Psalm 31
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Psalm 31 My times are in your hands
Psalm 31 My times are in your hands
Outline
David appeals to God, who is and has been his refuge (31:1–8). He feels his danger intensely (vv. 9–13), but continues to trust in God (vv. 14–18). Having experienced God’s goodness, David exhorts “all his saints” to love and trust God (vv. 19–24)
Outline: David appeals to God, who is and has been his refuge (31:1–8).
He feels his danger intensely (vv. 9–13), but continues to trust in God (vv. 14–18).
Having experienced God’s goodness, David exhorts “all his saints” to love and trust God (vv. 19–24)
5 Into your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O Lord, the God of truth.
Background:
This psalm is a plea for deliverance from the intrigues, plots, and conspiracies of an enemy (31:13, 20). The psalmist appeals to the “God of truth” (31:5) for protection from the “lying lips” (31:18), arrogant speech (31:18), and “accusing tongues” (31:20) of his opponents. Yahweh is envisioned once again as the “strong fortress” and “refuge” (31:1–4), by which the beleaguered psalmist is protected from attack and preserved from the personal shame (31:1, 17) that results from being publicly slandered (31:13).1
1 Wilson, G. H. (2002). Psalms (Vol. 1, p. 527). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
The psalm moves between the experience of extreme anguish (31:9–13) and the realization of great confidence and trust in the power of Yahweh to save and protect (31:6–8, 14–15, 21–22).1
1 Wilson, G. H. (2002). Psalms (Vol. 1, p. 527). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
Into your hands I commit my spirit. The psalmist makes an act of commitment into the hand of the God of truth, whom he trusts to redeem the faithful. It is notable that it is the “spirit” (ruaḥ) that the psalmist surrenders to Yahweh, not the “soul” (nepeš). The nepeš describes the animated physical being that constitutes a living person. At creation God breathed his own “breath of life” (nišmat ḥayyim) into the inanimate body of the first human, so that the being became a nepeš ḥayyah (“a living being,” Gen. 2:7). Elsewhere this animating “breath” (nešama/nišmat) that emanates from God is identified with the spirit of God (ruaḥ) that sustains humans during their lives and returns to God upon their death.
To commit one’s “spirit” to God is not simply to trust for physical deliverance of the physical being or nepeš, but it is to make the ultimate surrender of the very animating force of life into the care of the God from whom it comes and who may sustain or remove it as he pleases. The psalmist’s act of commitment, coming as it does at the end of the opening plea, reflects complete surrender of self-control and submission to God’s will.1
1 Wilson, G. H. (2002). Psalms (Vol. 1, p. 530). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
“Into Your hands I commit my spirit” (31:5). Christ quoted this expression at the moment of His death on Calvary (Luke 23:46). God’s honor is not bound up in preserving us from death, but in preserving us through death.1
1 Richards, L. O. (1991). The Bible reader’s companion (electronic ed., p. 357). Wheaton: Victor Books.
31:5. With confidence in the Lord (vv. 3–4) he committed his spirit into the hands of the Lord, praying that the God of truth (cf. Isa. 65:16) would redeem him (see comments on Ps. 26:11). The same confident resting in God during the onslaught of the wicked was expressed by the Savior (Luke 23:46). A sufferer who has faith in God may pray to Him and leave the problem in His hands (1 Peter 4:19).1
1 Ross, A. P. (1985). Psalms. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 817). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
31:5. David commits his life spirit into God’s care. He states a double ground for his act of trust: (1) his own past experience of God’s redemption; and (2) the known character of Yahweh as God of faithfulness. To “redeem” here means primarily to deliver from temporal danger. The first line of this verse was uttered by Jesus just before his death (Luke 23:46).1
1 Smith, J. E. (1996). The wisdom literature and Psalms (p. 259). Joplin, MO: College Press Pub. Co.
14 But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.” 15 My times are in your hands; deliver me from my enemies and from those who pursue me.
My times are in your hands. The use of “time/times” in this sense is more than a remark on the passage of time. Underlying the psalmist’s surrender is an understanding of life as made up of a series of decisive moments in which a person can take either appropriate or inappropriate direction, depending on how he or she responds to the circumstances. One response is to seek to control and manipulate the situation to one’s advantage. That is clearly what the psalmist’s opponents are doing. The other way is to surrender one’s personal will to the power and authority of God, as the psalmist seeks to do in 31:15.1
1 Wilson, G. H. (2002). Psalms (Vol. 1, p. 532). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
Application:
God knows how our lives are going to turn out.
Application:
2. Our lives and times are in HIS HANDS.
Application:
3. We trust in God no matter the circumstances.