Psalm 31 is a lament arising from affliction, yet one in which David places full trust and confidence in God, realizing, "My times are in Your hand" (verses 14-15). David suffers from a wasting illness (verse 10) that makes him, as he says, "repulsive to my acquaintances; those who see me outside flee from me" (verse 11). David's enemies take advantage of his weakened state and "scheme to take away my life" (verse 13). Unless God intervenes, David reckons himself a dead man (verse 12).

Come what may, David throws himself into God's keeping, declaring, "Into Your hand I commit my spirit" (verse 5). Jesus would later use these as His final words before His dying breath (Luke 23:46). That being so, the rest of this psalm likely also foreshadows the Messiah's suffering of bodily agony, anguish, ridicule, enemy conspiracy and abandonment by friends. The disciple Stephen uttered these words too, as he was being stoned to death (Acts 7:59). All Christians should find Psalm 31 of tremendous help and encouragement when facing great difficulties.

The hating of idolaters in verse 6 of this inspired prayer should be understood in the sense of rejection of them and their ways and considering them as enemies of the "Lord God of truth" in verse 5. (Yet elsewhere in Scripture we learn that even they will ultimately receive the opportunity for redemption and salvation.) For Christians today, even if we are aware of no human enemies to speak of, we wrestle constantly with spiritual enemies who seek to destroy us (Ephesians 6:12).

Though the situation for David looks grim, he recalls that God has brought him safely through adversity in times past: "You have known my soul in adversities and have not shut me up into the hand of the enemy; You have set my feet in a wide place" (Psalm 31:7-8). The latter expression here speaks of freedom and ultimately of salvation--as the Hebrew word for salvation has the sense of having room to breathe.

Reflecting on God's prior faithfulness, David prays: "Make Your face shine upon Your servant" (verse 16). The expression here, like the prayer in Psalm 4:6 for God to lift up His countenance, is taken from the priestly blessing of Numbers 6:22-27: "The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious unto you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace." This is a request for God to show favor--to "smile." As in Psalm 25:3, rather than shame and disgrace falling on him, a faithful servant of God, David asks that it go to the wicked (Psalm 31:17-18)-and he knows that this is how things will work out in the end (verse 23).

The imagery of God laying up goodness prepared for those who trust in Him in the presence of the sons of men (verse 19) is similar to Psalm 23's picture of God preparing a table for His people in the midst of their enemies. And the metaphor of keeping His people secretly hidden in His pavilion away from threatening plots Psalm 31:20) recalls Psalm 27:5.

David concludes with strong encouragement for all of God's people (verses 23-24).