Psalm 31 Lament psalm written by David. The setting is likely when his son, Absalom, came into Jerusalem, intent on killing his father. But this can’t be proven and scholars aren’t sure. Most significantly, Psalm 31:5 was quoted by Jesus Christ on the cross as His final words before yielding His life (Luke 23:46). Stephen, the first martyr of the church, also alluded to Psalm 31:5 (Acts 7:59).
1 In you, Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness.
2 Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me.
3 Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me.
4 Keep me free from the trap that is set for me, for you are my refuge.
5 Into your hands I commit my spirit; deliver me, Lord, my faithful God.
6 I hate those who cling to worthless idols; as for me, I trust in the Lord.
7 I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul.
8 You have not given me into the hands of the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place.
9 Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and body with grief.
10 My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak.
11 Because of all my enemies, I am the utter contempt of my neighbors and an object of dread to my closest friends— those who see me on the street flee from me.
12 I am forgotten as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery.
13 For I hear many whispering, “Terror on every side!” They conspire against me and plot to take my life.
1 4 But I trust in you, Lord; I say, “You are my God.”
15 My times are in your hands; deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me.
16 Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love.
17 Let me not be put to shame, Lord, for I have cried out to you; but let the wicked be put to shame and be silent in the realm of the dead.
18 Let their lying lips be silenced, for with pride and contempt they speak arrogantly against the righteous.
19 How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you, that you bestow in the sight of all, on those who take refuge in you.
20 In the shelter of your presence you hide them from all human intrigues; you keep them safe in your dwelling from accusing tongues.
21 Praise be to the Lord, for he showed me the wonders of his love when I was in a city under siege.
22 In my alarm I said, “I am cut off from your sight!” Yet you heard my cry for mercy when I called to you for help.
23 Love the Lord, all his faithful people! The Lord preserves those who are true to him, but the proud he pays back in full.
24 Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.
SECTIONS:
I Testimony about Security & Salvation
II Testimony about Discernment & Deliverance
III Testimony about Reproach & Relief
IV Testimony and Divine Exaltation
V Testimony and Human Exhortation
QUESTIONS:
Why did David ask God to lead and guide him?
What pictures (metaphors) does David give that denotes God’s security and protection?
What does David find to rejoice in through this trial?
What are some of the troubles David says he is experiencing?
What does this verse mean to you: “Into your hands I commit my spirit?”
What does he say God’s people should do?
What does it mean to you: “my times are in your hands?”
“Into Your hand I commit my spirit:” David asked to be delivered from his enemies and their snares, but not so he could live for himself. He utterly cast himself upon God in surrender. Jesus also expressed His total surrender and submission to God on the cross when He quoted this line from Psalm 31. In Luke 23:46 Jesus said, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit”– just before he died. David’s submission to God didn’t produce misery but rather joy. His heart overflowed with gratitude, thinking of all God had done for him. “My times are in Your hand.” David understood that God was in control and ruled from heaven. Yet he also said this because in faith he had committed all things into God’s hand.
There are many followers of Jesus Christ who seem to know very little of the secret place of God’s presence. They regard it as only a thing for mystics or the super-spiritual. It is true that the life of the spirit seems to come more easily for some than others, but there is an aspect of the secret place of God’s presence that is for everyone who puts his trust in Him.
David requests that the Lord release him from the traps that his enemies – really, his own son – have laid secretly for him. Absalom worked out this coup. He secretly gathered people little by little until he had enough men to overthrow his father. And it’s easy to place this in the timeline of David’s life. As he was fleeing Jerusalem to avoid being assassinated by his son, many of his close friends and acquaintances abandoned him for fear of the uprising against him.
And why is all of this happening? David owns up to that fact that his iniquity has caused this. His sin with Bathsheba and against her husband Uriah brought God’s chastening – and that chastening never left his house to the day of David’s death. And David is humble enough to acknowledge that fact here. He’s not blaming God. He’s not questioning God’s justice or mercy. He’s accepting the fact that his sin has caused some irreversible problems in his life.
