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Psalm Thirty-one
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 31
To the chief Musician, a Psalm of David. This psalm,
according to Arama, was composed by David when in Keilah; but, according to
Kimchi and others, when the Ziphites proposed to deliver him up into the hands
of Saul; and who, upon their solicitations, came down and surrounded him with
his army, from whom in haste he made his escape, and to which he is thought to
refer in Psalm 31:22.
Theodoret supposes it was written by David when he fled from Absalom, and that
it has some respect in it to his sin against Uriah, in that verse.
Psalm 31:1 In
You, O Lord,
I put my trust; Let me never be ashamed; Deliver me in Your righteousness.
YLT
1To the Overseer. -- A Psalm
of David. In Thee, O Jehovah, I have trusted, Let me not be ashamed to the age,
In Thy righteousness deliver me.
In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust,.... Not in any creature,
but in the Lord Jehovah; the Targum, "in thy Word"; the essential
Logos, or Word, which was in the beginning with God, and was God, and so an
equal object of faith, trust, and confidence, as Jehovah the Father: this act
includes a trusting all with God, body and soul, and the welfare of them, in
time, and to eternity; and a trusting him for all things, both of providence
and grace, and for both grace and glory, and is a continued act; for the
psalmist does not say, "I have trusted", or "I will trust",
but "I do"; and this was a very consider able thing to do in this
time of his distress: the Lord is to be trusted in at all times;
let me never be ashamed; neither in this world,
nor in that to come. The believer has no reason to be ashamed of anything in
this life but sin, and the imperfection of his own righteousness, and his trust
in it; not of the Lord, in whom he trusts; nor of his Word, or Son, the Lord
Jesus Christ, in whom he believes as his Saviour and Redeemer; nor of the
Spirit, and his work of grace upon him; nor of his faith, hope, trust, and
confidence in them; nor of the Gospel, the means of faith, and of the support
of it; nor of, the reproaches, afflictions, and sufferings, he endures for the
sake of Christ and his Gospel; nor of his ordinances and his people; nor will
he be ashamed hereafter at the coming of Christ, when he will appear in his
righteousness, be clothed with white robes, have palms in his hands, and shall
stand at his right hand, and be received into glory;
deliver me in thy righteousness; not in his own, by which
he knew there was no acceptance with God, no justification before him, nor any
deliverance and salvation from sin and death; but by the righteousness of God,
which the Son of God has wrought out, God the Father accepts of and imputes,
and the Spirit of God reveals and applies; by this there is deliverance from
sin, its guilt, and damning power, and from the curses and condemnation of the
law, and from wrath to come, and from the second death.
Psalm 31:2 2 Bow down Your ear to me, Deliver
me speedily; Be my rock of refuge, A fortress of defense to save me.
YLT
2Incline unto me Thine ear
hastily, deliver me, Be to me for a strong rock, For a house of bulwarks to
save me.
Bow down thine ear to me,.... Which is said after
the manner of men, who, when they give attention, and listen to anything,
stoop, and incline the ear; and this for God to do, as he sometimes does, is
wonderful condescending grace!
deliver me speedily; which shows that he was
in great danger, and his case required haste: the Lord does help right early,
and is sometimes a present help in time of need, and delivers at once, as soon
as the mercy is asked for;
be thou my strong rock: for shelter and security
from enemies, as well as to build his everlasting salvation on, and to stand
firmly upon, and out of danger;
for an house of defence to save me; both for an house to
dwell in, Lord being the dwelling place of his people in all generations, and a
strong habitation to which they may continually resort; and for protection and
safety, their place of defence in him being the munition of rocks, a strong
hold, and a strong tower from the enemy.
Psalm 31:3 3 For You are my rock
and my fortress; Therefore, for Your name’s sake, Lead me and guide me.
YLT
3For my rock and my bulwark
[art] Thou, For Thy name's sake lead me and tend me.
