Salmos 31

Al director musical. Salmo de David.

1 En ti, SEÑOR, busco refugio;jamás permitas que me avergüencen;en tu justicia, líbrame.

2 Inclina a mí tu oído,y acude pronto a socorrerme.Sé tú mi roca protectora,la fortaleza de mi salvación.

3 Guíame, pues eres mi roca y mi fortaleza,dirígeme por amor a tu nombre.

4 Líbrame de la trampa que me han tendido,porque tú eres mi refugio.

5 En tus manos encomiendo mi espíritu;líbrame, SEÑOR, Dios de la verdad.

6 Odio a los que veneran ídolos vanos;yo, por mi parte, confío en ti, SEÑOR.

7 Me alegro y me regocijo en tu amor,porque tú has visto mi afliccióny conoces las angustias de mi alma.

8 No me entregaste al enemigo,sino que me pusiste en lugar espacioso.

9 Tenme compasión, SEÑOR, que estoy angustiado;el dolor está acabando con mis ojos,con mi alma, ¡con mi cuerpo!

10 La vida se me va en angustias,y los años en lamentos;la tristeza está acabando con mis fuerzas,y mis huesos se van debilitando.

11 Por causa de todos mis enemigos,soy el hazmerreír de mis vecinos;soy un espanto para mis amigos;de mí huyen los que me encuentran en la calle.

12 Me han olvidado, como si hubiera muerto;soy como una vasija hecha pedazos.

13 Son muchos a los que oigo cuchichear:«Hay terror por todas partes».Se han confabulado contra mí,y traman quitarme la vida.

14 Pero yo, SEÑOR, en ti confío,y digo: «Tú eres mi Dios».

15 Mi vida entera está en tus manos;líbrame de mis enemigos y perseguidores.

16 Que irradie tu faz sobre tu siervo;por tu gran amor, sálvame.

17 SEÑOR, no permitas que me avergüencen,porque a ti he clamado.Que sean avergonzados los malvados,y acallados en el sepulcro.

18 Que sean silenciados sus labios mentirosos,porque hablan contra los justoscon orgullo, desdén e insolencia.

19 Cuán grande es tu bondad,que atesoras para los que te temen,y que a la vista de la gente derramassobre los que en ti se refugian.

20 Al amparo de tu presencia los protegesde las intrigas humanas;en tu morada los resguardasde las lenguas contenciosas.

21 Bendito sea el SEÑOR,pues mostró su gran amor por mícuando me hallaba en una ciudad sitiada.

22 En mi confusión llegué a decir:«¡He sido arrojado de tu presencia!»Pero tú oíste mi voz suplicantecuando te pedí que me ayudaras.

23 Amen al SEÑOR, todos sus fieles;él protege a los dignos de confianza,pero a los orgullosos les da su merecido.

24 Cobren ánimo y ármense de valor,todos los que en el SEÑOR esperan.

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.