Psalms 31

Psalms 31THEME: A prayer of deliverance from troubleMost of the psalms are very unfamiliar; yet they comprise one of the richest portions of God’s Word. My feeling is that if proper emphasis were given in this section, it would give a different perspective to Scripture, especially relative to God’s purposes in the nation Israel. Practically all of the psalms we have looked at so far have been written by David, and he probably composed the music that went with them. Each psalm has a special meaning for each of us. Here again we see the troubles of the godly. So far in the Psalms there has been a lot of that; but, after all, the godly do have a lot of troublesat least the ones I know have troubles. Psalms 31 speaks particularly of the past troubles of David. Also it looks to the future and refers prophetically to the troubles that will come to the nation Israel in the Great Tribulation. Finally, it speaks of the present troubles that we have. This psalm has a message for you and for me. At night when I cannot sleep, I generally turn to the Psalms, particularly to this section. Here I find great comfort and help.

Psalms 31:1

“Deliver me in thy righteousness.” David knew that God could not lower His standards in order to save sinners. Sin required a penalty; and, if the sinner did not pay it, someone else would have to pay it. God has a plan, and He can save sinners because Someone else has paid the penalty for sin. That Person is His Son, Jesus Christ. Because of this, David goes on to say:

Psalms 31:2

We need a strong rocknot just some little pebble. “He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Mat_16:15-18). The Rock upon which the church is built is Christ. “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1Co_3:11). The Savior, Jesus Christ, is the strong Rock upon which we can rest. I am reminded of the little Scottish lady who was talking about her salvation and her assurance of it: “There are times when I am frightened and I tremble on the Rock, but the Rock never trembles under me.” It is a strong Rock. Now David is not yet through with the Rock. He has more to say. Maybe you could call this the first “rock” music, although it is a little different from the kind we hear today.

Psalms 31:3

Is the Lord God your Rock? Is that where you are resting today? Is He your fortress? A fortress is for protection. You need that. “Therefore for thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me"not because I am David the king, but for His name’s sake.

Psalms 31:4

“Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily [secretly] for me.”

Psalms 31:5

At the scene of our Lord’s crucifixion we are told, “And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost” (Luk_23:46). When Stephen, the first martyr, was stoned to death, we are told in Act_7:59, “And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” It is interesting that down through the history of the church many martyrs have used that same expression. For instance, when the sentence of degradation was being executed upon John Huss, the bishop pronounced upon him these horrible words: “And now we commit thy soul to the devil.” And John Huss, in great calmness, stood there and replied, “I commit my spirit into Thy hands, Lord Jesus Christ. Unto Thee I commend my spirit whom Thou hast redeemed.” When Polycarp was being burned at the stake in Smyrna, these were also his words. Bernard used them; Jerome of Prague used them; Luther and Melancthon and many others have also used them. In fact, Martin Luther said, “Blessed are they who die not only for the Lord, as martyrs; not only in the Lord as believers, but likewise with the Lord, as breathing forth their lives in the words, into Thy hands I commend my spirit.”

Psalms 31:7

Dr. Gaebelein changed this verse a little: “Thou hast seen my troubles; Thou hast seen my soul in adversities.” I like that better. Twice the psalmist says it. There is great comfort in knowing that God sees you in your trouble. Remember that God said to Moses when He wanted to deliver the children of Israel out of Egypt: “…I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians …” (Exo_3:7-8). The Lord had seen the affliction of His people. He had heard their groaning. He knew their condition, and He came down to deliver them. The Gospels record the time the disciples were out on the Sea of Galilee in a boat when they were hit by a storm. It was the dead of night, and the waves were rolling high. They thought it was the end for them. But Mark says, concerning the Lord, “And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them …” (Mar_6:48). I like that. He sees you and me today. He knows our troubles. What a comfort this is. Now we come to a prayer.

Psalms 31:9

Are you in trouble, friend? Instead of whining and telling everybody else about it, why don’t you go to the Lord? Say, “Lord, I am in trouble!” That is what David did.

Psalms 31:15

“My times are in thy hand” is an interesting expression. Many people go to fortune-tellers and have their palms read. They are told that this line means this and another line means something else. All of it is perfect nonsense, but it affords a living for some people; and for others who are trying to get rid of money it provides another way of getting rid of it. But our times are in Christ’s hands. “My times are in thy hand"and those are crucified hands. I can see my sin in His hands. And they are the tender hands of a Shepherd. He picked up a lost sheep and put it on His shoulders. My care and protection are in those hands. Some future day He is coming with blessing, and those hands will bless. I rejoice that my times are in His hands.

Psalms 31:16

“Make thy face to shine upon thy servant” is a lovely expression. A Hebrew commentator back in ancient times said, “The face of God is his Anointed, the Messiah.” You see, God is a spirit. I don’t know how He looks or how He feels or how He acts. But the Lord Jesus came down here to show us the Father. He is the face of God. Through Him we know God.

It reminds me of the little girl whose mother took her upstairs and tucked her in bed for the night. Soon after she left her, the child began to whimper, and she called to her, “You go to sleep. God is up there with you.” But the little girl wanted someone to stay with her. Once again her mother told her, “God is up there with you.” To this the little girl replied, “I know, but I want somebody with a face!” My friend, that is what all of us need. All of us little children down here want Somebody with a face to be with us. Jesus Christ is God with a face.

How wonderful!

Psalms 31:19

How great is the goodness of the Lord! Have you ever told anyone how good God is? Psa_107:1-2 says, “O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy.” I find that people like to talk about their neighbors or their children or their father and mother or relatives or their boss or their preacher, but not many people like to talk about the goodness of God. My, how good He is! When was the last time you told someone how good God is?