for the presence of God, there is no fear of death. (2) All who have lived in the faith are present with the Lord. (3) Jesus Himself knows what it is to pass through the valley of the shadow of death. (4) The prayer for entrance amongst the blest may come too late.
Parker, City Temple, vol. ii., p. 14 (see also Pulpit Notes, p. 106).
References: Psa 31:5.—H. Wace, Christian World Pulpit, vol. xxviii., p. 358; Spurgeon, Evening by Evening, p. 242; R. W. Evans, Parochial Sermons, vol. ii., p. 210. Psa 31:7.—F. D. Maurice, Sermons, vol. vi., p. 221.
Psa 31:15
I. Our times are in God’s hand in this sense, that He alone has chosen for us the period of the world in which we should live. Feeling that God has placed us in this age that we may make our impress on it, we should prepare ourselves faithfully for doing its work.
II. Again, our circumstances and the direction of our lives upon earth are in God’s hand. We are standing while the generations that rose up by our side are sleeping in the ground. We live because it is God’s good pleasure that we should still have a work to do and responsibilities to meet.
III. We shall see that our times are in God’s hand if we consider how impotent comparatively we are in respect to all the elements around us, how liable in a moment to be called hence.
IV. Our times are in God’s hand as to the opportunities enjoyed both for personal improvement and for conferring benefit upon others. God speaks to us through our opportunities.
V. Again, we are not our own. We may have wisdom, learning, wealth, power, influence, and yet we have not power to lift for one hour the veil which hides the future from our view. (1) Our ways are not under the control of our friends. (2) Our times are not in the hands of our enemies.
If God thus encircles us by the agencies of His providential power and grace, then (1) we ought to feel our dependence on God, not on man, not on the best-laid plans. This sense of dependence should keep us in the attitude of prayer. (2) Only by realising this great truth do we prepare ourselves either for great happiness or great usefulness. The God in whose hands our times are holds the times of all other human beings, holds all agencies, directs all events according to the counsel of His will, and we shall be successful only when we place ourselves directly in harmony with His laws. (3) What a source of comfort it is when we can believe fully that our times are in God’s hand! If we feel we are resting upon the bosom of Omnipotence, what can disturb our repose? It may be that the very evils which some of us fear are only the occasion of working out some good. In all ages the men who have done right have been successful.
Bishop M. Simpson, Sermons, p. 39.
Reference: Psa 31:15.—Preacher’s Monthly, vol. iv., p. 333, and vol. vii., p. 1.
Psa 31:16
I. The smile of God has its moving cause in the infinite heart of God.
II. The smile of God comes from His heart, and thus from His love and His blessedness.
III. The smile of God is essential to us, and it alone is sufficient for us. With the smile of man and without the smile of God there is neither well-being nor welldoing. With the smile of God and without the smile of man there must be prosperity, and there may be peace and joy.
IV. The smile of God is sorely missed when, having been found, it is lost. The loss of that smile was the occasion of the Psalm before us being written. Child of God, disciple of Jesus Christ, afflicted one, but comforted, recovered backslider, labourer in God’s vineyard, and ye who abide in Jesus, God smiles upon you. Every good gift, every gracious work, every merciful dealing with us, every prevention of mischief to us, every word of promise, is a smile of God. Above all, the face of Jesus is God’s perfect and infinite smile.
S. Martin, Comfort in Trouble, p. 58.
Psa 31:19
This text is the expression of a Divine law, the law of God’s wise reserve in dispensing His favours.
I. There are certain great blessings of God which no man is able to receive at once without preparation.
II. A part of this preparation depends upon ourselves; therefore it is sometimes our fault that the laid-up goodness is kept back.
III. God really consults for our pleasure by His judicious reservation of His bounties.
IV. Another of God’s designs in this policy of reservation is to stimulate us to effort. No one can study the Scriptures long without seeing that God’s gifts are to be sought for. If our joy is to be full, it is on condition that we ask.
