Psalms 65
KingCommentsPsalms 65:2
Introduction
The psalm describes David’s experience in a manner that also applies to the believing remnant. It is a plea and an expression of their trust. Some of the statements apply to the Lord Jesus, such as Psalms 31:5. The words of the first line of that verse are spoken by Him on the cross (Luke 23:46). Many portions of this psalm can also be applied to us.
David wrote the psalm in a time of great distress. It is the prayer of a person who is despised, blasphemed and persecuted. David experienced such a situation many times. We can see, therefore, that many of his psalms originated from it. In this psalm he encourages the depressed believer to love the Lord and be strong, for the Lord will keep him because his times are in His hand. The believer’s life is in the hand of God, not in those of enemies or circumstances.
Several times in this psalm we see the transition from supplication to thanks and vice versa from thanks to supplication:
First cycle: 1. prayer (Psalms 31:1b-2), 2. trust (Psalms 31:3-5) and 3. thanks (Psalms 31:5b-8). Second cycle: 1. complaint (Psalms 31:9-13), 2. trust (Psalms 31:14-15), 3. prayer (Psalms 31:15b-18) and 4. thanks (Psalms 31:19-24).
We see in them a representation of life, which has its ups and downs. Sometimes we are high on the mountain and other times deep in a valley. After the valley we climb up again, jubilantly, after which we can have another period of need. But the psalm ends with thanks and encouragement.
Call for Salvation
For “for the choir director” (verse1a) see at Psalms 4:1.
For “a Psalm of David” see at Psalms 3:1.
David says to the LORD that he has “taken refuge” in Him (Psalms 31:1b). With the emphasis on “in You” he declares that he trusts in God and has taken refuge in Him, “the LORD”. The LORD is the God Who is faithful to the covenant, the I AM WHO I AM. The psalm also ends with an encouragement to those who put their hope in the LORD (Psalms 31:24).
The LORD is his only shelter. He has no one else, nor does he want anyone else. He can ask no one else not to let him be ashamed. Only the LORD is able to prevent that and to do so in a way that it will never ever happen. For this he does not appeal to the grace of God, but to His “righteousness”.
The case for which he is praying involves false accusations and vicious attacks by enemies. Against these, God must act in righteousness and deliver him, otherwise he will be ashamed of his trust in Him. Righteousness here means that God will act in accordance with the covenant He made with Israel. If God hands him over into the hand of his enemies, it will also give the enemies cause to blaspheme the Name of God.
In short sentences he begs God to incline His ear to him (Psalms 31:2), that is, to pay attention to his plea. He begs for a quick rescue, because time is running out, the need is growing by the minute. And also whether God will yet be “a rock of strength”, that is, a rock house (Psalms 18:2), and “a stronghold” for him “to save” him. It makes clear how much the enemies are pressing on him and are already so close to him that they almost lay hands on him.
Psalms 65:3
Introduction
The psalm describes David’s experience in a manner that also applies to the believing remnant. It is a plea and an expression of their trust. Some of the statements apply to the Lord Jesus, such as Psalms 31:5. The words of the first line of that verse are spoken by Him on the cross (Luke 23:46). Many portions of this psalm can also be applied to us.
David wrote the psalm in a time of great distress. It is the prayer of a person who is despised, blasphemed and persecuted. David experienced such a situation many times. We can see, therefore, that many of his psalms originated from it. In this psalm he encourages the depressed believer to love the Lord and be strong, for the Lord will keep him because his times are in His hand. The believer’s life is in the hand of God, not in those of enemies or circumstances.
Several times in this psalm we see the transition from supplication to thanks and vice versa from thanks to supplication:
First cycle: 1. prayer (Psalms 31:1b-2), 2. trust (Psalms 31:3-5) and 3. thanks (Psalms 31:5b-8). Second cycle: 1. complaint (Psalms 31:9-13), 2. trust (Psalms 31:14-15), 3. prayer (Psalms 31:15b-18) and 4. thanks (Psalms 31:19-24).
We see in them a representation of life, which has its ups and downs. Sometimes we are high on the mountain and other times deep in a valley. After the valley we climb up again, jubilantly, after which we can have another period of need. But the psalm ends with thanks and encouragement.
Call for Salvation
For “for the choir director” (verse1a) see at Psalms 4:1.
For “a Psalm of David” see at Psalms 3:1.
David says to the LORD that he has “taken refuge” in Him (Psalms 31:1b). With the emphasis on “in You” he declares that he trusts in God and has taken refuge in Him, “the LORD”. The LORD is the God Who is faithful to the covenant, the I AM WHO I AM. The psalm also ends with an encouragement to those who put their hope in the LORD (Psalms 31:24).
The LORD is his only shelter. He has no one else, nor does he want anyone else. He can ask no one else not to let him be ashamed. Only the LORD is able to prevent that and to do so in a way that it will never ever happen. For this he does not appeal to the grace of God, but to His “righteousness”.
The case for which he is praying involves false accusations and vicious attacks by enemies. Against these, God must act in righteousness and deliver him, otherwise he will be ashamed of his trust in Him. Righteousness here means that God will act in accordance with the covenant He made with Israel. If God hands him over into the hand of his enemies, it will also give the enemies cause to blaspheme the Name of God.
