Psalm 31

Psalm 31 continues with what we saw in Psalm 30, a psalm of lament and praise, anguish and assurance.
These are not utterances unique to David, but these are utterances we can all relate to and as we can
even see, they were quoted by Jesus. But specific to Psalm 31 we see David speaking in a private setting
where is more referencing himself (v1-18) and David speaking in a public setting where he mentions
general truths that could be affirmed by all (v19-24).

David see the refuge of the Lord as a something so secure that for him to retreat to, he wouldn’t be put
to shame. How many of us could relate to carrying around an umbrella and only when the time comes to
use it we realise that the arms are bent, it cannot fully open or the easiest gust of breeze inverts the
canopy and renders it useless? As embarrassing as that can be, David sees no hint of embarrassment in
his refuge in the Lord. And that verse 1 and emphasised by its next half that the righteousness of the
Lord is what will deliver him. The righteousness that God is covenant keeper is his assurance of refuge
and deliverance. In verse 2 he uses the imperative, “incline your ear to me…” Now one might say this is
the psalmist being intemperate but such is the boldness we can come to God based on his word. This is
not disrespectful; this is not us nagging God to do what he is reluctant to do. This is David praying in
accordance to God’s word and His nature. His feelings of anxiety are real and he desires that the Lord
act with his timeline. Nevertheless, the Lord is his salvation.

Verse 5 says, “into Your hand I commit my spirit.” At the end of the day, no matter what may befall the
psalmist, he entrusts his immaterial self to the Lord. Despite the deliverance from the Lord David
appeals for, there will always come a circumstance that will spell his death. But even then the psalmist
trusts in the Lord despite his sins because he has been ransomed by the Lord. That ransom was paid
1000 years later by Christ on the cross. Similarly we see in Luke 23:46 these were Jesus’ last recorded
words, most definitely in reference to this verse in Psalm 31. Jesus who was forsaken by the Father as he
became sin on our behalf, similarly entrusted Himself to the Father. In a mystery we cannot fully
comprehend, Jesus died and entrusted His spirit to the Father.

Verse 6 can rub many raw with David declare the people who he hates. This is no fluke as the Psalms
records this same hatred directed to people in Psalm 26:5 and 139:21. The latter reads, “Do I not hate
those who hate You, O Lord? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? I hate them with the
utmost hatred; They have become my enemies.” There is righteous hatred for those who stand in
opposition to God’s law and stand up to take on the kingdom of God. In this case the psalmist references
idolaters, hate is expressed in avoidance of them and abhorrence of their practise. But in Christ we have
the hope of covenant invitation to all men, and while we hate their practise we endure them to be
reconciled with Christ just as we were. But the hate of their ways is still there, we however have a
message of reconciliation to them, which is a demonstration of love.

Verses 9-10 read, “Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; My eye is wasted away from grief, my
soul and my body also. 10 For my life is spent with sorrow And my years with sighing; My strength has
failed because of my iniquity, And my body has wasted away.” All the impact of trials and tribulation on
the psalmist has caused both physical and non-physical issues within him. His strength has failed him
because of his iniquity, many times this could be the cause of sickness and unexplained sickness that no
doctor can diagnose. Depression, the dark cloud that can hang over us that no medicine or situation can
take away. We like David can find our only solace in the Lord that would restore us and bring us again to
a place of wholeness.

In face of all this, the psalmist is like a dead man, out of his mid and broken vessel, his trust is still in the
Lord just as when the Psalm started. Terror might be on every side, but the Lord’s servant may not be
put to shame. The world clamour about the doom of climate change, radical ideologies, debt crisis and
even locally crime and violence, but our trust is in the Lord. We recently heard of our brother Victor and
the terror the reached his brother’s home by bandits, but his trust is in the Lord. Verse 17 says, “Let the
wicked be put to shame, let them be silent in Sheol.” We trust that the Judge of all the earth will do
right. The punishment of man can only go so far but God’s righteous judgement will avenge the just
ones who were wronged.

In the second half of this Psalm, in the general or public setting of his lament, we see God being exalted.

V19 How great is Your goodness- God does good because it is his attribute

V21 Blessed be the Lord, For He has made marvelous His lovingkindness to me in a besieged city.

V23 O love the Lord, all you His godly ones! The Lord preserves the faithful And fully recompenses the
proud doer.

V24 Be strong and let your heart take courage, All you who hope in the Lord.