Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.
Is death final?The Hebrew Bible's wisdom literature and older narrative strata treat death as terminal — the dead go to Sheol, lose consciousness, and do not return.
Does hell exist?The Bible offers four mutually incompatible afterlife schemes.
Acts 1:7(v15)He said to them, “It isn’t for you to know times or seasons which the Father has set within his own authority.
Psalms 56:3-4(v14)When I am afraid, I will put my trust in you. In God, I praise his word. In God, I put my trust. I will not be afraid. What can flesh do to…
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8(v15)For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a…
John 17:1(v15)Jesus said these things, then lifting up his eyes to heaven, he said, “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may also…
Psalms 18:2(v14)Yahweh is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high…
Show all 96 cross-references
John 7:6(v15)Jesus therefore said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.
Psalms 142:6(v15)Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need. Deliver me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me.
Psalms 4:6(v16)Many say, “Who will show us any good?” Yahweh, let the light of your face shine on us.
Job 24:1(v15)“Why aren’t times laid up by the Almighty? Why don’t those who know him see his days?
Psalms 6:4(v16)Return, Yahweh. Deliver my soul, and save me for your loving kindness’ sake.
Psalms 17:8-9(v15)Keep me as the apple of your eye. Hide me under the shadow of your wings, from the wicked who oppress me, my deadly enemies, who surround…
Psalms 25:2-3(v17)My God, I have trusted in you. Don’t let me be shamed. Don’t let my enemies triumph over me. Yes, no one who waits for you will be shamed.…
Psalms 43:5(v14)Why are you in despair, my soul? Why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God! For I shall still praise him: my Savior, my helper, and my…
Psalms 94:4(v18)They pour out arrogant words. All the evildoers boast.
Jude 1:15(v18)to execute judgment on all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their works of ungodliness which they have done in an ungodly way, and of…
1 Samuel 2:3(v18)“Don’t keep talking so exceedingly proudly. Don’t let arrogance come out of your mouth, for Yahweh is a God of knowledge. By him actions…
Psalms 80:3(v16)Turn us again, God. Cause your face to shine, and we will be saved.
Isaiah 54:17(v18)No weapon that is formed against you will prevail; and you will condemn every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the…
Jeremiah 20:11(v17)But Yahweh is with me as an awesome mighty one. Therefore my persecutors will stumble, and they won’t prevail. They will be utterly…
Daniel 9:9(v16)To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness; for we have rebelled against him.
Psalms 16:1-2(v14)Preserve me, God, for I take refuge in you. My soul, you have said to Yahweh, “You are my Lord. Apart from you I have no good thing.”
Psalms 34:5(v17)They looked to him, and were radiant. Their faces shall never be covered with shame.
Psalms 35:26(v17)Let them be disappointed and confounded together who rejoice at my calamity. Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor who magnify…
Psalms 64:3-4(v18)who sharpen their tongue like a sword, and aim their arrows, deadly words, to shoot innocent men from ambushes. They shoot at him suddenly…
Psalms 115:17(v17)The dead don’t praise Yah, neither any who go down into silence;
Psalms 140:6(v14)I said to Yahweh, “You are my God.” Listen to the cry of my petitions, Yahweh.
Psalms 143:3(v15)For the enemy pursues my soul. He has struck my life down to the ground. He has made me live in dark places, as those who have been long…
Psalms 143:9(v15)Deliver me, Yahweh, from my enemies. I flee to you to hide me.
Isaiah 41:11-12(v17)Behold, all those who are incensed against you will be disappointed and confounded. Those who strive with you will be like nothing, and…
Matthew 12:24(v18)But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “This man does not cast out demons, except by Beelzebul, the prince of the demons.”
Matthew 26:42(v14)Again, a second time he went away, and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cup can’t pass away from me unless I drink it, your desire be…
John 8:44(v18)You are of your father, the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and doesn’t stand…
John 8:48(v18)Then the Jews answered him, “Don’t we say well that you are a Samaritan, and have a demon?”
Acts 25:7(v18)When he had come, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing against him many and grievous charges which they…
Romans 9:15(v16)For he said to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”
2 Timothy 4:6(v15)For I am already being offered, and the time of my departure has come.
Revelation 21:8(v18)But for the cowardly, unbelieving, sinners, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their part is in…
Revelation 22:15(v18)Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
Numbers 6:25-26(v16)Yahweh make his face to shine on you, and be gracious to you. Yahweh lift up his face toward you, and give you peace.’
1 Samuel 2:9(v17)He will keep the feet of his holy ones, but the wicked will be put to silence in darkness; for no man will prevail by strength.
1 Samuel 26:10(v15)David said, “As Yahweh lives, Yahweh will strike him; or his day shall come to die; or he shall go down into battle and perish.
2 Samuel 7:12(v15)When your days are fulfilled, and you sleep with your fathers, I will set up your offspring after you, who will proceed out of your body,…
2 Chronicles 32:16(v18)His servants spoke yet more against Yahweh God, and against his servant Hezekiah.
Psalms 12:3(v18)May Yahweh cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that boasts,
Psalms 17:13(v15)Arise, Yahweh, confront him. Cast him down. Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword;
Psalms 35:4(v17)Let those who seek after my soul be disappointed and brought to dishonor. Let those who plot my ruin be turned back and confounded.
Psalms 40:14-15(v17)Let them be disappointed and confounded together who seek after my soul to destroy it. Let them be turned backward and brought to dishonor…
Psalms 59:12(v18)For the sin of their mouth, and the words of their lips, let them be caught in their pride, for the curses and lies which they utter.
Psalms 63:1(v14)God, you are my God. I will earnestly seek you. My soul thirsts for you. My flesh longs for you, in a dry and weary land, where there is no…
Psalms 63:11(v18)But the king shall rejoice in God. Everyone who swears by him will praise him, for the mouth of those who speak lies shall be silenced.
Psalms 67:1(v16)May God be merciful to us, bless us, and cause his face to shine on us.
Psalms 69:6-7(v17)Don’t let those who wait for you be shamed through me, Lord Yahweh of Armies. Don’t let those who seek you be brought to dishonor through…
Psalms 70:2-3(v17)Let them be disappointed and confounded who seek my soul. Let those who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace. Let them be turned…
Psalms 71:10-12(v15)For my enemies talk about me. Those who watch for my soul conspire together, saying, “God has forsaken him. Pursue and take him, for no one…
Psalms 71:24(v17)My tongue will also talk about your righteousness all day long, for they are disappointed, and they are confounded, who want to harm me.
Psalms 94:17(v17)Unless Yahweh had been my help, my soul would have soon lived in silence.
Psalms 120:2(v18)Deliver my soul, Yahweh, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue.
Psalms 123:3-4(v18)Have mercy on us, Yahweh, have mercy on us, for we have endured much contempt. Our soul is exceedingly filled with the scoffing of those…
Psalms 140:9-11(v18)As for the head of those who surround me, let the mischief of their own lips cover them. Let burning coals fall on them. Let them be thrown…
Proverbs 12:19(v18)Truth’s lips will be established forever, but a lying tongue is only momentary.
Isaiah 37:22-24(v18)this is the word which Yahweh has spoken concerning him. The virgin daughter of Zion has despised you and ridiculed you. The daughter of…
Daniel 9:17-18(v16)“Now therefore, our God, listen to the prayer of your servant, and to his petitions, and cause your face to shine on your sanctuary that is…
Matthew 26:39(v14)He went forward a little, fell on his face, and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from me;…
Ephesians 1:6-7(v16)to the praise of the glory of his grace, by which he freely gave us favor in the Beloved, in whom we have our redemption through his blood,…
Ephesians 2:4-7(v16)But God, being rich in mercy, for his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive…
Psalms 30:7(v16)You, Yahweh, when you favored me, made my mountain stand strong; but when you hid your face, I was troubled.
Psalms 51:1(v16)Have mercy on me, God, according to your loving kindness. According to the multitude of your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions.
Psalms 80:7(v16)Turn us again, God of Armies. Cause your face to shine, and we will be saved.
Psalms 80:19(v16)Turn us again, Yahweh God of Armies. Cause your face to shine, and we will be saved.
Psalms 116:15(v15)Precious in Yahweh’s sight is the death of his saints.
Psalms 143:12(v15)In your loving kindness, cut off my enemies, and destroy all those who afflict my soul, For I am your servant.
Isaiah 45:16-17(v17)They will be disappointed, yes, confounded, all of them. Those who are makers of idols will go into confusion together. Israel will be…
Jeremiah 15:20-21(v15)I will make you to this people a fortified bronze wall. They will fight against you, but they will not prevail against you; for I am with…
Daniel 12:2(v17)Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
Matthew 10:25(v18)It is enough for the disciple that he be like his teacher, and the servant like his lord. If they have called the master of the house…
Luke 9:51(v15)It came to pass, when the days were near that he should be taken up, he intently set his face to go to Jerusalem
John 7:30(v15)They sought therefore to take him; but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come.
John 12:27(v15)“Now my soul is troubled. What shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this time?’ But I came to this time for this cause.
John 13:1(v15)Now before the feast of the Passover, Jesus, knowing that his time had come that he would depart from this world to the Father, having…
Acts 27:24(v15)saying, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul. You must stand before Caesar. Behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’
2 Peter 1:14(v15)knowing that the putting off of my tent comes swiftly, even as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me.
Psalms 6:10(v17)May all my enemies be ashamed and dismayed. They shall turn back, they shall be disgraced suddenly.
Psalms 31:1(v17)In you, Yahweh, I take refuge. Let me never be disappointed. Deliver me in your righteousness.
Psalms 71:12(v14)God, don’t be far from me. My God, hurry to help me.
Psalms 71:22(v14)I will also praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, my God. I sing praises to you with the lyre, Holy One of Israel.
Psalms 83:16-17(v17)Fill their faces with confusion, that they may seek your name, Yahweh. Let them be disappointed and dismayed forever. Yes, let them be…
Psalms 106:45(v16)He remembered for them his covenant, and repented according to the multitude of his loving kindnesses.