In short sentences he begs God to incline His ear to him (Psalms 31:2), that is, to pay attention to his plea. He begs for a quick rescue, because time is running out, the need is growing by the minute. And also whether God will yet be “a rock of strength”, that is, a rock house (Psalms 18:2), and “a stronghold” for him “to save” him. It makes clear how much the enemies are pressing on him and are already so close to him that they almost lay hands on him.
Psalms 65:4
Trust and Gladness
In Psalms 31:3, David directly expresses confidence that God is to him what he asked in Psalms 31:2. We find several synonyms for God in connection with confidence: strong rock, fortress (Psalms 31:2; 3). The LORD is the rock, Whose work is perfect (Deuteronomy 32:4): this says something about the LORD’s willingness and ability to deliver His people.
Already during a prayer made in faith, the prayer receives the assurance of its being answered. This experience of David – and in the end time of the remnant – is a wonderful incentive for us to take refuge in God in faith. We will then also experience that “He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).
Having been strengthened by the hearing, David prays on, asking God to lead him and guide him and to do so “for Your name’s sake”. The honor of God is connected to the fate of His people. His name is dishonored when things turn bad for His people (cf. Psalms 23:3; Psalms 106:8). Here the psalmist returns to Psalms 23 where the LORD is seen as the good Shepherd (Psalms 23:1).
The way is full of dangers. The enemies are lurking. To avoid falling into their hands he asks the LORD to lead him. He also asks God to guide him, in which is contained the question to do it with patience. How we too need to ask that! The motive is not so much that we will be kept if God is our Guide, but that His Name will be glorified.
In Psalms 31:4, David speaks of what his enemies are doing to him. They have secretly laid an invisible net for him. David often complains in Psalms about nets and traps that his enemies have laid to catch him with. He asks if God will pull him out of it and free him from its danger. He himself cannot do it, but God, of Whom he says “You are my strength”, can.
David commits his spirit, which is his life or breath of life, into God’s hand (Psalms 31:5). This is a culmination of trust, it is trust unto death. This applies in fullness only to the Lord Jesus. We are admonished, though, to imitate this trust (1 Peter 4:19).
David cannot protect his spirit, his life, himself and therefore places it in God’s hand. We hear the Lord Jesus speak the same words as He hangs on the cross, at the end of His suffering on the cross (Luke 23:46). There are, however, differences from what David says. We see, as noted above, that our confidence is weak, while that of the Lord Jesus is perfect.
These words occur in the evening prayer of the Jews before they go to sleep. ‘To commit’ means ‘to entrust temporarily’, a kind of deposit, a deposit of savings to be withdrawn later. Here it expresses the expectation that the Lord Jesus will rise. With the Jews and with David it expresses the expectation that they will rise from sleep the next day.
Further, we see that these words from David’s mouth imply a request for protection. It means that he no longer makes plans himself, but leaves it to God. This is also different with the Lord Jesus. He has always done everything in perfect agreement with His God and Father. With Him, committing His spirit into the hand of His Father is His final act of dedication, of Self-surrender. No one has taken His life, His life-breath, from Him. He surrenders His spirit Himself, He lays down His life Himself because He received a commandment from the Father to do so (John 10:17-18).
David’s spirit was not taken from him, for God made sure he kept his life. He testifies with gratitude that the “LORD”, the “God of truth”, or “faithful God” as it can also be translated, can and will redeem. God has proven that He is the faithful God or the God of truth. Opposite to that God David places his enemies, as people “who regard vain idols” (Psalms 31:6) or people who put their trust in these puny gods, these empty vanities. He contrasts this with emphasis, “I”, that he trusts in the LORD.
David has great joy because of the lovingkindness of God (Psalms 31:7). After all, God has seen his misery. And not only that. He has known the troubles of David’s soul, that is, He has not only taken note of it, but participated in it. It implies a deep knowledge that was gained through intimacy.
David thanks God that He has not given him over “into the hand of the enemy”, but on the contrary has set his “feet in a large place” (Psalms 31:8). We can think here of the persecution by Saul who surrounded him at some moment and that God delivers him from it (1 Samuel 23:26-28).
Psalms 65:5
Trust and Gladness
In Psalms 31:3, David directly expresses confidence that God is to him what he asked in Psalms 31:2. We find several synonyms for God in connection with confidence: strong rock, fortress (Psalms 31:2; 3). The LORD is the rock, Whose work is perfect (Deuteronomy 32:4): this says something about the LORD’s willingness and ability to deliver His people.
Already during a prayer made in faith, the prayer receives the assurance of its being answered. This experience of David – and in the end time of the remnant – is a wonderful incentive for us to take refuge in God in faith. We will then also experience that “He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).
Having been strengthened by the hearing, David prays on, asking God to lead him and guide him and to do so “for Your name’s sake”. The honor of God is connected to the fate of His people. His name is dishonored when things turn bad for His people (cf. Psalms 23:3; Psalms 106:8). Here the psalmist returns to Psalms 23 where the LORD is seen as the good Shepherd (Psalms 23:1).
The way is full of dangers. The enemies are lurking. To avoid falling into their hands he asks the LORD to lead him. He also asks God to guide him, in which is contained the question to do it with patience. How we too need to ask that! The motive is not so much that we will be kept if God is our Guide, but that His Name will be glorified.
In Psalms 31:4, David speaks of what his enemies are doing to him. They have secretly laid an invisible net for him. David often complains in Psalms about nets and traps that his enemies have laid to catch him with. He asks if God will pull him out of it and free him from its danger. He himself cannot do it, but God, of Whom he says “You are my strength”, can.
