Psalm 31:17 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.

Let me not be ashamed, O Lord,.... The same petition as in Psa 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 cease (f); that is, from their evil words and works, and particularly from troubling the saints, Job 3:17. (f) "Verbum est" "quod significat cessare ab aliquo opere, vel sermone", Psal. iv. 5. Gejerus.

"O Lord, let me not be confounded, for I have called upon You" [Psalm 31:17]. O Lord, let me not be put to shame by those who insult me, for that I have called upon You. "Let the ungodly be ashamed, and be brought down to hell." Let them rather who call upon stones be ashamed, and made to dwell with darkness.

In saying, “Save me in your mercy,” he denies his own merit. He constantly repeats the same things in order to teach us, nor does he ever become weary of his beloved confession, because the sweetness of the truth does not become distasteful to him. He also adds: “Lord, may I not be put to shame, for I have called upon you.” Wonderful and complete is this proclamation which contains both the petition of a humble person and the indestructible strength of one who believes. So he asks not he not be put to shame by God failing to answer his prayer. But how does he believe that he is heard? “For I have called on you.” Calling upon the Lord in faith is an act which finds favor rather than insulting God, for the one who calls cannot at all be deceived, assuming that he is heard by God.

Then he prays against his enemies when he says, "Let them be put to shame." And first he sets forth his petition. Second, he assigns their merit, at "Who speak." And note that this prayer is to be understood more in the manner of a prediction than of a prayer; as if to say, "Let them be put to shame," conforming his will to divine justice. Against the first he sets forth three things that will come upon them: because at the judgment they will be confounded; hence he says, "Let them be put to shame." For he will say, Mt. 25: "I was hungry, and you did not give me to eat," and so on, because their conscience will reprove them: Is. 1: "You shall be ashamed of the gardens that you have chosen, when you shall be," and so on. Second, they will be sent into eternal punishment; and this is what he says, "And let them be brought down to hell": Ps. 48: "Like sheep they are laid in hell; death shall feed upon them." Third, they will be struck dumb; hence he says, "Let deceitful lips be made dumb": Ps. 106: "All iniquity shall stop its mouth." But against this: rather, they will be speaking: Rev. 16: "They blasphemed God," and so on. Likewise, they will groan: Wis. 5: "Groaning for anguish of spirit, and saying," and so on. I respond: it must be said that they will be struck dumb from words of pride and of injury inflicted on the saints.

As to the second he says, "Let me not be confounded," that is, failing in your hope; or "let me not be confounded," that is, cheated of my hope. And this because "I have called upon you": Joel 2: "Everyone who shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." "I have called upon you." The Gloss of Augustine says: you call upon God when you call God into yourself, when you invite him into the house of your heart, which must first be cleansed of all filth and deceit; otherwise you do not truly call upon him. For if you call upon God to give you profit, you are calling upon profit, not God. Therefore, O avaricious one, you call upon God freely, so that money, not God himself, may fill you. Do you not want him to come to you without gold and silver? What, then, of the things God does for you suffices, when God himself does not suffice?

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.