Psalms 31 Study Notes: A Life Entrusted to God
David takes refuge in the LORD and commits his life into God's hands, words Jesus prayed on the cross. He describes grief, weakness, and rejection by friends, yet confesses that his whole life is in God's care. The psalm ends praising God's stored-up goodness and urging the faithful to love the LORD and take courage.
General
In 31:7-8, why does David rejoice in God's loving devotion?
Answer: God has noticed his suffering and cared about his pain
David rejoices in God's loving devotion, His loyal, covenant-keeping love, because God has seen his affliction and known the deep anguish of his soul (31:7). God has not handed him over to the enemy but has placed his feet in a wide, open space (31:8). God is not distant from His people's pain. At the burning bush God told Moses He had seen the misery of His people in Egypt (Exodus 3:7). David elsewhere says God keeps count of his wanderings and tears (56:8), and Peter tells believers to cast every anxiety on God since He cares about them (1 Peter 5:7).
- Psalm 31:7-8 (BSB)“I will be glad and rejoice in Your loving devotion, for You have seen my affliction; You have known the anguish of my soul. You have not delivered me to the enemy; You have set my feet in the open.”David rejoices because God has seen his affliction and set him free.
- Exodus 3:7 (BSB)“The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the affliction of My people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their oppressors, and I am aware of their sufferings.”God tells Moses He has seen His people's affliction and knows their sufferings.
- Psalm 56:8 (BSB)“You have taken account of my wanderings. Put my tears in Your bottle—are they not in Your book?”God keeps account of His servant's tears and wanderings.
- 1 Peter 5:7 (BSB)“Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”Believers can cast their anxieties on God because He cares for them.
Theological
What ground for rejoicing in God's loving devotion does 31:7-8 give?
Answer: God has noticed his suffering and cared about his pain
David's joy in God's loving devotion rests on God's personal knowledge of his affliction and anguish (31:7), and on His deliverance: David was not handed to the enemy but set in a broad place (31:8). The covenant God sees and knows the sufferings of His people (Exodus 3:7), records their tears (56:8), and cares for them (1 Peter 5:7).
- Psalm 31:7-8 (BSB)“I will be glad and rejoice in Your loving devotion, for You have seen my affliction; You have known the anguish of my soul. You have not delivered me to the enemy; You have set my feet in the open.”David rejoices because God has seen his affliction and set him free.
- Exodus 3:7 (BSB)“The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the affliction of My people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their oppressors, and I am aware of their sufferings.”God tells Moses He has seen His people's affliction and knows their sufferings.
- Psalm 56:8 (BSB)“You have taken account of my wanderings. Put my tears in Your bottle—are they not in Your book?”God keeps account of His servant's tears and wanderings.
- 1 Peter 5:7 (BSB)“Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”Believers can cast their anxieties on God because He cares for them.
General
According to 31:19, for whom has God stored up His great goodness?
Answer: Those who fear Him and take refuge in Him
David marvels at how great God's goodness is, stored up for all who fear Him and given openly to all who shelter in Him (31:19). God keeps them hidden close to Himself, safe from human schemes and from accusing tongues (31:20). God keeps His people and holds good things in store for them. Paul says God has readied things beyond imagining for all who love Him (1 Corinthians 2:9). Peter speaks of an inheritance kept in heaven for believers, who are guarded by God's power (1 Peter 1:4-5), and Paul says the believer's life is safely hidden in Christ (Colossians 3:3).
- Psalm 31:19-20 (BSB)“How great is Your goodness which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have bestowed before the sons of men on those who take refuge in You! You hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the schemes of men. You conceal them in Your shelter from accusing tongues.”David praises God's goodness stored up for those who fear Him and His protection of them.
- 1 Corinthians 2:9 (BSB)“Rather, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no heart has imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him.””God has prepared unimaginable good for those who love Him.
- 1 Peter 1:4-5 (BSB)“and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, reserved in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power for the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.”Believers' inheritance is kept in heaven and they are guarded by God's power.