V. Illustrations of this principle of reserve are seen particularly (1) in God’s promises, and (2) in His providences.
VI. God’s goodness is not always kept hidden. If there is reserve, there is also unfolding. But if we want the goodness wrought out, we must have faith in the goodness which is laid up.
M. R. Vincent, Gates into the Psalm Country, p. 91.
Reference: Psa 31:19.—Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xiii., No. 773.
Psa 31:20
By "the pride of man" and "the strife of tongues" we may understand the whole of that cruel and disturbing interference of one man’s life with another’s which may take such an endless variety of forms.
I. There are two different attitudes which almost all men take towards the tendency of the life around us to swallow up and drown our personality. It is strange to see how, long before they come to middle age, almost all men, except the lowest and the highest, all men of strong character who have not reached some religious conception of their true relations to the world, have either become defiant of the world, setting themselves in obtrusive independence against its claims, or else have tried in some way to withdraw themselves from it and let the world go its way, determined that they will not be sacrificed to its importunate demand. We know both spirits, and we know that both are bad. The first makes a man hard and brutal, and the second makes a man selfish and self-conceited.
II. Notice, next, how it is that in Christianity the refuge of God is thrown wide open to men who are tired with, and who feel the danger of, the world. (1) The release and refuge of Christianity consists in the way it brings the soul into communion with God. "Thou wilt keep him in the secret of Thy presence." This means that when a man is spiritually conscious of the presence of God it secludes and separates him from every other presence. You are with others, and yet you are alone with Him. They parade their foolish vanities before you, and you hardly see them. It is as if a bright fly fluttered its impertinent finery between you and the west when you were looking at a gorgeous sunset. He has blinded you to all beside Himself. (2) True Christian faith develops and strengthens individuality in each of us. The reason why the talk of people about us, their pride and arrogance, their intrusion upon our life, hurts us so, gives us so much pain, and does us so much harm, is the weakness of our own sense of personality. A true Christian faith starts with the truth of a personal redemption, and leads the man up to personal duties. When he takes up his work and does it, he can no more be frightened out of it than the man to whom Jesus had given his bed to carry from Bethesda up the street to his own house could have been scared by all the curious gaping of the crowd and driven back to the dreary place under the porches where he had lain for thirty-eight long years.
III. The third element of the freedom which Christianity gave to its servants was in the value that it taught them to place upon the talk of the world, upon what David calls "the strife of tongues." (1) It is good for us often to know how superficial, how lightly made, how soon forgotten, are the judgments of our brethren which sound so solemn, and which tyrannise over us so. Such a feeling sets us free, and makes us independent. (2) There is one other thing more helpful than this; and that is the way in which Christianity, by putting us into true relations to our fellow-men, saves us from falling into false relations to them. There is no escape from the slavery of other men like that which comes of the intelligent and earnest service of other men.
Phillips Brooks, Sermons, p. 78.
References: Psa 31:22.—Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xix., No. 1146, and vol. xxvii., No. 1589; J. M. Neale, Sermons on Passages of the Psalms, p. 67. Psa 31:23.—Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. vi., No. 325; J. E. Vaux, Sermon Notes, 3rd series, p. 38. Psalm 31—A. Maclaren, Life of David, p. 132. Psa 32:1.—J. Keble, Sermons from Lent to Passiontide, p. 260; H. Thompson, Concionalia: Outlines for Parochial Use, 1st series, vol. i., p. 117; Sermons for Boys and Girls, p. 328.
The Sermon Bible, ed. William Robertson Nicoll (1888–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
F. W. Grant 1903 · Public Domain On v1 Deliverance from the enemy.
Deliverance from the enemy.
To the chief musician: a psalm of David.
