Psalm 31:14 Komentář

It is probable that David penned this psalm when he was persecuted by Saul; some passages in it agree particularly to the narrow escapes he had, at Keilah (Sa1 23:13), then in the wilderness of Maon, when Saul marched on one side of the hill and he on the other, and, soon after, in the cave in the wilderness of En-gedi; but that it was penned upon any of those occasions we are not told. It is a mixture of prayers, and praises, and professions of confidence in God, all which do well together and are helpful to one another. I. David professes his cheerful confidence in God, and, in that confidence, prays for deliverance out of his present troubles (Psa 31:1-8). II. He complains of the very deplorable condition he was in, and, in the sense of his calamities, still prays that God would graciously appear for him against his persecutors (Psa 31:9-18). III. He concludes the psalm with praise and triumph, giving glory to God, and encouraging himself and others to trust in him (Psa 31:19-24). To the chief musician. A psalm of David.

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 Psa 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.

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 Psa 7:1.

"But I have hoped in You, O Lord; I have said, You are my God" [Psalm 31:14]. For You have not changed, that You should not save, Who dost correct.

The order of the words is wonderful and most holy. When his enemies … held on to a hope in their own strength, he says that he put his hope in the Lord, since he knew that their power was nothing and by the plots they were attempting they would kill themselves rather than him.… The Lord Christ says: “You are my God,” but he says this from the perspective of the human nature that he assumed, which, as he says later, was subject both to time and to death. He does not, as his enemies were thinking, mention that his life was going to be ended by their persecution, but he commends the times of his life to the Lord. For we exist by his work as our Creator; we are enlivened as he determines; and we also pass on when he gives the command. For this reason, it is necessary that his hope be set on the Lord, for he knew that his life and his death were under God’s control.

"But I." Above, the Psalmist narrated the evils he was suffering; here he takes refuge in prayer. And because prayer is empty unless it rests upon sure hope, therefore he first sets forth hope and then adds the prayer, at "Deliver me from the hand," and so on. Concerning the first he does two things. First, he sets forth hope. Second, he assigns the reason for hope, at "I said, You are my God." The connection is as follows: he does not simply say "I have hoped in you," but "But I," and so on. The Gloss of Augustine says that it is customary for children to be called "mammontreca" (those who want to nurse too long), because they want to suck the breasts for a long time, but their mothers apply bitterness so that they may be repelled. Our breasts, from which we are nursed by the Lord, are temporal prosperity and the consolation of friends. When God sees that men trust too much in these things and are allured by them, he withdraws them and applies bitterness, so that they may place their hope in God alone. So the one who perceives this says, "I have heard," he says, "reproach"; and therefore he says, "But I," and so on; as if to say: with all others contradicting and fighting against me, my hope was in you alone: Jer. 17: "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord." A twofold reason for hope is assigned. One from the care and providence of God. The other from his power. He trusts in him, first, as one entrusted to divine care and received by God; for God by his power has care of all things: Wis. 12: "For there is no other God besides you, whose care is for all." Likewise, Wis. 14: "But you, Father, govern all things by your providence." Hence God has care of all, but specially of some: 1 Pet. 5: "Cast all your anxiety upon him, because he cares for you." And therefore God is specially theirs. And therefore he says, "I have hoped in you, because you are my God." Second, from his power; because unless he were powerful, hope would fail. But he does not think thus of God; hence he says, "My lots are in your hands," that is, all the good things that are given to me are in your power: Eph. 1: "In whom we also have been called by lot, having been predestined," and so on. Now it should be known that lots are of three kinds: some consultatory, some divinatory, and some derisory. Generally speaking, a lot is nothing other than a certain sign of the divine will that is sought. And therefore, in the Gloss of Augustine, a lot is not something evil, but a thing indicating the divine will in a case of human doubt. And therefore to cast lots is nothing other than to seek a sign of the divine will. Therefore, a lot by its very nature does not signify something evil; but it becomes evil in two ways. First, when someone seeks this sign from one from whom he ought not, as from a demon; and in this way sortileges are condemned among other things that pertain to unbelief. Second, if one seeks a sign in matters where it is not necessary. In two cases this sign ought to be sought: in necessary matters and in matters that cannot otherwise be known. For if it is not about necessary things, then it is curiosity; and this is the case with divinatory lots, because in these one is concerned about future things, and therefore they are vain and are rejected. But in necessary matters that can be otherwise known, lots are also prohibited, because this is to tempt God, namely when something can be known by human means but one resorts to the divine. But to use lots in distributing who should have what, or in deciding what is best to do in temporal affairs, I say that the lot is not blameworthy. Hence divisions are frequently made by lot. Similarly, for temporal dignities, if they are chosen by lot. But this is not permitted in spiritual matters, because in these man is directed by the Holy Spirit; hence whoever would cast lots in such matters would do injury to the Holy Spirit. Hence the apostles, before the Holy Spirit came, cast lots for Matthias; but after the Holy Spirit they chose the seven deacons without lots. "In your hands," therefore, he says, "are my lots," that is, whatever is given according to the indication of your will, all is under your power: Prov. 16: "Lots are cast into the lap, but they are disposed of by the Lord." Another text has, "My times," how long and what kind: Dan. 2: "He changes times and ages."

