Bird's-eye view
This section of Psalm 31 marks a pivotal turn. Having laid out the dire and desperate nature of his circumstances in the preceding verses, betrayed by friends, forgotten like a dead man, and plotted against by enemies, David now makes a deliberate and powerful shift. This is not a shift in circumstance, but a shift in focus. He turns his face from the horizontal threats to the vertical reality of God's sovereignty and faithfulness. The passage is a profound declaration of trust, rooted not in feelings or evidence, but in a settled conviction about who God is. David places his life, his very times, into God's hands and, on that basis, petitions for deliverance, vindication, and the silencing of his arrogant foes. It is a model of faith under fire, moving from a raw description of the problem to a resolute declaration of trust in the only One who can solve it. This is the logic of faith: because God is God, and because I am His, I can therefore ask Him to act like God on my behalf.
The prayer moves from a personal declaration of faith ("You are my God") to a series of requests that flow directly from that reality. He asks for deliverance, for the light of God's favor ("make Your face to shine"), for salvation based on God's lovingkindness, and for his own vindication. Crucially, this is coupled with an imprecatory cry for the wicked to be put to shame and silenced in Sheol. This is not petty vindictiveness, but a righteous zeal for God's own honor. The lying lips that speak against the righteous are ultimately speaking against the God of the righteous, and David calls upon God to defend His own name by judging those who oppose Him. The entire passage, then, is a beautiful integration of confident trust, desperate petition, and a passion for divine justice.
Outline
- 1. The Turn to Trust (Ps 31:14-18)
- a. The Declaration of Faith (Ps 31:14)
- b. The Surrender of Sovereignty (Ps 31:15a)
- c. The Petitions of the Faithful (Ps 31:15b-17a)
- i. Deliverance from Enemies (Ps 31:15b)
- ii. Favor from the Master (Ps 31:16a)
- iii. Salvation in Love (Ps 31:16b)
- iv. Vindication for the Caller (Ps 31:17a)
- d. The Imprecation Against the Wicked (Ps 31:17b-18)
- i. Shame for the Wicked (Ps 31:17b)
- ii. Silence in Sheol (Ps 31:17c)
- iii. Muting the Lying Lips (Ps 31:18)
Context In Psalms
Psalm 31 is a lament psalm that contains strong elements of trust and thanksgiving. It follows the common pattern of moving from trouble to trust, from petition to praise. The first part of the psalm (vv. 1-13) is a detailed and painful description of David's suffering. He feels trapped, forgotten, slandered, and conspired against. His strength is failing, and his life is consumed by grief. The passage we are examining (vv. 14-18) is the hinge upon which the entire psalm turns. The "But as for me" in verse 14 is a dramatic pivot. After this declaration of trust, the tone of the psalm shifts. The latter part (vv. 19-24) becomes a confident expression of praise for God's goodness and a call for all the saints to love and trust in Him. This psalm is also messianically significant; Jesus quotes the first part of verse 5 from the cross, "Into your hand I commit my spirit" (Luke 23:46), identifying Himself as the ultimate righteous sufferer who trusts His Father even in the extremity of death.
Key Issues
- The Nature of Biblical Trust
- God's Sovereignty Over Time and Circumstance
- The Priestly Blessing ("Make Your Face Shine")
- The Righteousness of Imprecatory Prayer
- The Contrast Between the Righteous and the Wicked
- Shame as a Form of Divine Judgment
The Logic of Covenant Faith
What David does here is foundational to the Christian life. He is surrounded by whispers, plots, and the very real threat of death. His feelings are in the tank. His friends have abandoned him. From a human perspective, everything is going wrong. And what does he do? He makes a cognitive, volitional, theological declaration: "But as for me, I trust in You, O Yahweh, I say, 'You are my God.'" This is not wishful thinking. This is covenant logic. He is not saying, "I feel trusting," but rather, "I have placed my trust." It is an act of the will, grounded in the character of God.
His declaration, "You are my God," is a covenantal claim. It is the flip side of God's promise, "I will be their God." David is taking God at His word. He is saying, "Despite all appearances, despite the conspiracy of my enemies, I belong to You, and You are responsible for me." Everything that follows flows from this basic premise. Because Yahweh is his God, he can entrust his times to Him. Because Yahweh is his God, he can ask for deliverance. Because Yahweh is his God, he can ask for favor and salvation. And because Yahweh is his God, he can ask for justice to be done upon those who oppose Yahweh's righteous servant. This is not a leap in the dark; it is a stand taken on the bedrock of God's revealed character and covenant promises.