Read full note →
We have now what is in itself very simple, but which on that account may seem to have less instruction for us, with whom circumstances are so different, and whose attitude towards those who persecute them is to be so different. For Israel at the time of the end a psalm like this has, of course, the deepest importance. For ourselves spiritual enemies may be imaged in these human ones, and no doubt are: the conflict between good and evil is, in its principles, the same, whatever the part of the field in which we may be engaged.
1. Certain basis-truths are constantly repeated in these psalms; and, simple as they are, the repetition must be as wholesome as it is inevitable. That Jehovah -God in His unchangeable self-consistency -is the rock of faith, needs not, of course, to be proved, nor is it. It is used with God Himself as a prevailing argument for Him to show Himself in that character. Must He not be to the soul that trusts Him all that it counts upon Him for? The suppliant can plead His righteousness even in his own behalf; for does He not encourage faith to lay hold upon Him? "Be to me" therefore, he cries, "a rock of strength, a house of defence, to save me: for my rock and my fortress Thou art." And would He not be known for what He is? that is, act for His Name’s sake, -lead and guide His people in conformity with this?
2. Relationship to God is one of dependence necessarily on the side of His creature it is the relation of the weak to the strong, of the foolish and short-sighted to the Infinitely Wise, of those prone to sin to the Ever-Holy. It implies that He is to be their resource and help, even against themselves, and against every form of real evil. Thus the psalmist commits himself into Jehovah’s hand, as his mighty and faithful Redeemer his heart cleaving to Him in opposition to every false confidence and senseless superstition of man.
3. Now he realizes Jehovah’s mercy. He has seen his trouble, known his soul in straits. How comforting to know that; though deliverance yet there is not! What comfort is there in the presence of one who loves us, even though powerless to bring us other help! But the psalmist can say more than that. He is not shut up in the enemy’s hand; his feet are set in freedom, in a large place.
4. After the manner of the Psalms, and indeed according to numerical symbolism, to which the Psalms, as well as all other scriptures, are conformed, the trial comes after the deliverance, or at least the anticipation of this by faith. The whole trouble is spread out before God, with every circumstance of sorrow and distress. The speaker is in strait; his eye shrunk with vexation, yea, his soul and inmost parts; his life is spent with grief, and his years with sighing; his strength fails, the solid bones themselves are shrunken. Nor is this even private misery: all around, his neighbors and acquaintances, realize his condition beset with eager enemies, and avoid him as not willing to share his lot. Even more, like a dead man, or a broken vessel cast upon the refuse-heap, he has dropped out of the memory, -worse, out of the hearts that once held him in affection. And even yet this desolate and cast-off life men cannot leave alone, but have conspired to take it: the extremes and opposites of sorrow meet and are reconciled in the forms of "terror round about."
5. But out of it all he turns to God again. The waves but fling him higher on the rock. "But as for me, I have trusted in Thee, Jehovah: I have said, Thou art my God! My times are in Thy hand." Oh what a song the wind’s wild music makes, when that can be said really from the heart! And though the prayer still goes on, "deliver me from the hand of mine enemies," yet the perplexity is gone. "Make Thy face to shine," he says; but its rays are already lighting up his heart when he says so. Then he sees the pillar-glory turn its terror upon his enemies: "the wicked shall be ashamed; they shall be silent in Sheol." And he puts his consenting Amen into a prayer: "Be dumb the lying lips, which proudly and contemptuously speak against the righteous!"
6. The whole ends with a song of victory. The goodness of God was but "laid up" for those that fear Him, when as yet experience there was none; and, though in unseen Arms, His refugees too are laid up, -hidden from conspiracies and the whole strife of tongues; fenced round as in a fortressed city. Alas, there had been alarm, and unbelief had misconstrued God’s silence; yet He had heard, all through: and the unburdened heart breaks out in earliest exhortation, bred of this experience. "Oh love Jehovah, all ye godly ones of His! Jehovah preserveth the faithful, and plentifully recompenseth the proud doer." Thus may the hearts of His own be animated with the courage of assured victory: Be strong, and let your hearts take courage: all ye that hope in Jehovah."