- Colossians 3:3 (BSB)“For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.”The believer's life is kept hidden and secure in Christ.
Theological
To whom, according to 31:19, does God's stored-up goodness belong?
Answer: Those who fear Him and take refuge in Him
God's goodness is reserved for all who fear Him and publicly bestowed on all who shelter in Him (31:19), and they are hidden in His presence from the plots and accusations of men (31:20). This is God's preserving care: what He has readied for all who love Him surpasses imagination (1 Corinthians 2:9), their inheritance is reserved in heaven while they are kept by His power through faith (1 Peter 1:4-5), and their life is hidden with Christ (Colossians 3:3).
- Psalm 31:19-20 (BSB)“How great is Your goodness which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have bestowed before the sons of men on those who take refuge in You! You hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the schemes of men. You conceal them in Your shelter from accusing tongues.”David praises God's goodness stored up for those who fear Him and His protection of them.
- 1 Corinthians 2:9 (BSB)“Rather, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no heart has imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him.””God has prepared unimaginable good for those who love Him.
- 1 Peter 1:4-5 (BSB)“and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, reserved in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power for the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.”Believers' inheritance is kept in heaven and they are guarded by God's power.
- Colossians 3:3 (BSB)“For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.”The believer's life is kept hidden and secure in Christ.
General
True or False: In 31:22, David says that in his alarm he thought he was cut off from God's sight, yet God heard his plea.
Answer: True
This is true. David blesses the LORD for showing His loving devotion when David was in a besieged city (31:21). In his panic he had said he was cut off from God's sight, but God heard his cry for mercy (31:22). Feelings of being abandoned are not the final word; God hears. Jonah said much the same from inside the fish (Jonah 2:4). David then calls all God's saints to love the LORD, who guards the faithful and repays the proud in full, and he urges everyone who hopes in the LORD to take courage and be strong (31:23-24). Other psalms likewise promise that the LORD preserves His saints and does not forsake them (37:28; 97:10).
- Psalm 31:21-24 (BSB)“Blessed be the LORD, for He has shown me His loving devotion in a city under siege. In my alarm I said, “I am cut off from Your sight!” But You heard my plea for mercy when I called to You for help. Love the LORD, all His saints. The LORD preserves the faithful, but fully repays the arrogant. Be strong and courageous, all you who hope in the LORD.”David praises God for hearing him when he felt cut off and calls the saints to love and hope in the LORD.
- Jonah 2:4 (BSB)“At this, I said, ‘I have been banished from Your sight; yet I will look once more toward Your holy temple.’”Jonah felt banished from God's sight yet looked to God again and was heard.
- Psalm 37:28 (BSB)“For the LORD loves justice and will not forsake His saints. They are preserved forever, but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off.”The LORD does not forsake His saints; they are preserved forever.
- Psalm 97:10 (BSB)“Hate evil, O you who love the LORD! He preserves the souls of His saints; He delivers them from the hand of the wicked.”The LORD preserves the souls of His saints.
Theological
True or False: In 31:22, David recalls that his fear of being cut off from God's sight was answered by God hearing him.
Answer: True
This is true. The psalm ends in thanksgiving for loving devotion shown in a besieged city (31:21) and a confession that his alarmed cry of being cut off was overruled by God's hearing (31:22), as in Jonah 2:4. From this David exhorts the saints: love the LORD, who preserves the faithful and repays the proud (31:23), and take courage in hope (31:24). The preservation of the saints is affirmed elsewhere as well (37:28; 97:10).
- Psalm 31:21-24 (BSB)“Blessed be the LORD, for He has shown me His loving devotion in a city under siege. In my alarm I said, “I am cut off from Your sight!” But You heard my plea for mercy when I called to You for help. Love the LORD, all His saints. The LORD preserves the faithful, but fully repays the arrogant. Be strong and courageous, all you who hope in the LORD.”David praises God for hearing him when he felt cut off and calls the saints to love and hope in the LORD.
- Jonah 2:4 (BSB)“At this, I said, ‘I have been banished from Your sight; yet I will look once more toward Your holy temple.’”Jonah felt banished from God's sight yet looked to God again and was heard.