David commits his spirit, which is his life or breath of life, into God’s hand (Psalms 31:5). This is a culmination of trust, it is trust unto death. This applies in fullness only to the Lord Jesus. We are admonished, though, to imitate this trust (1 Peter 4:19).
David cannot protect his spirit, his life, himself and therefore places it in God’s hand. We hear the Lord Jesus speak the same words as He hangs on the cross, at the end of His suffering on the cross (Luke 23:46). There are, however, differences from what David says. We see, as noted above, that our confidence is weak, while that of the Lord Jesus is perfect.
These words occur in the evening prayer of the Jews before they go to sleep. ‘To commit’ means ‘to entrust temporarily’, a kind of deposit, a deposit of savings to be withdrawn later. Here it expresses the expectation that the Lord Jesus will rise. With the Jews and with David it expresses the expectation that they will rise from sleep the next day.
Further, we see that these words from David’s mouth imply a request for protection. It means that he no longer makes plans himself, but leaves it to God. This is also different with the Lord Jesus. He has always done everything in perfect agreement with His God and Father. With Him, committing His spirit into the hand of His Father is His final act of dedication, of Self-surrender. No one has taken His life, His life-breath, from Him. He surrenders His spirit Himself, He lays down His life Himself because He received a commandment from the Father to do so (John 10:17-18).
David’s spirit was not taken from him, for God made sure he kept his life. He testifies with gratitude that the “LORD”, the “God of truth”, or “faithful God” as it can also be translated, can and will redeem. God has proven that He is the faithful God or the God of truth. Opposite to that God David places his enemies, as people “who regard vain idols” (Psalms 31:6) or people who put their trust in these puny gods, these empty vanities. He contrasts this with emphasis, “I”, that he trusts in the LORD.
David has great joy because of the lovingkindness of God (Psalms 31:7). After all, God has seen his misery. And not only that. He has known the troubles of David’s soul, that is, He has not only taken note of it, but participated in it. It implies a deep knowledge that was gained through intimacy.
David thanks God that He has not given him over “into the hand of the enemy”, but on the contrary has set his “feet in a large place” (Psalms 31:8). We can think here of the persecution by Saul who surrounded him at some moment and that God delivers him from it (1 Samuel 23:26-28).
Psalms 65:6
Trust and Gladness
In Psalms 31:3, David directly expresses confidence that God is to him what he asked in Psalms 31:2. We find several synonyms for God in connection with confidence: strong rock, fortress (Psalms 31:2; 3). The LORD is the rock, Whose work is perfect (Deuteronomy 32:4): this says something about the LORD’s willingness and ability to deliver His people.
Already during a prayer made in faith, the prayer receives the assurance of its being answered. This experience of David – and in the end time of the remnant – is a wonderful incentive for us to take refuge in God in faith. We will then also experience that “He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).
Having been strengthened by the hearing, David prays on, asking God to lead him and guide him and to do so “for Your name’s sake”. The honor of God is connected to the fate of His people. His name is dishonored when things turn bad for His people (cf. Psalms 23:3; Psalms 106:8). Here the psalmist returns to Psalms 23 where the LORD is seen as the good Shepherd (Psalms 23:1).
The way is full of dangers. The enemies are lurking. To avoid falling into their hands he asks the LORD to lead him. He also asks God to guide him, in which is contained the question to do it with patience. How we too need to ask that! The motive is not so much that we will be kept if God is our Guide, but that His Name will be glorified.
In Psalms 31:4, David speaks of what his enemies are doing to him. They have secretly laid an invisible net for him. David often complains in Psalms about nets and traps that his enemies have laid to catch him with. He asks if God will pull him out of it and free him from its danger. He himself cannot do it, but God, of Whom he says “You are my strength”, can.
David commits his spirit, which is his life or breath of life, into God’s hand (Psalms 31:5). This is a culmination of trust, it is trust unto death. This applies in fullness only to the Lord Jesus. We are admonished, though, to imitate this trust (1 Peter 4:19).
David cannot protect his spirit, his life, himself and therefore places it in God’s hand. We hear the Lord Jesus speak the same words as He hangs on the cross, at the end of His suffering on the cross (Luke 23:46). There are, however, differences from what David says. We see, as noted above, that our confidence is weak, while that of the Lord Jesus is perfect.
These words occur in the evening prayer of the Jews before they go to sleep. ‘To commit’ means ‘to entrust temporarily’, a kind of deposit, a deposit of savings to be withdrawn later. Here it expresses the expectation that the Lord Jesus will rise. With the Jews and with David it expresses the expectation that they will rise from sleep the next day.
Further, we see that these words from David’s mouth imply a request for protection. It means that he no longer makes plans himself, but leaves it to God. This is also different with the Lord Jesus. He has always done everything in perfect agreement with His God and Father. With Him, committing His spirit into the hand of His Father is His final act of dedication, of Self-surrender. No one has taken His life, His life-breath, from Him. He surrenders His spirit Himself, He lays down His life Himself because He received a commandment from the Father to do so (John 10:17-18).