F. W. Grant, The Numerical Bible (4th ed., 1903) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Alexander MacLaren 1905 · Public Domain On vv2, 5, 19, 20 Psa 31:2 - Psa 31:3.
Psalms
‘BE . . . FOR THOU ART’
Read full note →
Psa 31:2 - Psa 31:3.
It sounds strange logic, ‘Be . . . for Thou art,’ and yet it is the logic of prayer, and goes very deep, pointing out both its limits and its encouragements. The parallelism between these two clauses is even stronger in the original than in our Version, for whilst the two words which designate the ‘Rock’ are not identical, their meaning is identical, and the difference between them is insignificant; one being a rock of any shape or size, the other being a perpendicular cliff or elevated promontory. And in the other clause, ‘for a house of defence to save me,’ the word rendered ‘defence’ is the same as that which is translated in the next clause ‘fortress.’ So that if we were to read thus: ‘Be Thou a strong Rock to me, for a house, a fortress, for Thou art my Rock and my Fortress,’ we should get the whole force of the parallelism. Of course the main idea in that of the ‘Rock,’ and ‘Fortress’ is only an exposition of one phase of the meaning of that metaphor.
I. So let us look first at what God is.
‘A rock, a fortress-house.’ Now, what is the force of that metaphor? Stable being, as it seems to me, is the first thought in it, for there is nothing that is more absolutely the type of unchangeableness and steadfast continuance. The great cliffs rise up, and the river glides at their base-it is a type of mutability, and of the fleeting generations of men, who are as the drops and ripples in its course-it eddies round the foot of the rocks to which the old man looks up, and sees the same dints and streaks and fissures in it that he saw when he was a child. The river runs onwards, the trees that root themselves in the clefts of the rock bear their spring foliage, and drop their leaves like the generations of men, and the Rock is ‘the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever.’ And God the Unchangeable rises, if I may so say, like some majestic cliff, round the foot of which rolls for ever the tide of human life, and round which are littered the successive layers of the leaves of many summers.
Then besides this stable being, and the consequences of it, is the other thought which is attached to the emblem in a hundred places in Scripture, and that is defence. ‘His place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks.’ When the floods are out, and all the plain is being dissolved into mud, the dwellers on it fly to the cliffs. When the enemy’s banners appear on the horizon, and the open country is being harried and burned, the peasants hurry to the defence of the hills, and, sheltered there, are safe. And so for us this Name assures us that in Him, whatever floods may sweep across the low levels, and whatever foes may storm over the open land and the unwalled villages, there is always the fortress up in the hills, and thither no flood can rise, and there no enemy can come. A defence and a sure abode is his who dwells in God, and thus folds over himself the warm wings that stretch on either side, and shelter him from all assault. ‘Lead me to the Rock that is higher than I.’
But the Rock is a defence in another way. If a hard-pressed fugitive is brought to a stand and can set his back against a rock, he can front his assailants, secure that no unseen foe shall creep up behind and deal a stealthy stab and that he will not be surrounded unawares. ‘The God of Israel shall be your rearward,’ and he who has ‘made the Most High his habitation’ is sheltered from ‘the pestilence that walketh in darkness,’ as well as from ‘the destruction that wasteth at noon-day,’ and will be cleansed from ‘secret faults’ if he keeps up unbroken his union with God, for the ‘faults’ which are not recognised as faults by his partially illuminated conscience are known to God. But the Rock is a defence in yet another way, for it is a sure foundation for our lives. Whoso builds on God need fear no change. When the floods rise, and the winds blow, and the rain storms down, the house that is on the Rock will stand.
