August 1, 2021
Worship in WORD
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For the director of music. A psalm
of David.
9 Be
merciful to me, O LORD, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow,
my soul and my body with grief. 10 My life is consumed by anguish and my
years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones
grow weak. 11 Because of all my enemies, I am the utter contempt of
my neighbors; I am a dread to my friends — those who see me on the street
flee from me. 12 I am forgotten by them as though I were dead; I have become
like broken pottery. 13 For I hear the slander of many; there is terror on
every side; they conspire against me and plot to take my life. 14 But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, “You are my God.” 15 My
times are in your hands;
deliver me from my enemies and from those who pursue me. 16
Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love. NIV |
Ps 31 For the choir director: A psalm of
David. 9 Have mercy on me, LORD, for I am
in distress. Tears blur my eyes. My body and soul are withering away. 10 I am
dying from grief; my years are shortened by sadness. Sin has drained my strength;
I am wasting away from within. 11 I am scorned by all my enemies and despised
by my neighbors—even my friends are afraid to come near me. When they see me
on the street, they run the other way. 12 I am ignored as if I were dead, as
if I were a broken pot. 13 I have heard the many rumors about me, and I am
surrounded by terror. My enemies conspire against me, plotting to take my
life. 14 But I am trusting you, O LORD, saying, “You are my God!” 15 My
future is in your hands.
Rescue me from those who hunt me down relentlessly. 16 Let your favor shine
on your servant. In your unfailing love, rescue me. Holy
Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable
Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved. |
|
Ps 31
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of
David.
9 Have mercy upon me, O LORD, for I
am in trouble: mine eye is consumed with grief, yea, my soul and my belly. 10 For my life is spent with grief,
and my years with sighing: my strength faileth because of mine iniquity, and
my bones are consumed. 11 I was a reproach among all mine
enemies, but especially among my neighbours, and a fear to mine acquaintance:
they that did see me without fled from me. 12 I am
forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am like a broken vessel. 13 For I have heard the slander of
many: fear was on every side: while they took counsel together against me,
they devised to take away my life. 14 But I trusted in thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my God. 15 My times are in thy hand:
deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me. 16 Make thy face to shine upon thy
servant: save me for thy mercies' sake. KJV |
Ps 31
Into Your Hand I Commit My Spirit To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
9 Be gracious to me, O
Lord, for I am in distress; my eye is wasted from grief; my soul and my body
also. 10 For my life is spent with
sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my iniquity,
and my bones waste away. 11 Because of all my adversaries I have become a
reproach, especially to my neighbors, and an object of dread to my
acquaintances; those who see me in the street flee from me. 12 I have been
forgotten like one who is dead; I have become like a broken vessel. 13 For I
hear the whispering of many—terror on every side! —as they scheme together
against me, as they plot to take my life. 14 But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, “You are
my God.” 15 My times are in your hand;
rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors! 16 Make your
face shine on your servant; save me in your steadfast love! ESV |
A. Action – v. 1
B. Appeal – v. 2
C. Acknowledge – vv. 3-4
D. Abandon – v. 5
E. Abhor – v. 6
F. Acclaim! – vv. 7-8
II. Help! – vv. 9-18
1. Soul sickness – vv. 9-10
2. Societal scorn – vv. 11-13
B. Sovereign – vv. 14-16
C. Verses: 17-18: Silence
IV. Heart – vv. 23-24
Hope→Help!→Hail→Heart
Sovereign – vv. 14-16
I am
still dwelling on that portion of this Psalm where David, in dire straits, is
crying out for mercy from the LORD. He speaks of the sorrow he feels and the
scorn he faces and seeks relief and rescue by the good mercies of God (vv. 9-13).
Then, in verse 14, he interrupts his complaint, takes his eyes off
his situation, and looks up to his Sovereign.
To the
One who is:
Ø his Rock and Refuge (vv. 1-3)
Ø his Righteous Deliverer (vv. 1-2)
Ø his Leader and Guide (v. 3)
Ø his Faithful God (v. 5)
Ø his True and Trusted God (v. 6)
Ø his Loving and Knowing Lord (v. 7)
Ø his Calm in the eye of the Storm (v. 8)
Terror is on every side. David’s foes surround him. What will
he do? Surrender? Commit suicide?
Continue to wallow in his sad circumstances?
No!
We see him surrender –
not to his
enemies,
but
to his Sovereign Lord!
But I
trust in you, O LORD
We will see him
commit –
not by
falling on his sword
but
by falling on his knees before his Sovereign Lord!
(that’s
how I imagine David’d posture here)
I say,
“You are my God.”
We will see him continue to wallow–
not in the Slough
of Despond because of his iniquity (v. 10 ESV)
nor
in the Sea of Despair (vv. 11-13)
but
in the power and protection of his Sovereign Lord!