Bible.org
If you want to pick one word to describe our modern culture, that word would probably be pressure. We have stress management classes, as well as many books and articles aimed at helping us reduce stress. You can take classes on meditation and yoga at most community centers. Even many Christians ignore the spiritual dangers of these methods and claim that they help them to cope with stress. Some take tranquilizers or turn to illegal drugs or alcohol. But precious few turn to the living God and take refuge in Him! If you dare to suggest that someone under stress trust in God, you will often be met with scorn, even by fellow Christians.
Try this for a stressful situation: a group of enemies have conspired together to kill you. They have instigated a widespread campaign of slander and lies. As a result, your name has become a reproach, even among your neighbors and former friends. When they see you coming, they turn and run the other way. They fear being identified in any way with you, because they figure that your time is short. They don’t want to be implicated by association. As a result of these problems, you’re struggling with depression. You also realize that many of your troubles stem from your own sin. So on top of everything else, you’re wrestling with guilt. The whole experience has taken its toll on your health. You don’t have strength to do your daily tasks. Your body is wasting away. Wherever you look, it seems that terror is staring you in the face.
This is how David describes his situation in Psalm 31. We can’t be certain of the exact situation that lies behind this psalm. Many think that because David mentions being rescued from a besieged city (v. 21), it was when the residents of Keilah conspired to hand David over to Saul, who was trying to kill him (1 Sam. 23:7-14). But in light of David’s reference to his own sin (v. 10), I’m inclined to agree with Spurgeon that David wrote this psalm in connection with Absalom’s rebellion.
Somehow, we have gotten the crazy notion that if we follow and obey the Lord, He will protect us from difficult trials. But the Bible repeatedly shows that it is often because you follow the Lord that you encounter various trials. If you blend in with the world, they don’t bother you. But the fact that you follow Christ makes you the special target. Jesus explained this very plainly (John 15:19), “If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.”
Stress produces a gamut of emotions, even in the most godly people. We need to understand that trusting in God doesn’t insulate us from the roller coaster of emotions that hit when we face stressful situations. Some spiritual life books make it sound as though when you discover the secret of resting in the Lord, you will be perfectly calm in the midst of the worst of trials. And if your emotions go up or down like a roller coaster, you must be lacking in your spiritual life.
But look at David’s emotions in the psalm. Remember, he was not a spiritual novice at this point. He was a man after God’s own heart. First, he was feeling shame, as implied by his repeated prayer that he will not be ashamed. Perhaps his enemies were accusing him of being a hypocrite: “He claims to trust in God, but look at what he did with Bathsheba and her husband! Look at his family life—it’s a complete shambles! Ha! Some ‘man of God’ he is!” Coupled closely with shame was David’s own guilt, as he acknowledges his iniquity as a part of his current troubles.
Also, David was afraid. He states that “terror is on every side.” You can hear the panic in his voice as he cries out to God to rescue him quickly and pull him out of the net. He states that he is in distress and is overwhelmed with grief. These emotions are so strong that they are affecting him physically, making him waste away. He is feeling rejected, even by his former friends. He feels as useless as a broken vessel.
But, everything is not down for David. He also experiences some highs. He is rejoicing and glad in the Lord’s loving-kindness and goodness that He has stored up for those who fear Him. He exhorts all of God’s saints to love Him, be strong, take courage, and hope in Him.
This psalm is very true to life. David gains the victory, but then the waves of distress sweep over him and he plunges again into despair. Then he gains the victory again. This means that it is very normal, even for the most godly of saints, to feel a gamut of emotions in the midst of severe trials. The key is not to be passive in letting your emotions keep you down. You’ve got to wrestle to process your emotions and gain victory in the Lord. That’s why the psalms are so helpful. The psalmist is often in despair at the beginning of the psalm, but he takes you through the process of fighting his way into the clear with the Lord, even if his circumstances haven’t changed.
David didn’t learn all about God suddenly in the middle of this crisis, although it deepened his knowledge of Him through this distress. David had begun to know God through His Word as a boy tending his father’s sheep. So when this crisis hit, David had resources in God to lean on. If you’re not in a crisis, take the time now to sink down roots in the Lord that will enable you to weather the inevitable storms that will come. Spend time alone with God and His Word, feeding your soul. Let His Word confront your life with sin that needs to be dealt with. Then you’ll be ready for stressful times.
