Psalm 31 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study

Psalm 31 Short Summary:

David used Psalm 31 to express his unwavering confidence in God, even though he was going through a time of trial. Psalm 31:5 was quoted by Jesus to express the same sentiment just before He died on the cross.

Psalm 31 Summary

AUTHOR:

• King David wrote Psalm 31.

NEW TESTAMENT REFERENCES:

• Luke 23:46

THEMES:

• Entrust your wellbeing to God.

• In times of trouble, “wait for the Lord.”

• God stores up blessings for His people.

• The wicked and those who oppress God’s people will be put to shame.  

OUTLINE:

• INTO YOUR HAND I COMMIT MY SPIRIT (31:1-25):

  • In Psalm 31, David prayed to the Lord for protection and thanked Him for protecting him in the past.

  • David acknowledged that God was his rock and fortress, and he entrusted the Lord with his wellbeing, saying, “Into your hand I commit my spirit” (31:5).

  • He expressed his hatred of idolatry, calling the idols worthless, and then spoke of the great worth of God, a God who was actually able to help those who were devoted to Him.

  • When writing this psalm, David was in some kind of distress. He mentions his troubles in verses 9-13.

  • Many of his friends had abandoned him, he was running out of strength, and he felt like he was surrounded by people who were scheming against him.

  • But after describing his troubles, he immediately returned to his theme of trusting in God.

  • His troubles were multiple, but they weren’t enough to shake his faith.

  • David was waiting for the Lord to punish his enemies and judge the evildoers who relentlessly oppressed him.

  • David believed that God had good things stored up for him. He wrote, “Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you” (31:19).

  • God’s treasure store of goodness wasn’t something that could be plundered by evil men, it was stored up and protected by God for His faithful ones.

  • David finishes his meditation by encouraging anyone in distress to “wait for the Lord.”
    

APPLICATION:

• While Jesus was on the cross, He quoted the opening words of Psalm 22.

• Here in Psalm 31, we find another piece of text quoted by Jesus during the crucifixion.

• Luke 23:46 Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.

• Jesus made this statement just before He died, and He got the words from Psalm 31:5.

• Psalm 31 is all about David trusting in God in a time of distress with enemies surrounding Him.

• When Jesus quoted Psalm 31, He was in terrible distress and most certainly surrounded by enemies.

• Jesus quoted the psalm to express the same sentiment David expressed, that in His trouble He still had unwavering confidence that everything was going to be alright because He was in the care and in the will of God the Father.