For thou art my rock and my fortress,.... What he
prayed for he knew him to be, and to have been in times past, and could claim
his interest in him; and therefore entreats that he would appear to be to him
what he was in himself, and what he had been to him;
therefore for thy name's sake lead me, and guide me; either as a
shepherd does his flock, gently, as they are able to bear it; into the green
pastures of the word and ordinances, and beside the still waters of divine love,
and to the overflowing fountain, and fulness of grace in himself; or as a
general leads and guides his army; Christ being a Leader and Commander of the
people, and the great Captain of their salvation, and who being at the head of
them, they fear no enemy; or as a guide leads and directs such as are ignorant,
and out of the way. The psalmist desires the Lord would lead him in the way of
truth and paths of righteousness, according to his word; and guide him with his
counsel, and by his Spirit, that so he might walk in the way in which he should
go; and this he entreats he would do "for his name's sake";
not for any merit or worthiness in him; but for the glory of his own name, and
for the honour of his free grace and mercy, for which the Lord often does many
things; he defers his anger, he purges away the sins of his people, he forgives
their transgressions, and remembers their sins no more, for his name's sake.
Psalm 31:4 4 Pull me out of the net
which they have secretly laid for me, For You are my strength.
YLT
4Bring me out from the net
that they hid for me, For Thou [art] my strength.
Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me,.... The
Ziphites, and Saul, and his men; the former intending treacherously to betray
him, and the latter encompassing him about in order to take him; and such was
his danger and difficulty, that he saw none but God could deliver him; and he
it is that breaks the nets of men, and the snares of the devil, which they
secretly lay for the people of God, that they may stumble, and fall, and be
taken, and delivers them out of them;
for thou art my strength; the author, giver, and
maintainer, both of his natural and spiritual strength; and who was able, and
was only able, to pull him out of the net, and extricate him out of the
difficulties in which he was.
Psalm 31:5 5 Into Your hand I commit my
spirit; You have redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.
YLT
5Into Thy hand I commit my
spirit, Thou hast redeemed me, Jehovah God of truth.
Into thine hand I commit my spirit,.... Either his life, as
to a faithful Creator and Preserver, who was the God of his life, gave him it,
and upheld his soul in it; or his soul, and the eternal salvation of it, which
he committed into the hand of the Lord his Redeemer, where he knew it would be
safe, and out of whose hands none can pluck; or this he might say, as
apprehensive of immediate death, through the danger he was in; and therefore
commits his spirit into the hands of God, to whom he knew it belonged, and to
whom it returns at death, and dies not with the body, but exists in a separate
state, and would be immediately with him. Our Lord Jesus Christ used the same
words when he was expiring on the cross, and seems to have taken them from
hence, or to refer to these, Luke 23:46;
thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth; which may be
understood, either of the temporal redemption of his life from destruction in
times past, which encouraged him to commit his life into the hands of God now,
who was the same, and changed not; or of spiritual and eternal redemption from
sin by the blood of Christ, and which the psalmist speaks of as if it was past,
though it was to come, because of the certainty of it; just as Isaiah speaks of
the incarnation and sufferings of Christ, Isaiah 9:6; and of
which he was assured, because the Lord, who had provided, appointed, and promised
the Redeemer, was the God of truth, and was faithful to every word of promise;
and Christ, who had engaged to be the Redeemer, was faithful to him that
appointed him; and having an interest therefore in this plenteous redemption,
by virtue of which he was the Lord's, he committed himself into his hands.
Psalm 31:6 6 I have hated those who
regard useless idols; But I trust in the Lord.
YLT
6I have hated the observers
of lying vanities, And I toward Jehovah have been confident.
I have hated them that regard lying vanities,....
Soothsaying and divination, as Aben Ezra and others think; made use of by
kings, and generals of armies, to know when it was proper to go out to war, and
what success they should have; see Ezekiel 21:21; but
such men and their practices David abhorred; he took no such methods when in
distress, but applied to the Lord, and trusted in him; or rather idol gods, as
Jarchi, and others, who are vanity, and the work of errors, and are nothing in
the world; see Jonah 2:8; all will
worship and superstition may be included in this phrase, which being not
according to the will and word of God, is worshipping in vain, and carries off
from true spiritual worship; and so is a lying vanity, and to be detested, and
the abettors of it: as also all errors and heresies; these are great swelling
words of vanity, and are lies in hypocrisy; and likewise all immorality and
wickedness, which spring from the vanity of the mind, and promise much liberty
and pleasure, but deceive, and therefore lying; yea, all worldly enjoyments are
vanity and vexation of spirit, and are fallacious and deceitful when trusted
in; and indeed every false trust and confidence may come under this name; such
as trust in riches, in wisdom and knowledge, in carnal descent, and privileges,
in a moral and legal righteousness, and even in a bare profession of true
religion, and a subjection to Gospel ordinances; for there is no true object of
trust, no Redeemer and Saviour, but the Lord: now such as regard those lying
vanities are they that look to them, love them, embrace them, and put their
confidence in them; and such are to be "hated"; not their persons,
but their principles and practices, and they themselves are to be shunned and
abstained from;
but I trust in the Lord; the God of truth, that
cannot lie, deny himself, nor deceive; who is unchangeable, and without any
variableness, or shadow of turning.