David’s spirit was not taken from him, for God made sure he kept his life. He testifies with gratitude that the “LORD”, the “God of truth”, or “faithful God” as it can also be translated, can and will redeem. God has proven that He is the faithful God or the God of truth. Opposite to that God David places his enemies, as people “who regard vain idols” (Psalms 31:6) or people who put their trust in these puny gods, these empty vanities. He contrasts this with emphasis, “I”, that he trusts in the LORD.
David has great joy because of the lovingkindness of God (Psalms 31:7). After all, God has seen his misery. And not only that. He has known the troubles of David’s soul, that is, He has not only taken note of it, but participated in it. It implies a deep knowledge that was gained through intimacy.
David thanks God that He has not given him over “into the hand of the enemy”, but on the contrary has set his “feet in a large place” (Psalms 31:8). We can think here of the persecution by Saul who surrounded him at some moment and that God delivers him from it (1 Samuel 23:26-28).
Psalms 65:7
Trust and Gladness
In Psalms 31:3, David directly expresses confidence that God is to him what he asked in Psalms 31:2. We find several synonyms for God in connection with confidence: strong rock, fortress (Psalms 31:2; 3). The LORD is the rock, Whose work is perfect (Deuteronomy 32:4): this says something about the LORD’s willingness and ability to deliver His people.
Already during a prayer made in faith, the prayer receives the assurance of its being answered. This experience of David – and in the end time of the remnant – is a wonderful incentive for us to take refuge in God in faith. We will then also experience that “He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).
Having been strengthened by the hearing, David prays on, asking God to lead him and guide him and to do so “for Your name’s sake”. The honor of God is connected to the fate of His people. His name is dishonored when things turn bad for His people (cf. Psalms 23:3; Psalms 106:8). Here the psalmist returns to Psalms 23 where the LORD is seen as the good Shepherd (Psalms 23:1).
The way is full of dangers. The enemies are lurking. To avoid falling into their hands he asks the LORD to lead him. He also asks God to guide him, in which is contained the question to do it with patience. How we too need to ask that! The motive is not so much that we will be kept if God is our Guide, but that His Name will be glorified.
In Psalms 31:4, David speaks of what his enemies are doing to him. They have secretly laid an invisible net for him. David often complains in Psalms about nets and traps that his enemies have laid to catch him with. He asks if God will pull him out of it and free him from its danger. He himself cannot do it, but God, of Whom he says “You are my strength”, can.
David commits his spirit, which is his life or breath of life, into God’s hand (Psalms 31:5). This is a culmination of trust, it is trust unto death. This applies in fullness only to the Lord Jesus. We are admonished, though, to imitate this trust (1 Peter 4:19).
David cannot protect his spirit, his life, himself and therefore places it in God’s hand. We hear the Lord Jesus speak the same words as He hangs on the cross, at the end of His suffering on the cross (Luke 23:46). There are, however, differences from what David says. We see, as noted above, that our confidence is weak, while that of the Lord Jesus is perfect.
These words occur in the evening prayer of the Jews before they go to sleep. ‘To commit’ means ‘to entrust temporarily’, a kind of deposit, a deposit of savings to be withdrawn later. Here it expresses the expectation that the Lord Jesus will rise. With the Jews and with David it expresses the expectation that they will rise from sleep the next day.
Further, we see that these words from David’s mouth imply a request for protection. It means that he no longer makes plans himself, but leaves it to God. This is also different with the Lord Jesus. He has always done everything in perfect agreement with His God and Father. With Him, committing His spirit into the hand of His Father is His final act of dedication, of Self-surrender. No one has taken His life, His life-breath, from Him. He surrenders His spirit Himself, He lays down His life Himself because He received a commandment from the Father to do so (John 10:17-18).
David’s spirit was not taken from him, for God made sure he kept his life. He testifies with gratitude that the “LORD”, the “God of truth”, or “faithful God” as it can also be translated, can and will redeem. God has proven that He is the faithful God or the God of truth. Opposite to that God David places his enemies, as people “who regard vain idols” (Psalms 31:6) or people who put their trust in these puny gods, these empty vanities. He contrasts this with emphasis, “I”, that he trusts in the LORD.
David has great joy because of the lovingkindness of God (Psalms 31:7). After all, God has seen his misery. And not only that. He has known the troubles of David’s soul, that is, He has not only taken note of it, but participated in it. It implies a deep knowledge that was gained through intimacy.
David thanks God that He has not given him over “into the hand of the enemy”, but on the contrary has set his “feet in a large place” (Psalms 31:8). We can think here of the persecution by Saul who surrounded him at some moment and that God delivers him from it (1 Samuel 23:26-28).
Psalms 65:8
Trust and Gladness
In Psalms 31:3, David directly expresses confidence that God is to him what he asked in Psalms 31:2. We find several synonyms for God in connection with confidence: strong rock, fortress (Psalms 31:2; 3). The LORD is the rock, Whose work is perfect (Deuteronomy 32:4): this says something about the LORD’s willingness and ability to deliver His people.
Already during a prayer made in faith, the prayer receives the assurance of its being answered. This experience of David – and in the end time of the remnant – is a wonderful incentive for us to take refuge in God in faith. We will then also experience that “He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).
Having been strengthened by the hearing, David prays on, asking God to lead him and guide him and to do so “for Your name’s sake”. The honor of God is connected to the fate of His people. His name is dishonored when things turn bad for His people (cf. Psalms 23:3; Psalms 106:8). Here the psalmist returns to Psalms 23 where the LORD is seen as the good Shepherd (Psalms 23:1).