Isaiah 50:6-7(v17)I gave my back to those who beat me, and my cheeks to those who plucked off the hair. I didn’t hide my face from shame and spitting. For…
Isaiah 65:13-14(v17)Therefore the Lord Yahweh says, “Behold, my servants will eat, but you will be hungry; behold, my servants will drink, but you will be…
Joel 2:26-27(v17)You will have plenty to eat, and be satisfied, and will praise the name of Yahweh, your God, who has dealt wondrously with you; and my…
Matthew 22:12-13(v17)and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here not wearing wedding clothing?’ He was speechless. Then the king said to the servants,…
Acts 23:11(v15)The following night, the Lord stood by him and said, “Cheer up, Paul, for as you have testified about me at Jerusalem, so you must testify…
Romans 9:23(v16)and that he might make known the riches of his glory on vessels of mercy, which he prepared beforehand for glory,
Psalms 22:1-2(v14)My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning? My God, I cry in the…
Matthew 27:46(v14)About the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lima sabachthani?” That is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken…
John 20:17(v14)Jesus said to her, “Don’t hold me, for I haven’t yet ascended to my Father; but go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my…
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (20 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
John Calvin1540 · Public DomainOn vv14–1714. Yet have I trusted in thee, O Jehovah!…
14. Yet have I trusted in thee, O Jehovah! The rendering properly is, And I have trusted in thee; but the Hebrew copulative particle ו, vau, and, is used here instead of the adversative particle yet, or nevertheless. David, setting the steadfastness of his faith in opposition to the assaults of the temptations of which he has made mention, denies that he had ever fainted, but rather maintains, on the contrary, that he stood firm in his hope of deliverance from God. Nor does this imply that he boasted of being so magnanimous and courageous that he could not be overthrown through the infirmity of the flesh. However contrary to one another they appear, yet these things are often joined together, as they ought to be, in the same person, namely, that while he pines away with grief, and is deprived of all strength, he is nevertheless supported by so strong a hope that he ceases not to call upon God. David, therefore, was not so overwhelmed in deep sorrow, and other direful sufferings, as that the hidden light of faith could not shine inwardly in his heart; nor did he groan so much under the weighty load of his temptations, as to be prevented from arousing himself to call upon God. He struggled through many obstacles to be able to make the confession which he here makes. He next defines the manner of his faith, namely, that he reflected with himself thus that God would never fail him nor forsake him. Let us mark his manner of speech: I have said, Thou art my God In these words he intimates that he was so entirely persuaded of this truth, that God was his God, that he would not admit even a suggestion to the contrary. And until this persuasion prevails so as to take possession of our minds, we shall always waver in uncertainty. It is, however, to be observed, that this declaration is not only inward and secret - made rather in the heart than with the tongue - but that it is directed to God himself, as to him who is the alone witness of it. Nothing is more difficult, when we see our faith derided by the whole world, than to direct our speech to God only, and to rest satisfied with this testimony which our conscience gives us, that he is our God. And certainly it is an undoubted proof of genuine faith, when, however fierce the waves are which beat against us, and however sore the assaults by which we are shaken, we hold fast this as a fixed principle, that we are constantly under the protection of God, and can say to him freely, Thou art our God.
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 translators1599 · Public DomainOn vv14, 15, 17I had this testimony of conscience, that thou wouldest…
I had this testimony of conscience, that thou wouldest defend mine innocence.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp1656 · Public DomainOn vv14–18Psa 31:14 But I trusted in thee, O LORD:…
Psa 31:14 But I trusted in thee, O LORD: I said, Thou [art] my God.
Ver. 14. But I trusted in thee, O Lord] In this distress I acted my faith upon thy power and promises; this was right, and that which God aimed at; for we can no way more honour him. Hence it is that he is very jealous of our trust; neither can he endure that any idol of jealousy should be set up in our hearts.
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I said, Thou art my God] In nearest relation and dearest affection, whatever befalleth me.
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 Poole1685 · Public DomainOn vv14–18Mine by paternal relation, and care, and affection, and…
Mine by paternal relation, and care, and affection, and by thy promise or covenant made with me.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill1763 · Public DomainOn vv14–18But I trusted in thee, O Lord,.... His faith…
But I trusted in thee, O Lord,.... His faith revived again under all the discouraging views he had of things, and was exercised upon the Lord; he committed himself to him, believing he was able to help him in his time of trouble, and deliver him;
I said, thou art my God; he claimed his covenant interest in him, and used it as an argument with him to have regard unto him, and as a support to his faith in his present distress; See Gill on Psa 7:1.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley1765 · Public DomainOn v15My times - All the affairs and events of…
My times - All the affairs and events of my life, are wholly in thy power.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke1810 · Public DomainOn vv14–18Verse 14. But I trusted in thee] Hitherto thou…
Verse 14. But I trusted in thee] Hitherto thou hast been my Helper, and thou art my God; I have taken thee for my eternal portion.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson1811 · Public DomainOn vv14, 18Psa 31:14-17. I said, Thou art my God —…
Psa 31:14-17. I said, Thou art my God — Mine by paternal relation, and care, and affection, and by thy promise, or covenant, made with me. My times are in thy hand — The time of my life, how long I shall live; or, all the affairs and events of my life are wholly in thy power, to dispose and order as thou seest fit; and not at all in the power of mine enemies, who can do nothing against me, unless it be given them from above. They can no more dispose of my life at their pleasure than I can appoint the time of my deliverance. This I leave to thy wisdom, O Lord, to whom it belongs. Make thy face to shine upon thy servant — Manifest thy love and favour to me, by answering my prayers and delivering me from mine enemies. For I have called upon thee — And therefore thy honour will be eclipsed in my disappointment, and it will seem as though thou didst not hear prayer, nor keep thy promises, nor make any difference between the righteous and the wicked. Let the wicked be ashamed — Frustrated in their wicked designs and carnal confidences. Let them be silent in the grave — Seeing they are implacable in their malice against innocent and good men, do thou cut them off by thy just judgment; and since either the righteous or the wicked must be cut off, let destruction fall upon them who most deserve it.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes1834 · Public DomainOn vv14–18But I trust in thee, O Lord - In…
But I trust in thee, O Lord - In these times of trial - when Psa 31:9 his eye was consumed with grief; when Psa 31:10 his years were spent with sighing, his strength failed, and his bones were consumed; when Psa 31:11 he was a reproach among his neighbors, and dreaded by his acquaintances; when Psa 31:12 he was forgotten as a dead man; and when Psa 31:13 he was surrounded with causes of alarm. Then he trusted in God. His confidence did not fail. He believed that God was his Father and Friend; that He was on the throne; that He could protect and defend him; and he left himself and his cause with Him. In such circumstances as these there is no other sure refuge but God; at such times the strength of faith is shown, and then is seen pre-eminently the power and value of religion.
I said, Thou art my God - Thou art all that is implied in the name “God;” and thou art mine. He felt assured that God would not forsake him, though men did; that he might confide in Him, though his earthly friends all turned away. There is always one (God) who will not leave or forsake us; and the friendship and favor of that One is of more value to us than that of all other beings in the universe combined.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown1871 · Public DomainOn vv14–16In his profession of trust he includes the terms…
In his profession of trust he includes the terms of the prayer expressing it.
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. Whedon1874 · Public DomainOn vv14–1814. This, and the four following verses, are a…
14. This, and the four following verses, are a confession of trust. Without a plan for the future, or means to cope with his enemies, he is satisfied to say, Thou art my God.
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 Colleges1878 · Public DomainOn vv14–1814. Render:
14. Render:
But as for me, on thee do I trust O Lord:
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I have said, &c.
Men turn from him, but he turns to God. Cp. Psa_31:6; Psa_16:2; Psa_140:6.
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 Readers1878 · Public DomainOn vv14, 15, 16, 18(14) But I.—Emphatic, in contrast to the pretended panic…
(14) But I.—Emphatic, in contrast to the pretended panic and in spite of the real dangers around him.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary1880 · Public DomainOn vv14–18But I trusted in thee, O Lord. Having fully…
But I trusted in thee, O Lord. Having fully represented the miserable condition to which he is reduced (vers. 9-13), David now returns to expressions of trust in God, and to earnest prayer to him (comp. ver. 6). I said, Thou art my God; rather, I have said. In all my sufferings, dangers, and difficulties, I have always clung to thee, and said, "Thou, and thou alone, art, and ever shalt be, my God."
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. Spurgeon1885 · Public DomainOn vv14–18Ver. 14-18. In this section of the Psalm he…
Ver. 14-18. In this section of the Psalm he renews his prayers, urging the same pleas as at first: earnest wrestlers attempt over and over again the same means of gaining their point.
Ver. 14. But I trusted in thee, O Lord. Notwithstanding all afflicting circumstances, David's faith maintained its hold, and was not turned aside from its object. What a blessed saving clause is this! So long as our faith, which is our shield, is safe, the battle may go hard, but its ultimate result is no matter of question; if that could be torn from us, we should be as surely slain as were Saul and Jonathan upon the high places of the field. I said, Thou art my God. He proclaimed aloud his determined allegiance to Jehovah. He was no fair weather believer, he could hold to his faith in a sharp frost, and wrap it about him as a garment fitted to keep out all the ills of time. He who can say what David did need not envy Cicero his eloquence: "Thou art my God, "has more sweetness in it than any other utterance which human speech can frame. Note that this adhesive faith is here mentioned as an argument with God to honour his own promise by sending a speedy deliverance.
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Ver. 12-15: See Psalms on "Ps 31:12" for further information.
Ver. 14. But I trusted in thee, O Lord. The rendering properly is, And I have trusted in thee, but the Hebrew copulative particle (K), vau, and, is used here instead of the adversative particle yet, or nevertheless. David, setting the steadfastness of his faith in opposition to the assaults of the temptations of which he has made mention, denies that he had ever fainted, but rather maintains, on the contrary, that he stood firm in his hope of deliverance from God. Nor does this imply that he boasted of being so magnanimous and courageous that he could not be overthrown through the infirmity of the flesh. However contrary to one another they appear, yet these things are often joined together, as they ought to be, in the same person, namely, that while he pines away with grief, and is deprived of all strength, he is nevertheless supported by so strong a hope that he ceases not to call upon God. David, therefore, was not so overwhelmed in deep sorrow, and other direful sufferings, as that the hidden light of faith could not shine inwardly in his heart; nor did he groan so much under the weighty load of his temptations, as to be prevented from arousing himself to call upon God. He struggled through many obstacles to be able to make the confession which he here makes. He next defines the manner of his faith, namely, that he reflected with himself thusthat God would never fail him nor forsake him. Let us mark his manner of speech: I have said, Thou art my God. In these words he intimates that he was so entirely persuaded of this truth, that God was his God, that he would not admit even a suggestion to the contrary. And until this persuasion prevails so as to take possession of our minds, we shall always waver in uncertainty. It is, however, to be observed, that this declaration is not only inward and secretmade rather in the heart than with the tonguebut that it is directed to God himself, as to him who is the alone witness of it. Nothing is more difficult, when we see our faith derided by the whole world, than to direct our speech to God only, and to rest satisfied with this testimony which our conscience gives us, that he is our God. And certainly it is an undoubted proof of genuine faith, when, however fierce the waves are which beat against us, and however sore the assaults by which we are shaken, we hold fast this as a fixed principle, that we are constantly under the protection of God, and can say to him freely, Thou art our God. John Calvin.
Ver. 14. Thou art my God. How much it is more worth than ten thousand mines of gold, to be able to say, God is mine! God's servant is apprehensive of it, and he seeth no defect, but this may be complete happiness to him, and therefore he delights in it, and comforts himself with it. As he did sometime who was a great courtier in King Cyrus's court, and one in favour with him; he was to bestow his daughter in marriage to a very great man, and of himself he had no great means; and therefore one said to him, O Sir, where will you have means to bestow a dowry upon your daughter proportionable to her degree? Where are your riches? He answered, What need I care, opou Kuros moi filos Cyrus is my friend. But may not we say much more, opou Kurios moi filos, where the Lord is our friend, that hath those excellent and glorious attributes that cannot come short in any wants, or to make us happy, especially we being capable of it, and made proportionable. John Stoughton's "Righteous Man's Plea to True Happiness, "1640.
Ver. 14. Faith peculiarly glorious in season of great trial.