Verse by Verse Commentary
14 But as for me, I trust in You, O Yahweh, I say, “You are my God.”
This is the great turning point. The conjunction "But" signals a stark contrast with everything that has come before. The world is whispering, plotting, and threatening, "But as for me..." David sets himself apart from the turmoil and the counsel of the ungodly. He makes a deliberate choice. His trust is not a vague sentiment; it is placed "in You, O Yahweh." He names the specific object of his trust, the covenant-keeping God of Israel. This trust is then articulated in a personal confession: "You are my God." This is the language of relationship, of personal possession. It is not just that Yahweh is God in general, but that He is David's God in particular. This is the foundation of all true stability in the midst of trial. Our circumstances may be shifting sand, but our confession must be in the solid rock of who God is for us.
15 My times are in Your hand; Deliver me from the hand of my enemies and from those who pursue me.
This is one of the great statements of divine providence in all of Scripture. "My times", this is all-encompassing. It means the timing of events, the duration of his suffering, the seasons of his life, the moment of his birth, and the day of his death. All of it. It is all "in Your hand." It is not in the hands of his enemies, not in the hand of fate, not subject to random chance. It is held securely in the sovereign hand of his covenant God. This is a profound comfort, but it is also the basis for his petition. Because his times are in God's hand, he can therefore ask God to act. "Deliver me from the hand of my enemies." He is essentially saying, "My life is in Your hand, not theirs. So, demonstrate that reality. Show them who is actually in control here." The request is a logical outworking of the confession.
16 Make Your face to shine upon Your slave; Save me in Your lovingkindness.
David now moves from asking for deliverance from a negative (the hand of his enemies) to asking for the impartation of a positive (the favor of God). The phrase "Make Your face to shine" is a direct echo of the Aaronic blessing from Numbers 6:25. It is a request for God's favor, His smile, His gracious presence. David identifies himself as God's "slave" or servant, acknowledging his position of submission and dependence. He is not demanding his rights; he is appealing to the goodness of his Master. And the basis for this salvation is not his own merit, but God's "lovingkindness." This is the Hebrew word hesed, which refers to God's steadfast, loyal, covenant love. David is appealing to God's character. "Save me, not because I am worthy, but because You are a God of hesed, and I am in a covenant relationship with You."
17 O Yahweh, let me not be put to shame, for I call upon You; Let the wicked be put to shame, let them be silent in Sheol.
The theme of shame is central here. David's enemies want to humiliate him, to prove that his trust in God was foolish. David prays that this will not happen. Why? "For I call upon You." His act of calling on God is his public declaration of allegiance. If God were to let him be shamed, it would appear that God is either unable or unwilling to answer those who call on Him. God's own reputation is at stake. Therefore, David prays for a great reversal. The shame that the wicked intend for him should be boomerang back upon their own heads. "Let the wicked be put to shame." Their ultimate shame would be to be "silent in Sheol," the realm of the dead. Their arrogant boasting would be brought to a final, definitive end. This is a prayer for justice, that each party would receive the outcome appropriate to their actions and allegiances.
18 Let the lying lips be mute, Which speak arrogantly against the righteous With lofty pride and contempt.
David specifies the particular sin of the wicked that is so offensive: their speech. Their lips are "lying lips." Their words are not just inaccurate; they are malicious and deceitful. They speak "arrogantly against the righteous." Their target is God's people. And the motivation for their speech is "lofty pride and contempt." They look down on the righteous and, by extension, on the God of the righteous. David's prayer that they be made "mute" is a request for God to stop the slander, to end the verbal assault. It is a prayer that God would vindicate His truth by silencing the lies of His enemies. In a world awash with propaganda, slander, and arrogant speech against the things of God, this is a prayer the church should learn to pray with renewed vigor.
Application
This passage is a master class in how to handle overwhelming affliction. The world tells us to look inward to our feelings or outward to our circumstances. David teaches us to look upward to our God. The first step in any trial is to make a deliberate, cognitive declaration of faith. We must say to ourselves, to our enemies, and to our God: "But as for me, I trust in You. You are my God." This act of defiant faith re-frames the entire situation. It takes the pen out of the hands of our enemies and places it back in the sovereign hand of God.
From this flows a profound peace. If our times are in His hand, then nothing can happen to us that is outside of His loving, fatherly control. He is never wringing His hands. This doesn't mean the pain goes away, but it does mean the pain has a purpose. It is part of a story that our good and gracious Author is writing. This confidence then fuels our prayers. We can ask boldly for deliverance, for favor, and for salvation, not because we deserve it, but because He is a God of steadfast love. We can pray for His face to shine on us, which is to say, we can ask for the felt sense of His presence and approval.
And finally, we learn that it is right and good to long for God's justice. Praying for the wicked to be shamed and silenced is not about personal revenge. It is about a desire for God's name to be hallowed, for His kingdom to come, and for His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. It is a prayer that truth would triumph over lies, and that righteousness would be vindicated. When arrogant and contemptuous voices are raised against Christ and His people, we should not be silent. We should, like David, call upon God to mute those lying lips, so that all the world might know that He is God, and that those who trust in Him will never, ultimately, be put to shame.