Notes on the Book of Psalms, Psalm 31
The xxxi. PSALM.
David by many circumstances in this Psalm does doubtless intend his sufferings and the great straits he was brought into under Absaloms rebellion, against which he prayes, and comforts himself by, and from Gods former mercies shewn in his deliverance under Sauls persecution; and in prayer urgeth hard upon God his great extremities under the burden of his sin and sufferings, together with his injurious usage, solitarie friendlesness, and extream hazard of his life. In all which afflictions he yet animates himself by his saith in God, and earnestly persists in prayer to him, even until he be fully heard and answered in his own preservation and his enemies overthrow. And then blames his faith for sailing him upon the suddenness and greatness of his temptation, but magnifies the goodness of God that yet was merciful and faithful to him. And exhorts all the Godly never in no case to disbelieve the power and grace of God, assuring the faithful, that they shall ever find God so.
To him that is the first and principal of all the Quire, Psalm xxxi. To the chief musician A Psalm of David.do I David that made this Psalm recommend it for the care and ordering of it to be sung.
1 THee,1IN thee, O Lord, do I put my trust, let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousnes. O Lord, do I make mine onelyonly refuge in all mine adversities, trusting in nothing but thy help, and grace, therefore at no time, no more now then heretofore let me miscarrie, nor my faith, nor self be rendred a scorn to mine adversaries, but do thou keep promise with me, and deliver me.
2 Lend an hearing ear to the prayer I put up unto thee,2Bow down thine ear to me, deliver me speedily, be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me. and delay not to deliver me in mine extremitie, which is urgent and requires speedy relief, as my faith makes thee, so let it find thee an all-sufficient support and safetie to me in all adverse fortune.
3 For truly thou art all in all to me,3For thou art my rock, and my fortress: therefore for thy name sake lead me, and guid me. I have not any thing to trust unto, nor do I trust in any thing but thee for defence and preservation, therefore for the honour of thy faithfulness whereupon I solely depend, take me into thy tuition, and trase out my way for me by thy gracious and wise providence, that I be not ensnared by mine enemies.
4 Prevent their craftie counsels and subtile practises4Pull me out of the net, that they have laid privily for me: for thou art my strength. against me, not suffering me to be entrap'd, but so directing me in all my ways as to shun their deceits, or if I by thine appointment and permitting providence fall into their snares, deliver me out of them, for there are none too wise or too strong for thee, who art of wisdom and power sufficient either to prevent or to rescue me.
5Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.5 I betrust my life and safetie to nothing but thy custodie, there I deposit it now and for ever, and good cause have I, for thou hast given good testimonie of thy tender care and love to it and me, thou hast rescued my life from temporal danger, and my soul from spiritual, and eternal. O Lord, thou hast hitherto made good thy word of grace, and so I trust wilt still.
6I have hated them that regard lying vanities: but I trust in the Lord.6 I have been tempted and perswaded in my necessities to leave off depending on thee, and to take other courses like other men, but I have ever expressed my dislike of such counsels, and reproved such counsellours that would have drawn me to seek mine advantages against mine enemies, as they do against me by sinful and unjustifiable proceedings, and have always both in word and deed declared my self to relie on the Lord for deliverance in his own way, and time.
7I will be gl…d and rejoyce in thy merciemercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities.7 And whilest I take this course, I know I shall rejoyce in the issue, yea, I promise and assure my self before-hand, that I shall ever have cause of gladness and joy in thy goodness and merciemercy, for thou wilt still have as thou hast ever had a tender regard of me in my troubles, testifying thy mindfulness of me by my manifold extraordinarie preservations and deliverances.
8 Which thou hast given me from mine archenemie Saul,8And hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemie: thou hast set my feet in a large room. who thought me his, and that I could not escape him, many a time, when yet I did; Yea, thou hast set me free out of all those troubles with advantage of honour and happines.
9 And now,9Have merciemercy upon me, O Lord, for I am in trouble, mine eye is consumed with grief, yea, my soul and my belly. O Lord, do as thou hast done, shew me merciemercy in delivering me out of my present distress, for my trouble is very great, so that my sight is become dim with continual weeping, and my spirits and vitals are wasted and decayd within me by my pensivenes.
10 For my very life draws nigh to death with extream grieving,10For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my strength faileth because of mine iniquitie, and my bones are consumed. and my time is cut off and shortened by the exhausting of my spirits with incessant sighings and lamentations. Yea, my natural strenght decays and wasteth by reason of my sin and thy displeasure, so that my very bones are sensibly enfeebled with it.
11 Mine old inveterate enemies and Sauls friends were all glad in heart to see mine affliction,11I was a reproch among all mine enemies, but especially among my neighbours, and a fear to mine acquaintance: they that did see me without sled from me. insulting thereupon, but especially was I most injuriously and reprochfully used by my neer allies and friends Absalom and Ancitophel, being forced to flie and shift for my self in a poor condition, in so much as that those that wished me well, and were mine entire friends and acquaintance, durst not owne me, or take part with me, almost all that saw me so changed, glad to forsake Jerusalem and flie for my life, did in like manner flie from me and save themselves.
12 Upon mine alteration I am become of no request,12I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am like a broken vessel. but given for lost and undone, without all hope of recoverie, counted as a cast-away and contemptible man, in an irreparable condition.