Psalm 31:7 7 I will be glad and rejoice
in Your mercy, For You have considered my trouble; You have known my soul in
adversities,
YLT
7I rejoice, and am glad in
Thy kindness, In that Thou hast seen mine affliction, Thou hast known in
adversities my soul.
I will be glad, and rejoice in thy mercy,.... Both
because of the nature of it, which is large and abundant, free and sovereign,
from everlasting to everlasting, and is communicated in and through Christ, and
is a good ground of hope and trust; and because of the effects of it, or what
it has produced; for to it are owing the covenant of grace, and all the sure
mercies of it; the mission of Christ, and redemption by him; regeneration, and
the forgiveness of sins, and even eternal life and glory; besides a multitude
of blessings, deliverances, and salvations in Providence; on account of all
which there is great reason for joy and gladness; of which the following are
particulars;
for thou hast considered my trouble; inward, arising from
indwelling sin, doubts and fears, desertions and darkness, and Satan's
temptations; and outward, from the world, and the men of it, and by reason of
bodily afflictions: now the Lord looks upon the troubles of his people, and
upon them in them, with an eye of pity and compassion; he sympathizes with
them; he considers the nature of their trouble, their weakness to bear it, and
the best way, in tans, and time to deliver out of it; he working all things
after the counsel of his own will; see Exodus 3:7;
thou hast known my soul in adversities; that is, the
Lord had took notice of him, approved of him, loved him, had visited him, and
made known his love to him, and owned him for his own, and had chosen him in
the furnace of affliction; a time and season when oftentimes friends and
acquaintance are shy, and will not look upon men, know them, and own them; but
the Lord does otherwise, and which is another reason of joy and gladness in his
mercy.
Psalm 31:8 8 And have not shut me up
into the hand of the enemy; You have set my feet in a wide place.
YLT
8And Thou hast not shut me
up, Into the hand of an enemy, Thou hast caused my feet to stand in a broad
place.
And hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy,.... When in
Keilah, in the wilderness of Ziph, and Maon, and encompassed about by Saul and
his army, 1 Samuel 23:7; nor
does the Lord suffer his people to be shut up under the power of sin and Satan,
so that they cannot come forth in the exercise of grace, and the discharge of
duty: but he brings their souls out of prison, that they may praise his name;
thou hast set my feet in a large room; at full
liberty from his enemies; Saul and his army being called off from pursuing him,
by tidings of an invasion by the Philistines, 1 Samuel 23:27; and
this is the case of the saints when they are brought to Christ, to walk by
faith at large on him; when grace is drawn forth into exercise, and spiritual
knowledge is increased, and they are delivered from their enemies; or, however,
can look upon them as conquered ones, and are sure of victory over them, and at
last of an entire deliverance from them; see Psalm 4:1.
Psalm 31:9 9 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am in
trouble; My eye wastes away with grief, Yes, my soul and my body!
YLT
9Favour me, O Jehovah, for
distress [is] to me, Mine eye, my soul, and my body Have become old by
provocation.
Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am in trouble,.... A sudden
change of case and frame this! and so it is with the people of God; as soon as,
out of one trouble, they are in another; these are what are appointed for them,
and lie in their pathway to heaven, and are necessary; and under them it is
quite right to betake themselves to the Lord, who is a merciful God; and it is
best to cast themselves upon his mercy, having no merit of their own to plead
with him; and they may freely tell him all their distresses, as the psalmist
here does, and hope for grace and mercy to help them in time of need;
mine eye, is consumed with grief; expressed by tears;
through the multitude of which, by reason of trouble, his sight was greatly
harmed; according to Jarchi, the word signifies, that his sight was so dim as
is a man's when he puts a glass before his eyes, to see what is beyond the
glass: this shows that the invention of spectacles was before the year 1105;
for in that year Jarchi died; and proves it more early than any other writer
has pretended toF1See Chambers's Dictionary on the word
"Spectacles". ; for the commonly received opinion is, that they were
invented at the latter end of the thirteenth or beginning of the fourteenth
century; but the apostle, as A-Lapide thinks, respects them, in 1 Corinthians 13:12;
and they are mentioned by PlautusF2Vid. Ainsworth's Lat. Dict. in
voce "Conspicill". & Panciroll. Rer. Memorab. par. 2. tit. 15.