Psalms 31:15*
Charles H. Spurgeon's The Treasury of David (1869–1885) — public domain. Psalms only. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
The Biblical Illustrator1887 · Public DomainOn vv15, 18My times are in Thy hand.
Psa_31:15
My times are in Thy hand.
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Affiance
There is nothing which more distinguishes the Christian from the ungodly man than the temper with which the experiences and possibilities of life are regarded. The Christian sees in all the hand of God, and submits; the other feels the stroke hardly knowing whence it comes. The one looks up with intelligent hope, the other looks down as it falls with a blind despair. How terrible are the calamities which the psalm portrays; but how beautiful the trust which, in the midst of them all, the psalmist displays.
I. what lies at its basis--belief in the truth of a particular providence. Now, providence is the Divine reason of all things. Deny it, and you take away the ground of my trust and resignation. And why should any suppose that the control or agency of the Infinite should terminate with the first creating act? That He should create and then leave that which He has created to go on its way without further control or care? Yet many think this. They believe that God has formed a number of self-acting machines. He wound up the mighty herologe, and stood aside to see it go. They think it derogatory to His dignity to be constantly interfering with His works. But where is there less dignity in administering laws than in appointing them? And how do we know what is or is not worthy of His care? Apart from the plans and purposes of God, the entire universe is insignificant: in relation to them every atom is important, for upon any one atom the entire sequence may depend. It is told of Mahomet, how, when hard pressed by his pursuers, he took refuge in a cave, which they were about to enter, when they observed a spiders web spun over the mouth of it, and, therefore, turned away convinced that it could not have been lately entered. That spiders web changed the destiny of the world, inasmuch as it preserved the life of the man who exercised such immense influence over it. And how perpetually we are finding that vast results turn upon the most trivial and insignificant circumstances. Without providence, history would be an absurdity, the universe an enigma, and the Deity undeified. The Christian assigns to this doctrine a place among the primary truths of his religious faith. He devoutly and joyfully recognizes it. In the text the psalmist declares that his times--all the vicissitudes and changes of his life--are in Gods hand; all under Gods appointment, and under His control. It is so. Our times of prosperity, of adversity, and the time of our death.
II. the Christian mans recognition of this truth. It is by faith. The proof of the doctrine is sufficient but not overpowering. Our admission of it depends largely upon our moral condition as, indeed, all faith does. There is no faith in believing the demonstration of a mathematical problem. A man, therefore, may recognize no providence, and to those who do, its difficulties are often very great. Nevertheless, the Christian believes. For he believes in the justice, the wisdom and the goodness, as well as the power of God. And because he is reconciled to God in Christ he believes that providence will bring good to him. He calls upon God as Our Father, which art in Heaven. Well, then, let us be content, be our lot what it may. Trust for all the future. Let me never dare to doubt. (Henry Allen.)
My times are in Thy hand
Whatever is to come out of our life, is in our heavenly Fathers hand. He guards the vine of life, and He also protects the clusters which shall be produced thereby. If life be as a field, the field is under the hand of the great Husbandman, and the harvest of that field is with Him also. The ultimate results of His work of grace upon us, and of His education of us in this life, are in the highest hand. The close of life is not decided by the sharp knife of the fates; but by the hand of love. We shall not die before our time, neither shall we be forgotten and left upon the stage too long. Not only are we ourselves in the hand of the Lord, but all that surrounds us. We are comforted to have it so.
I. A clear conviction that our times are in the hand of God will create within us a sense of the nearness of God. If the hand of God is laid upon all our surroundings, God Himself is near us. The tendency of this age is to get further and further from God.
1. My times are in Thy hand. Then there is nothing left to chance. Events happen not to men by a fortune which has no order or purpose in it. The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. We dare not leave out the least event. The creeping of an aphis upon a rosebud is as surely arranged by the decree of Providence as the march of a pestilence through a nation.
2. My times are in Thy hand is an assurance which also puts an end to the grim idea of an iron fate compelling all things. Have you the notion that fate grinds on like an enormous wheel, ruthlessly crushing everything that lies in its way, not pausing for pity, nor turning aside for mercy? Remember that, if you liken Providence to a wheel, it must be a wheel which is full of eyes. Its every revolution is in wisdom and goodness.
3. My times are in Thy hand reveals the condescension of the Lord. Wonder of wonders, that God should not only think of me, but should make my concerns His concerns, and take my matters into His hand!
4. What a bliss this is! How near it brings God to us, and us to God.
II. this truth is a complete answer to many a temptation. Satan says, Now you have a large family, and your chief duty is to provide for them. Your position brings with it many wants. Here is a plan of making money; others follow it. It may not be quite straight, but you must not be particular in such a world as this, for nobody else is. How will you meet this? Say to Satan, It is not my business to provide for myself or for my family: my times are in Gods hand; and his name is Jehovah-Jireh, the Lord will provide; and I will not do a questionable thing, though it would fill my house with silver and gold. I shall not meddle with my Lords business. It is His to provide for me: it is mine to walk uprightly, and obey His Word. But supposing he says, Well, but you are already in difficulties, and you cannot extricate yourself if you are too precise. A poor man cannot afford to keep a conscience: it is an expensive luxury in these days. Give your conscience a holiday, and you can soon get out of your trouble. Let your reply be, O prince of darkness, it is no business of mine to extricate myself! My times are in Gods hand. I have taken my case to Him, and He will work for me in this matter better than I can do for myself! He does not wish me to do a wrong thing, that I may do for myself what He has promised to do for me.
III. this conviction is a sufficient support against the fear of men. How often we meet with people who are staggered by slander. If my times are in Gods hand, no man can do me harm unless God permit. Though my soul is among lions, yet no lion can bite me while Jehovahs angel is my guard.
IV. A full belief in the statement of our text is A cure for present worry. O Lord, if my times are in Thy hand, I have cast my care on Thee, and I trust and am not afraid! To leave our times with God is to live as free from care as the birds upon the bough. If we fret, we shall not glorify God; and we shall not constrain others to see what true religion can do for us in the hour of tribulation. Fret and worry put it out of our power to act wisely; but if we can leave everything with God because everything is really in His hand, we shall be peaceful, and our action will be deliberate; and for that very reason it will be more likely to be wise. He that rolls his burden upon the Lord will be strong to do or to suffer; and his days shall be as the days of heaven upon the earth.
V. A firm conviction as to this truth is a quietus as to future dread. The very word times supposes change for you; but as there are no changes with God, all is well. Things will happen which you cannot foresee; but your Lord has foreseen all, and provided for all.
VI. A full conviction that our times are in his hand will be a reason for consecrated service. If God has undertaken my business for me, then I may most fitly undertake such business for Him as He may appoint. Queen Elizabeth wished one of the leading merchants of London to go to Holland to watch her interests there. The honest man told her Majesty that he would obey her commands; but he begged her to remember that it would involve the ruin of his own trade for him to be absent. To this the Queen replied, If you will see to my business, I will see to your business. With such a royal promise he might willingly let his own business go; for a queen should have it in her power to do more for a subject than he can do for himself. The Lord, in effect, says to the believer, I will take your affairs in hand, and see them through for you. Will you not at once feel that now it is your joy, your delight, to live to glorify your gracious Lord?
VII. If our times are in Gods hand, here is a grand argument for future blessedness. He that takes care of our times, will take care of our eternity. He that has brought us so far, and wrought so graciously for us, will see us safely over the rest of the road. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
On our lives being in the hand of God
The sun that rolls over our heads, the food that we receive, the rest that we enjoy, daily admonish us of a superior power, on whom the inhabitants of the earth depend for light, life, and subsistence. But as long as all things proceed in their ordinary course; when day returns after day with perfect similarity; when our life seems stationary, and nothing occurs to warn us of any approaching change, the religious sentiments of dependence are apt to be forgotten.
I. That our times are not in our own hand.
1. Of this we may behold many a proof, when we look back on the transactions of the year which is finished. Recollection will readily present to us a busy period, filled up with a mixture of business and amusement, of anxieties and cares, of joys and sorrows. We have formed many a plan; in public or in private life, we have been engaged in a variety of pursuits. Let me now ask, how small a proportion of all that has happened could have been foreseen, or foretold by us? How many things have occurred, of which we had no expectation; some, perhaps, that have succeeded beyond our hopes; many, also, that have befallen us contrary to our wish?
2. That scene is now closed. We look forward to another year; and what do we behold there? all is a blank to our view. Life and death, prosperity and adversity, health and sickness, joy and trouble, lie in one undistinguishable mass, where our eye can descry nothing through the obscurity that wraps them up.
II. That our times are in the hand of God.
1. As a supreme, irresistible Ruler. He has foreknown and arranged everything. He sees from the beginning to the end; and brings forward everything that happens in its due time and place.
2. As a merciful Guardian and Father. To Him we may safely commit ourselves, and all our concerns, as to One who is best qualified, both to direct the incidents proper to happen to us in this world, and to judge of the time when it is fit for us to be removed from it. Even that ignorance of our future destiny in life, of which we sometimes complain, is a signal proof of His goodness. He hides from us the view of futurity, because the view would be dangerous and overpowering. It would either dispirit us with visions of terror, or intoxicate us by the disclosure of success.
Conclusion.
1. Seeing our times are not in our own hand, seeing futurity is unknown to us, let us check the vain curiosity of penetrating into what is to come. Our wisdom is, to be prepared for whatever the year is to bring; prepared to receive comforts with thankfulness, troubles with fortitude; and to improve both for the great purposes of virtue and eternal life.
2. Another important instruction which naturally arises from our times not being in our own hands is, that we ought no longer to trifle with what it is not in our power to prolong: but; that we should make haste to live as wise men; not delaying till to-morrow what may be done to-day; doing now with all our might whatever our hand findeth to do, before that night cometh wherein no man can work.
3. When we consider that our times are in the hand of God as a sovereign Disposer, it is an obvious inference from this truth, that we should prepare ourselves to submit patiently to His pleasure, both as to the events which are to fill up our days, and as to the time of our continuing in this world.
4. To God as a wise Ruler, calm submission is due; but it is more than submission that belongs to Him as a merciful Father; it is the spirit of cordial and affectionate consent to His will. Unknown to us as the times to come are, it should be sufficient to our full repose that they are known to God. (H. Blair, D. D.)
Safe times
I. The fact expressed in the text.
1. In a general sense, every mans times are in Gods hand. It is a happy thing, and it certifies the stability of the wide realm of being, that the great Ruler will not suffer one thread of His government to pass for a moment out of His grasp.
2. In a special sense, which renders it worthy of grateful mention, the good mans times are in Gods hand. You are helpless: will that slacken Gods care that all shall be best with you? You are dependent, and you try to be trustful: will that set to sleep the vigilance of Him who has all the ordering of your way? You are ignorant and erring: will that give occasion to infinite pity to mislead you or neglect you, and you right upon your march towards the opportunity of scanning all His dealings with you, and of scanning them in the light of a knowledge which it is His purpose shall eternally increase? Nay: your times, every one of every shade and shape, are at home in the centre of all safety.
II. The temper in which this fact is expressed in the text.
1. The psalmist gives to the fact his cordial personal consent. It is not a statement merely; it is a self-gratulation also, with something of a thanksgiving besides.