And, then, in the Rock there is a spring, and round the spring there is ‘the light of laughing flowers,’ amidst the stern majesty of the cliff. Just as the Law-giver of old smote the rock, and there gushed out the stream that satisfied the thirst of the whole travelling nation, so Paul would have us Christians repeat the miracle by our faith. Of us, too, it may be said, they drank ‘of that Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.’ Stable being, secure defence, a fountain of refreshment and satisfaction: all these blessings lie in that great metaphor.
II. Now, note our plea with God, from what He is.
‘Be Thou to me a Rock . . . for Thou art a Rock.’ Is that not illogical? No, for notice that little word, ‘to me’-be Thou to me what Thou art in Thyself, and hast been to all generations.’ That makes all the difference. It is not merely ‘Be what Thou art,’ although that would be much, but it is ‘be it to me,’ and let me have all which is meant in that great Name.
But then, beyond that, let me point out to you how this prayer suggests to us that all true prayer will keep itself within God’s revelation of what He is. We take His promises, and all the elements which make up His name or manifestation of His character to the world, whether by His acts or by the utterances of this Book, or by the inferences to be drawn from the life of Jesus Christ, the great Revealer, or by what we ourselves have experienced of Him. The ways by which God has revealed Himself to the world define the legitimate subjects, and lay down the firm foundation, of our petitions. In all His acts God reveals Himself, and if I may so say, when we truly pray, we catch these up, and send them back again to heaven, like arrows from a bow. It is only when our desires and prayers foot themselves upon God’s revelation of Himself, and in essence are, in various fashions, the repetition of this prayer of my text: ‘Be . . . for Thou art,’ that we can expect to have them answered. Much else may call itself prayer, but it is often but petulant and self-willed endeavour to force our wishes upon Him, and no answer will come to that. We are to pray about everything; but we are to pray about nothing, except within the lines which are marked out for us by what God has told us, in His words and acts, that He Himself is. Catch these up and fling them back to Him, and for every utterance that He has made of Himself, ‘I am’ so-and-so, let us go to Him and say ‘Be Thou that to me,’ and then we may be sure of an answer.
So then two things follow. If we pray after the pattern of this prayer, ‘Be Thou to me what Thou art,’ then a great many foolish and presumptuous wishes will be stifled in the birth, and, on the other hand, a great many feeble desires will be strengthened and made confident, and we shall be encouraged to expect great things of God. Have you widened your prayers, dear friend!-and I do not mean by that only your outward ones, but the habitual aspiration and expectation of your minds-have you widened these to be as wide as what God has shown us that He is? Have you taken all God’s revelation of Himself, and translated it into petition? And do you expect Him to be to you all that He has ever been to any soul of man upon earth? Oh! how such a prayer as this, if we rightly understand it and feel it, puts to shame the narrowness and the poverty of our prayers, the falterings of our faith, and the absence of expectation in ourselves that we shall receive the fulness of God.
God owns that plea: ‘Be . . . what Thou art.’ He cannot resist that. That is what the Apostle meant when he said, ‘He abideth faithful, He cannot deny Himself.’ He must be true to His character. He can never be other than He always has been. And that is what the Psalmist meant when he goes on, after the words that I have taken for my text, and says, ‘For Thy Name’s sake lead me and guide me,’ What is God’s Name? The collocation of letters by which we designate Him? Certainly not. The Name of God is the sum total of what God has revealed Himself as being. And ‘for the sake of the Name,’ that He may be true to that which He has shown Himself to be, He will always endorse this bill that you draw upon Him when you present Him with His own character, and say ‘Be to me what Thou art.’
III. Lastly, we have here the plea with God drawn from what we have taken Him to be to us.
That is somewhat different from what I have already been dwelling upon. Mark the words: ‘Be Thou to me a strong Rock, for Thou art my Rock and my Fortress.’ What does that mean? It means that the suppliant has, by his own act of faith, taken God for his; that he has appropriated the great divine revelation, and made it his own. Now it seems to me that that appropriation is, if not the point, at least one of the points, in which real faith is distinguished from the sham thing which goes by that name amongst so many people. A man by faith encloses a bit of the common for his very own. When God says that He ‘so loved the world that He gave His . . . Son,’ I should say, ‘He loved me, and gave Himself for me.’ When the great revelation is made that He is the Rock of Ages, my faith says: ‘My Rock and my Fortress.’ Having said that, and claimed Him for mine, I can then turn round to Him and say, ‘Be to me what I have taken Thee to be.’