& Salmath. in ib. p. 268. , who lived almost two hundred years before the
birth of Christ: the same Jarchi observes on Psalm 6:7;
yea, my soul and my belly; perhaps he
could not eat his food, or digest it, which brought upon him internal
disorders, and even brought his soul or life into danger.
Psalm 31:10 10 For my life is spent with
grief, And my years with sighing; My strength fails because of my iniquity, And
my bones waste away.
YLT
10For my life hath been
consumed in sorrow And my years in sighing. Feeble because of mine iniquity
hath been my strength, And my bones have become old.
For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing,.... Which
shows the continuance of his troubles, and that his whole life had been, as it
were, an uninterrupted series of sorrows;
my strength faileth because of mine iniquity; this opens
the source and spring of all his grief and trouble; his sin, and the sin of his
nature, in which he was conceived and born; indwelling sin, which remained and
worked in him; and it may be also the sin of unbelief, which beset him, and
prevailed in him, notwithstanding the instances of divine goodness, the
declarations of grace, the discoveries of love, and the exceeding great and
precious promises he had made to him; as also his daily sins and infirmities,
and very likely some great backslidings, which had brought grief of soul upon
aim, and which grief affected the several parts of his body. Sin was the cause
of the failure of natural strength in Adam and his posterity; of diseases and
death, by which their strength is weakened in the way; and was the cause of
impairing moral strength in men to do that which is good, and has a very great
influence on the spiritual strength of the Lord's people, in the exercise of
grace;
and my bones are consumed; which are the firmest
and strongest parts of the human body, and the support of it.
Psalm 31:11 11 I am a reproach among all
my enemies, But especially among my neighbors, And am repulsive to my
acquaintances; Those who see me outside flee from me.
YLT
11Among all mine adversaries
I have been a reproach, And to my neighbours exceedingly, And a fear to mine
acquaintances, Those seeing me without -- fled from me.
I was a reproach among all mine enemies,.... This is a
common case of the people of God; and though it may be the least of their
afflictions, yet it is not grateful to the flesh; and it is as it is made:
under divine supports saints rejoice, and take pleasure in reproaches, that
they are counted worthy to bear them, and esteem them as great riches; at other
times they seize and feed upon their spirits, and are ready to break their
hearts;
but especially among my neighbours; who knew him, and knew he
did not deserve to be so treated; and who ought, as neighbours, to have loved
him, and done all good offices to him; so that this is an aggravation both of
their sin and his distress;
and a fear to mine acquaintance; not that they were
afraid that he should do them any mischief; but they were afraid to own him,
and to do him any service; unless the sense is, that they were afraid that evil
would befall him, that he should not escape with his life; which, though it may
express the affectionate concern of his friends, yet shows the danger he was
exposed to;
they that did see me without fled from me; as if he had
something very pestilential and infectious about him.
Psalm 31:12 12 I am forgotten like a dead
man, out of mind; I am like a broken vessel.
YLT
12I have been forgotten as
dead out of mind, I have been as a perishing vessel.
I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind,.... Either by
his friends, being out of sight, out of mind; as even the nearest relations and
acquaintance are, in process of time, when dead, Ecclesiastes 9:5;
or by the Lord; which shows the weakness of his faith, the uncomfortable frame
he was in, through darkness and desertion; see Psalm 88:5;
I am like a broken vessel; or a "perishing
vessel"F3ככלי אבד
"sicut vas periens", Montanus, Cocceius, Gejerus. ; or "a vessel
of perdition"F4So Ainsworth. : the Septuagint version renders
it "a lost vessel"F5V. L. Pagninus, Musculus, Piscator. ;
one entirely useless, wholly lost, and irrecoverably so; like a broken vessel,
which can never be put together again, Isaiah 30:14; a
most sad apprehension he had of himself, as if his case was desperate, and he a
vessel of wrath; compare with this, Romans 9:22.
Psalm 31:13 13 For I hear the slander of
many; Fear is on every side; While they take counsel together against
me, They scheme to take away my life.