Even if your stress is the result of sin, you can take refuge in God. David recognizes that, in part, his own sin was behind the crisis he was in. God will forgive our sin if we confess and forsake it, but He doesn’t necessarily remove the consequences (Gal. 6:7-8). But David’s experience shows that even if our calamity is the direct result of our sin, we can still run to God for refuge and know that He will receive us!
It’s significant that David’s enemies were still condemning him long after God had forgiven him. They were talking against him, making his name a reproach. And, what’s more, at least some of the charges were true! But David’s enemies didn’t know the sincerity of David’s repentance or the magnitude of God’s grace.
We must never condone sin, but we must be careful not to condemn repentant sinners either. Thank God that He is gracious and through the blood of Jesus forgives all our sin, or none of us could be here today! Yes, in His righteousness He often makes us suffer the temporal consequences of our sin. We need to encourage repentant sinners who are suffering those consequences, to take refuge in God’s grace and love.
God isn’t into easy solutions. He doesn’t usually remove the trial the instant we seek Him. But none who have waited on Him have found Him to fail. It’s only when we trust God in the midst of severe distress that we prove His faithfulness in our own experience. Waiting for God to deliver us is a difficult thing. Think of Joseph, languishing for the better part of his twenties in the dark Egyptian dungeon, his feet in irons. Why? Because he obeyed the Lord by resisting the advances of Potiphar’s wife! Why didn’t God answer his prayers sooner? We know the outcome, but for years, Joseph didn’t know that one day he would be released from prison and promoted to second in the land. But because Joseph trusted in God, he could later say to his brothers, “You meant it for evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Gen. 50:20).
Stress is a fact of life and the godly don’t get a free pass from it. God has a sovereign plan for all of history. He is working all times and epochs, as well as our times, for our ultimate good (Eph. 1:11; Rom. 8:28). When tragedy hits us, God is not asleep. His sovereignty is a great comfort in a time of trial. He has designed our distressing situation to teach us more about what it means to take refuge in Him. In a time of trial, Satan tempts us to doubt either God’s sovereignty or His personal love and care for us but we must stand firm in faith.
You may be thinking, “Well, then, if God is sovereign and if my times are in His hands, then there’s nothing left for me to do. Whatever will be, will be.” Not so! Stress is a fact of life, especially for the godly. The sovereign, personal God is a rock of refuge for us in stress, but we must actively trust in God. David is determined to trust God, but it isn’t automatic. He makes repeated affirmations of trust in God. Then he plunges again into the depths of despair, only to emerge again in verse 14 with the strong affirmation, “But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord. I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in Your hand.” The whole psalm is this repeated fight for faith in God in the midst of this severe trial.
David’s exuberant praise does not mean that his battles are over. In fact, there is no indication that his circumstances have changed at all. Rather, David has found strength in the battle as by faith he has taken refuge in the Lord.
David says, “Into Your hand I commit my spirit.” This is a tremendous amount of trust. We are given insight into the severity of David’s situation. In the midst of the enemies and in the midst of his affliction, only God can change the outcome. David relinquishes control of the situation and allows God’s will to rule. We are witnessing the essence of surrender. Surrender is the ability to say that our lives are in God’s hands. Jesus uttering these very words while on the cross. Jesus gave His life wholly over to God’s control. We see in the Jesus the ultimate example of surrender and Jesus completely surrendered His life to God’s will.
When others commit evil acts against us, we must trust God for His strength to get us through. It’s a great challenge for us to commit our lives to God in the midst of wrongdoing against us. We want to right the wrong against us, taking justice and vengeance into our own hands. Peter said, “Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.” (1 Peter 4:19).
Sometimes God will rescue our lives from death and sometimes he won’t, as in the case of Jesus. God knows our troubles and sees our afflictions. We must rejoice and be glad for the faithful love of the Lord that we enjoy. God is always with us and will not turn us over to the enemy and leave us. Even in the hands of a heathen king, God remained with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace and remained with Daniel in the lion’s den. When others do evil, we must trust God to rescue and to give us strength.
My times are in Your hands.” This is very similar to what we read earlier when David said, “Into Your hand I commit my spirit.” David is declaring that he is trusting God with his life. But to say that his times are in God’s hands, I believe, is to say that not only is his life in God’s hands, but the circumstances that surround him are also in God’s hands.