2. When the responsibility would be the heaviest if he did have his times in his own hand, he remembers they are in Gods, and breathes freely because the weight of them is not at all upon himself, but altogether upon Him who bears the burdens of eternity and doth not weary. Our part is patience, obedience, brave submission.
3. It allays all his anxiety about his times. Fears about ourselves, fears about friends whom we love better than ourselves, apprehensions about life, apprehensions about death--about death perhaps most of all, with its when and where and how,--every one of them would be gone from these hearts of ours, if only they held within them the plain fact of our text as firmly as they hold many a fact that has a thousand times less of deep personal interest for us. (J. A. Kerr Bain, M. A.)
Our times, living and dying, in Gods hand
I. our times are not naturally our own, to employ as we please, to be accountable to ourselves only for the use of them.
1. Certainly not the times which are gone by; for we cannot recall them: they are not in our power. As little control can we exercise over the hours that are present: we cannot command sickness or health, youth or age. The times will never come when we shall begin to be at our own disposal, and cease to depend on Gods sovereign will. It is not possible, neither is it desirable. Rejoice that your times are in Gods hand.
2. It is not less so in regard to His dispensations towards us, as we are His redeemed people, children of grace. In this respect, especially, none of us liveth to himself, etc.
II. This arrangement is for our advantage.
1. The happiness of feeling assured, when we come to die, that our time of dying is in the Lords hand, must be inconceivably great.
2. The way to have this happiness when we die is to make it our aim while we live, to seek Gods mercy in Christ, to submit to His disposal, and to follow His steps, led by His hand, in a holy, serious, humble, uncorrupt way; and, as all our times are in the Lords hand, to bless the Lord at all times. (W. Firth, B. D.)
Our times are in Gods hand
My times are in Thy hand--the seasons, the stages, and eras of my life, with all their casualties, and opportunities, incidents, and events, are all in Thy hand, under Thy control, and at Thy disposal.
I. My prosperous times are in thy hand.
1. My times of worldly prosperity. This is as clear as it is certain. For though every one may do much to preserve his health, that does not depend entirely on himself, any more than that of his family and friends; his good name is not in his own keeping; his credit is not in his own power; business does not come at his bidding.
2. Times of spiritual prosperity. Without this, the prosperous man is like a vessel in full sail before the wind without ballast, in danger of being dashed to pieces.
II. My trying times are in thy hand.
1. Times trying to my principles. Times of change of situation, condition, and calling in life; of removal from one place of residence to another; of losses, disappointments, and failures in business; of fraud, injustice, and oppression from men; of adversity, poverty and privations;--are especially trying to mens principles.
2. Times trying to my patience, Times of personal and relative affliction and distress.
III. My working times are in thy hand.
1. Times when I am able to work. Every one should have a lawful calling in the world, should abide in his calling, mind the business of his calling, should study to be quiet, and do his own business, and work with his own hands, as he is commanded.
2. Times when I am specially called to work. Times of abounding iniquity, etc.
IV. My waiting times are in thy hand.
1. Times of waiting on the Lord. In the sanctuary, the family, the closet.
2. Times of waiting for the Lord--for His own time of giving what is good, and for His own way of doing us good.
V. my dying time is in thy hand. We must all die alone. And while we live, we are dying. Are not times of weakening my strength in the way, of exanimating sickness, of excruciating pain, of wasting lungs, of struggling breath, of loss of appetite, of bodily and mental prostration, so many dying times to every one that is subject to them? Lessons:
1. To acknowledge Thy hand at all times.
2. To commit my spirit into Thy hand.
3. To make my prayer unto the God of my life. (G. Robson.)
Minute oversight
Some men practically regard only some of their times as in the hand of God.
1. We not infrequently regard as providential only that which we deem calamitous. A bridge falls, and scores of souls are hurried into eternity, and we cry--Providence! But a bridge stands for years, and hundreds pass across in safety, and so far as concerns that bridge, we turn God out of court.
2. Sometimes we recognize God only when what we call large takes place. One man is killed, and nobody says anything about Providence; but a dreadful catastrophe occurs, and two or three hundred lives are lost; and we say, Providence! Judgment! We should remember that large and little are words expressive of our finite knowledge.
3. Sometimes we regard as providential only that which comes unexpectedly. When we put our money to usury and get a good percentage, we take our income as a matter of course; we say nothing about Providence. But unexpectedly we have a windfall;--reaping where and what we have never sown--and we call the windfall a providence. What comes in the ordinary course of things is no providence; so we poor, morally illogical creatures say; but whatever takes place that we cannot account for, we call a providential dispensation. This is nothing short of saying that God begins to work only at the point where human intellectual vision ceases; that the sphere of providence touches only the horizon of our mental view. My times are in Thy hand. What then? This: expect comfort for all seasons. Be courageous at all times; and adore amidst all changes, an unchanging God. (J. S. Swan.)
The particularity of Divine Providence
I. the doctrine of the text. We shall be told, perhaps, that the doctrine of a particular Providence represents the Most High, as attentive to insignificant affairs,--gives to the Divine administration the aspect of overwhelming complexity,--and, is inconsistent with the majesty of the Supreme Being.
1. By no means do we deny, that the doctrine of a particular Providence does give to the Divine administration an aspect of overwhelming complexity. But then we are speaking, not of what the human mind can grasp, but of what the Supreme intelligence effects. Whoever admits the Being of a God, must connect with it the idea of infinity. No degree of attention, or variety of objects, can bewilder Him, whose understanding is infinite.
2. To oppose the consideration of Jehovahs infinite majesty to the doctrine of His providential administration is unscriptural, and absurd. The universe is a great and glorious whole;--but this great and glorious whole cannot be rightly preserved and governed, without the right preservation and government of all its parts.
II. the way in which the beneficial influence of this doctrine is to be experienced. The doctrine of His providence as revealed in Scripture, gives us a glorious idea of His character. It leads us to conceive of His presence as filling immensity, and of His goodness as commanding universal confidence. It leads us to worship Him, and to confide in Him as the Lord of the universe, in whom all majesty is for ever centred, and from whom all blessings flow. But this doctrine appears to the greatest advantage, viewed in the light of the glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ;--and it is the knowledge of His glory, as a covenant Jehovah in the Son of His love, that gives to the faith of this doctrine its most beneficial effect. And well may the believer joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, knowing that all the perfections of the adorable I Am are engaged to promote his welfare and to effect his salvation. It shall only be added, that to derive benefit from the doctrine we have stated, it is necessary for us to avail ourselves of it by faith, especially when such benefit is most needed. When did David say in the prayer, and confidence of faith, My times are in thy hand?--it was when fear was on every side, and in so doing, he took an extended view of the providence of God, and honoured Him. The times of man are numerous and diversified;--he has times of sorrow, of trial, of affliction. As there is a time to be born,--so there is a time to die. David takes the range of the whole,--and instead of planning for God, or deeming himself at the mercy of his enemies, he said, My times are in Thy hand. Thus he met the storm which tried his faith, and the recollection of his so doing was grateful to his feelings, and subservient to communion with his everlasting friend when fresh trials occurred. (W. Hutchings.)
The measure of human life
There are three main causes which go to determine the length of time of every human life.
1. The first is physical. Every man has a constitution given him by God which has a certain amount of vital power and no more, which can bear a certain amount of strain and exertion and no more. When this stock is exhausted first one and then another organ gives up, and the end comes. How soon it will come is partly determined by circumstances. In one set of circumstances it is delayed; in another it is hastened; but no circumstances, no precautions, however incessant, can preserve it for ever. Not that strength of constitution is always allowed to be the measure of life. Its course is not seldom arrested by a violent death; it is cut short in battle, or by the executioner, or by lightning, or by railway accident, or by drowning, or by the murderers knife, or by poison taken unwitting!y, or by the bite of an animal, or by pestilence that walketh in darkness; and yet such events might suggest to those who believe in the providence of God that there are other and more influential, although less patent, causes that affect the length of human life, causes which we now proceed to consider.
2. Every man has a certain work assigned him to do, and when it is done, or ought to have been done, then he has to make room for others. What that work exactly is He knows who has placed us here. But most of us can only infer generally, and not always quite distinctly, why we were placed here, while none of us can dare to say certainly at the close of life that the work which our Maker meant us to do has been completed. Too many of us--alas!--never think of this solemn truth. The outward form of the work matters less than the presence or absence of the ennobling motive. The highest work may be even irretrievably degraded by the absence of that purpose. But, however this may be, with each of us a day comes when the work we had to do has been done or ought to have been done, and can be no longer done, and then the end comes.
3. Closely related to this cause, and yet distinct from it, there is a third. Every man is here on his probation or trial; he has a certain number of difficulties to encounter, a certain number of opportunities of which he may avail himself, measured unto him by a perfect justice which will deal with him accordingly. When these difficulties have been passed, in whatever manner, with whatever difficulty, the end comes. Who can say when the last difficulty has been surmounted, or when the last opportunity has been rejected or missed? We do not know. But our ignorance does not disprove the fact he knows who has made us, who has placed us here on our trial, who removes us when we have passed it or have failed. (Canon Liddon.)
The Divine superintendency of human affairs
. Second only to the interest of that view of God as the Author of salvation through Christ, is this which ascribes to Him the presidency over all human affairs.
I. in what sense this is true.
1. It is true of the times of mens entrance into the world, and their departure out of it. Hence the regular succession and perpetuity of the generations of men; and the appearance of men in the world with capacities and powers, exactly united to the age in which they live. If subtle adversaries against the truth appear, among their contemporaries, its most acute and intelligent defenders are found. And so of mens departure from this world: they not only come, but go at Gods bidding. Till He give the command, nothing can force open the door of eternity for us; and when He does, nothing can keep us from entering it. It is said that the devil hath the power of death. But this cannot mean natural death, for had he power over that, he would never suffer a bad man to live till he was converted, nor a good man afterwards. But it refers to the future death of torment which Satan as the executioner of Divine justice is commissioned to inflict.
2. It is true of the times of their worldly prosperity and adversity. We see this in the case of nations and empires, but it is true also of all the individuals comprising any nation. God fixes the bounds of every ones habitation and determines his lot. He does not interfere with the natural liberty of men, nor fail to allow, in a general way, for diligence and prudence to work out their own reward, and vice and idleness to bring their own punishment. Yet, the final issues of things depend entirely on His will. It is good to recognize this for, so, by a conviction of the Divine wisdom and goodness, we are the more ready to acquiesce in all providential arrangements.
3. It is true of the times of mens gracious visitation and instruction. These periods form our day of grace, Thus we read of the Church of Thyatira, that Christ gave her space to repent, and we read of a time when Thou mayest be found, and of the time of visitation. In addition to these there are sermons of refreshment for the Church at large. We read of set times to favour Zion. Such times are the cordials of life, catches of sunlight upon our spiritual prospect, the wells of water and the palms at which we arrive as we journey through the wilderness.
II. what are the uses of this doctrine.
1. Men should learn to value the times of gracious visitation and use them well, lest God take them away. This He may do, by taking away our lives, or our sensibility, or the means of grace themselves.