13For I have heard the slaunder of many, fear was on every side, while they took counsel together against me, they devised to take away my life.13 Yea, manifold slaunders and disgraceful injuries have come to mine ears, which by mine enemies are heaped upon me, to bring me into hatred and procure my destruction, so that every way I am beset with fears and dangers, by false rumors and secret plots and conspiracies devising to deprive me of my life and Kingdom.
14But I trusted in thee, O Lord: I said, Thou art my God.14 But in my deepest distress, my faith failed me not, but that still I trusted firmly in thee, believing and encouraging my self still with this; That by proof and promise I can say thou art my God in near relation, and dear affection what ever befall me.
15My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies; and from them that persecute me.15 And besides I know my self and fortune are wholly in thine hands, and that nothing can befall me but by thy providence; notwithstanding the malicious hatred of mine enemies, thou canst preserve me from them that go about to destroy me; be they never so potent or politick, they cannot have their wills upon me to hurt me, except thou permit it, which I pray thee do not, but deliver me.
16Make thy face to shine upon thy servant: save me for thy mercies sake.16 I have long and grievously undergone thy displeasure, both inwardly and outwardly, I have felt thine ire, and the smart of my sin, which hath brought me near to ruin; now therefore Lord at last in tender merciemercy, pittie me and shew me some sign of favour to refresh my spirit withal, and give me some hopes of escape and recoverie, who, though a sinner, yet am thy servant, that thereby all men may see thy lovingkindness towards me, by thy delivering me out of this danger also, and restoring me to my former happie condition, which how ever my sin deserves the contrarie, yet for thy merciemercy sake vouchsafe it.
17 Let not,17Let me not be ashamed, O Lord, for I have called upon thee: let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave. O Lord, the misfortune which mine enemies hope to bring upon me, ever befal me to the disappointing of my hope, for I have trusted in thee, and prayed unto thee, which my wicked enemies have not done, therefore let them miscarrie, and let their hopes be frustrate; yea, let their vexatious courses receive an end, by themselves doing so; cut them off in thy displeasure, for nothing but their deaths will secure my life in peace and quietnes, and my name from opprobrie, so restless are they in mischievous devices against me both by word and deed.
18 Let the slaunderous mouths of my wicked adversaries be stopt after that sort,18Let the lying lips be put to silence: which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous. they that through pride and malice lay mine honour in the dust through lies and contumelies, in thy justice Lord lay them there, for thou knowest me guiltless of their false aspersions, and innocent of that they accuse me.
19 O Lord,19O how great is thy goodnes which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; wh…ch thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee, before the s…ns of men! for all mine afflictions yet mine heart is much comforted in the faithful confidence of thy great goodness and merciemercy, which thou hast in store for such as are thine, and walk holily as thine, being careful to please and fearful to offend thee, as I am; and also because of the great manifestation thou hast ever made of it in admirable preservations, and deliverances both of me and others that have relied upon thee, in spite and sight of all our enemies.
20 Such shalt thou by special and extraordinary providence keep as safe as if they were in heaven,20Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues. from the power of man, be he never so potent and proud withall. Yea, all that they enmiously give out against them in brags and threats and slanderous suggestions, shall have no issue, but shall be as wind, so safe shalt thou keep them from all harm.
21Blessed be the Lord; for he hath shewed me his marvellous kindness in a strong citie.21 What I say, I know by experience to be true; Blessed and magnified be the Lord for it, for as poor and destitute as I was left, so much the more marvellous hath his loving kindness appeared, that by his goodness and providence hath preserved me safe from the power and malice of mine enemie, so that no fortress though never so fortified could have better secured me.
22For I said in my hast, I am cut off from before thine eyes: nevertheless thou hearest the voice of my supplications, when I cried unto thee.22 For so great was my trouble, and desolate my condition, that upon the surprize, before I well bethought me of thy goodness and power, I apprehended my self as given up by thee into mine enemies hands inevitably to be destroyed. Yet I had so much faith left, as to pray for preservation, though I could scarce hope it, and though my faith was weak in regard of deliverance. Yet in fervencie and supplication it was strong, and thou wast pleased in merciemercy to pass by mine infirmitie, and was intreated of me in my miserie, and effectually didst hear me, when in the anguish of my spirit I powred out my soul before thee.
23O love the Lord, all ye his saints: for the Lord preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer.23 Be you provoked by mine exhortation and example; O all ye Godly faithful ones, to take heed of hastie discontent and unbelief, let your condition be what it will be, still bear up in faith, have good thoughts of God; who, however he seems otherways, yet is firm in his affections towards you, and be you confident, that he both can and will preserve you, if you dare relie upon him, and will wait for him; the power, and pride of your enemies he will bring down, and in his own good time will make them plentifully taste the fruit of their evil ways, by powring upon them his heavie and just displeasure.
24 Be but stedfast and stout in faith when trials are upon you,24Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord. do but then hold out in undaunted believing, and he shall give you inwardly by his spirit, and outwardly by his providence great stay and comfort of heart, even thus shall he do to all that chuse him and onelyonly him to hope and trust in for protection. Take it upon my word, that speak it, both by prophesie and experience.