Bird's-eye view
In this section of Psalm 31, David draws a sharp and necessary contrast between two foundational ways of living: one is a life of allegiance to worthless idols, and the other is a life of robust trust in Yahweh. This is not a matter of mere religious preference; it is the difference between death and life, vanity and substance. David begins with a declaration of hatred for idolatry, which he rightly identifies as a dead-end street. He then pivots to his own settled confidence in the Lord. This trust is not a blind leap but is grounded in God's demonstrated character, specifically His covenant loyalty, His hesed or lovingkindness. David recounts God's past faithfulness, noting how the Lord has seen his affliction and known his soul's troubles intimately. The passage concludes with a powerful testimony of deliverance. God has not abandoned him to his enemies but has instead brought him out of a tight spot, a place of constraint and danger, and set his feet in "a large place," a place of freedom, security, and blessing. This is the gospel pattern in miniature: from the hatred of sin, to trust in God's mercy, to deliverance into a spacious new life.
The movement here is instructive for every believer. True worship begins with a rejection of all rivals to God. You cannot trust God while keeping a few pet idols on the side. This renunciation is followed by a personal, experiential trust in God's lovingkindness, which is then vindicated by God's action. He sees, He knows, and He acts. The result is not just survival, but a radical change of circumstance from a constricted place of trouble to a broad place of liberty. This is what God does for His people, and He did it supremely in the work of Christ, who delivers us from the suffocating grip of sin and death and brings us into the glorious freedom of the sons of God.
Outline
- 1. The Great Divide: Idols vs. Yahweh (Ps 31:6-8)
- a. Hating Vanity, Trusting Substance (Ps 31:6)
- b. Rejoicing in Covenant Love (Ps 31:7a)
- c. The Basis for Joy: God Sees and Knows (Ps 31:7b)
- d. The Testimony of Deliverance: From Enemy Hands to a Large Place (Ps 31:8)
Context In Psalms
Psalm 31 is a psalm of lament and trust, attributed to David. It begins with a desperate plea for deliverance, using the imagery of a rock and fortress (vv. 1-4). The psalmist is in deep distress, surrounded by enemies who are plotting against him. The verses immediately preceding our text describe him committing his spirit into God's hand (v. 5), a phrase Jesus would later utter from the cross. This act of profound trust sets the stage for the declaration in verse 6. Having entrusted himself completely to God, David now explains the worldview that makes such trust possible. He stands on one side of a great theological chasm, hating the "worthless idols" that so many others serve. The psalm will later descend again into the depths of affliction (vv. 9-13), describing physical and emotional collapse, but this central section (vv. 6-8) serves as the anchor of faith that holds him fast through the storm. It is a testimony that his hope is not in his circumstances, but in the character of the God who has delivered him before and will deliver him again.
Key Issues
- The Nature of Idolatry
- The Foundation of Trust in God
- The Meaning of God's Lovingkindness (Hesed)
- God's Intimate Knowledge of Our Suffering
- The Metaphor of "a Large Place"
Two Religions, Two Destinies
There are, at bottom, only two religions in the world. There is the religion of human achievement, human effort, and human imagination, which is always idolatry. And there is the religion of divine grace, divine initiative, and divine revelation, which is true faith. David here puts his finger squarely on this fundamental divide. He "hates" the one and "trusts" the other. The word "hate" here is not an expression of petulant dislike; it is a covenantal term. It means to reject, to repudiate, to have no part with. David understands that you cannot flirt with idols and be faithful to Yahweh. The first commandment is "You shall have no other gods before me," and this requires a fierce and loyal hatred of all rivals.
What are these "worthless idols"? The Hebrew is literally "vanities of emptiness." An idol is a nothing that promises everything. It is a vacuum that demands to be fed. Modern man thinks of idols as little statues in a jungle, but the Bible teaches that idolatry is first a matter of the heart. Covetousness is idolatry (Col. 3:5). Whatever you look to for ultimate security, meaning, or deliverance, apart from the living God, that is your idol. It could be your bank account, your political party, your reputation, or your own righteousness. David hates all such things because they are lies. They cannot deliver. He turns from these empty vanities to the one true God, the God who has a name, Yahweh, and a character, lovingkindness. This is the choice every man must make.