- Psalm 37:28 (BSB)“For the LORD loves justice and will not forsake His saints. They are preserved forever, but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off.”The LORD does not forsake His saints; they are preserved forever.
- Psalm 97:10 (BSB)“Hate evil, O you who love the LORD! He preserves the souls of His saints; He delivers them from the hand of the wicked.”The LORD preserves the souls of His saints.
General
In 31:6, whom does David contrast with his own trust in the LORD?
Answer: Those who hold on to empty, useless idols
David calls the LORD the God of truth, the one who has redeemed him (31:5). In contrast, he turns away from people devoted to empty idols and says his trust is in the LORD (31:6). An idol is empty and cannot save, so trusting one means trusting nothing. Jonah says idol-worshipers abandon the loving devotion God offers (Jonah 2:8). Another psalm says idols cannot speak, see, or hear, and that their makers become like them (115:4-8), and John warns believers to keep away from idols (1 John 5:21).
- Psalm 31:5-6 (BSB)“Into Your hands I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O LORD, God of truth. I hate those who cling to worthless idols, but in the LORD I trust.”David contrasts the God of truth who redeemed him with worthless idols.
- Jonah 2:8 (BSB)“Those who cling to worthless idols forsake His loving devotion.”Clinging to idols means forsaking God's loving devotion.
- Psalm 115:4-8 (BSB)“Their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see; they have ears, but cannot hear; they have noses, but cannot smell; they have hands, but cannot feel; they have feet, but cannot walk; they cannot even clear their throats. Those who make them become like them, as do all who trust in them.”Idols are lifeless, and those who trust them become like them.
- 1 John 5:21 (BSB)“Little children, keep yourselves from idols.”Believers are warned to guard themselves from idols.
Theological
What contrast to his own trust does David draw in 31:6?
Answer: Those who hold on to empty, useless idols
Having confessed the LORD as the God of truth who redeems (31:5), David sets true trust against devotion to worthless idols (31:6). Idolatry is not neutral; it forsakes the covenant love God offers (Jonah 2:8), it assimilates worshipers to the lifeless objects they trust (115:4-8), and believers are warned to keep themselves from it (1 John 5:21).
- Psalm 31:5-6 (BSB)“Into Your hands I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O LORD, God of truth. I hate those who cling to worthless idols, but in the LORD I trust.”David contrasts the God of truth who redeemed him with worthless idols.
- Jonah 2:8 (BSB)“Those who cling to worthless idols forsake His loving devotion.”Clinging to idols means forsaking God's loving devotion.
- Psalm 115:4-8 (BSB)“Their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see; they have ears, but cannot hear; they have noses, but cannot smell; they have hands, but cannot feel; they have feet, but cannot walk; they cannot even clear their throats. Those who make them become like them, as do all who trust in them.”Idols are lifeless, and those who trust them become like them.
- 1 John 5:21 (BSB)“Little children, keep yourselves from idols.”Believers are warned to guard themselves from idols.
General
In the New Testament, who prays the words of 31:5 at the moment of death, addressing them to the Father?
Answer: Jesus, as He died on the cross
In 31:5 David entrusts his life into God's hands, confident that the LORD, the faithful God of truth, has redeemed him. On the cross Jesus called out the first half of this verse aloud, addressing God as Father, and then breathed His last (Luke 23:46). His death was not a defeat forced on Him but a willing, trusting handing over of His life to the Father; Jesus said no one takes His life from Him, but He lays it down of His own accord (John 10:17-18). Stephen, dying as a martyr, later prayed in the same trust, but in his own words and addressed to the Lord Jesus, asking Him to receive his spirit (Acts 7:59).
- Psalm 31:5 (BSB)“Into Your hands I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O LORD, God of truth.”David commits his life into God's hands, trusting the God of truth who has redeemed him.
- Luke 23:46 (BSB)“Then Jesus called out in a loud voice, “Father, into Your hands I commit My Spirit.” And when He had said this, He breathed His last.”Jesus speaks these words from the cross, addressing the Father, and then dies.
