Salmos 31

1 Salmo 31
Para el director del coro: salmo de David.
Oh Señor
, a ti acudo en busca de protección;
no dejes que me avergüencen.
Sálvame, porque tú haces lo correcto.

2 Inclina tu oído para escucharme;
rescátame pronto.
Sé mi roca de protección,
una fortaleza donde estaré a salvo.

3 Tú eres mi roca y mi fortaleza;
por el honor de tu nombre, sácame de este peligro.

4 Rescátame de la trampa que me tendieron mis enemigos,
porque solo en ti encuentro protección.

5 Encomiendo mi espíritu en tu mano;
rescátame, Señor
, porque tú eres un Dios fiel.

6 Detesto a los que rinden culto a ídolos inútiles;
yo confío en el Señor
.

7 Me gozaré y me alegraré en tu amor inagotable,
porque has visto mis dificultades
y te preocupas por la angustia de mi alma.

8 No me entregaste a mis enemigos
sino que me pusiste en un lugar seguro.

9 Ten misericordia de mí, Señor
, porque estoy angustiado.
Las lágrimas me nublan la vista;
mi cuerpo y mi alma se marchitan.

10 Estoy muriendo de dolor;
se me acortan los años por la tristeza.
El pecado me dejó sin fuerzas;
me estoy consumiendo por dentro.

11 Todos mis enemigos me desprecian,
y mis vecinos me rechazan,
¡ni mis amigos se atreven a acercarse a mí!
Cuando me ven por la calle,
salen corriendo para el otro lado.

12 Me han olvidado como si estuviera muerto,
como si fuera una vasija rota.

13 He oído cantidad de rumores sobre mí,
y el terror me rodea.
Mis enemigos conspiran en mi contra,
hacen planes para quitarme la vida.

14 Pero yo confío en ti, oh Señor
,
digo: «¡Tú eres mi Dios!».

15 Mi futuro está en tus manos;
rescátame de los que me persiguen sin tregua.

16 Que tu favor brille sobre tu siervo;
por causa de tu amor inagotable, rescátame.

17 No permitas que me avergüencen, oh Señor
,
pues a ti clamo por ayuda.
Que los malvados pasen vergüenza,
que queden callados en la tumba.

18 Silencia sus labios mentirosos,
esos labios orgullosos y arrogantes que acusan al justo.

19 Qué grande es la bondad
que has reservado para los que te temen.
La derramas en abundancia sobre los que acuden a ti en busca de protección,
y los bendices ante la mirada del mundo.

20 Los escondes en el refugio de tu presencia,
a salvo de los que conspiran contra ellos.
Los proteges en tu presencia,
los alejas de las lenguas acusadoras.

21 Alaben al Señor
,
porque me ha mostrado las maravillas de su amor inagotable;
me mantuvo a salvo cuando atacaban mi ciudad.

22 Lleno de pánico, clamé:
«¡Me han separado del Señor
!».
Pero tú oíste que supliqué misericordia
y respondiste a mi pedido de auxilio.

23 ¡Amen al Señor
todos los justos!
Pues el Señor
protege a los que le son leales,
pero castiga severamente a los arrogantes.

24 Así que, ¡sean fuertes y valientes,
ustedes los que ponen su esperanza en el Señor
!

Salmos 31 Commentary

Chapter 31

Confidence in God. (1-8) Prayer in trouble. (9-18) Praise for God's goodness. (19-24)

Verses 1-8 Faith and prayer must go together, for the prayer of faith is the prevailing prayer. David gave up his soul in a special manner to God. And with the words, ver. 5, our Lord Jesus yielded up his last breath on the cross, and made his soul a free-will offering for sin, laying down his life as a ransom. But David is here as a man in distress and trouble. And his great care is about his soul, his spirit, his better part. Many think that while perplexed about their worldly affairs, and their cares multiply, they may be excused if they neglect their souls; but we are the more concerned to look to our souls, that, though the outward man perish, the inward man may suffer no damage. The redemption of the soul is so precious, that it must have ceased for ever, if Christ had not undertaken it. Having relied on God's mercy, he will be glad and rejoice in it. God looks upon our souls, when we are in trouble, to see whether they are humbled for sin, and made better by the affliction. Every believer will meet with such dangers and deliverances, until he is delivered from death, his last enemy.

Verses 9-18 David's troubles made him a man of sorrows. Herein he was a type of Christ, who was acquainted with grief. David acknowledged that his afflictions were merited by his own sins, but Christ suffered for ours. David's friends durst not give him any assistance. Let us not think it strange if thus deserted, but make sure of a Friend in heaven who will not fail. God will be sure to order and dispose all for the best, to all those who commit their spirits also into his hand. The time of life is in God's hands, to lengthen or shorten, make bitter or sweet, according to the counsel of his will. The way of man is not in himself, nor in our friend's hands, nor in our enemies' hands, but in God's. In this faith and confidence he prays that the Lord would save him for his mercies's sake, and not for any merit of his own. He prophesies the silencing of those that reproach and speak evil of the people of God. There is a day coming, when the Lord will execute judgment upon them. In the mean time, we should engage ourselves by well-doing, if possible, to silence the ignorance of foolish men.

Verses 19-24 Instead of yielding to impatience or despondency under our troubles, we should turn our thoughts to the goodness of the Lord towards those who fear and trust in Him. All comes to sinners through the wondrous gift of the only-begotten Son of God, to be the atonement for their sins. Let not any yield to unbelief, or think, under discouraging circumstances, that they are cut off from before the eyes of the Lord, and left to the pride of men. Lord, pardon our complaints and fears; increase our faith, patience, love, and gratitude; teach us to rejoice in tribulation and in hope. The deliverance of Christ, with the destruction of his enemies, ought to strengthen and comfort the hearts of believers under all their afflictions here below, that having suffered courageously with their Master, they may triumphantly enter into his joy and glory.

Chapter Summary

To the chief Musician, a Psalm of David. This psalm, according to Arama, was composed by David when in Keilah; but, according to Kimchi and others, when the Ziphites proposed to deliver him up into the hands of Saul; and who, upon their solicitations, came down and surrounded him with his army, from whom in haste he made his escape, and to which he is thought to refer in Psalm 31:22. Theodoret supposes it was written by David when he fled from Absalom, and that it has some respect in it to his sin against Uriah, in that verse.