Jesus throughout the Scriptures: Psalms 3 (3)
Pray Psalm 31.1-5.
In You, O LORD, I put my trust;
Let me never be ashamed;
Deliver me in Your righteousness.
Bow down Your ear to me,
Deliver me speedily;
Be my rock of refuge,
A fortress of defense to save me.
For You are my rock and my fortress;
Therefore, for Your name’s sake,
Lead me and guide me.
Pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me,
For You are my strength.
Into Your hand I commit my spirit;
You have redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.
Sing Psalm 31.1-5.
(Brother James’ Air: The Lord’s My Shepherd, I’ll Not Want)
In You, O LORD, I refuge take; let me not come to shame!
In righteousness deliver me, according to Your Name.
Incline Your ear, my prayer to hear, my Fortress strong to save!
For You my Rock and Fortress are; in Your Name lead and guide.
You rescue me from ev’ry net which wicked men might hide.
My Refuge strong, my spirit long in Your hand shall abide.
Read Psalm 31; meditate on verses 19-24.
Preparation
1. What has God prepared for those who trust Him?
2. Why can we be of good courage?
Meditation
This seems to be a psalm of David’s old age (vv. 10-12), when others were smacking their lips to see him go and already plotting how to gain his throne for themselves (v. 13; cf. 1 Kgs. 1.1-7). Here we should expect to see David serving as a type of Jesus in His suffering, and we are not disappointed. The words that David used to prepare for his death were on the lips of our Savior as He was dying (v. 5; cf. Lk. 23.46). As David drew comfort and strength in seeking the Lord’s face (v. 16), so Jesus may have been praying this psalm in His own great time of trial.
God has put in reserve an abundance of goodness for those who fear Him and trust in Him (vv. 19, 20). Blessings and good things beyond what can be told are ours to enjoy (vv. 20-22). Jesus was already seeing these as He died on the cross, as we have seen (Ps. 22.21-31). Now we may know these joys and blessings even amid the plots and lies of the wicked (vv. 20, 23, 24). Like David, let us fear and trust the Lord, looking to Jesus as the fulfillment of all God’s promises (2 Cor. 1.20) and the Author and Perfecter of our faith (Heb. 12.1, 2).
When we fear and trust the Lord, He is our focus. He defines our way. We find in Him every good and perfect gift that we may require for complete happiness and increasing fruitfulness. Outwardly, we may know many troubling circumstances. But when our focus is entirely on the Lord, and we are sheltering in Him, we know the goodness He holds in reserve for us, a goodness that no outward conditions can obscure (Jn. 16.33).
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
“Oh, how great is Your goodness,
which You have laid up for those who fear You,
which You have prepared for those who trust in You
in the presence of the sons of men!” (Ps. 31.19)
Jesus the very thought of Thee, with sweetness fills my breast,
But sweeter far Thy face to see, and in Thy Presence rest.
(Bernard of Clairvaux, 1150)
“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.
In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.
I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come again and receive you to Myself;
that where I AM, there you may be also.
And where I go you know, and the way you know.
I AM the way, the truth, and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through Me” (Jn. 14.1-4, 6).
How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?
(Rippon’s selection of Hymns, 1787)
“The LORD is gracious and full of compassion,
Slow to anger and great in Mercy.
The LORD is good to all, and
His tender mercies are over all His works” (Ps. 145.8, 9).
O how He loves you and me, O how He loves you and me;
He gave His life—what more could He give?
O how He loves you,
O how He loves me,
O how He loves you and me!
(Kurt Kaiser, 1975)
“The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble;
and He knows those who trust in Him” (Nah. 1.7).
When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will
He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus,
But to trust and obey.
(John H. Sammis, 1887)
“Oh, love the LORD, all you His saints!
For the LORD preserves the faithful…
Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart,
All you who hope in the LORD” (Ps. 31.23, 24).
Reflection
1. What role does singing to the Lord play in your walk with and work for Him?
2. We see that Jesus prayed certain of the psalms as He was suffering on the cross. How might praying and singing the psalms help you in your walk with the Lord?
3. How can singing bring refreshment, strengthening, and renewal to your soul? Can you think of a psalm, hymn, or spiritual song that does this for you?
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. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on Psalm 31.19-24
Pray Psalm 31.19-24.
Rejoice in the abundant goodness of the Lord. Celebrate before Him all the ways He has blessed you already this day. Call on Him for strength to lead you in all your times of weariness, temptation, or trial. Bless and praise Him for the day ahead.
Sing Psalm 31.19-24.
(Brother James’ Air: The Lord’s My Shepherd, I’ll Not Want)
How great the goodness You reserve for those who fear You, LORD,
who rest in You and boldly stand before men in Your Word.
You cover them from plots of men; You shelter them, O LORD!
Blessed be the LORD, for He has shown His steadfast love to me!
In my alarm I cried to Him; He heard my fervent plea!
In fear and dread with You I pled; You heard and rescued me!
O love the LORD, all you, His saints! He keeps us faithfully.
But all who act in sinful pride His wrath shall surely see.
Be strong and let your heart not fret; wait on Him constantly!
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
For more teaching about the subject of this series, “Jesus throughout the Scriptures”, download our free ReVision study, “We Would See Jesus”, by clicking here.
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
