Psalm 31

Oooh, a slightly longer psalm.

vs 1

Not in his righteousness, obviously. If David, or I guess anyone, were really righteous, we wouldn't need to take refuge in God. Except, of course, that I think even Jesus would have said that he took refuge inGod. So to be truly righteous, you need to take refuge in God.

Anyway, even then you are delivered into God's righteousness, which is better than human righteousness anyway.

Shame, by the way, is a hugely important cultural concept in the middle east, and a lot of cultures. The opposite of shame is honour. So when you hear about an 'honour killing', it's usually because someone brought 'shame' onto the family. Shame needs to be redeemed. Sort of the opposite of guilt needing to be proved.

vs 2

As we've seen before, God is his refuge, so he asks for God to be his refuge, sort of not being presumptive.

vs 3

And once again we see David making his requests for the glory of God's name.

vs 4

Is that the trap of sin? I'd say that's probably being a little to allegorical. We all know that David has enemies, and no doubt they set regular old traps for him. Not like pit traps, but like ambushes.

vs 5

So it would seem Jesus quotes Psalm 31 on the cross too. Of course, David probably isn't dying as he writes this, so he commits his spirit in a less final sense. Or does he? Perhaps he is saying that even if he dies, he expects that God will look after him.

vs 6

Another expression of hate in a psalm. It's actually okay to do this. God hates people who rely on idols too. David may have a more immediate reason to hate them - like they are the enemies of his people, or even his specific enemies.

vs 7

One of the fantastic things about God is that he can see into our very beings and know what it is that makes us upset.

vs 8

Almost like he's put him in a paddock to frolic. A spacious place: it's a lovely, simple picture, and comforting for some reason. Perhaps because I spend so much of my time in a room in the house, or in the car, or in the train, or in the office. Having said that, I rather like those places as a rule. But there's just something emotive about a big open space.

vs 9

There are few times I have been so grieved that I have been truly weakened physically by it. I can definitely think of plenty of times I've been unable to see through crying though. It's at those times, I guess, when you really appreciate God's mercy, and you really, really want it. You want him to stop the pain.

vs 10

I guess if my life was constantly under threat by enemies, I might feel like this too. Thank God that I don't have to deal with emotions like this, and I don't think I ever have had to yet.

vs 11

That's got to suck. It really does suck when your enemies are so numerous or powerful that they can make not just your life hell, but also the lives of your friends and family.

vs 12

Discarded and forgotten, I suppose.

vs 13

They could at least take the trouble to whisper their plots against him outside his hearing. Or perhaps he is so ineffectual against him that they do it to further spite and terrorise him.

vs 14

That's all you have to say, really. I mean, we might throw something about Jesus in there, but that's only further clarifying the point really.

vs 15

So David both acknowledges that his time is in God's hands, but then he requests that, since it's in God's hands, would he mind making those times a little longer?

vs 16

Even if God doesn't save him, that wouldn't mean his love failed. He's not saying that. He's simply asking that God's will might match up with his.

vs 17

Again, it would be shameful not just to David, but to God, if David were to cry out to God for help, as his king, and be defeated. It would be much more glorifying if his enemies were to cop it. He's not trying to blackmail God by calling him out in public - he really cares about how God looks in the situation.

vs 18

He also wants God's enemies to pay their due, because they are not nice people.

vs 19

It's really good, is of course what he means.

vs 20

That's how good it is - it hides his people away from such terrible things, and shelters them.

vs 21

When, hey, you could probably use a bit of knowledge of God's love.

vs 22

Even in a city under seige, God can still come to your rescue and help. You're never cut off from him. It would be like if I were cut off from the internet, or from my Bible. Would I say, "Oh, I am cut off from God"? I might say it, but it wouldn't be true.

vs 23

Since David has had these great experiences, he calls on all his people to trust God and love him too. He is king, after all, and calling the people to worship God is sort of his job. Imagine if all of Israel's kings were so fixated on getting the people to worship God? We'd probably have lots of psalms.

vs 24

Even in times of trouble, he says, you can still worship and rely on God. In fact, that's probably a great time to do so.