The way is full of dangers. The enemies are lurking. To avoid falling into their hands he asks the LORD to lead him. He also asks God to guide him, in which is contained the question to do it with patience. How we too need to ask that! The motive is not so much that we will be kept if God is our Guide, but that His Name will be glorified.
In Psalms 31:4, David speaks of what his enemies are doing to him. They have secretly laid an invisible net for him. David often complains in Psalms about nets and traps that his enemies have laid to catch him with. He asks if God will pull him out of it and free him from its danger. He himself cannot do it, but God, of Whom he says “You are my strength”, can.
David commits his spirit, which is his life or breath of life, into God’s hand (Psalms 31:5). This is a culmination of trust, it is trust unto death. This applies in fullness only to the Lord Jesus. We are admonished, though, to imitate this trust (1 Peter 4:19).
David cannot protect his spirit, his life, himself and therefore places it in God’s hand. We hear the Lord Jesus speak the same words as He hangs on the cross, at the end of His suffering on the cross (Luke 23:46). There are, however, differences from what David says. We see, as noted above, that our confidence is weak, while that of the Lord Jesus is perfect.
These words occur in the evening prayer of the Jews before they go to sleep. ‘To commit’ means ‘to entrust temporarily’, a kind of deposit, a deposit of savings to be withdrawn later. Here it expresses the expectation that the Lord Jesus will rise. With the Jews and with David it expresses the expectation that they will rise from sleep the next day.
Further, we see that these words from David’s mouth imply a request for protection. It means that he no longer makes plans himself, but leaves it to God. This is also different with the Lord Jesus. He has always done everything in perfect agreement with His God and Father. With Him, committing His spirit into the hand of His Father is His final act of dedication, of Self-surrender. No one has taken His life, His life-breath, from Him. He surrenders His spirit Himself, He lays down His life Himself because He received a commandment from the Father to do so (John 10:17-18).
David’s spirit was not taken from him, for God made sure he kept his life. He testifies with gratitude that the “LORD”, the “God of truth”, or “faithful God” as it can also be translated, can and will redeem. God has proven that He is the faithful God or the God of truth. Opposite to that God David places his enemies, as people “who regard vain idols” (Psalms 31:6) or people who put their trust in these puny gods, these empty vanities. He contrasts this with emphasis, “I”, that he trusts in the LORD.
David has great joy because of the lovingkindness of God (Psalms 31:7). After all, God has seen his misery. And not only that. He has known the troubles of David’s soul, that is, He has not only taken note of it, but participated in it. It implies a deep knowledge that was gained through intimacy.
David thanks God that He has not given him over “into the hand of the enemy”, but on the contrary has set his “feet in a large place” (Psalms 31:8). We can think here of the persecution by Saul who surrounded him at some moment and that God delivers him from it (1 Samuel 23:26-28).
Psalms 65:9
Trust and Gladness
In Psalms 31:3, David directly expresses confidence that God is to him what he asked in Psalms 31:2. We find several synonyms for God in connection with confidence: strong rock, fortress (Psalms 31:2; 3). The LORD is the rock, Whose work is perfect (Deuteronomy 32:4): this says something about the LORD’s willingness and ability to deliver His people.
Already during a prayer made in faith, the prayer receives the assurance of its being answered. This experience of David – and in the end time of the remnant – is a wonderful incentive for us to take refuge in God in faith. We will then also experience that “He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).
Having been strengthened by the hearing, David prays on, asking God to lead him and guide him and to do so “for Your name’s sake”. The honor of God is connected to the fate of His people. His name is dishonored when things turn bad for His people (cf. Psalms 23:3; Psalms 106:8). Here the psalmist returns to Psalms 23 where the LORD is seen as the good Shepherd (Psalms 23:1).
The way is full of dangers. The enemies are lurking. To avoid falling into their hands he asks the LORD to lead him. He also asks God to guide him, in which is contained the question to do it with patience. How we too need to ask that! The motive is not so much that we will be kept if God is our Guide, but that His Name will be glorified.
In Psalms 31:4, David speaks of what his enemies are doing to him. They have secretly laid an invisible net for him. David often complains in Psalms about nets and traps that his enemies have laid to catch him with. He asks if God will pull him out of it and free him from its danger. He himself cannot do it, but God, of Whom he says “You are my strength”, can.
David commits his spirit, which is his life or breath of life, into God’s hand (Psalms 31:5). This is a culmination of trust, it is trust unto death. This applies in fullness only to the Lord Jesus. We are admonished, though, to imitate this trust (1 Peter 4:19).
David cannot protect his spirit, his life, himself and therefore places it in God’s hand. We hear the Lord Jesus speak the same words as He hangs on the cross, at the end of His suffering on the cross (Luke 23:46). There are, however, differences from what David says. We see, as noted above, that our confidence is weak, while that of the Lord Jesus is perfect.
These words occur in the evening prayer of the Jews before they go to sleep. ‘To commit’ means ‘to entrust temporarily’, a kind of deposit, a deposit of savings to be withdrawn later. Here it expresses the expectation that the Lord Jesus will rise. With the Jews and with David it expresses the expectation that they will rise from sleep the next day.