2. Good people should be comforted, since their times are in Gods hands. What have we to fear?
3. This truth should reconcile us to the stroke of death when it comes to ourselves or others. (J. Leifchild.)
The Christians lot in the Divine hand
The way of the Christian is often very difficult, and it would often be appalling, and life itself would be mournful were it not for the many consolations to which the pious mind may resort. To such consolations under difficulty the psalmist is clearly referring in our text.
I. Briefly illustrate the fact which the statement of the text comprehends. And--
1. Consider those seasons which are to be especially regarded as under the Divine management. No doubt, all the events of life are under Gods control. Some deny this, and men limit the interference of God to the great and momentous affairs of men. But reason and Scripture alike teach (see Psa_104:1-35.) the universal superintendence of God. Our Lord Jesus Christ says, Are not two sparrows sold? thereby teaching this same truth. The time of prosperity is in Gods hand, though men sadly forget this. And the time of affliction, and the time of death. Next--
2. Observe the principles according to which this Divine arrangement is regulated. And
(1) Sovereignty. God conducts all His dealings towards men as a Sovereign (see Jer_18:1-23.)--the potter and the clay. But--
(2) There is also Justice. God can do nothing that is not right. Sovereignty and justice in God are never to be opposed to each other: they are ever associated.
(3) Mercy. It is of the Lords mercies that we are not consumed. But for this where would man be?
(4) Wisdom. All our events are under Gods hand, and these are the principles on which they are regulated and controlled.
II. the results which this recognition should produce.
1. Contentment. How could our affairs be better ordered? Let the poor and the afflicted remember this.
2. Trust, entire and unwavering confidence in God. How can we believe what has been said and not trust?
3. Gratitude. What abundant cause we have, when we look back on our lives, for this feeling towards God. Many an Ebenezer we can inscribe upon our pathway, and if so, should we not praise Him?
4. Anticipation. How calmly and confidently may we look on to the future. Foreboding and fear should be far from us. But to enter into all this we must be reconciled to God in the Lord Jesus Christ. (James Parsons.)
Davids confidence in Gods providence
If Caesar could say to the fearful ferryman in a terrible storm, Be of good cheer, thou carriest Caesar, and therefore canst not miscarry, how much more may he presume to be safe that hath God in his company. A child in the dark feels nothing while he has his father by the hand. (John Trapp.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
C. I. Scofield1917 · Public DomainOn v17Heb. "Sheol," (See Scofield "Hab 2:5")
grave
Heb. "Sheol," (See Scofield "Hab 2:5")
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann1924 · Public DomainOn v14Confidence and Triumph of Faith
Confidence and Triumph of Faith
v. 14. But I trusted in Thee, O Lord, again spoken with emphasis, "But as for me, in Thee have I confided, O Jehovah. " I said, Thou art my God, his highest Good, his safe Refuge.
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v. 15. My times, the entire course of the believer’s life, are in Thy hand, not subject to blind fate, but to the gracious will of the heavenly Father. Deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, always stretched out to harm him, and from them that persecute me, torturing him with their pursuit.
v. 16. Make Thy face to shine upon Thy servant, in merciful kindness; save me for Thy mercies’ sake, all merit on the part of the believer being disowned.
v. 17. Let me not be ashamed, O Lord, become an object of ridicule on account of his trust in Jehovah, for I have called upon Thee; let the wicked be ashamed, all mockery being heaped upon their head, and let them be silent in the grave, cut off from the land of the living and silenced in the realm of the dead below.
v. 18. Let the lying lips be put to silence, forever become dumb in death, which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous, speaking arrogantly with pride and scorn, this attitude being characteristic of the unbelievers in their treatment of believers.
v. 19. Oh, how great is Thy goodness which Thou hast laid up, as a precious treasure, for them that fear Thee; which Thou hast wrought for them that trust in Thee before the sons of men! The love of God is manifested to the soul in secret, in a hidden manner, but altogether satisfactory to the believer.
v. 20. Thou shalt hide them, the believers, in the secret of Thy presence, in the protection which His face affords, from the pride of man, from the conspiracies of the wicked, concealing them as with a screen; Thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion, as a guest of Jehovah in the protecting shelter of His tent, from the strife of tongues, those of the wicked being engaged, as in warfare, in hurting the righteous.
v. 21. Blessed be the Lord; for He hath showed me His marvelous kindness, working miracles for the sake of the believer, in a strong city; for the believer, by placing his trust in Jehovah, enters into a fortified city, which cannot be taken by the enemies.
v. 22. For I said in my haste, while he was confused and as in a stupor from surprise, I am cut off from before Thine eyes, he had for a moment believed himself forsaken by God; nevertheless, Thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cried unto Thee, the deliverance of the Lord putting his small faith to shame.
v. 23. O love the Lord, all ye His saints, in return for the many evidences of His loving-kindness; for the Lord preserveth the faithful, Jehovah keeps the faith which He has promised, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer, with the punishment which his pride deserves.
v. 24. Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, strong and valiant of heart they shall be in their trust in Jehovah, all ye that hope in the Lord, confidently waiting for the final manifestation of His glory, a word which applies to the believers of all times. It may often seem as though nothing but darkness surrounded us, but the light of God’s countenance is always upon us, the full manifestation of His unchanging love being revealed on the Last Day.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0On vv14, 17My times are in your hand
My times are in your hand
Here "your hand" refers to Yahweh's power. AT: "You have the power to decide my future" (See: Metonymy)
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from those who pursue me
"from people who try to capture me"
Make your face shine on your servant
The writer speaks of Yahweh acting favorably towards him as if Yahweh's face shone a light on him. AT: "Act favorably towards your servant" (See: Metaphor)
save me in your covenant faithfulness
The abstract noun "faithfulness" can be translated as an adjective. AT: "save me because you are faithful to your covenant" (See: Abstract Nouns)
Tyndale Open Study Notes2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0On vv14, 15, 1731:14-18 Hope does not confide in frail and changeable…
31:14-18 Hope does not confide in frail and changeable human beings but only in the Lord. The sufferer entrusts himself to God while waiting for the Lord’s justice.
GEBible — Godless Engineer's Bible App
John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv14–17 14. Yet have I trusted in thee, O Jehovah!…
14. Yet have I trusted in thee, O Jehovah! The rendering properly is, And I have trusted in thee; but the Hebrew copulative particle ו, vau, and, is used here instead of the adversative particle yet, or nevertheless. David, setting the steadfastness of his faith in opposition to the assaults of the temptations of which he has made mention, denies that he had ever fainted, but rather maintains, on the contrary, that he stood firm in his hope of deliverance from God. Nor does this imply that he boasted of being so magnanimous and courageous that he could not be overthrown through the infirmity of the flesh. However contrary to one another they appear, yet these things are often joined together, as they ought to be, in the same person, namely, that while he pines away with grief, and is deprived of all strength, he is nevertheless supported by so strong a hope that he ceases not to call upon God. David, therefore, was not so overwhelmed in deep sorrow, and other direful sufferings, as that the hidden light of faith could not shine inwardly in his heart; nor did he groan so much under the weighty load of his temptations, as to be prevented from arousing himself to call upon God. He struggled through many obstacles to be able to make the confession which he here makes. He next defines the manner of his faith, namely, that he reflected with himself thus that God would never fail him nor forsake him. Let us mark his manner of speech: I have said, Thou art my God In these words he intimates that he was so entirely persuaded of this truth, that God was his God, that he would not admit even a suggestion to the contrary. And until this persuasion prevails so as to take possession of our minds, we shall always waver in uncertainty. It is, however, to be observed, that this declaration is not only inward and secret - made rather in the heart than with the tongue - but that it is directed to God himself, as to him who is the alone witness of it. Nothing is more difficult, when we see our faith derided by the whole world, than to direct our speech to God only, and to rest satisfied with this testimony which our conscience gives us, that he is our God. And certainly it is an undoubted proof of genuine faith, when, however fierce the waves are which beat against us, and however sore the assaults by which we are shaken, we hold fast this as a fixed principle, that we are constantly under the protection of God, and can say to him freely, Thou art our God.
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 vv14, 15, 17 I had this testimony of conscience, that thou wouldest…
I had this testimony of conscience, that thou wouldest defend mine innocence.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv14–18 Psa 31:14 But I trusted in thee, O LORD:…
Psa 31:14 But I trusted in thee, O LORD: I said, Thou [art] my God.
Ver. 14. But I trusted in thee, O Lord] In this distress I acted my faith upon thy power and promises; this was right, and that which God aimed at; for we can no way more honour him. Hence it is that he is very jealous of our trust; neither can he endure that any idol of jealousy should be set up in our hearts.
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I said, Thou art my God] In nearest relation and dearest affection, whatever befalleth me.
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 vv14–18 Mine by paternal relation, and care, and affection, and…
Mine by paternal relation, and care, and affection, and by thy promise or covenant made with me.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv14–18 But I trusted in thee, O Lord,.... His faith…
But I trusted in thee, O Lord,.... His faith revived again under all the discouraging views he had of things, and was exercised upon the Lord; he committed himself to him, believing he was able to help him in his time of trouble, and deliver him;
I said, thou art my God; he claimed his covenant interest in him, and used it as an argument with him to have regard unto him, and as a support to his faith in his present distress; See Gill on Psa 7:1.
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 v15 My times - All the affairs and events of…
My times - All the affairs and events of my life, are wholly in thy power.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv14–18 Verse 14. But I trusted in thee] Hitherto thou…
Verse 14. But I trusted in thee] Hitherto thou hast been my Helper, and thou art my God; I have taken thee for my eternal portion.
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 vv14, 18 Psa 31:14-17. I said, Thou art my God —…
Psa 31:14-17. I said, Thou art my God — Mine by paternal relation, and care, and affection, and by thy promise, or covenant, made with me. My times are in thy hand — The time of my life, how long I shall live; or, all the affairs and events of my life are wholly in thy power, to dispose and order as thou seest fit; and not at all in the power of mine enemies, who can do nothing against me, unless it be given them from above. They can no more dispose of my life at their pleasure than I can appoint the time of my deliverance. This I leave to thy wisdom, O Lord, to whom it belongs. Make thy face to shine upon thy servant — Manifest thy love and favour to me, by answering my prayers and delivering me from mine enemies. For I have called upon thee — And therefore thy honour will be eclipsed in my disappointment, and it will seem as though thou didst not hear prayer, nor keep thy promises, nor make any difference between the righteous and the wicked. Let the wicked be ashamed — Frustrated in their wicked designs and carnal confidences. Let them be silent in the grave — Seeing they are implacable in their malice against innocent and good men, do thou cut them off by thy just judgment; and since either the righteous or the wicked must be cut off, let destruction fall upon them who most deserve 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 vv14–18 But I trust in thee, O Lord - In…
But I trust in thee, O Lord - In these times of trial - when Psa 31:9 his eye was consumed with grief; when Psa 31:10 his years were spent with sighing, his strength failed, and his bones were consumed; when Psa 31:11 he was a reproach among his neighbors, and dreaded by his acquaintances; when Psa 31:12 he was forgotten as a dead man; and when Psa 31:13 he was surrounded with causes of alarm. Then he trusted in God. His confidence did not fail. He believed that God was his Father and Friend; that He was on the throne; that He could protect and defend him; and he left himself and his cause with Him. In such circumstances as these there is no other sure refuge but God; at such times the strength of faith is shown, and then is seen pre-eminently the power and value of religion.