And that faith is expressed very beautifully and strikingly in one of the Old Testament metaphors, which frequently goes along with this one of the Rock. For instance, in a great chapter in Isaiah we find the original of that phrase ‘the Rock of Ages.’ It runs thus, ‘Trust ye in the Lord for ever, for in the Lord JEHOVAH is the Rock of Ages.’ Now the word for trust there literally means, to flee into a refuge, and so the true idea of faith is ‘to fly for refuge,’ as the Epistle to the Hebrews has it, ‘to the Hope set before us,’-that is {keeping to the metaphor}, to the cleft in the Rock.
That act of trust or flight will make it certain that God will be to us for a house of defence, a fortress to save us. Other rock-shelters may crumble. They may be carried by assault; they may be riven by earthquakes. ‘The mountains shall depart, and the hills shall be removed,’ but this Rock is impregnable, and all who take refuge in it are safe for ever.
And so the upshot of the whole matter is that God will be to us what we have faith to believe that He is, and our faith will be the measure of our possession of the fulness of God. If we can only say in the fulness of our hearts-and keep to the saying: ‘Be Thou to me a Rock, for Thou art my Rock,’ then nothing shall ever hurt us; and ‘dwelling in the secret place of the Most High’ we shall be kept in safety; our ‘abode shall be the munitions of rocks, our bread shall be given us, and our water shall be made sure.’
Alexander MacLaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture (1904–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
J. R. Dummelow 1909 · Public Domain On v1 The writer of this Ps. gratefully records God's past…
The writer of this Ps. gratefully records God's past deliverances (Psa_31:1-8), appeals to God for help against the enemies who assail him in the present (Psa_31:9-18), and ends with fervent thankfulness and serene assurance (Psa_31:19-24). The language suggests a later age than David's, and has many parallels with the book of Jeremiah, the most evident being in the words 'terror on every side' (Psa_31:13, Jer_20:10). These parallels are mostly in the central section (Psa_31:9-18), and possibly this is an insertion in the middle of an earlier Davidic Ps. In the closing vv. there are several resemblances to Psalms 27.
3. For thy name's sake] see Psa_23:2, Psa_23:3.
Read full note →
4. Strength] RV 'stronghold.'
5. The first clause of this v. formed one of the Sayings of our Lord on the Cross (Luk_23:46). The Psalmist's attitude in life was Christ's attitude in death. God of truth] i.e. of faithfulness, of changeless consistency of character. God is always true to Himself. 6. Have hated] RV 'hate.' Lying vanities] idols: see Jer_8:19; Jer_10:8.
7. Considered (RV 'seen'). . known] with sympathy, followed by succour.
8. Large room] RV 'large place,' the opposite of 'straits.'
9. Belly] RV 'body.'
10. Iniquity] As it stands this clause traces the Psalmist's sufferings to his sin. But the LXX and some other versions read 'affliction,' which agrees better with the context.
11. Cp. Jer_20:7, Jer_20:8.
12. A broken vessel] a thing altogether neglected.
13. This whole verse is closely parallel to Jer_20:10. Fear was on every side] cp. Jer_6:25; Jer_20:3 mg 10; Jer_46:5; Jer_49:29; Lam_2:22.
15. My times] all the occasions of my life.
16. Make thy face to shine] Smile upon me in Thy favour: see Num_6:25.
17. This repetition of the prayer of Psa_31:1 may suggest that after all the Ps. is a unity: cp. Psa_25:2-3; Jer_17:18. The grave] RV 'Sheol.'
