Psalm 31:5 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.

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, Luk 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, Isa 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.

And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost. [Psalms 31:5] Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man. And all the people that came together to that sight, beholding the things which were done, smote their breasts, and returned. And all his acquaintance, and the women that followed him from Galilee, stood afar off, beholding these things.

"Into Your hands I commend My Spirit" [Psalm 31:5]. To Your power I commend My Spirit, soon to receive It back. "You have redeemed Me, O Lord God of truth." Let the people too, redeemed by the Passion of their Lord, and joyful in the glorifying of their Head, say, "You have redeemed me, O Lord God of truth."

Here spirit indicates mind. The mind that clings to God is one spirit.

Now, it is to be noted that the Lord cited this verse when on the cross, not that it was said of him in prophetic manner, as some commentators think, but because these words suited him when exposed to the risk of death and passion. So he cited this verse at the time when his soul was separated from his body, and [he] rightly entrusted it to the Father so that he might restore it to his body when it was in need of it at the time of the resurrection.

Let us consider why these words have been placed here which the Gospel text quotes.… Certainly so that you may recognize that here too he spoke who so many centuries later would speak the same words when fixed on the cross. “Into your hands” means “Into your truth” by which you always perform what is kind and just. In this way, he commends to the Father the inestimable treasure, namely, that soul that regularly carried out the Fathers desires in complete compliance with the Father’s intention. It was therefore fitting that such a spirit be commended to such a great guardian. Next he testifies that he was redeemed. But let us examine at what price; it was the price which the Apostle indicates: “He emptied himself, taking on the form of a servant.” You see how great the price was that he brought his majesty as low as human flesh, and he emptied himself in order that he might fill human things with heavenly things.

"Into your hands." Third, he breaks forth in sudden prayer; and concerning this he does two things. First, he commends himself to the Lord; second, he commemorates the divine benefit, either already received or soon to follow, at "You have redeemed," and so on. He says therefore as to the first, "Into your hands," and so on. What a man holds most dear he commends to his guide. And therefore in this perilous life I commend my spirit to you, God. Christ did this as an example for us; hence on the cross he said, "Into your hands," and so on. 2 Tim. 1: "I know whom I have believed," and so on. This is understood from the person of the Church; as if the Church were to say to its head, Christ: you say, "Into your hands I commend my spirit," and so on. And from this, namely from the cross, our redemption follows. He says moreover, "God of truth," because he fulfilled what he promised. But by comparison to adversaries he says, "You have hated"; as if to say, thus you relate to me, but how toward adversaries? Because you hate them, and rightly, because they observe vanities, and so on -- those, namely, who place and fix their hope in the things of the world. And this they do in vain, because these things fail. Wis. 5: "What has pride profited us?" and so on. Likewise vanities: auguries, or dreams, or pacts with demons; and such people are hated by God, because they are sacrilegious and idolaters. Ps. 39: "Blessed is the man whose trust is the name of the Lord," and so on.

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.

commit my spirit--my life, or myself. Our Saviour used the words on the Cross [Luk 23:46], not as prophetical, but, as many pious men have done, as expressive of His unshaken confidence in God. The Psalmist rests on God's faithfulness to His promises to His people, and hence avows himself one of them, detesting all who revere objects of idolatry (compare Deu 32:21; Co1 8:4).