I said, Thou art my God - Thou art all that is implied in the name “God;” and thou art mine. He felt assured that God would not forsake him, though men did; that he might confide in Him, though his earthly friends all turned away. There is always one (God) who will not leave or forsake us; and the friendship and favor of that One is of more value to us than that of all other beings in the universe combined.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv14–16 In his profession of trust he includes the terms…
In his profession of trust he includes the terms of the prayer expressing it.
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 vv14–18 14. This, and the four following verses, are a…
14. This, and the four following verses, are a confession of trust. Without a plan for the future, or means to cope with his enemies, he is satisfied to say, Thou art my God.
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 vv14–18 14. Render:
14. Render:
But as for me, on thee do I trust O Lord:
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I have said, &c.
Men turn from him, but he turns to God. Cp. Psa_31:6; Psa_16:2; Psa_140:6.
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 vv14, 15, 16, 18 (14) But I.—Emphatic, in contrast to the pretended panic…
(14) But I.—Emphatic, in contrast to the pretended panic and in spite of the real dangers around him.
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 vv14–18 But I trusted in thee, O Lord. Having fully…
But I trusted in thee, O Lord. Having fully represented the miserable condition to which he is reduced (vers. 9-13), David now returns to expressions of trust in God, and to earnest prayer to him (comp. ver. 6). I said, Thou art my God; rather, I have said. In all my sufferings, dangers, and difficulties, I have always clung to thee, and said, "Thou, and thou alone, art, and ever shalt be, my God."
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 vv14–18 Ver. 14-18. In this section of the Psalm he…
Ver. 14-18. In this section of the Psalm he renews his prayers, urging the same pleas as at first: earnest wrestlers attempt over and over again the same means of gaining their point.
Ver. 14. But I trusted in thee, O Lord. Notwithstanding all afflicting circumstances, David's faith maintained its hold, and was not turned aside from its object. What a blessed saving clause is this! So long as our faith, which is our shield, is safe, the battle may go hard, but its ultimate result is no matter of question; if that could be torn from us, we should be as surely slain as were Saul and Jonathan upon the high places of the field. I said, Thou art my God. He proclaimed aloud his determined allegiance to Jehovah. He was no fair weather believer, he could hold to his faith in a sharp frost, and wrap it about him as a garment fitted to keep out all the ills of time. He who can say what David did need not envy Cicero his eloquence: "Thou art my God, "has more sweetness in it than any other utterance which human speech can frame. Note that this adhesive faith is here mentioned as an argument with God to honour his own promise by sending a speedy deliverance.
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Ver. 12-15: See Psalms on "Ps 31:12" for further information.
Ver. 14. But I trusted in thee, O Lord. The rendering properly is, And I have trusted in thee, but the Hebrew copulative particle (K), vau, and, is used here instead of the adversative particle yet, or nevertheless. David, setting the steadfastness of his faith in opposition to the assaults of the temptations of which he has made mention, denies that he had ever fainted, but rather maintains, on the contrary, that he stood firm in his hope of deliverance from God. Nor does this imply that he boasted of being so magnanimous and courageous that he could not be overthrown through the infirmity of the flesh. However contrary to one another they appear, yet these things are often joined together, as they ought to be, in the same person, namely, that while he pines away with grief, and is deprived of all strength, he is nevertheless supported by so strong a hope that he ceases not to call upon God. David, therefore, was not so overwhelmed in deep sorrow, and other direful sufferings, as that the hidden light of faith could not shine inwardly in his heart; nor did he groan so much under the weighty load of his temptations, as to be prevented from arousing himself to call upon God. He struggled through many obstacles to be able to make the confession which he here makes. He next defines the manner of his faith, namely, that he reflected with himself thusthat God would never fail him nor forsake him. Let us mark his manner of speech: I have said, Thou art my God. In these words he intimates that he was so entirely persuaded of this truth, that God was his God, that he would not admit even a suggestion to the contrary. And until this persuasion prevails so as to take possession of our minds, we shall always waver in uncertainty. It is, however, to be observed, that this declaration is not only inward and secretmade rather in the heart than with the tonguebut that it is directed to God himself, as to him who is the alone witness of it. Nothing is more difficult, when we see our faith derided by the whole world, than to direct our speech to God only, and to rest satisfied with this testimony which our conscience gives us, that he is our God. And certainly it is an undoubted proof of genuine faith, when, however fierce the waves are which beat against us, and however sore the assaults by which we are shaken, we hold fast this as a fixed principle, that we are constantly under the protection of God, and can say to him freely, Thou art our God. John Calvin.
Ver. 14. Thou art my God. How much it is more worth than ten thousand mines of gold, to be able to say, God is mine! God's servant is apprehensive of it, and he seeth no defect, but this may be complete happiness to him, and therefore he delights in it, and comforts himself with it. As he did sometime who was a great courtier in King Cyrus's court, and one in favour with him; he was to bestow his daughter in marriage to a very great man, and of himself he had no great means; and therefore one said to him, O Sir, where will you have means to bestow a dowry upon your daughter proportionable to her degree? Where are your riches? He answered, What need I care, opou Kuros moi filos Cyrus is my friend. But may not we say much more, opou Kurios moi filos, where the Lord is our friend, that hath those excellent and glorious attributes that cannot come short in any wants, or to make us happy, especially we being capable of it, and made proportionable. John Stoughton's "Righteous Man's Plea to True Happiness, "1640.
Ver. 14. Faith peculiarly glorious in season of great trial.
Psalms 31:15*
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 vv15, 18 My times are in Thy hand.
Psa_31:15
My times are in Thy hand.
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Affiance
There is nothing which more distinguishes the Christian from the ungodly man than the temper with which the experiences and possibilities of life are regarded. The Christian sees in all the hand of God, and submits; the other feels the stroke hardly knowing whence it comes. The one looks up with intelligent hope, the other looks down as it falls with a blind despair. How terrible are the calamities which the psalm portrays; but how beautiful the trust which, in the midst of them all, the psalmist displays.
I. what lies at its basis--belief in the truth of a particular providence. Now, providence is the Divine reason of all things. Deny it, and you take away the ground of my trust and resignation. And why should any suppose that the control or agency of the Infinite should terminate with the first creating act? That He should create and then leave that which He has created to go on its way without further control or care? Yet many think this. They believe that God has formed a number of self-acting machines. He wound up the mighty herologe, and stood aside to see it go. They think it derogatory to His dignity to be constantly interfering with His works. But where is there less dignity in administering laws than in appointing them? And how do we know what is or is not worthy of His care? Apart from the plans and purposes of God, the entire universe is insignificant: in relation to them every atom is important, for upon any one atom the entire sequence may depend. It is told of Mahomet, how, when hard pressed by his pursuers, he took refuge in a cave, which they were about to enter, when they observed a spiders web spun over the mouth of it, and, therefore, turned away convinced that it could not have been lately entered. That spiders web changed the destiny of the world, inasmuch as it preserved the life of the man who exercised such immense influence over it. And how perpetually we are finding that vast results turn upon the most trivial and insignificant circumstances. Without providence, history would be an absurdity, the universe an enigma, and the Deity undeified. The Christian assigns to this doctrine a place among the primary truths of his religious faith. He devoutly and joyfully recognizes it. In the text the psalmist declares that his times--all the vicissitudes and changes of his life--are in Gods hand; all under Gods appointment, and under His control. It is so. Our times of prosperity, of adversity, and the time of our death.
II. the Christian mans recognition of this truth. It is by faith. The proof of the doctrine is sufficient but not overpowering. Our admission of it depends largely upon our moral condition as, indeed, all faith does. There is no faith in believing the demonstration of a mathematical problem. A man, therefore, may recognize no providence, and to those who do, its difficulties are often very great. Nevertheless, the Christian believes. For he believes in the justice, the wisdom and the goodness, as well as the power of God. And because he is reconciled to God in Christ he believes that providence will bring good to him. He calls upon God as Our Father, which art in Heaven. Well, then, let us be content, be our lot what it may. Trust for all the future. Let me never dare to doubt. (Henry Allen.)
My times are in Thy hand
Whatever is to come out of our life, is in our heavenly Fathers hand. He guards the vine of life, and He also protects the clusters which shall be produced thereby. If life be as a field, the field is under the hand of the great Husbandman, and the harvest of that field is with Him also. The ultimate results of His work of grace upon us, and of His education of us in this life, are in the highest hand. The close of life is not decided by the sharp knife of the fates; but by the hand of love. We shall not die before our time, neither shall we be forgotten and left upon the stage too long. Not only are we ourselves in the hand of the Lord, but all that surrounds us. We are comforted to have it so.
I. A clear conviction that our times are in the hand of God will create within us a sense of the nearness of God. If the hand of God is laid upon all our surroundings, God Himself is near us. The tendency of this age is to get further and further from God.
1. My times are in Thy hand. Then there is nothing left to chance. Events happen not to men by a fortune which has no order or purpose in it. The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. We dare not leave out the least event. The creeping of an aphis upon a rosebud is as surely arranged by the decree of Providence as the march of a pestilence through a nation.
2. My times are in Thy hand is an assurance which also puts an end to the grim idea of an iron fate compelling all things. Have you the notion that fate grinds on like an enormous wheel, ruthlessly crushing everything that lies in its way, not pausing for pity, nor turning aside for mercy? Remember that, if you liken Providence to a wheel, it must be a wheel which is full of eyes. Its every revolution is in wisdom and goodness.
3. My times are in Thy hand reveals the condescension of the Lord. Wonder of wonders, that God should not only think of me, but should make my concerns His concerns, and take my matters into His hand!
4. What a bliss this is! How near it brings God to us, and us to God.
II. this truth is a complete answer to many a temptation. Satan says, Now you have a large family, and your chief duty is to provide for them. Your position brings with it many wants. Here is a plan of making money; others follow it. It may not be quite straight, but you must not be particular in such a world as this, for nobody else is. How will you meet this? Say to Satan, It is not my business to provide for myself or for my family: my times are in Gods hand; and his name is Jehovah-Jireh, the Lord will provide; and I will not do a questionable thing, though it would fill my house with silver and gold. I shall not meddle with my Lords business. It is His to provide for me: it is mine to walk uprightly, and obey His Word. But supposing he says, Well, but you are already in difficulties, and you cannot extricate yourself if you are too precise. A poor man cannot afford to keep a conscience: it is an expensive luxury in these days. Give your conscience a holiday, and you can soon get out of your trouble. Let your reply be, O prince of darkness, it is no business of mine to extricate myself! My times are in Gods hand. I have taken my case to Him, and He will work for me in this matter better than I can do for myself! He does not wish me to do a wrong thing, that I may do for myself what He has promised to do for me.
III. this conviction is a sufficient support against the fear of men. How often we meet with people who are staggered by slander. If my times are in Gods hand, no man can do me harm unless God permit. Though my soul is among lions, yet no lion can bite me while Jehovahs angel is my guard.