YLT
13For I have heard an evil
account of many, Fear [is] round about. In their being united against me, To
take my life they have devised,
For I have heard the slander of many,.... Both
enemies and neighbours;
fear was on every side; his enemies were a
"Magormissabib" to him, Jeremiah 20:3;
encompassed him around, so that he was in fear from every quarter;
while they took counsel together against me; how to
apprehend him, and what to do with him;
they devised to take away my life; nothing short of that
would satisfy; but life is in the hand of God; men may devise, but God
disappoints, and his counsel stands; hence the psalmist was encouraged, after
all, to trust in him, in this time of imminent danger, as follows.
Psalm 31:14 14 But as for me, I trust in
You, O Lord;
I say, “You are my God.”
YLT
14And I on Thee -- I have
trusted, O Jehovah, I have said, `Thou [art] my God.'
But I trusted in thee, O Lord,.... His faith revived
again under all the discouraging views he had of things, and was exercised upon
the Lord; he committed himself to him, believing he was able to help him in his
time of trouble, and deliver him;
I said, thou art my God; he claimed his covenant
interest in him, and used it as an argument with him to have regard unto him,
and as a support to his faith in his present distress; See Gill on Psalm 7:1.
Psalm 31:15 15 My times are in
Your hand; Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, And from those who persecute
me.
YLT
15In Thy hand [are] my times,
Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, And from my pursuers.
My times are in thy
hand,.... And not in the hand of his enemies; as his time of life and
death, which was only by the direction and appointment of God, was in his
power, and fixed by him; nor could his enemies take away his life before his
time, and without the will of his covenant God: the time of his coming to the
throne, and what was gone over him during his reign hitherto, 1 Chronicles 29:30;
and all his times of trouble in it; times of prosperity and of adversity; of
darkness, desertion, and temptation; and of joy, peace, and comfort; these were
all in the hands of the Lord, at his disposal, and ordered by him for the good
of his servant, and for the glory of his own name; and this was a quieting
consideration to the psalmist under his present trials and exercises; the
Targum is, "the times of my redemption"
deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that
persecute me; a good man has many enemies, and even his very goodness creates
him such; for wicked men are enemies to all that is good; and those are
persecuting ones, in one way or other; either by words or deeds; and
deliverance out of their hands is by the Lord, who sometimes gives his people
rest from adversity, and suffers not the rod of the wicked to continue on them;
and therefore it is best to apply to him for it.
Psalm 31:16 16 Make Your face shine upon
Your servant; Save me for Your mercies’ sake.
YLT
16Cause Thy face to shine on
Thy servant, Save me in Thy kindness.
Make thy face to shine
upon thy servant,.... In which he prays for the gracious presence of God, the
manifestations of himself unto him, the discoveries of his love, the enjoyment
of him in Christ, communion with him, the comforts of his Spirit, and joys of
his salvation; see Numbers 6:25;
save me for thy mercies' sake; not for any merit and
righteousness of his own, but for the sake of the grace and goodness of the
Lord; which is putting salvation, whether temporal or spiritual, upon its right
foot and foundation; which is never wrought out by, or is for works of
righteousness done by men, but according to the grace and mercy of God.
Psalm 31:17 17 Do not let me be ashamed,
O Lord,
for I have called upon You; Let the wicked be ashamed; Let them be silent in
the grave.
YLT
17O Jehovah, let me not be
ashamed, For I have called Thee, let the wicked be ashamed, Let them become
silent to Sheol.
Let me not be ashamed, O
Lord,.... The same petition as in Psalm 31:1;
for I have called upon thee; who is nigh unto all
that call upon him in truth, and is rich unto them, and has promised to help
and save them; which should he not do, not only he would be made ashamed, but
the promise of God would seem to fail: for the psalmist does not plead any duty
of his, nor make a merit of his prayers; but has respect to the promise and
faithfulness of God;
let the wicked be ashamed; as they will be, sooner
or later, of their wickedness, and of their false trust and confidence; of
their being incensed against Christ, and their rage against his people, and persecution
of them;
and let them be silent in the
grave; as all are that are there; and the sense is, let them be brought
to the grave, where they will be silent, or ceaseF6"Verbum
est" דמם "quod significat cessare ab aliquo
opere, vel sermone", Psal. iv. 5. Gejerus. ; that is, from their evil
words and works, and particularly from troubling the saints, Job 3:17.
Psalm 31:18 18 Let the lying lips be put
to silence, Which speak insolent things proudly and contemptuously against the
righteous.
YLT
18Let lips of falsehood
become dumb, That are speaking against the righteous, Ancient sayings, in pride
and contempt.