- John 10:17-18 (BSB)“The reason the Father loves Me is that I lay down My life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from My Father.””Jesus lays down His life of His own accord; no one takes it from Him.
- Acts 7:59 (BSB)“While they were stoning him, Stephen appealed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.””Stephen likewise entrusts his spirit to the Lord Jesus as he dies.
Theological
Who, according to Luke 23:46, took up the words of 31:5 as a dying prayer to the Father?
Answer: Jesus, as He died on the cross
David's act of trust in 31:5, committing his spirit into the hands of the God of truth who has redeemed him, becomes, in Luke's account, the final word of the Son on the cross, now addressed to the Father (Luke 23:46). Christ's death is a voluntary self-offering: He lays down His life of His own accord (John 10:17-18) and entrusts Himself to the Father. His people die in the same trust, as Stephen, in his own words, commits his spirit to the Lord Jesus (Acts 7:59).
- Psalm 31:5 (BSB)“Into Your hands I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O LORD, God of truth.”David commits his life into God's hands, trusting the God of truth who has redeemed him.
- Luke 23:46 (BSB)“Then Jesus called out in a loud voice, “Father, into Your hands I commit My Spirit.” And when He had said this, He breathed His last.”Jesus speaks these words from the cross, addressing the Father, and then dies.
- John 10:17-18 (BSB)“The reason the Father loves Me is that I lay down My life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from My Father.””Jesus lays down His life of His own accord; no one takes it from Him.
- Acts 7:59 (BSB)“While they were stoning him, Stephen appealed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.””Stephen likewise entrusts his spirit to the Lord Jesus as he dies.
General
In 31:3, on what basis does David ask God to lead and guide him?
Answer: To honor God's own name and reputation
David takes refuge in the LORD and asks Him to be his rock and fortress and to free him from the trap his enemies have set (31:1-4). He asks God to lead and guide him because God's own name, His reputation and glory, is at stake (31:3). The shepherd psalm likewise says God guides His people in right paths for His name (23:3). Through Ezekiel, God says He will act to restore Israel not for their sake but for His holy name (Ezekiel 36:22), and through Isaiah He says He will not give His glory to another (Isaiah 48:11). God's saving work rests on His own glory, not on the merit of those He rescues.
- Psalm 31:1-4 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. In You, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; save me by Your righteousness. Incline Your ear to me; come quickly to my rescue. Be my rock of refuge, the stronghold of my deliverance. For You are my rock and my fortress; lead me and guide me for the sake of Your name. You free me from the net laid out for me, for You are my refuge.”David takes refuge in the LORD and asks to be guided for the sake of God's name.
- Psalm 23:3 (BSB)“He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for the sake of His name.”God guides His people in right paths for the sake of His name.
- Ezekiel 36:22 (BSB)“Therefore tell the house of Israel that this is what the Lord GOD says: It is not for your sake that I will act, O house of Israel, but for My holy name, which you profaned among the nations to which you went.”God acts to restore Israel for His holy name rather than for their sake.
- Isaiah 48:11 (BSB)“For My own sake, My very own sake, I will act; for how can I let Myself be defamed? I will not yield My glory to another.”God acts for His own sake and will not yield His glory to another.
Theological
What motive for God's guidance does David appeal to in 31:3?
Answer: To honor God's own name and reputation
David's refuge is the LORD Himself, his rock and fortress, who frees him from the net (31:1-4), and his appeal for guidance rests on God's name (31:3), that is, God's revealed character and glory. God's saving action is ultimately for His own name's sake (23:3; Ezekiel 36:22) and His glory, which He will not share (Isaiah 48:11). The petitioner's hope rests on God's commitment to His own glory, not on his own merit.
- Psalm 31:1-4 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. In You, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; save me by Your righteousness. Incline Your ear to me; come quickly to my rescue. Be my rock of refuge, the stronghold of my deliverance. For You are my rock and my fortress; lead me and guide me for the sake of Your name. You free me from the net laid out for me, for You are my refuge.”David takes refuge in the LORD and asks to be guided for the sake of God's name.
