Psalms 31

Psalms 31

DESCRIPTIVE TITLE

Fellowship in Suffering and Salvation.

ANALYSIS

Stanzas I., and II, Psalms 31:1-8, Suffering, caused chiefly by enemies, some of them Idolatrous, Overcome by Steadfast Faith. Stanza III., Psalms 31:9-12, The Lament of a Leper. Stanza IV., Psalms 31:13-16, A complaint of conspiracy, concluded with confidence of Salvation. Stanza V., Psalms 31:17-18, Prayer for Vindication from the Lawless. Stanza VI., Psalms 31:19-20, Jehovah's Goodness Admired. Stanza VII., Psalms 31:21-22, Praise for a Special Deliverance from an Alarming Danger. Stanza VIII., Psalms 31:23-24, Closing Exhortation to Love, Confidence and Courage.

(Lm.) PsalmBy David.

1

In thee Jehovah have I taken refuge

oh shame me not to the ages deliver me:

2

In thy righteousness bow down unto me thine ear-

speedily rescue me:

Become thou to me a stronghold-rock
a house of munitions[312] to save me:

[312] Or: castle. Ml.: house of fastnesses.

3

Because my cliff and my fastness art thou

therefore[313] lead me and guide me:[314]

[313] M.T.: for the sake of thy name, then.

[314] Cp. Psalms 71:3.

4

Wilt thou bring me forth out of the net which they have hidden for me

because thou art my stronghold.

5

Into thy hand I commit my spirit[315]

[315] Cp. Luke 23:46.

thou hast ransomed me O Jehovah.

6

O God of truth! thou hatest[316] such as

[316] So some cod. (w. Aram., Sep., Syr., Vul.)Gn. This reading gives the contrast required by the next lineKp.

give heed to unreal vanities.[317]

[317] So Dr. That is false gods, or idols: cp. Deuteronomy 32:21, Jeremiah 14:22.

7

I therefore unto Jehovah have directed my trust

I will exult and be glad in thy kindness,

Thou who hast looked upon my humiliation
hast taken note of the distresses of my soul,

8

And hast not delivered me into the hand of an enemy

hast given standing in a roomy place to my feet.

9

Be gracious unto me Jehovah, for distress is mine

wasteth away[318] my soul and my body;[319]

[318] M.T.: with vexation mine eye.
[319] MI.: my belly, Heb. betan. Cp. Psalms 44:25.

10

For consumed with sorrow is my life

and my years with singing:

11

Staggered with humiliation[320] is my strength

[320] So Gt.Gn.

and my bones waste away because of my distress;

I have become a reproach and to mine acquaintances a terror[321]

[321] So apparently Br. M.T. (as rendered by Dr.): Because of all mine adversaries I am become a reproach, and unto my neighbours exceedingly, and a dread to my familiar friends: they that see me without flee from me. (Read probably, says Dr. -I am become a reproach exceedingly, and a dread to my familiar friends, and to my neighbours.-'

in the street they flee from me;[322]

[322] This verse is difficultPer.

12

I am forgotten like a dead man out of mind

I am become like a missing vessel.

13

For I have heard the whispering of multitudes

A terror round about![323]

[323] Jeremiah 6:25; Jeremiah 20:3; Jeremiah 20:10; Jeremiah 46:6; Jeremiah 49:29, Lamentations 2:22.

When they have sat in conclave together

to take away my life[324] have they intrigued;

[324] U.: soul.

14

But I on thee have set my trust

Jehovah my God are thou.

15

In thy hand are my times

rescue me from the hand of my foes and my pursuers,

16

Light up thy face on thy servant

grant me salvation[325] in thy kindness.

[325] Or.: deliverance; occasionally victory.

17

Jehovah! oh let me not be put to shame that[326] I have called on thee:

[326] Or.: for.

shamed be the lawlessbecome silent for hades;

18

made dumb be lips of falsehood,

which are speaking against a righteous one arrogantly
with pride and contempt.

19

How great is thy goodness O Jehovah,[327]

[327] Some cod. (w. Sep., Vul.) add this Oh JehovahGn.

which thou hast treasured up for them who revere thee,
which thou hast wrought before the sons of men
for them who take refuge in thee.[328]

[328] Clause transposed for clearness of sense and assonance of ending.