Let the lying lips be put
to silence,.... Being convicted of the lies told by them, and so silenced
and confounded; or being cut off and destroyed, as all such will be in the
Lord's own time, Psalm 12:3. It is
very likely the psalmist may have respect either to Doeg the Edomite, who loved
lying rather than righteousness; or to others that were about Saul, who lying
said to him that David sought his harm, even to take away his kingdom and his
life, Psalm 52:3;
which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously against the
righteous; meaning himself; not that he thought himself righteous in the
sight of God by any righteousness of his own, but by the righteousness of
Christ imputed to him; see Psalm 143:2. Though
he may have regard here to the righteousness of his cause before men, and
assert himself righteous, as he might with respect to the "grievous
things", the hard and lying speeches, which were spoken against him, in a
proud, haughty, and contemptuous manner. And it is no unusual thing for such
false charges to be brought against righteous men; nay, such hard speeches were
spoken by ungodly men against Jesus Christ the righteous himself, Judges 1:15. The
Targum interprets it of "reproaches".
Psalm 31:19 19 Oh, how great is
Your goodness, Which You have laid up for those who fear You, Which You
have prepared for those who trust in You In the presence of the sons of men!
YLT
19How abundant is Thy
goodness, That Thou hast laid up for those fearing Thee,
O how great is thy goodness,.... Not the natural and
essential goodness of God; for though that is large and abundant, yea,
infinite, as every perfection of his is, yet it cannot with propriety be said
to be laid up and wrought out; but rather the effects of his goodness, and not
those which appear in Providence, for they, though very large and plenteous,
are common to all, and are not restrained to them that fear the Lord, and trust
in him; but such as are displayed in a way of special grace and favour to his
own people, and which the psalmist saw his interest in and was affected with;
and which supported his faith under his present troubles, and appeared to be so
great, both for quality and quantity, that he could not well say how great the
blessings of his goodness were;
which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; both grace
and glory; the blessings of grace were laid up in God's heart, in his thoughts
and purposes, from everlasting; and in Christ, in whom the fulness of all grace
dwells; he was loaded with the blessings of goodness, and his people were
blessed in him with all spiritual blessings, and had all grace given them in
him before the world was; and these were likewise laid up in the covenant of
grace, ordered in all things, and sure; eternal glory is the hope and crown of
righteousness laid up in heaven, where it is reserved for the saints, who are
heirs of it: and the laying up of all this goodness shows it to be a treasure,
riches of grace, and riches of glory; and that it is an hidden treasure, and
riches of secret places, which are out of the view of carnal men, and not
perfectly seen and enjoyed by the people of God themselves as yet; and also
that it is safe and secure for them, and can never be lost; and it expresses
the paternal care of God, his great love and affection for them, to lay up so
early so much goodness for them: and this is said to be "for them that
fear him"; not naturally, but by his grace; for the fear of God is
not in man naturally, but is put there by the grace of God; and such who have
it are those who are brought to a true sight and sense of sin, so as to loathe
it and forsake it; for the fear of the Lord is to hate evil, and by it men
depart from it, and because of it cannot sin as others do; such have an humble
sense of themselves, their own insufficiency and weakness, and trust in the
grace of God and righteousness of Christ; they have a filial reverence of God,
and worship him in spirit and in truth: but now this fear of the Lord is not
the cause of goodness being laid up for them, for that only is the will of God;
and besides the fear of God is a part of the goodness which is laid up in
promise in the covenant of grace, Jeremiah 32:39; and
it is the goodness of God displayed in the blessings of it, such as pardon of
sin, &c. which influences, promotes, and increases the fear of God, Hosea 3:5; but,
goodness being manifested to and bestowed upon them that fear the Lord, it
appears eventually to be laid up for them;
which thou hast
wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men! by which may
be meant the work of redemption, in which the goodness of God greatly appears;
in calling and appointing Christ unto it, in sending him to effect it, in
strengthening him as man and Mediator to do it; and in the work itself, in
which many things are wrought, the law is fulfilled, justice satisfied, a
righteousness brought in, peace made, pardon procured, and everlasting
salvation obtained. And whereas this is said to be "wrought for them that
trust in" the Lord, it is not to be understood as if trusting in the Lord was
the cause of this work being wrought out, which is the love of God and grace of
Christ; but inasmuch as those that trust in the Lord have openly an interest in
redemption, and they that believe in Christ shall be saved; therefore it
clearly appears in the issue of things to be wrought out for them. The phrase
"before the sons of men", may be connected either with the goodness
wrought, and so signifies that the work of redemption was done in a most public
manner, openly before men, even the enemies of God's people; nor was it in the
power of men and devils to hinder it; or else with trusting in the Lord, and so
is expressive of a public profession of faith and confidence in the Lord before
men, which ought to be done: moreover this goodness wrought may include the
good work of grace upon the soul; and the Lord's fulfilling the good pleasure
of his goodness in the hearts of his people, and the work of faith with power
on them; and also the many deliverances of them out of afflictions and
temptations, and the many salvations from their enemies he works for them in
the earth, before the sons of men.