Verse by Verse Commentary
6 I hate those who regard worthless idols, But I trust in Yahweh.
The verse is perfectly balanced. On one side, hatred and worthless idols. On the other, trust and Yahweh. You cannot have it both ways. To "regard" worthless idols means to pay attention to them, to watch them, to look to them for help. David sees this for the foolishness it is. He hates this entire system of vanity. His response is not to try to find a "better" idol, but to abandon the entire idolatrous enterprise and place his trust in the covenant God of Israel. This is repentance. It is a turning away from one thing and a turning toward another. Notice the personal nature of it: "But I trust in Yahweh." In a world full of idolaters, David plants his flag. This is where I stand. My trust is not in things that are seen, not in the works of men's hands, but in the unseen, eternal God who made the heavens and the earth.
7 I will rejoice and be glad in Your lovingkindness, Because You have seen my affliction; You have known the troubles of my soul,
David's trust is not a grim, stoic resignation. It is the foundation for joy. He resolves to "rejoice and be glad." And the reason for this joy is specific: God's lovingkindness. This is the great Hebrew word hesed, which speaks of God's steadfast, loyal, covenant love. It is a love that is not based on our performance but on His promise. And how has David experienced this lovingkindness? God has seen and known his troubles. In the midst of his affliction, when he felt abandoned by men, David knew that he was not invisible to God. God saw him. More than that, God knew the troubles of his soul. This is not a detached, abstract knowledge. The word "known" here implies an intimate, personal, experiential understanding. God did not just know about David's troubles; He entered into them. He knew them from the inside, as it were. This is a profound comfort. To be truly seen and truly known in our deepest pain by a God of steadfast love is the beginning of all healing and the foundation of all joy.
8 And You have not given me over into the hand of the enemy; You have set my feet in a large place.
This knowledge of God's character is now confirmed by God's action. David's testimony is twofold. First, the negative: God did not abandon him. The enemy had him cornered, the trap was set, but God did not "give him over." He intervened. God is a God who rescues. But God's salvation is never just a rescue from something; it is always a rescue to something. This is the second, positive part of his testimony: "You have set my feet in a large place." The enemy sought to corner him, to put him in a tight spot where his movements were restricted and his options were nil. But God has done the opposite. He has brought him out into a place of breadth, freedom, and security. A "large place" is a metaphor for liberty, opportunity, and blessing. It is the opposite of being besieged, trapped, or imprisoned. It is room to move, room to breathe, room to live. This is the end goal of God's salvation. He doesn't just pull us from the wreckage; He sets us down in a wide, open field under a clear blue sky.
Application
These three verses are a roadmap for the Christian life. We must begin where David begins, with a hearty hatred for our idols. We live in a culture that manufactures idols at an industrial rate: idols of comfort, security, sexual expression, political power, and self-esteem. We must learn to see them as "worthless vanities" and to hate them, which means to renounce our allegiance to them. We must repent of looking to them for what only God can give.
Second, we must consciously place our trust in the Lord and rejoice in His hesed, His covenant love. Where do we see this lovingkindness most clearly? We see it at the cross. God saw our ultimate affliction, our bondage to sin and death. He knew the troubles of our soul, because in Christ, He took on a human soul. And on the cross, He did not abandon us. He did not give us over to the hand of our great enemy, the devil. Instead, the Father gave His Son over for a time, so that we might be delivered forever.
And this brings us to the final application. Because of the death and resurrection of Jesus, God has set our feet in a large place. We are no longer constrained by the guilt of our sin or the fear of death. We have been brought into the wide-open spaces of God's grace. We are citizens of a kingdom that cannot be shaken. The challenge for us is to live like it. We must stop acting like we are still trapped in the enemy's narrow prison. We have been set free. Let us therefore walk in that freedom, exploring the length and breadth of the glorious inheritance God has given us in Christ. Let us occupy the large place He has won for us, filling it with joyful obedience and grateful worship.