IV. A full belief in the statement of our text is A cure for present worry. O Lord, if my times are in Thy hand, I have cast my care on Thee, and I trust and am not afraid! To leave our times with God is to live as free from care as the birds upon the bough. If we fret, we shall not glorify God; and we shall not constrain others to see what true religion can do for us in the hour of tribulation. Fret and worry put it out of our power to act wisely; but if we can leave everything with God because everything is really in His hand, we shall be peaceful, and our action will be deliberate; and for that very reason it will be more likely to be wise. He that rolls his burden upon the Lord will be strong to do or to suffer; and his days shall be as the days of heaven upon the earth.
V. A firm conviction as to this truth is a quietus as to future dread. The very word times supposes change for you; but as there are no changes with God, all is well. Things will happen which you cannot foresee; but your Lord has foreseen all, and provided for all.
VI. A full conviction that our times are in his hand will be a reason for consecrated service. If God has undertaken my business for me, then I may most fitly undertake such business for Him as He may appoint. Queen Elizabeth wished one of the leading merchants of London to go to Holland to watch her interests there. The honest man told her Majesty that he would obey her commands; but he begged her to remember that it would involve the ruin of his own trade for him to be absent. To this the Queen replied, If you will see to my business, I will see to your business. With such a royal promise he might willingly let his own business go; for a queen should have it in her power to do more for a subject than he can do for himself. The Lord, in effect, says to the believer, I will take your affairs in hand, and see them through for you. Will you not at once feel that now it is your joy, your delight, to live to glorify your gracious Lord?
VII. If our times are in Gods hand, here is a grand argument for future blessedness. He that takes care of our times, will take care of our eternity. He that has brought us so far, and wrought so graciously for us, will see us safely over the rest of the road. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
On our lives being in the hand of God
The sun that rolls over our heads, the food that we receive, the rest that we enjoy, daily admonish us of a superior power, on whom the inhabitants of the earth depend for light, life, and subsistence. But as long as all things proceed in their ordinary course; when day returns after day with perfect similarity; when our life seems stationary, and nothing occurs to warn us of any approaching change, the religious sentiments of dependence are apt to be forgotten.
I. That our times are not in our own hand.
1. Of this we may behold many a proof, when we look back on the transactions of the year which is finished. Recollection will readily present to us a busy period, filled up with a mixture of business and amusement, of anxieties and cares, of joys and sorrows. We have formed many a plan; in public or in private life, we have been engaged in a variety of pursuits. Let me now ask, how small a proportion of all that has happened could have been foreseen, or foretold by us? How many things have occurred, of which we had no expectation; some, perhaps, that have succeeded beyond our hopes; many, also, that have befallen us contrary to our wish?
2. That scene is now closed. We look forward to another year; and what do we behold there? all is a blank to our view. Life and death, prosperity and adversity, health and sickness, joy and trouble, lie in one undistinguishable mass, where our eye can descry nothing through the obscurity that wraps them up.
II. That our times are in the hand of God.
1. As a supreme, irresistible Ruler. He has foreknown and arranged everything. He sees from the beginning to the end; and brings forward everything that happens in its due time and place.
2. As a merciful Guardian and Father. To Him we may safely commit ourselves, and all our concerns, as to One who is best qualified, both to direct the incidents proper to happen to us in this world, and to judge of the time when it is fit for us to be removed from it. Even that ignorance of our future destiny in life, of which we sometimes complain, is a signal proof of His goodness. He hides from us the view of futurity, because the view would be dangerous and overpowering. It would either dispirit us with visions of terror, or intoxicate us by the disclosure of success.
Conclusion.
1. Seeing our times are not in our own hand, seeing futurity is unknown to us, let us check the vain curiosity of penetrating into what is to come. Our wisdom is, to be prepared for whatever the year is to bring; prepared to receive comforts with thankfulness, troubles with fortitude; and to improve both for the great purposes of virtue and eternal life.
2. Another important instruction which naturally arises from our times not being in our own hands is, that we ought no longer to trifle with what it is not in our power to prolong: but; that we should make haste to live as wise men; not delaying till to-morrow what may be done to-day; doing now with all our might whatever our hand findeth to do, before that night cometh wherein no man can work.
3. When we consider that our times are in the hand of God as a sovereign Disposer, it is an obvious inference from this truth, that we should prepare ourselves to submit patiently to His pleasure, both as to the events which are to fill up our days, and as to the time of our continuing in this world.
4. To God as a wise Ruler, calm submission is due; but it is more than submission that belongs to Him as a merciful Father; it is the spirit of cordial and affectionate consent to His will. Unknown to us as the times to come are, it should be sufficient to our full repose that they are known to God. (H. Blair, D. D.)
Safe times
I. The fact expressed in the text.
1. In a general sense, every mans times are in Gods hand. It is a happy thing, and it certifies the stability of the wide realm of being, that the great Ruler will not suffer one thread of His government to pass for a moment out of His grasp.
2. In a special sense, which renders it worthy of grateful mention, the good mans times are in Gods hand. You are helpless: will that slacken Gods care that all shall be best with you? You are dependent, and you try to be trustful: will that set to sleep the vigilance of Him who has all the ordering of your way? You are ignorant and erring: will that give occasion to infinite pity to mislead you or neglect you, and you right upon your march towards the opportunity of scanning all His dealings with you, and of scanning them in the light of a knowledge which it is His purpose shall eternally increase? Nay: your times, every one of every shade and shape, are at home in the centre of all safety.
II. The temper in which this fact is expressed in the text.
1. The psalmist gives to the fact his cordial personal consent. It is not a statement merely; it is a self-gratulation also, with something of a thanksgiving besides.
2. When the responsibility would be the heaviest if he did have his times in his own hand, he remembers they are in Gods, and breathes freely because the weight of them is not at all upon himself, but altogether upon Him who bears the burdens of eternity and doth not weary. Our part is patience, obedience, brave submission.
3. It allays all his anxiety about his times. Fears about ourselves, fears about friends whom we love better than ourselves, apprehensions about life, apprehensions about death--about death perhaps most of all, with its when and where and how,--every one of them would be gone from these hearts of ours, if only they held within them the plain fact of our text as firmly as they hold many a fact that has a thousand times less of deep personal interest for us. (J. A. Kerr Bain, M. A.)
Our times, living and dying, in Gods hand
I. our times are not naturally our own, to employ as we please, to be accountable to ourselves only for the use of them.
1. Certainly not the times which are gone by; for we cannot recall them: they are not in our power. As little control can we exercise over the hours that are present: we cannot command sickness or health, youth or age. The times will never come when we shall begin to be at our own disposal, and cease to depend on Gods sovereign will. It is not possible, neither is it desirable. Rejoice that your times are in Gods hand.
2. It is not less so in regard to His dispensations towards us, as we are His redeemed people, children of grace. In this respect, especially, none of us liveth to himself, etc.
II. This arrangement is for our advantage.
1. The happiness of feeling assured, when we come to die, that our time of dying is in the Lords hand, must be inconceivably great.
2. The way to have this happiness when we die is to make it our aim while we live, to seek Gods mercy in Christ, to submit to His disposal, and to follow His steps, led by His hand, in a holy, serious, humble, uncorrupt way; and, as all our times are in the Lords hand, to bless the Lord at all times. (W. Firth, B. D.)
Our times are in Gods hand
My times are in Thy hand--the seasons, the stages, and eras of my life, with all their casualties, and opportunities, incidents, and events, are all in Thy hand, under Thy control, and at Thy disposal.
I. My prosperous times are in thy hand.
1. My times of worldly prosperity. This is as clear as it is certain. For though every one may do much to preserve his health, that does not depend entirely on himself, any more than that of his family and friends; his good name is not in his own keeping; his credit is not in his own power; business does not come at his bidding.
2. Times of spiritual prosperity. Without this, the prosperous man is like a vessel in full sail before the wind without ballast, in danger of being dashed to pieces.
II. My trying times are in thy hand.
1. Times trying to my principles. Times of change of situation, condition, and calling in life; of removal from one place of residence to another; of losses, disappointments, and failures in business; of fraud, injustice, and oppression from men; of adversity, poverty and privations;--are especially trying to mens principles.
2. Times trying to my patience, Times of personal and relative affliction and distress.
III. My working times are in thy hand.
1. Times when I am able to work. Every one should have a lawful calling in the world, should abide in his calling, mind the business of his calling, should study to be quiet, and do his own business, and work with his own hands, as he is commanded.
2. Times when I am specially called to work. Times of abounding iniquity, etc.
IV. My waiting times are in thy hand.
1. Times of waiting on the Lord. In the sanctuary, the family, the closet.
2. Times of waiting for the Lord--for His own time of giving what is good, and for His own way of doing us good.
V. my dying time is in thy hand. We must all die alone. And while we live, we are dying. Are not times of weakening my strength in the way, of exanimating sickness, of excruciating pain, of wasting lungs, of struggling breath, of loss of appetite, of bodily and mental prostration, so many dying times to every one that is subject to them? Lessons:
1. To acknowledge Thy hand at all times.
2. To commit my spirit into Thy hand.
3. To make my prayer unto the God of my life. (G. Robson.)
Minute oversight
Some men practically regard only some of their times as in the hand of God.
1. We not infrequently regard as providential only that which we deem calamitous. A bridge falls, and scores of souls are hurried into eternity, and we cry--Providence! But a bridge stands for years, and hundreds pass across in safety, and so far as concerns that bridge, we turn God out of court.
2. Sometimes we recognize God only when what we call large takes place. One man is killed, and nobody says anything about Providence; but a dreadful catastrophe occurs, and two or three hundred lives are lost; and we say, Providence! Judgment! We should remember that large and little are words expressive of our finite knowledge.
3. Sometimes we regard as providential only that which comes unexpectedly. When we put our money to usury and get a good percentage, we take our income as a matter of course; we say nothing about Providence. But unexpectedly we have a windfall;--reaping where and what we have never sown--and we call the windfall a providence. What comes in the ordinary course of things is no providence; so we poor, morally illogical creatures say; but whatever takes place that we cannot account for, we call a providential dispensation. This is nothing short of saying that God begins to work only at the point where human intellectual vision ceases; that the sphere of providence touches only the horizon of our mental view. My times are in Thy hand. What then? This: expect comfort for all seasons. Be courageous at all times; and adore amidst all changes, an unchanging God. (J. S. Swan.)
The particularity of Divine Providence
I. the doctrine of the text. We shall be told, perhaps, that the doctrine of a particular Providence represents the Most High, as attentive to insignificant affairs,--gives to the Divine administration the aspect of overwhelming complexity,--and, is inconsistent with the majesty of the Supreme Being.
1. By no means do we deny, that the doctrine of a particular Providence does give to the Divine administration an aspect of overwhelming complexity. But then we are speaking, not of what the human mind can grasp, but of what the Supreme intelligence effects. Whoever admits the Being of a God, must connect with it the idea of infinity. No degree of attention, or variety of objects, can bewilder Him, whose understanding is infinite.
2. To oppose the consideration of Jehovahs infinite majesty to the doctrine of His providential administration is unscriptural, and absurd. The universe is a great and glorious whole;--but this great and glorious whole cannot be rightly preserved and governed, without the right preservation and government of all its parts.
