Jesus transforms David's plea for deliverance from earthly enemies into a declaration of ultimate trust, quoting Psalm 31:5 as his final words on the cross.
Psalms 31
Into Your Hand I Commit My Spirit
1In you, LORD, I take refuge. Let me never be disappointed. Deliver me in your righteousness.
2Bow down your ear to me. Deliver me speedily. Be to me a strong rock, a house of defense to save me.
3For you are my rock and my fortress, therefore for your name’s sake lead me and guide me.
4Pluck me out of the net that they have laid secretly for me, for you are my stronghold.
5Into your hand I commend my spirit. You redeem me, LORD, God of truth.
6I hate those who regard lying vanities, but I trust in the LORD.
7I will be glad and rejoice in your loving kindness, for you have seen my affliction. You have known my soul in adversities.
8You have not shut me up into the hand of the enemy. You have set my feet in a large place.
9Have mercy on me, LORD, for I am in distress. My eye, my soul, and my body waste away with grief.
10For my life is spent with sorrow, my years with sighing. My strength fails because of my iniquity. My bones are wasted away.
11Because of all my adversaries I have become utterly contemptible to my neighbors, a horror to my acquaintances. Those who saw me on the street fled from me.
12I am forgotten from their hearts like a dead man. I am like broken pottery.
13For I have heard the slander of many, terror on every side, while they conspire together against me, they plot to take away my life.
14But I trust in you, LORD. I said, “You are my God.”
15My times are in your hand. Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me.
16Make your face to shine on your servant. Save me in your loving kindness.
17Let me not be disappointed, LORD, for I have called on you. Let the wicked be disappointed. Let them be silent in Sheol.
18Let the lying lips be mute, which speak against the righteous insolently, with pride and contempt.
19Oh how great is your goodness, which you have laid up for those who fear you, which you have worked for those who take refuge in you, before the sons of men!
20In the shelter of your presence you will hide them from the plotting of man. You will keep them secretly in a dwelling away from the strife of tongues.
21Praise be to the LORD, for he has shown me his marvelous loving kindness in a strong city.
22As for me, I said in my haste, “I am cut off from before your eyes.” Nevertheless you heard the voice of my petitions when I cried to you.
23Oh love the LORD, all you his saints! The LORD preserves the faithful, and fully recompenses him who behaves arrogantly.
24Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who hope in the LORD.
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Theme
Psalm 31 is a deeply personal lament in which the psalmist cries out to God from a place of intense suffering and social isolation. Despite facing enemies, physical weakness, and being scorned by neighbors and friends, the psalmist repeatedly affirms trust in the LORD as refuge and deliverer. The psalm moves from anguished petition through expressions of faith to concluding praise and encouragement for other believers.
Context
This individual lament follows Psalm 30's thanksgiving and precedes Psalm 32's wisdom teaching about forgiveness, showing the full range of human experience before God.
Key Themes
Outline
- 1-5 Urgent Appeal for Deliverance The psalmist seeks God as refuge and stronghold, culminating in the famous declaration of committing his spirit to God's hand.
- 6-8 Declaration of Trust Contrasting trust in the LORD with those who follow vanity, the psalmist expresses confidence in God's loving kindness and past deliverance.
- 9-13 Lament Over Suffering Detailed description of physical, emotional, and social distress, including being forgotten and plotted against by enemies.
- 14-18 Renewed Trust and Prayer Despite circumstances, the psalmist reaffirms faith in God and petitions for deliverance while calling for judgment on the wicked.
- 19-22 Praise for God's Goodness Celebration of God's abundant goodness and protection for those who fear Him, acknowledging answered prayer.
- 23-24 Exhortation to the Faithful The psalm concludes with encouragement for other believers to love the LORD and take courage in Him.
Into Your Hand I Commit My Spirit
31:1–31:24 poetry prayer anguished
A psalm of trust and lament where the psalmist commits their spirit to God while experiencing persecution and distress. The famous phrase 'Into your hand I commit my spirit' expresses complete dependence on God's protection and deliverance.
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Jesus transforms David's plea for deliverance from earthly enemies into a declaration of ultimate trust, quoting Psalm 31:5 as his final words on the cross.
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Cross-References
Connected passages across Scripture