19. Wrought.. before the sons of men] i.e. openly.
20. The same thought as in Psa_27:5. Even a desert tent may be a protection if its owner is powerful. Secret] RV 'covert.'
Pride] RV 'plottings.'
21. A strong city] RM 'a fenced city.' A change of figure from the tent of Psa_31:20. If literally understood the words might refer to Jeremiah's experiences during the siege of Jerusalem.
22. Haste] RM 'alarm.' Fear is rebuked by God's answer to prayer.
J. R. Dummelow, A Commentary on the Holy Bible (Macmillan, 1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain On vv1, 5, 17, 19 (See Scofield "Psa 2:12").
trust
(See Scofield "Psa 2:12").
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Arno C. Gaebelein 1922 · Public Domain On v1 Psalm 31
Psalm 31
The Enemies of Israel and the Victory
Read full note →
1. The prayer for deliverance (Psa 31:1-18)
2. The victory (Psa 31:19-24)
Psa 31:1-18. Many saints have turned to this Psalm for encouragement in time of trouble and sorrow. And there is much in it which helps the trusting soul. Notice the different names of Jehovah--my rock--my house of defense--my strong rock--my fortress--my strength--God of truth. But like the previous Psalms this one also unfolds prophetically the sufferings of the remnant of Israel during the last days of this age.
Yet likewise we may think of Him who endured the contradiction of sinners. The words “into Thine hand I commit My spirit” were used by our Lord when He laid down His life on the cross (Luk 23:46).
Psa 31:19-24. The outcome of all the suffering and trials will be victory for the godly. His goodness will be displayed in their behalf, He will answer the voice of their supplications in the coming great deliverance. The faithful ones will be preserved. the proud rewarded for their evil deeds.
Arno C. Gaebelein, The Annotated Bible (1913–1922) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain On vv1, 14 The Believer’s Humble and Confident Submission to the Hand…
The Believer’s Humble and Confident Submission to the Hand of God.
To the chief musician, for performance in the liturgical part of the Tabernacle worship, a psalm of David, written at some time when he was in very great trouble. Luther rightly makes the application when he writes that the psalm is spoken in the person of Christ and His saints, who are plagued during their whole life, internally by trembling and alarm, externally by persecution, slander, and contempt, for the sake of the Word of God, and yet are delivered by God from them all and receive the fullness of divine comfort.
Read full note →
A Confident Entreaty
v. 1. In Thee, O Lord, do I put my trust, having taken refuge with Jehovah, sheltered by His almighty power; let me never be ashamed, such shame bringing disgrace also upon Him to whom he entrusted himself; deliver me in Thy righteousness, by a manifestation of His essence which would prove Him to be the righteous God.
v. 2. Bow down Thine ear to me, in the attitude of most careful attention; deliver me speedily, since the need was so urgent. Be Thou my strong Rock, a pinnacle of defense, for an house of defense, a fortress, or stronghold, to save me. This is the humble, but bold and courageous manner in which a believer may at all times approach his heavenly Father.
v. 3. For Thou art my Rock and my Fortress, it was because David knew this that he prayed so confidently; therefore for Thy name’s sake lead me and guide me, rather, "Thou wilt lead me and guide me," for it expresses the strong hope and confidence that it will be done according to the believer’s faith and prayer.
v. 4. Pull me out of the net, again a definite statement, "Thou wilt bring me out of the net," that they have laid privily for me, Psa 9:15; Psa 25:15; for Thou art my Strength, his Defense and Bulwark.
v. 5. Into Thine hand I commit my spirit, in all the vicissitudes of life, in all the dangers of death, he places the life of his spirit into the hands of his heavenly Father, as in the safest place of deposit, as also Jesus and Stephen did, Luk 23:36; Act 7:59; Thou hast redeemed me, from all evils and dangers that beset the path of mortals here below, O Lord God of truth, whose Word and promise is secure at all times. Note that the spirit of faith is like the spirit of prophecy, speaking of things in the future with the certainty of fulfillment.