Further, we see that these words from David’s mouth imply a request for protection. It means that he no longer makes plans himself, but leaves it to God. This is also different with the Lord Jesus. He has always done everything in perfect agreement with His God and Father. With Him, committing His spirit into the hand of His Father is His final act of dedication, of Self-surrender. No one has taken His life, His life-breath, from Him. He surrenders His spirit Himself, He lays down His life Himself because He received a commandment from the Father to do so (John 10:17-18).
David’s spirit was not taken from him, for God made sure he kept his life. He testifies with gratitude that the “LORD”, the “God of truth”, or “faithful God” as it can also be translated, can and will redeem. God has proven that He is the faithful God or the God of truth. Opposite to that God David places his enemies, as people “who regard vain idols” (Psalms 31:6) or people who put their trust in these puny gods, these empty vanities. He contrasts this with emphasis, “I”, that he trusts in the LORD.
David has great joy because of the lovingkindness of God (Psalms 31:7). After all, God has seen his misery. And not only that. He has known the troubles of David’s soul, that is, He has not only taken note of it, but participated in it. It implies a deep knowledge that was gained through intimacy.
David thanks God that He has not given him over “into the hand of the enemy”, but on the contrary has set his “feet in a large place” (Psalms 31:8). We can think here of the persecution by Saul who surrounded him at some moment and that God delivers him from it (1 Samuel 23:26-28).
Psalms 65:10
Prayer in Distress
In this section we hear again a prayer in distress. David’s trust is tested, resulting in exercises of faith. Before God, he has expressed his trust in Him. Now comes the practice: he sees his enemies. Then David notices that he has, so to speak, the treasure in an earthen vessel, and that the spirit may be willing, but the flesh is weak. Therefore, he appeals to God’s grace here, so that later he may find, as Paul experienced, that when he is weak, he is strong (in the Lord).
The prayer in distress in this section goes deeper than the supplication in Psalms 31:1b. There David appeals to God’s righteousness, here to His grace. He portrays his affliction, he spreads out his distress before God. He is in distress (Psalms 31:9). His earlier experience in Psalms 31:8, that his feet were set in a large place by God, he seems to have forgotten. Reality seizes him again. But he goes with that reality to God, of Whom he said in Psalms 31:3 that He is his rock and fortress.
Just when the harsh reality of circumstances overwhelms him, he speaks to God about his distress. He is weakened from grief. His eye is wasted away, he no longer sees all things clearly; his soul is also wasted away. He can’t bear it anymore. He can hardly gather the strength to go on living; he is tired of life. His bones are wasted away as well; he is exhausted within, in his emotional life.
Prolonged sorrow destroys a person’s strength; his life wastes away because of it (Psalms 31:10). The only thing he can do is sigh, because he no longer has words to express his sorrow. So the years go by. He realizes that his strength has failed because of his “iniquity”. Here again we find a great difference between David and the Lord Jesus. David speaks of his iniquity, while the Lord has taken our iniquities upon Himself.
Here David is no longer speaking of his enemies, but of his own sinfulness. As a result, he can no longer walk in faith. His body or substance has wasted away.
Besides his inner distress there is also the distress that is inflicted on him by others, from outside (Psalms 31:11). He has many adversaries and “all” those adversaries have caused him to become “a reproach”. His “neighbors”, the people with whom he interacted regularly, whom he could expect to be ‘a good neighbor’ (cf. Proverbs 27:10), have turned against him the most.
Neighbors are people who live nearby, while “acquaintances” are friends, people close to your heart. Even for his “acquaintances” he has become an object of dread. They see him as a leper, someone with whom it is better to have no contact. That’s why they keep well away from him when they see him coming in the distance. They avoid him like the plague. This is also what the Lord Jesus experienced.
He feels like a dead man, someone who has been forgotten, out of mind, someone who is ignored, to whom no one cares (Psalms 31:12). Here it really is ‘out of sight, out of mind’. Nobody thinks of him anymore. He has become “like a broken vessel”, like a useless utensil, of no use to anyone. His life lies in sherds, it is broken beyond repair.
Then there is the slander about him all around (Psalms 31:13). On the one hand he is forgotten, he is ignored and shunned like a leper, but on the other hand people talk about him, they speak ill of him. He hears what they say. It is all slander. He feels that he is surrounded by enemies, causing fear to overcome him from all sides. For they conspire against him and devise plans to put him to death. He is already being treated as a dead man and now they want to actually end his life.
This way of talking behind someone’s back is nowadays called ‘mobbing’. Mobbing can be defined as humiliating, intimidating or hostile behavior that is systematically directed at the same person, who is unable to defend himself. This is a tried and tested means of bringing someone down. They intend to literally neutralize him, to get rid of him. With the Lord Jesus this literally happened, when the decision was made to kill Him (John 11:53).
Mobbing is used in the world, for example in a work situation toward a colleague. It can also happen in professing Christianity, as it happened here with David. Not only in the world, but especially in Christianity, the most horrible slander against the Lord Jesus is proclaimed. Believers also suffer from these practices. The following verses of this psalm show what we should do in such cases.
Psalms 65:11
Prayer in Distress
In this section we hear again a prayer in distress. David’s trust is tested, resulting in exercises of faith. Before God, he has expressed his trust in Him. Now comes the practice: he sees his enemies. Then David notices that he has, so to speak, the treasure in an earthen vessel, and that the spirit may be willing, but the flesh is weak. Therefore, he appeals to God’s grace here, so that later he may find, as Paul experienced, that when he is weak, he is strong (in the Lord).
