Salmos 31

1 Al Vencedor: Salmo de David. En ti, oh SEÑOR, he esperado; no sea yo avergonzado para siempre; líbrame en tu justicia.

2 Inclina a mí tu oído, líbrame presto; seme por roca de fortaleza, por casa fuerte para salvarme.

3 Porque tú eres mi roca y mi castillo; y por tu Nombre me guiarás, y me encaminarás.

4 Me sacarás de la red que han escondido para mí; porque tú eres mi fortaleza.

5 En tu mano encomendaré mi espíritu; tú me redimirás, oh SEÑOR, Dios de verdad.

6 Aborrecí a los que esperan en vanidades ilusorias; mas yo en el SEÑOR he esperado.

7 Me gozaré y alegraré en tu misericordia; porque has visto mi aflicción; has conocido mi alma en las angustias;

8 y no me encerraste en mano del enemigo; hiciste estar mis pies en anchura.

9 Ten misericordia de mí, oh SEÑOR, que estoy en angustia; se han carcomido de pesar mis ojos, mi alma, y mis entrañas.

10 Porque se ha acabado mi vida con dolor, y mis años con suspiro; se ha enflaquecido mi fuerza a causa de mi iniquidad, y mis huesos se han consumido.

11 De todos mis enemigos he sido oprobio, y de mis vecinos en gran manera, y horror a mis conocidos; los que me ven fuera, huyen de mí.

12 He sido olvidado del todo como un muerto; he venido a ser como un vaso perdido.

13 Porque he oído afrenta de muchos, cerrado de temores; cuando consultaban juntos contra mí, e ideaban para prenderme el alma.

14 Mas yo en ti confié, oh SEÑOR; yo dije: Dios mío eres tú.

15 En tu mano están mis tiempos; líbrame de la mano de mis enemigos, y de mis perseguidores.

16 Haz resplandecer tu rostro sobre tu siervo; sálvame por tu misericordia.

17 SEÑOR, no sea yo confundido, porque te he invocado; sean confusos los impíos, sean cortados para el infierno.

18 Enmudezcan los labios mentirosos, que hablan contra el justo cosas duras, con soberbia y menosprecio.

19 ¡Cuán grande es tu bien, que has guardado para los que te temen, que has obrado para los que esperan en ti, delante de los hijos de los hombres!

20 Los esconderás en el escondedero de tu rostro de las arrogancias del hombre; los esconderás en el tabernáculo a cubierto de contención de lenguas.

21 Bendito el SEÑOR, porque ha hecho maravillosa su misericordia para conmigo en ciudad fuerte.

22 Y decía yo en mi premura: cortado soy de delante de tus ojos; mas tú ciertamente oíste la voz de mis ruegos, cuando a ti clamaba.

23 Amad al SEÑOR todos vosotros sus misericordiosos; a los fieles guarda el SEÑOR, y paga abundantemente al que obra con soberbia.

24 Esforzaos y esfuércese vuestro corazón todos los que esperáis 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.