The prayer of a believer in time of deep distress. In the first part, cries for help are mingled with expressions of confidence. Then the detail of griefs engrosses his attention, till, in the assurance of strong but submissive faith, he rises to the language of unmingled joyful trust and exhorts others to like love and confidence towards God. (Psa. 31:1-24) Expresses the general tone of feeling of the Psalm.

In his profession of trust he includes the terms of the prayer expressing it.

(Heb.: 31:15-19) But, although a curse of the world and an offscouring of all people, he is confident in God, his Deliverer and Avenger. By ואני prominence is given to the subject by way of contrast, as in Psa 31:7. It appears as though Jahve had given him up in His anger; but he confides in Him, and in spite of this appearance, he even confides in Him with the prayer of appropriating faith. עתּות or אתּים (Ch1 29:30) are the appointed events and circumstances, the vicissitudes of human life; like the Arabic 'idât (like עת from ועד), the appointed rewards and punishments. The times, with whatsoever they bring with them, are in the Lord's hand, every lot is of His appointment or sending. The Vulgate follows the lxx, in manibus tuis sortes meae. The petitions of Psa 31:16, Psa 31:17, spring from this consciousness that the almighty and faithful hand of God has mould his life. There are three petitions; the middle one is an echo of the Aaronitish blessing in Num 6:25. כּי קראתיך, which gives the ground of his hope that he shall not be put to shame (cf. Psa 31:2), is to be understood like אמרתּי in Psa 31:15, according to Ges. 126, 3. The expression of the ground for אל־אבושׁה, favours the explanation of it not so much as the language of petition (let me not be ashamed) of as hope. The futures which follow might be none the less regarded as optatives, but the order of the words does not require this. And we prefer to take them as expressing hope, so that the three petitions in Psa 31:16, Psa 31:17, correspond to the three hopes in Psa 31:18, Psa 31:19. He will not be ashamed, but the wicked shall be ashamed and silenced for ever. The form ידּמוּ, from דּמם, is, as in Jer 8:14, the plural of the fut. Kal ידּם, with the doubling of the first radical, which is customary in Aramaic (other examples of which we have in יקּד, ישּׁם, יתּם), not of the fut. Niph. ידּם, the plural of which would be ידּמּוּ, as in Sa1 2:9; conticescere in orcum is equivalent to: to be silent, i.e., being made powerless to fall a prey to hades. It is only in accordance with the connection, that in this instance נאלם, Psa 31:19, just like דּמם, denotes that which is forcibly laid upon them by the judicial intervention of God: all lying lips shall be dumb, i.e., made dumb. עתק prop. that which is unrestrained, free, insolent (cf. Arabic 'âtik, 'atı̂k, unrestrained, free (Note: But these Arabic words do not pass over into the signification "insolent.")) is the accusative of the object, as in Psa 94:4, and as it is the nominative of the subject in Sa1 2:3.