The prayer in distress in this section goes deeper than the supplication in Psalms 31:1b. There David appeals to God’s righteousness, here to His grace. He portrays his affliction, he spreads out his distress before God. He is in distress (Psalms 31:9). His earlier experience in Psalms 31:8, that his feet were set in a large place by God, he seems to have forgotten. Reality seizes him again. But he goes with that reality to God, of Whom he said in Psalms 31:3 that He is his rock and fortress.
Just when the harsh reality of circumstances overwhelms him, he speaks to God about his distress. He is weakened from grief. His eye is wasted away, he no longer sees all things clearly; his soul is also wasted away. He can’t bear it anymore. He can hardly gather the strength to go on living; he is tired of life. His bones are wasted away as well; he is exhausted within, in his emotional life.
Prolonged sorrow destroys a person’s strength; his life wastes away because of it (Psalms 31:10). The only thing he can do is sigh, because he no longer has words to express his sorrow. So the years go by. He realizes that his strength has failed because of his “iniquity”. Here again we find a great difference between David and the Lord Jesus. David speaks of his iniquity, while the Lord has taken our iniquities upon Himself.
Here David is no longer speaking of his enemies, but of his own sinfulness. As a result, he can no longer walk in faith. His body or substance has wasted away.
Besides his inner distress there is also the distress that is inflicted on him by others, from outside (Psalms 31:11). He has many adversaries and “all” those adversaries have caused him to become “a reproach”. His “neighbors”, the people with whom he interacted regularly, whom he could expect to be ‘a good neighbor’ (cf. Proverbs 27:10), have turned against him the most.
Neighbors are people who live nearby, while “acquaintances” are friends, people close to your heart. Even for his “acquaintances” he has become an object of dread. They see him as a leper, someone with whom it is better to have no contact. That’s why they keep well away from him when they see him coming in the distance. They avoid him like the plague. This is also what the Lord Jesus experienced.
He feels like a dead man, someone who has been forgotten, out of mind, someone who is ignored, to whom no one cares (Psalms 31:12). Here it really is ‘out of sight, out of mind’. Nobody thinks of him anymore. He has become “like a broken vessel”, like a useless utensil, of no use to anyone. His life lies in sherds, it is broken beyond repair.
Then there is the slander about him all around (Psalms 31:13). On the one hand he is forgotten, he is ignored and shunned like a leper, but on the other hand people talk about him, they speak ill of him. He hears what they say. It is all slander. He feels that he is surrounded by enemies, causing fear to overcome him from all sides. For they conspire against him and devise plans to put him to death. He is already being treated as a dead man and now they want to actually end his life.
This way of talking behind someone’s back is nowadays called ‘mobbing’. Mobbing can be defined as humiliating, intimidating or hostile behavior that is systematically directed at the same person, who is unable to defend himself. This is a tried and tested means of bringing someone down. They intend to literally neutralize him, to get rid of him. With the Lord Jesus this literally happened, when the decision was made to kill Him (John 11:53).
Mobbing is used in the world, for example in a work situation toward a colleague. It can also happen in professing Christianity, as it happened here with David. Not only in the world, but especially in Christianity, the most horrible slander against the Lord Jesus is proclaimed. Believers also suffer from these practices. The following verses of this psalm show what we should do in such cases.
Psalms 65:12
Prayer in Distress
In this section we hear again a prayer in distress. David’s trust is tested, resulting in exercises of faith. Before God, he has expressed his trust in Him. Now comes the practice: he sees his enemies. Then David notices that he has, so to speak, the treasure in an earthen vessel, and that the spirit may be willing, but the flesh is weak. Therefore, he appeals to God’s grace here, so that later he may find, as Paul experienced, that when he is weak, he is strong (in the Lord).
The prayer in distress in this section goes deeper than the supplication in Psalms 31:1b. There David appeals to God’s righteousness, here to His grace. He portrays his affliction, he spreads out his distress before God. He is in distress (Psalms 31:9). His earlier experience in Psalms 31:8, that his feet were set in a large place by God, he seems to have forgotten. Reality seizes him again. But he goes with that reality to God, of Whom he said in Psalms 31:3 that He is his rock and fortress.
Just when the harsh reality of circumstances overwhelms him, he speaks to God about his distress. He is weakened from grief. His eye is wasted away, he no longer sees all things clearly; his soul is also wasted away. He can’t bear it anymore. He can hardly gather the strength to go on living; he is tired of life. His bones are wasted away as well; he is exhausted within, in his emotional life.
Prolonged sorrow destroys a person’s strength; his life wastes away because of it (Psalms 31:10). The only thing he can do is sigh, because he no longer has words to express his sorrow. So the years go by. He realizes that his strength has failed because of his “iniquity”. Here again we find a great difference between David and the Lord Jesus. David speaks of his iniquity, while the Lord has taken our iniquities upon Himself.
Here David is no longer speaking of his enemies, but of his own sinfulness. As a result, he can no longer walk in faith. His body or substance has wasted away.
Besides his inner distress there is also the distress that is inflicted on him by others, from outside (Psalms 31:11). He has many adversaries and “all” those adversaries have caused him to become “a reproach”. His “neighbors”, the people with whom he interacted regularly, whom he could expect to be ‘a good neighbor’ (cf. Proverbs 27:10), have turned against him the most.