- Psalm 23:3 (BSB)“He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for the sake of His name.”God guides His people in right paths for the sake of His name.
- Ezekiel 36:22 (BSB)“Therefore tell the house of Israel that this is what the Lord GOD says: It is not for your sake that I will act, O house of Israel, but for My holy name, which you profaned among the nations to which you went.”God acts to restore Israel for His holy name rather than for their sake.
- Isaiah 48:11 (BSB)“For My own sake, My very own sake, I will act; for how can I let Myself be defamed? I will not yield My glory to another.”God acts for His own sake and will not yield His glory to another.
General
What does David's picture of himself as a broken vessel in 31:12 express?
Answer: He feels discarded and forgotten, of no use to anyone
David is a disgrace among his enemies and even more among his neighbors; friends dread him and run when they see him in the street (31:11). He is forgotten as though he had died, like a broken pot that is thrown away (31:12). He hears many slandering him, senses danger all around, and knows people are scheming to kill him (31:13). Jeremiah heard the same whispering against him from those who watched for his fall (Jeremiah 20:10), Job laments that relatives and friends had forgotten him (Job 19:13-14), and another psalmist says his friends were removed and found him repulsive (88:8).
- Psalm 31:11-13 (BSB)“Among all my enemies I am a disgrace, and among my neighbors even more. I am dreaded by my friends—they flee when they see me on the street. I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind. I am like a broken vessel. For I hear the slander of many; there is terror on every side. They conspire against me and plot to take my life.”David describes rejection by friends, being forgotten like the dead, and living under threat.
- Jeremiah 20:10 (BSB)“For I have heard the whispering of many: “Terror is on every side! Report him; let us report him!” All my trusted friends watch for my fall: “Perhaps he will be deceived so that we may prevail against him and take our vengeance upon him.””Jeremiah uses the same cry of terror all around as enemies plot against him.
- Job 19:13-14 (BSB)“He has removed my brothers from me; my acquaintances have abandoned me. My kinsmen have failed me, and my friends have forgotten me.”Job describes relatives and friends forgetting and abandoning him.
- Psalm 88:8 (BSB)“You have removed my friends from me; You have made me repulsive to them; I am confined and cannot escape.”Another sufferer describes friends removed and repelled by him.
Theological
What does the image of a broken vessel in 31:12 convey?
Answer: He feels discarded and forgotten, of no use to anyone
The image completes a picture of social death: reproach from enemies and neighbors, avoidance by friends (31:11), oblivion like the dead, and uselessness like a shattered pot (31:12), under slander and threat of murder (31:13). The same isolation marks Jeremiah, whose trusted friends waited for his fall (Jeremiah 20:10), Job, abandoned by kin and friends (Job 19:13-14), and the psalmist of 88:8.
- Psalm 31:11-13 (BSB)“Among all my enemies I am a disgrace, and among my neighbors even more. I am dreaded by my friends—they flee when they see me on the street. I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind. I am like a broken vessel. For I hear the slander of many; there is terror on every side. They conspire against me and plot to take my life.”David describes rejection by friends, being forgotten like the dead, and living under threat.
- Jeremiah 20:10 (BSB)“For I have heard the whispering of many: “Terror is on every side! Report him; let us report him!” All my trusted friends watch for my fall: “Perhaps he will be deceived so that we may prevail against him and take our vengeance upon him.””Jeremiah uses the same cry of terror all around as enemies plot against him.
- Job 19:13-14 (BSB)“He has removed my brothers from me; my acquaintances have abandoned me. My kinsmen have failed me, and my friends have forgotten me.”Job describes relatives and friends forgetting and abandoning him.
- Psalm 88:8 (BSB)“You have removed my friends from me; You have made me repulsive to them; I am confined and cannot escape.”Another sufferer describes friends removed and repelled by him.
General
The request in 31:16 that God make His face shine on His servant echoes which earlier passage?