Psalm 31:20 20 You shall hide them in the
secret place of Your presence From the plots of man; You shall keep them
secretly in a pavilion From the strife of tongues.
YLT
20Thou hast wrought for those
trusting in Thee, Before sons of men. Thou hidest them in the secret place of
Thy presence, From artifices of man, Thou concealest them in a tabernacle, From
the strife of tongues.
Thou shall hide them in
the secret of thy presence,.... That is, those that fear the Lord and
trust in him; and therefore they are called his "hidden ones", Psalm 83:3; these
the Lord preserves in times of trouble and danger, and when his indignation is
out against others; and so the Targum is, "in the time of thine
anger"; see Isaiah 26:20; the
presence of God is their protection, he himself is a wall of fire round about
them, his favour compasses them as a shield, and they are kept as in a garrison
by his power; see Psalm 91:1; and
that "from the pride of man", which otherwise would at once oppress,
bear them down, and destroy them, Psalm 124:1;
thou shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of
tongues; which areas a sharp sword, and from whence proceed devouring
words, such contradiction of sinners as Christ endured; not that the saints are
kept free from the reproaches of men, from the lash of their tongues, but from
being harmed by them; and sometimes, through the strivings and contentions of
men with one another, they privately escape and are preserved, as the Apostle
Paul was, Acts 23:9.
Psalm 31:21 21 Blessed be the Lord, For He has
shown me His marvelous kindness in a strong city!
YLT
21Blessed [is] Jehovah, For
He hath made marvellous His kindness To me in a city of bulwarks.
Blessed be the Lord,.... A form of
thanksgiving, in which the psalmist calls upon himself and others to bless and
praise the Lord for the singular mercy granted him, expressed in the next
clause; See Gill on Psalm 18:46;
for he hath showed me his marvellous kindness in a strong city; either in the
city Keilah, so Jarchi; a city which had gates and bars, where Saul thought he
had David safe, and he could not escape his hands; but notwithstanding that,
and though the inhabitants of that place intended to deliver him up, yet he was
marvellously saved; as he also was from the Ziphites; and when Saul and his
army had encompassed him about, by a surprising incident, a messenger coming to
Saul just as he was about to seize him, informing him that the Philistines had
invaded the land, 1 Samuel 23:7. Or
the city of Jerusalem, which was fortified both by nature and art, whither he
was brought and placed as king, and enjoyed rest from all his enemies round
about him, 2 Samuel 5:6. Or
this may spiritually design the church of God, which is called a strong city,
being built on Christ the Rock, and having salvation for walls and bulwarks, Isaiah 26:1, where
the Lord displays his banner of love, makes discoveries of his marvellous
kindness, and commands his blessing for evermore. Some render it "as in a
strong city"F7בעיר מצור "ut in civitate munita", Junius &
Tremellius, Piscator; Michaelis. , and take the sense to be, that he was safe,
through the kindness of God showed to him in the salvation of him, as if he was
in a fortified cityF8Aben Ezra, Kimchi, & Ben Melech in loc. ,
and this was marvellous in his eyes, as every instance of providential goodness
is to the people of God; especially his lovingkindness showed in spiritual
things, in choosing them in Christ, saving them by him, regenerating them by
his Spirit, and taking them into his family; which love is free and sovereign,
distinguishing, unchangeable, from everlasting to everlasting; and so wonderful
and astonishing; and which was hid in God until revealed; and sometimes the
manifestations of it are withdrawn, and then it is showed again, and fresh
discoveries of it are made, and effects of it applied, and the blessings of it
bestowed, which occasion thankfulness.
Psalm 31:22 22 For I said in my haste, “I
am cut off from before Your eyes”; Nevertheless You heard the voice of my
supplications When I cried out to You.