My times
are in your hand
Blessed interruption!
Worship
in Witness:
Let us observe and follow
David’s example here!
We see the interruption to his
complaint in verse 14. David says,
But I trust in You LORD
Believer, God is not averse to
hearing your complaint; as long as these words punctuate it,
But I... say, You are my God
When one prays “but I,” they
are yielding to God’s sovereign hand,
My times are in your hand
This is the response of those
who trust in the Lord and meditate on His attributes and actions.
It is the “Amen!” to “But God!”
Worship
in Promise, Poetry, Prayer, and Praise:
The storm’s fury has long ceased
But I remain inside and hide
Refusing LIFES’s call to be released
And to venture outside
The tempestuous turbulent pain
Has served its appointed use
But I would have the torrent rain
And choose to be a recluse
Holding on to grief and sorrow
Beyond its allotted day
Joy that knocks on the morrow
Is swiftly turned away
Suddenly came a beam of light
Piercing my chosen gloom
Glory sending darkness to flight
SONSHINE filled the room
My frozen heart began to melt
I ran outside praising
In joy and peace, I now felt
A song to Him I’m raising
I Know
Whom I Have Believed by Daniel W. Whittle
I know not why God's wondrous
grace
To me, He hath made known,
Nor why, unworthy, Christ in
love
Redeemed me for His own.
Refrain
But I know Whom I have believed,
And am persuaded that He is
able
To keep that which I've
committed
Unto Him against that day.
I know not how this saving
faith
To me, He did impart,
Nor how believing in His Word
Wrought peace within my heart.
Refrain
I know not how the Spirit
moves,
Convincing us of sin,
Revealing Jesus through the
Word,
Creating faith in Him.
Refrain
I know not what of good or ill
May be reserved for me,
Of weary ways or golden days,
Before His face I see.
Refrain
I know not when my Lord may
come,
At night or noonday fair,
Nor if I walk the vale with
Him,
Or meet Him in the air.
Refrain
(from Biblesoft Hymnal,
electronic database Copyright © 2003 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)
Further Notes:
31:13 The phrase terror … on every side occurs
frequently in Jeremiah (Jr 6:25; 20:10; 46:5) and is a vivid way to describe
being surrounded by enemies. Enemies also plotted
to take Jeremiah’s life (Jr 11:19;
18:23). It is characteristic of the wicked to plot against the righteous (Ps
21:11; 37:12).
Warstler, K. R.
(2017). Psalms. In E. A. Blum & T. Wax (Eds.), CSB Study Bible: Notes (p. 843).
Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
Ver. 14. But I trusted in thee, O Lord. Notwithstanding
all afflicting circumstances, David's faith maintained its hold, and was not
turned aside from its object. What a blessed saving clause is this! So long as
our faith, which is our shield, is safe, the battle may go hard, but its
ultimate result is no matter of question; if that could be torn from us, we
should be as surely slain as were Saul and Jonathan upon the high places of the
field.
I said, Thou art my God. He proclaimed
aloud his determined allegiance to Jehovah. He was no fair weather believer, he
could hold to his faith in a sharp frost, and wrap it about him as a garment
fitted to keep out all the ills of time. He who can say what David did need not
envy Cicero his eloquence: "Thou art my God," has more sweetness in
it than any other utterance which human speech can frame. Note that this
adhesive faith is here mentioned as an argument with God to honour his own
promise by sending a speedy deliverance.
(from The Treasury of David, Biblesoft formatted electronic database
Copyright © 2014 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)
HINTS TO THE VILLAGE PREACHER
Ver. 14. Faith peculiarly glorious in season of great trial.
(from The Treasury of David, Biblesoft formatted electronic database
Copyright © 2014 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)
Psalms 31:14
Let us mark his manner of speech: I have said, Thou art my God.
In these words he intimates that he was so entirely persuaded of this truth,
that God was his God, that he would not admit even a suggestion to the
contrary. And until this persuasion prevails so as to take possession of our
minds, we shall always waver in uncertainty. It is, however, to be observed,
that this declaration is not only inward and secret-made rather in the heart
than with the tongue-but that it is directed to God himself, as to him who is
the alone witness of it. Nothing is more difficult, when we see our faith
derided by the whole world, than to direct our speech to God only, and to rest
satisfied with this testimony which our conscience gives us, that he is
our God. And certainly it is an undoubted proof of genuine faith, when,
however fierce the waves are which beat against us, and however sore the
assaults by which we are shaken, we hold fast this as a fixed principle, that
we are constantly under the protection of God, and can say to him freely, Thou
art our God. — John Calvin.
(from The Treasury of David, Biblesoft formatted electronic database
Copyright © 2014 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)
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