Answer: The priestly blessing given through Aaron
David asks God to make His face shine on him and save him by His loving devotion (31:16). This echoes the blessing that the LORD gave Aaron and the priests to speak over Israel, asking that the LORD turn His shining face toward His people and show them grace (Numbers 6:22-26). God's shining face is a picture of His favor and kindness, and another psalm prays for it as the way to be saved (80:3). David then asks not to be disgraced, since he has called on God, but that the wicked and their lying, arrogant lips be silenced instead (31:17-18). Paul says that no one who believes in the Lord will end in disgrace (Romans 10:11).
- Psalm 31:16-18 (BSB)“Make Your face shine on Your servant; save me by Your loving devotion. O LORD, let me not be ashamed, for I have called on You. Let the wicked be put to shame; let them lie silent in Sheol. May lying lips be silenced—lips that speak with arrogance against the righteous, full of pride and contempt.”David asks for God's shining face and that the wicked, not he, be put to shame.
- Numbers 6:22-26 (BSB)“Then the LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron and his sons: This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: ‘May the LORD bless you and keep you; may the LORD cause His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; may the LORD lift up His countenance toward you and give you peace.’”The LORD gives Aaron and his sons the blessing that asks Him to make His face shine on Israel.
- Psalm 80:3 (BSB)“Restore us, O God, and cause Your face to shine upon us, that we may be saved.”Another psalm prays for God's shining face as the means of salvation.
- Romans 10:11 (BSB)“It is just as the Scripture says: “Anyone who believes in Him will never be put to shame.””Paul affirms that those who believe will never be put to shame.
Theological
Which earlier text does the petition of 31:16 for God's shining face recall?
Answer: The priestly blessing given through Aaron
The petition for God's face to shine (31:16) takes up the language of the Aaronic benediction (Numbers 6:22-26): God's favor, grace, and salvation expressed in the image of His face turned toward His servant, a prayer repeated in 80:3. David's plea not to be shamed, while the lying and arrogant are silenced (31:17-18), rests on the same assurance Paul gives, that faith in the Lord never ends in disgrace (Romans 10:11).
- Psalm 31:16-18 (BSB)“Make Your face shine on Your servant; save me by Your loving devotion. O LORD, let me not be ashamed, for I have called on You. Let the wicked be put to shame; let them lie silent in Sheol. May lying lips be silenced—lips that speak with arrogance against the righteous, full of pride and contempt.”David asks for God's shining face and that the wicked, not he, be put to shame.
- Numbers 6:22-26 (BSB)“Then the LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron and his sons: This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: ‘May the LORD bless you and keep you; may the LORD cause His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; may the LORD lift up His countenance toward you and give you peace.’”The LORD gives Aaron and his sons the blessing that asks Him to make His face shine on Israel.
- Psalm 80:3 (BSB)“Restore us, O God, and cause Your face to shine upon us, that we may be saved.”Another psalm prays for God's shining face as the means of salvation.
- Romans 10:11 (BSB)“It is just as the Scripture says: “Anyone who believes in Him will never be put to shame.””Paul affirms that those who believe will never be put to shame.
General
What does David confess in 31:14-15 while surrounded by enemies?
Answer: The course of his whole life is in God's control
In the middle of his enemies' plots, David declares his trust in the LORD and claims Him as his own God (31:14). He confesses that his times, every moment and turn of his life, are in God's hands, and on that basis asks for rescue from his pursuers (31:15). God is sovereign, meaning He rules over all things, including the length and events of each life. Paul says God fixed each nation's set seasons and the limits of their lands (Acts 17:26), David says every one of his days was recorded in God's book before any of them had begun (139:16), and Jesus teaches that not even a sparrow falls apart from the Father's will (Matthew 10:29-30).
- Psalm 31:14-15 (BSB)“But I trust in You, O LORD; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in Your hands; deliver me from my enemies and from those who pursue me.”David trusts the LORD and confesses that his times are in God's hands.
- Acts 17:26 (BSB)“From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands.”God determines the nations' appointed times and the limits of their lands.