Job also cried out for the pain to stop and was condemned for being critical of God. I think the situation with David and Job remind us that we can ask God for mercy and that the pain be taken away, but always be mindful that God is in control. David continues to express his dependency on God. Job said that God had been unjust toward him and needed to correct His error. Our approach to God is very important. We must always come before God humbly and with a dependency and trust in God and His purposes. We do not always understand what is happening to us. We can either trust God and call for Him to help us or we can attack God and believe He is working against us. This is one of the fundamental differences in how David and Job viewed their suffering. Our call for mercy must not be based upon our thinking that God has acted wrongly and needs to correct the error. Rather, we call out for mercy, trusting that God has the power to do all things and will work out things in our best interest.
God keeps safe those who take their refuge in Him. It is interesting to see that David describes a greater fear of being far from the Lord than for the enemies that are conspiring against him. David cannot bear the thought of being cut off from God. Where we stand with God is what really matters most.
David calls for the saints to be strong and take heart. In the midst of suffering and tribulation it can be very difficult to remain strong in the Lord. It is a great challenge for us to take heart and keep our hope in the Lord. Many quickly lose heart when things go badly in life. We must always remain steadfast regardless of the situation we may face.
When others see the victory God has given to us, give God the glory. We need to let everyone know about the victory God has given to us in our times of suffering. Share with others about how we may have been saved from the brink of death. Tell people about how we have confidence in God even though we may be going through a time of suffering.
It’s always important to give God the glory, not ourselves, not our doctors, and not any other person. If our trust is in God, then we believe God is watching over us and taking care of us. We are told that every good thing comes from God. We need to give more glory to God when good things happen to us.
My reflection:
Hebrews 4:12 says the word of God is living and active and I have found that to be true for me. Sometimes I read this psalm and the part about God being a fortress holds special meaning because I’m going through a trial and need to hear that.
Lately what has struck me are the words “Into your your hands I commit my spirit…I trust you…my times are in your hands. Right now with the state of the world, the divisions, the Covid-19 and protests, I found I needed to trust God more than ever. I needed to surrender to his will, not only for me but for the world. I needed to entrust my body and my soul to his care completely. I don’t know what the future holds. Anything may happen. Bad things happen to good people and to the wicked. We all suffer. But one thing is certain for every living thing on this earth. We will all die. We have a set time. And that time is in God’s hands. I wish I could choose my own way to die—quick and painless and preferably in my sleep. But that’s not how it goes for any of us. But one thing I do have is my trust in God that no matter what the future holds he has me in the palm of his great and loving hands.
There was so much fear with Covid-19 and so many mixed messages that I was confused and upset. I didn’t know what choices to make. Is it safe to go here? Is it safe to go there? Am I doing everything I’m supposed to be doing? It felt like the fear was eating me alive. I learned to trust God to a degree and calmed down, but still I doubted everything I did because I still thought it was up to me to keep me safe. Finally when I read this psalm the realization came that I needed to surrender or commit my spirit to God. If I was going somewhere unsafe then I had to trust God to somehow stop me or make me change my mind about going. Otherwise I had to trust God has appointed my time and way to die and this might be the day. Worrying wasn’t going to add one more day to my life.
When I decided to commit my spirit and will to God and trust him there was a great peace. Whether I catch Covid-19 and die or if I suffer from some global catastrophes like fire, flood or earthquake, I know that God loves me and will give me strength to endure. And if I die, I know I’ll see his beautiful face and be reunited with those I have loved and lost.
There is comfort in surrendering because I know the character of my Father. I don’t surrender into the hands of someone who doesn’t care for me. I surrender myself, just as a trusting child places her life into the care of loving parents. The child doesn’t have to worry about each day because she knows who is looking out for her. She has parents who care for her, nourishes her, clothes her, cares for her when she is ill, and disciplines her when she needs it. She is protected and defended. And this is the kind of love my Father lavishes on me every day. So I can surrender my spirit and body into his tender loving hands, knowing no matter the outcome I will be with my God, and he with me—always.
SONG: I’m Trading My Sorrow, I Surrender All, Rock of Refuge (Gary Sadler)