Psalm 31

David was king during a very tumultuous time in the region. Israel was literally surrounded by hostile nations. Here again David faces some attack. Note how David deals with the reality of trouble. This psalm actually journeys twice from anguish to assurance; first in verses 1-8 and again in 9-24. We will look at 1-8 here, but feel free to continue the journey through verse 9-24 in your Bible.

Kidner: This psalm impressed itself on more than one biblical character deeply enough to come to mind at moments of supreme crisis. Jonah’s prayer draws upon it (6); Jeremiah was haunted by a phrase from verse 13; verse 5 gave words to Jesus for His last utterance on the cross. And in old age the writer of Psalm 71; possibly David himself, opened his prayer with the substance of verses 1-3. It illustrates the role of the Psalms in meeting a great variety of human needs beyond the bounds of formal worship and the original experiences of the authors.

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

¹In you, O Lord, do I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame;
in your righteousness deliver me!
²Incline your ear to me;
rescue me speedily!
Be a rock of refuge for me,
a strong fortress to save me!
³For you are my rock and my fortress;
and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me;
⁴you take me out of the net they have hidden for me,
for you are my refuge.
⁵Into your hand I commit my spirit;
you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.
⁶I hate those who pay regard to worthless idols,
but I trust in the Lord.
⁷I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love,
because you have seen my affliction;
you have known the distress of my soul,
⁸and you have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy;
you have set my feet in a broad place.

How does David approach God in verses 1 & 2?

Do your prayers sound like this when you face difficult circumstances?

Note David’s metaphors of “rock” and “fortress” – they bring to mind images of his days on the run in the desert where he hid in natural rock formations from Saul. David remembers times in his earlier life when he was delivered from danger as he calls out to God in this time of distress.
How does David speak to the Lord in verse 3 & 4? Does he push away from God in a time of crisis and accuse God of wrong-doing?

Do you confidently associate yourself with God like this when you are in crisis? How do you respond?

David asks God to lead him in verse 3. On what basis does David do this? What does this mean?

In verse 5 David declares his course of action and bases it upon realities about who God is and what God has done. What does David choose to do?

Upon what basis does David do this?

In verse 7 David acknowledges that he resides “in [God’s] steadfast love.” The words “steadfast love” translate the Hebrew term hesed. This term refers to God’s covenantal love with which He binds Himself to His chosen people. David knows he is one of God’s people, and so, based upon God’s commitment of love, what does he choose to do in verse 7? What does he know that God will do because of their bond of love (7-8)?

In the OT, God’s chosen people were those who knew the One True God and trusted in His means of rescue from sin. They were committed to Him and He to them. In the New Testament God’s means of rescue from our sin is made manifestly clear: the person of Jesus Christ. In the moment he uttered the words of this psalm, “into your hands I commit my spirit” He had just paid for the sins of humanity on the cross. It is on the basis of this act that we can become the people of God. God knits Himself in a covenantal relationship of love with those who receive His Son. Have you done this? Those who look to Christ as their righteousness before God can have the confidence David did in crisis. Even when times are hard, I can know God listens and cares, because I am one of His kids. Read 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 and Ephesians 2.

Note: there is some textual variance on verse 6: some commentators believe it says “I hate” while others believe it is “You hate”, referring to God’s absolute rejection of worship given to idols. Of course we learn in the New Testament to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. Yet this text, equally inspired, does represent David’s absolute unwillingness to associate with the worship of false gods. After David, in the interest of diplomacy, many kings of Israel would participate in the acknowledgement and worship of idols. David refuses to be aligned with such activity. David is in a covenant relationship with the one true God, and He will not commit adultery. He refuses to be counted among those who would bow before false gods. We continue in this hatred of false gods, yet we pray that God would rescue the people who worship idols, and lead them to worship Him alone.