- Psalm 139:16 (BSB)“Your eyes saw my unformed body; all my days were written in Your book and ordained for me before one of them came to be.”All of David's days were written in God's book beforehand.
- Matthew 10:29-30 (BSB)“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”Nothing, not even a sparrow's fall, happens apart from the Father's will.
Theological
What confession of God's providence does David make in 31:14-15?
Answer: The course of his whole life is in God's control
Against the conspiracy of 31:13, David confesses the LORD as his God (31:14) and places the whole course of his life under God's sovereign disposal (31:15). This is providence in its most personal form: the times and territories of the nations (Acts 17:26), the days of each life written beforehand (139:16), and even a sparrow's fall (Matthew 10:29-30) are governed by God. Because his times are in God's hands, not his enemies', his petition for deliverance is grounded in confidence.
- Psalm 31:14-15 (BSB)“But I trust in You, O LORD; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in Your hands; deliver me from my enemies and from those who pursue me.”David trusts the LORD and confesses that his times are in God's hands.
- Acts 17:26 (BSB)“From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands.”God determines the nations' appointed times and the limits of their lands.
- Psalm 139:16 (BSB)“Your eyes saw my unformed body; all my days were written in Your book and ordained for me before one of them came to be.”All of David's days were written in God's book beforehand.
- Matthew 10:29-30 (BSB)“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”Nothing, not even a sparrow's fall, happens apart from the Father's will.
General
True or False: In 31:10, David links his physical weakness to his own sin.
Answer: True
This is true. David is in deep distress: his eyes grow weak from grief, his life is spent in sorrow and groaning, his own sin has sapped his strength, and his body is wearing out (31:9-10). Not every suffering is caused by a person's own sin, as Jesus taught about the man born blind (John 9:2-3), but David honestly admits that his is tied to his guilt. He describes the same heavy toll of sin in 32:3-5, where confession brings forgiveness, and God promises to forgive and cleanse those who confess their sins (1 John 1:9).
- Psalm 31:9-10 (BSB)“Be merciful to me, O LORD, for I am in distress; my eyes fail from sorrow, my soul and body as well. For my life is consumed with grief and my years with groaning; my iniquity has drained my strength, and my bones are wasting away.”David describes his grief and weakness and names his iniquity as draining his strength.
- Psalm 32:3-5 (BSB)“When I kept silent, my bones became brittle from my groaning all day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was drained as in the summer heat. Selah Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not hide my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah”David describes how unconfessed sin weighed on his body until he confessed and was forgiven.
- 1 John 1:9 (BSB)“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”God faithfully forgives and cleanses those who confess their sins.
- John 9:2-3 (BSB)“and His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the works of God would be displayed in him.”Jesus shows that not every affliction is caused by the sufferer's own sin.
Theological
True or False: In 31:10, David attributes his failing strength in part to his own iniquity.
Answer: True
This is true. Amid grief and groaning, David confesses that his iniquity has sapped his strength and his body is failing (31:9-10). Scripture does not make every affliction the direct result of personal sin (John 9:2-3), but here David owns his guilt. The same connection between sin and bodily distress appears in 32:3-5, and the remedy is confession met by God's faithful forgiveness (1 John 1:9).
- Psalm 31:9-10 (BSB)“Be merciful to me, O LORD, for I am in distress; my eyes fail from sorrow, my soul and body as well. For my life is consumed with grief and my years with groaning; my iniquity has drained my strength, and my bones are wasting away.”David describes his grief and weakness and names his iniquity as draining his strength.
- Psalm 32:3-5 (BSB)“When I kept silent, my bones became brittle from my groaning all day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was drained as in the summer heat. Selah Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not hide my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah”David describes how unconfessed sin weighed on his body until he confessed and was forgiven.
- 1 John 1:9 (BSB)“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”God faithfully forgives and cleanses those who confess their sins.
- John 9:2-3 (BSB)“and His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the works of God would be displayed in him.”Jesus shows that not every affliction is caused by the sufferer's own sin.