v. 6. I have hated them that regard lying vanities, those who place their trust in vain idols; but I trust in the Lord, the emphasis being placed on the contrast, the "I" being stressed, as was the "Thou" in v. 4.
v. 7. I will be glad and rejoice in Thy mercy, with exultant joy over God’s act of grace upon him; for Thou hast considered my trouble, regarding it for the sake of relieving the sufferer; Thou hast known my soul in adversities, not ignored it, but taken note of its needs,
v. 8. and hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy, to be a miserable captive, subject to every form of indignity; Thou hast set my feet in a large room, in a wide place, where he would not be hindered by the enemies. With all these evidences of God’s loving-kindness in mind, the psalmist again sounds his prayer.
v. 9. Have mercy upon me, O Lord, being gracious to the unworthy, for I am in trouble, distressed and oppressed; mine eye is consumed with grief, wasted away with vexation, yea, my soul and my belly, his entire person, including both his spiritual and physical activities and experiences.
v. 10. For my life is spent, consumed, eaten up, with grief, and my years with sighing; my strength faileth because of mine iniquity, by reason of the suffering which, as a punishment, followed his transgression, and my bones are consumed, wasted away with fear and dread. Note that David, and all believers with him, regards his sin as the real cause of his troubles.
v. 11. I was a reproach among all mine enemies, rather, "Because of all mine adversaries I have become a reproach," on account of their continual nagging and jeering, but especially among my neighbors, and a fear to mine acquaintance, a burden to his nearest neighbors and a terror to all who knew him, on account of the reports spread about him, which laid every form of evil to his charge. They that did see me without fled from me, with an aversion due to the reports circulated about him.
v. 12. I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind, consigned to oblivion by men, out of sight, out of mind; I am like a broken vessel, one that is perishing, about to be discarded as unfit.
v. 13. For I have heard the slander of many, the whispering directed against his person; fear was on every side, terrors all around him; while they took counsel against me, they devised to take away my life. Thus his enemies were engaged, such intentions they harbored; that was the trouble in which David found himself, the experience of most believers, at one time or another.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv1, 3, 5, 8, 10, 12, 14, 17, 19, 21, 23 General Information:
General Information:
Parallelism is common in Hebrew poetry. (See: Poetry and Parallelism)
Read full note →
For the chief musician
"This is for the director of music to use in worship"
A psalm of David
Possible meanings are 1) David wrote the psalm or 2) the psalm is about David or 3) the psalm is in the style of David's psalms.
In you, Yahweh, I take refuge
Going to Yahweh for protection is spoken of as taking refuge in him. AT: "I go to you, Yahweh, for protection" (See: Metaphor)
never let me be humiliated
This can be stated in active form. AT: "do not let others humiliate me" (See: Active or Passive)
be my rock of refuge, a stronghold to save me
The phrase "be my rock of refuge" is a request for protection. The second phrase emphasizes the first phrase. (See: Parallelism)
my rock of refuge
Yahweh is spoke of as if he were a huge rock that would protect the writer from attack. AT: "like a huge rock on which I can be safe" (See: Metaphor)
a stronghold to save me
Yahweh is spoken of as if he were a strong fortress in which the writer would be protected from his enemies. (See: Metaphor)
translationWords
chief
psalm
David
Yahweh
refuge
righteous
stronghold
save
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23 Ps 31 The psalmist encourages the godly to find…
Ps 31 The psalmist encourages the godly to find refuge in the Lord and wait for his salvation. Despite having had a death-like experience, he testifies to the Lord’s faithfulness. This psalm foreshadows the suffering of Jesus (Luke 23:46).
31:1-5 The Lord offers refuge to anyone who comes to him for protection. The psalmist trusts in and submits to the Lord. See also 71:1-3.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.