20

Thou hidest them in the hiding-place of thy presence,

from the harshness[329] of men:

[329] So. Br. PlottingsKp. From the bandings togetherDr. ConspiraciesPer. From the factions of the peopleDel.

Thou treasurest them in a shelter
from the strife of tongues.

21

Blessed be Jehovah! in that he hath made wonderful his

kindness for me in a city beseiged.

22

But I had said in mine alarm

I am driven out[330] before thine eyes!

[330] Cp. Jonah 2:4.

Nevertheless thou didst hear the voices of my supplication,

when I cried for help unto thee.

23

Love ye Jehovah all ye his men of kindness,

it is the faithful Jehovah preserveth;
but he repayeth in abundance[331] the proud doer.

[331] Ml.: on the basis of abundanceO.G.

24

Be strong[332] and let your heart be bold

[332] Heb.: hizku (?reminding one of HEZEKIAH).

all ye who are waiting for Jehovah.

(Nm.)

PARAPHRASE

Psalms 31

Lord, I trust in You alone. Don-'t let my enemies defeat me. Rescue me because You are the God who always does what is right.
2 Answer quickly when I cry to You; bend low and hear my whispered[333] plea. Be for me a great Rock of safety from my foes.

[333] Implied.

3 Yes, You are my Rock and my fortress; honor Your name by leading me out of this peril.
4 Pull me from the trap my enemies have set for me. For You alone are strong enough.[334]

[334] Literally, for You are my refuge.

5, 6 Into Your hand I commit my spirit.

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You have rescued me, O God who keeps His promises! for I worship only You; and how You hate all those who worship idols, those imitation gods.
7 I am radiant with joy because of Your mercy, for You have listened to my troubles and have seen the crisis in my soul.
8 You have not handed me over to my enemy, but have given me open ground in which to maneuver.

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9, 10 O Lord, have mercy on me in my anguish. My eyes are red from weeping; my health is broken from sorrow. I am pining away with grief; my years are shortened, drained away because of sadness. My sins have sapped my strength! I stoop with sorrow and with shame.[335]

[335] Literally, Even my bones are rotting away.

11 I am scorned by all my enemies and even more by my neighbors and friends. They dread meeting me and look the other way when I go by.
12 I am forgotten like a dead man, like a broken and discarded pot.
13 I heard the lies about me, the slanders of my enemies. Everywhere I looked I was afraid, for they were plotting against my life.
14, 15 But I was trusting You, O Lord. I said, You alone are my God; my times are in Your hands. Rescue me from those who hunt me down relentlessly.

16 Let Your favor shine again upon Your servant; save me just because You are so kind!
17 Don-'t disgrace me, Lord, by not replying when I call to You for aid. But let the wicked be shamed by what they trust in; let them lie silently in their graves,
18 Their lying lips quieted at lastthe lips of these arrogant men who are accusing honest men of evil deeds.
19 Oh, how great is Your goodness to those who publicly declare that You will rescue them. For You have stored up great blessings for those who trust and reverence You.
20 Hide Your loved ones in the shelter of Your presence, safe beneath Your hand, safe from all conspiring men.
21 Blessed is the Lord, for He has shown me that His never-failing love protects me like the walls of a fort!
22 I spoke too hastily when I said, The Lord has deserted me, for You listened to my plea and answered me.
23 Oh, love the Lord all of you who are His people; for the Lord protects those who are loyal to Him, but harshly punishes all who haughtily reject Him.
24 So cheer up! Take courage if you are depending on the Lord!

EXPOSITION

This psalm might very well be described as a Mosaic of Misery and Mercy. Its most striking feature is, the bringing together of such varied experiences of suffering, that the reflective reader seems compelled to picture to himself several distinct types of sorrow; and herein probably lie the greatest charm and value of this psalm.