YLT
22And I -- I have said in my
haste, `I have been cut off from before Thine eyes,' But Thou hast heard the
voice of my supplications, In my crying unto Thee.
For I said in my haste,.... When he
made haste to get away for fear of Saul, 1 Samuel 23:26; and
so the Targum renders it, "I said when I sought to flee away"; or
else he said this hastily and rashly, in the hurry of his mind, being in the
utmost confusion and distress, as in Psalm 116:11;
I am cut off from before thine eyes; his case was very bad,
he was reduced to the utmost extremity, and his faith was as low; he thought it
was all over with him, and there was no way of escape, nor hope of it; and that
he was like a branch cut off, ready to be cast into the fire; that he was cut
off from the house of God, and from communion with him; that he would never
look upon him more, and he should never enjoy his presence: this instance of
weakness and unbelief is mentioned to illustrate the goodness of God, and to
make his kindness appear to be the more marvellous in the salvation of him; so
sometimes the Lord suffers his people to be in the utmost distress, and their
faith to be at the lowest ebb, when he appears to their help, and makes it
manifest that their salvation is by his own arm, and of his own good will, and
not by them, or for any goodness of theirs;
nevertheless, thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I
cried unto thee; for though faith was very low, and unbelief strongly prevailed,
yet he was not so far gone as to stop praying; for though he saw no rational
way of escape, and feared the Lord would take no notice of him; yet he knew
that nothing was impossible with him, and therefore he still looked up to him,
as Jonah did when he thought himself in a like condition, Jonah 2:4; and such
was the grace and goodness of God, that he did not despise but regard his
prayer, though attended with so much weakness and unbelief.
Psalm 31:23 23 Oh, love the Lord, all you His
saints! For the Lord
preserves the faithful, And fully repays the proud person.
YLT
23Love Jehovah, all ye His
saints, Jehovah is keeping the faithful, And recompensing abundantly a proud
doer.
O love the Lord, all ye
his saints,.... To whom his goodness extends; who are favoured with the
blessings of his grace, as pardon, peace, and righteousness; and who
particularly are sanctified by his Spirit, and have principles of grace and
holiness wrought in their hearts: these, even all of them, are called upon to
love the Lord, having that grace implanted in their souls; that is, to express
it, not by words, but by deeds, under a sense of the love and kindness of God
to them; and to join with the psalmist in an affectionate reverence of him, trust
in him, and thankfulness to him, on account of his marvellous kindness showed
him;
for the Lord preserveth the
faithful; such as trust in him, believe in Christ, and are faithful to his
word and ordinances, abide by them, and stays near his people; these he not
only preserves in a providential way, but he preserves them in a way of special
grace; he keeps them "from evil", as the Targum; from the evil of
sin; from a total and final falling away by it; from the evil of the world, so
as not to be drawn off from Christ and his ways, either by its frowns or
flatteries; and from the evil one, Satan, from being destroyed by him and his
temptations; and these are preserved safe to the kingdom and glory of Christ,
by the mighty power of God: some render the words, "the Lord keepeth
faithfulness"F9אמונים
"fidelitatem", Gejerus; or "fidelitles", Ainsworth. ; he
will never suffer his own faithfulness to fail; he is a covenant keeping God,
and is always true to his word and promise;
and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer; such as all
self-righteous persons are, and all that speak grievous things proudly and
contemptuously against the truly righteous, Psalm 31:18; who bear
hard upon them, and oppress them; and such as antichrist and his party, who
exalts himself above all that is called God; but in what those deal proudly,
God is above them, an more than a match for them, and he sets himself against
them; he resists them, and will reward them according to their works.
Psalm 31:24 24 Be of good courage, And He
shall strengthen your heart, All you who hope in the Lord.
YLT
24Be strong, and He
strengtheneth your heart, All ye who are waiting for Jehovah!
Be of good courage, and he
shall strengthen your heart,.... See Gill on Psalm 27:14; by
this instance of God's wonderful kindness to the psalmist, he would have the
saints take heart, and be of good cheer, even in the greatest distresses, since
their case cannot be worse than his was; and yet he had deliverance out of it;
all ye that hope in the Lord; for the eye of the Lord
is on such, and he takes delight in them, Psalm 33:18. The
Targum is, "who hope for", or "trust in the word of the
Lord"; the essential Word, the promised Messiah.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》