II. the way in which the beneficial influence of this doctrine is to be experienced. The doctrine of His providence as revealed in Scripture, gives us a glorious idea of His character. It leads us to conceive of His presence as filling immensity, and of His goodness as commanding universal confidence. It leads us to worship Him, and to confide in Him as the Lord of the universe, in whom all majesty is for ever centred, and from whom all blessings flow. But this doctrine appears to the greatest advantage, viewed in the light of the glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ;--and it is the knowledge of His glory, as a covenant Jehovah in the Son of His love, that gives to the faith of this doctrine its most beneficial effect. And well may the believer joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, knowing that all the perfections of the adorable I Am are engaged to promote his welfare and to effect his salvation. It shall only be added, that to derive benefit from the doctrine we have stated, it is necessary for us to avail ourselves of it by faith, especially when such benefit is most needed. When did David say in the prayer, and confidence of faith, My times are in thy hand?--it was when fear was on every side, and in so doing, he took an extended view of the providence of God, and honoured Him. The times of man are numerous and diversified;--he has times of sorrow, of trial, of affliction. As there is a time to be born,--so there is a time to die. David takes the range of the whole,--and instead of planning for God, or deeming himself at the mercy of his enemies, he said, My times are in Thy hand. Thus he met the storm which tried his faith, and the recollection of his so doing was grateful to his feelings, and subservient to communion with his everlasting friend when fresh trials occurred. (W. Hutchings.)
The measure of human life
There are three main causes which go to determine the length of time of every human life.
1. The first is physical. Every man has a constitution given him by God which has a certain amount of vital power and no more, which can bear a certain amount of strain and exertion and no more. When this stock is exhausted first one and then another organ gives up, and the end comes. How soon it will come is partly determined by circumstances. In one set of circumstances it is delayed; in another it is hastened; but no circumstances, no precautions, however incessant, can preserve it for ever. Not that strength of constitution is always allowed to be the measure of life. Its course is not seldom arrested by a violent death; it is cut short in battle, or by the executioner, or by lightning, or by railway accident, or by drowning, or by the murderers knife, or by poison taken unwitting!y, or by the bite of an animal, or by pestilence that walketh in darkness; and yet such events might suggest to those who believe in the providence of God that there are other and more influential, although less patent, causes that affect the length of human life, causes which we now proceed to consider.
2. Every man has a certain work assigned him to do, and when it is done, or ought to have been done, then he has to make room for others. What that work exactly is He knows who has placed us here. But most of us can only infer generally, and not always quite distinctly, why we were placed here, while none of us can dare to say certainly at the close of life that the work which our Maker meant us to do has been completed. Too many of us--alas!--never think of this solemn truth. The outward form of the work matters less than the presence or absence of the ennobling motive. The highest work may be even irretrievably degraded by the absence of that purpose. But, however this may be, with each of us a day comes when the work we had to do has been done or ought to have been done, and can be no longer done, and then the end comes.
3. Closely related to this cause, and yet distinct from it, there is a third. Every man is here on his probation or trial; he has a certain number of difficulties to encounter, a certain number of opportunities of which he may avail himself, measured unto him by a perfect justice which will deal with him accordingly. When these difficulties have been passed, in whatever manner, with whatever difficulty, the end comes. Who can say when the last difficulty has been surmounted, or when the last opportunity has been rejected or missed? We do not know. But our ignorance does not disprove the fact he knows who has made us, who has placed us here on our trial, who removes us when we have passed it or have failed. (Canon Liddon.)
The Divine superintendency of human affairs
. Second only to the interest of that view of God as the Author of salvation through Christ, is this which ascribes to Him the presidency over all human affairs.
I. in what sense this is true.
1. It is true of the times of mens entrance into the world, and their departure out of it. Hence the regular succession and perpetuity of the generations of men; and the appearance of men in the world with capacities and powers, exactly united to the age in which they live. If subtle adversaries against the truth appear, among their contemporaries, its most acute and intelligent defenders are found. And so of mens departure from this world: they not only come, but go at Gods bidding. Till He give the command, nothing can force open the door of eternity for us; and when He does, nothing can keep us from entering it. It is said that the devil hath the power of death. But this cannot mean natural death, for had he power over that, he would never suffer a bad man to live till he was converted, nor a good man afterwards. But it refers to the future death of torment which Satan as the executioner of Divine justice is commissioned to inflict.
2. It is true of the times of their worldly prosperity and adversity. We see this in the case of nations and empires, but it is true also of all the individuals comprising any nation. God fixes the bounds of every ones habitation and determines his lot. He does not interfere with the natural liberty of men, nor fail to allow, in a general way, for diligence and prudence to work out their own reward, and vice and idleness to bring their own punishment. Yet, the final issues of things depend entirely on His will. It is good to recognize this for, so, by a conviction of the Divine wisdom and goodness, we are the more ready to acquiesce in all providential arrangements.
3. It is true of the times of mens gracious visitation and instruction. These periods form our day of grace, Thus we read of the Church of Thyatira, that Christ gave her space to repent, and we read of a time when Thou mayest be found, and of the time of visitation. In addition to these there are sermons of refreshment for the Church at large. We read of set times to favour Zion. Such times are the cordials of life, catches of sunlight upon our spiritual prospect, the wells of water and the palms at which we arrive as we journey through the wilderness.
II. what are the uses of this doctrine.
1. Men should learn to value the times of gracious visitation and use them well, lest God take them away. This He may do, by taking away our lives, or our sensibility, or the means of grace themselves.
2. Good people should be comforted, since their times are in Gods hands. What have we to fear?
3. This truth should reconcile us to the stroke of death when it comes to ourselves or others. (J. Leifchild.)
The Christians lot in the Divine hand
The way of the Christian is often very difficult, and it would often be appalling, and life itself would be mournful were it not for the many consolations to which the pious mind may resort. To such consolations under difficulty the psalmist is clearly referring in our text.
I. Briefly illustrate the fact which the statement of the text comprehends. And--
1. Consider those seasons which are to be especially regarded as under the Divine management. No doubt, all the events of life are under Gods control. Some deny this, and men limit the interference of God to the great and momentous affairs of men. But reason and Scripture alike teach (see Psa_104:1-35.) the universal superintendence of God. Our Lord Jesus Christ says, Are not two sparrows sold? thereby teaching this same truth. The time of prosperity is in Gods hand, though men sadly forget this. And the time of affliction, and the time of death. Next--
2. Observe the principles according to which this Divine arrangement is regulated. And
(1) Sovereignty. God conducts all His dealings towards men as a Sovereign (see Jer_18:1-23.)--the potter and the clay. But--
(2) There is also Justice. God can do nothing that is not right. Sovereignty and justice in God are never to be opposed to each other: they are ever associated.
(3) Mercy. It is of the Lords mercies that we are not consumed. But for this where would man be?
(4) Wisdom. All our events are under Gods hand, and these are the principles on which they are regulated and controlled.
II. the results which this recognition should produce.
1. Contentment. How could our affairs be better ordered? Let the poor and the afflicted remember this.
2. Trust, entire and unwavering confidence in God. How can we believe what has been said and not trust?
3. Gratitude. What abundant cause we have, when we look back on our lives, for this feeling towards God. Many an Ebenezer we can inscribe upon our pathway, and if so, should we not praise Him?
4. Anticipation. How calmly and confidently may we look on to the future. Foreboding and fear should be far from us. But to enter into all this we must be reconciled to God in the Lord Jesus Christ. (James Parsons.)
Davids confidence in Gods providence
If Caesar could say to the fearful ferryman in a terrible storm, Be of good cheer, thou carriest Caesar, and therefore canst not miscarry, how much more may he presume to be safe that hath God in his company. A child in the dark feels nothing while he has his father by the hand. (John Trapp.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain On v17 Heb. "Sheol," (See Scofield "Hab 2:5")
grave
Heb. "Sheol," (See Scofield "Hab 2:5")
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain On v14 Confidence and Triumph of Faith
Confidence and Triumph of Faith
v. 14. But I trusted in Thee, O Lord, again spoken with emphasis, "But as for me, in Thee have I confided, O Jehovah. " I said, Thou art my God, his highest Good, his safe Refuge.
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v. 15. My times, the entire course of the believer’s life, are in Thy hand, not subject to blind fate, but to the gracious will of the heavenly Father. Deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, always stretched out to harm him, and from them that persecute me, torturing him with their pursuit.
v. 16. Make Thy face to shine upon Thy servant, in merciful kindness; save me for Thy mercies’ sake, all merit on the part of the believer being disowned.
v. 17. Let me not be ashamed, O Lord, become an object of ridicule on account of his trust in Jehovah, for I have called upon Thee; let the wicked be ashamed, all mockery being heaped upon their head, and let them be silent in the grave, cut off from the land of the living and silenced in the realm of the dead below.
v. 18. Let the lying lips be put to silence, forever become dumb in death, which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous, speaking arrogantly with pride and scorn, this attitude being characteristic of the unbelievers in their treatment of believers.
v. 19. Oh, how great is Thy goodness which Thou hast laid up, as a precious treasure, for them that fear Thee; which Thou hast wrought for them that trust in Thee before the sons of men! The love of God is manifested to the soul in secret, in a hidden manner, but altogether satisfactory to the believer.
v. 20. Thou shalt hide them, the believers, in the secret of Thy presence, in the protection which His face affords, from the pride of man, from the conspiracies of the wicked, concealing them as with a screen; Thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion, as a guest of Jehovah in the protecting shelter of His tent, from the strife of tongues, those of the wicked being engaged, as in warfare, in hurting the righteous.
v. 21. Blessed be the Lord; for He hath showed me His marvelous kindness, working miracles for the sake of the believer, in a strong city; for the believer, by placing his trust in Jehovah, enters into a fortified city, which cannot be taken by the enemies.
v. 22. For I said in my haste, while he was confused and as in a stupor from surprise, I am cut off from before Thine eyes, he had for a moment believed himself forsaken by God; nevertheless, Thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cried unto Thee, the deliverance of the Lord putting his small faith to shame.
v. 23. O love the Lord, all ye His saints, in return for the many evidences of His loving-kindness; for the Lord preserveth the faithful, Jehovah keeps the faith which He has promised, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer, with the punishment which his pride deserves.
v. 24. Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, strong and valiant of heart they shall be in their trust in Jehovah, all ye that hope in the Lord, confidently waiting for the final manifestation of His glory, a word which applies to the believers of all times. It may often seem as though nothing but darkness surrounded us, but the light of God’s countenance is always upon us, the full manifestation of His unchanging love being revealed on the Last Day.
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 vv14, 17 My times are in your hand
My times are in your hand
Here "your hand" refers to Yahweh's power. AT: "You have the power to decide my future" (See: Metonymy)
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from those who pursue me
"from people who try to capture me"
Make your face shine on your servant
The writer speaks of Yahweh acting favorably towards him as if Yahweh's face shone a light on him. AT: "Act favorably towards your servant" (See: Metaphor)
save me in your covenant faithfulness
The abstract noun "faithfulness" can be translated as an adjective. AT: "save me because you are faithful to your covenant" (See: Abstract Nouns)
translationWords
trust
Yahweh
God
destine
hand
adversary
face
servant
save
covenant faithfulness
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 vv14, 15, 17 31:14-18 Hope does not confide in frail and changeable…
31:14-18 Hope does not confide in frail and changeable human beings but only in the Lord. The sufferer entrusts himself to God while waiting for the Lord’s justice.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.