For two stanzas, we realize that we are at home with David: the dangers are his, and the deliverances; the favourite phrases also and figures are his. We may even go so far as to suggest that the subdued climax to which these stanzas rise in Psalms 31:7-8 admirably suits the time of the coronation of David in Hebron. He had not then reached the summit of dominion over all Israel, but his feet had become firmly planted in a roomy place. Many a time had the courtiers and soldiers of Saul, sought to catch him by a net of diplomacy or military stratagem. More than once, we know, he was in such imminent danger of death, as to have been moved to commit his imperiled spirit to his redeeming God.

The third stanza transports us into a widely different scene. We are in the presence of a stricken one, who is wasting away, who staggers under the humiliating blow which has fallen upon him. If he goes into the street, his old acquaintances flee from him: in dismay and disgust he stays in his several house until he is forgotten. We instinctively think of the leper-king Uzziah! Who, but an author having deep sympathy for lepers, would have introduced such a realistic picture into a psalm? But one touch of nature makes the whole world kin! And Hezekiah had felt that touch.

Again we are transported, by the fourth stanza, into a scene of persecution. We have set before us a victim of intrigue, whose likeness we recognize. He is a man with a nickname. They mockingly call him Magor missaviv, A terror round about. It is no other than Jeremiah. How he came here is another question. Ezra or one of the Sopherim may have let in his picture into this gallery of portraits of Famous Sufferersin which Jeremiah well deserved a place.

But now, in the fifth stanza, we seem to be brought back to an earlier conclusion of the psalm. The voice is Hezekiah'S. The lawless foreigners are in evidence. They do not whisper like Jeremiah's cowardly persecutors: no! they speak arrogantly with pride and contemptlike that vile personRabshakeh! And it is against an individual righteous one that the villain points his profane tongue. We count ourselves happy that we are beginning to know that righteous KING OF ISRAEL better than we did! He suffered of old for his momentary pride: we have long suffered for his modesty.

But the tones of his harp wax more fully and loud. Note to what a goodly theme he rises in the sixth stanzahow largely he generaliseshow lofty are his conceptions of Jehovah's goodness, as one while He hides his loved ones in his presence from the harshness of men and at another works his wonders before the sons of men.

More specific still, is the reminiscence of personal history contained in stanza seven. Over and over again, may Hezekiah have anticipated flight from the holy city. He had, in his alarm, imagined himself reproaching his Divine ProtectorI am driven out before thine eyes. But the realisation of that extreme stage of desperation had been spared him. Jehovah had made his kindness so wonderful, as effectually to prevent it.

After this, what more fitting than that praise should be merged into exhortation? and, as the psalmist calls upon his men of kindness, official as well as unofficial, to love Jehovah as well as praise him, and remembers the preservation granted to himself and his fellow-believers, he seems to be glancing to the mountains on which the Assyrians fell when he says, But he repayeth abundantly the proud doer. Be strong, he says, almost signing his name, see footnote on Psalms 31:24) and let your heart be bold, all ye who, at any time for evermore, shall be waiting for Jehovah.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1.

G. Campbell Morgan suggests this psalm contains an experience common to all of ushe says:

In this song we find the seasons of the soul as we all know them sooner or later. First autumn with its winds and gathering clouds, yet having sunlight, and a golden fruitage, even though the breath of death is everywhere (Psalms 31:1-8). Then follows winter, chill and lifeless, full of sobs and sighing (Psalms 31:9-13). After that the spring, with its hope and expectation, its sweeping rains, and bursting sun-gleams (Psalms 31:14-18). At last the glad and golden summer (Psalms 31:19-24). We need them all to complete our year! (Notes on the Psalmsp. 60)

2.

Verse five sounds very familiar. Who used it? Show how appropriate it was. If we do not commit our Spirit to Him in the hour of sunlight will we do it in the hour of darkness?

3.

Somehow the condition of the body becomes the condition of the souldid then God intend man to be sick? Isn-'t sickness unnatural? Discuss.

4.

Mr. Rotherham has a real struggle trying to identify the author as either Hezekiah, Jeremiah, or David. We have but little difficulty identifying ourselves in Psalms 31:9 through Psalms 31:12. Indicate and discuss your own sobs and sighs.

5.

I spoke too hastily when I said, -The Lord has deserted me.-' Discuss the essential element of faith. What is faith? How do we obtain it? What will increase it?