Neighbors are people who live nearby, while “acquaintances” are friends, people close to your heart. Even for his “acquaintances” he has become an object of dread. They see him as a leper, someone with whom it is better to have no contact. That’s why they keep well away from him when they see him coming in the distance. They avoid him like the plague. This is also what the Lord Jesus experienced.
He feels like a dead man, someone who has been forgotten, out of mind, someone who is ignored, to whom no one cares (Psalms 31:12). Here it really is ‘out of sight, out of mind’. Nobody thinks of him anymore. He has become “like a broken vessel”, like a useless utensil, of no use to anyone. His life lies in sherds, it is broken beyond repair.
Then there is the slander about him all around (Psalms 31:13). On the one hand he is forgotten, he is ignored and shunned like a leper, but on the other hand people talk about him, they speak ill of him. He hears what they say. It is all slander. He feels that he is surrounded by enemies, causing fear to overcome him from all sides. For they conspire against him and devise plans to put him to death. He is already being treated as a dead man and now they want to actually end his life.
This way of talking behind someone’s back is nowadays called ‘mobbing’. Mobbing can be defined as humiliating, intimidating or hostile behavior that is systematically directed at the same person, who is unable to defend himself. This is a tried and tested means of bringing someone down. They intend to literally neutralize him, to get rid of him. With the Lord Jesus this literally happened, when the decision was made to kill Him (John 11:53).
Mobbing is used in the world, for example in a work situation toward a colleague. It can also happen in professing Christianity, as it happened here with David. Not only in the world, but especially in Christianity, the most horrible slander against the Lord Jesus is proclaimed. Believers also suffer from these practices. The following verses of this psalm show what we should do in such cases.
Psalms 65:13
Prayer in Distress
In this section we hear again a prayer in distress. David’s trust is tested, resulting in exercises of faith. Before God, he has expressed his trust in Him. Now comes the practice: he sees his enemies. Then David notices that he has, so to speak, the treasure in an earthen vessel, and that the spirit may be willing, but the flesh is weak. Therefore, he appeals to God’s grace here, so that later he may find, as Paul experienced, that when he is weak, he is strong (in the Lord).
The prayer in distress in this section goes deeper than the supplication in Psalms 31:1b. There David appeals to God’s righteousness, here to His grace. He portrays his affliction, he spreads out his distress before God. He is in distress (Psalms 31:9). His earlier experience in Psalms 31:8, that his feet were set in a large place by God, he seems to have forgotten. Reality seizes him again. But he goes with that reality to God, of Whom he said in Psalms 31:3 that He is his rock and fortress.
Just when the harsh reality of circumstances overwhelms him, he speaks to God about his distress. He is weakened from grief. His eye is wasted away, he no longer sees all things clearly; his soul is also wasted away. He can’t bear it anymore. He can hardly gather the strength to go on living; he is tired of life. His bones are wasted away as well; he is exhausted within, in his emotional life.
Prolonged sorrow destroys a person’s strength; his life wastes away because of it (Psalms 31:10). The only thing he can do is sigh, because he no longer has words to express his sorrow. So the years go by. He realizes that his strength has failed because of his “iniquity”. Here again we find a great difference between David and the Lord Jesus. David speaks of his iniquity, while the Lord has taken our iniquities upon Himself.
Here David is no longer speaking of his enemies, but of his own sinfulness. As a result, he can no longer walk in faith. His body or substance has wasted away.
Besides his inner distress there is also the distress that is inflicted on him by others, from outside (Psalms 31:11). He has many adversaries and “all” those adversaries have caused him to become “a reproach”. His “neighbors”, the people with whom he interacted regularly, whom he could expect to be ‘a good neighbor’ (cf. Proverbs 27:10), have turned against him the most.
Neighbors are people who live nearby, while “acquaintances” are friends, people close to your heart. Even for his “acquaintances” he has become an object of dread. They see him as a leper, someone with whom it is better to have no contact. That’s why they keep well away from him when they see him coming in the distance. They avoid him like the plague. This is also what the Lord Jesus experienced.
He feels like a dead man, someone who has been forgotten, out of mind, someone who is ignored, to whom no one cares (Psalms 31:12). Here it really is ‘out of sight, out of mind’. Nobody thinks of him anymore. He has become “like a broken vessel”, like a useless utensil, of no use to anyone. His life lies in sherds, it is broken beyond repair.
Then there is the slander about him all around (Psalms 31:13). On the one hand he is forgotten, he is ignored and shunned like a leper, but on the other hand people talk about him, they speak ill of him. He hears what they say. It is all slander. He feels that he is surrounded by enemies, causing fear to overcome him from all sides. For they conspire against him and devise plans to put him to death. He is already being treated as a dead man and now they want to actually end his life.
This way of talking behind someone’s back is nowadays called ‘mobbing’. Mobbing can be defined as humiliating, intimidating or hostile behavior that is systematically directed at the same person, who is unable to defend himself. This is a tried and tested means of bringing someone down. They intend to literally neutralize him, to get rid of him. With the Lord Jesus this literally happened, when the decision was made to kill Him (John 11:53).
Mobbing is used in the world, for example in a work situation toward a colleague. It can also happen in professing Christianity, as it happened here with David. Not only in the world, but especially in Christianity, the most horrible slander against the Lord Jesus is proclaimed. Believers also suffer from these practices. The following verses of this psalm show what we should do in such cases.