Psalms 31 · The Lantern

To David himself, understanding. Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.

Not only does God free us into righteousness but also into temperance, fortitude and love. He uses "righteousness" to embrace all virtues. Perhaps he understands "Christ" for "righteousness." "He is made wisdom to us by God and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption."

He rightly made an appeal for the Lord's justice, since he knew that he would suffer at the hands of the unjust. What a truly amazing and divine exchange! He received death and gave salvation in return; he endured injuries and distributed honors; he took upon himself pain and conferred safety.

Then when he says, "In your justice," he adds the prayer, in which he does three things. First, he assigns the reason why he asks to be freed. Second, he asks for the speed of liberation, at "Incline." Third, he presents the manner: "Be to me." He says therefore: O Lord, I hope, and therefore I ask to be freed. But for what reason?

Blessed is the man to whom the Lord hath not imputed sin, and in whose spirit there is no guile.

Because I was silent my bones grew old; whilst I cried out all the day long.

For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: I am turned in my anguish, whilst the thorn is fastened.

"Thou shalt bring Me out of this trap, which they have hidden for Me." Thou shalt bring Me out of these snares, which they have hidden for Me. "For Thou art My Protector."

By this he indicated the plot of Ahithophel, which he put into operation against him, as we have spoken about previously. … After frequently encountering many disasters I was freed from them by your aid—thus I entrust my soul to your providence. He calls providence here once again "hands."

The snare was certainly hidden by the enemies, but there was not one which could be hidden from Christ, nor did he fall into death by being deceived, but consciously he accepted it in order to liberate us. So the Jews hid a trap for Christ because they believed that he was only a man, and they were devising a plan to destroy him by an ambush.

I have acknowledged my sin to thee, and my injustice I have not concealed. I said I will confess against my self my injustice to the Lord: and thou hast forgiven the wickedness of my sin.

And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.

"Into Thy hands I commend My Spirit." To Thy power I commend My Spirit, soon to receive It back. "Thou hast redeemed Me, O Lord God of truth?" Let the people too, redeemed by the Passion of their Lord, and joyful in the glorifying of their Head, say, "Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth."

"Into your hands." Third, he breaks forth in sudden prayer; and concerning this he does two things. First, he commends himself to the Lord; second, he commemorates the divine benefit, either already received or soon to follow, at "You have redeemed," and so on. He says therefore as to the first, "Into your hands," and so on. What a man holds most dear he commends to his guide.

For this shall every one that is holy pray to thee in a seasonable time. And yet in a flood of many waters, they shall not come nigh unto him.

You hated them and rebuffed those paying constant attention to doing wrong; far from doing evil in the heat of passion, they involve themselves in the practice of evil as though an obligation (the sense of "paid constant attention"). By "futile things" he refers to the wrongdoing.

"I will hope in the Lord," in whom there is nothing empty, … but everything remains fixed and whole.

"But I." Above, he assigned the reason for his hope from the divine condition; here he assigns it from the experience of divine benefits. Concerning which he does two things. First, he proposes hope; second, its effect, at "I will be glad." He says therefore: God hates the wicked; "But I," who do not observe vanities, "have hoped in God alone," not in the god of riches, 1 Tim.

Thou art my refuge from the trouble which hath encompassed me: my joy, deliver me from them that surround me.

"I will be glad, and rejoice in Your mercy:" which does not deceive me. "For You have regarded My humiliation:" wherein You have subjected me to vanity in hope. [Romans 8:20] "You have saved my soul from necessities" [Psalm 31:7]. You have saved my soul from the necessities of fear, that with a free love it may serve You.

Let us give attention to the one who says that his humility was respected. It is he who both created heaven and earth and holds them intact, he whom the heavenly powers serve. But there was humility in the Most High for this reason, because also a true human nature was connected to him, made perfect from his very conception.

"Because." Here he commemorates the benefit of liberation. First, the liberation; second, the manner of liberation, at "You have not shut me up." He says he was freed from two things: from rejection and from tribulation. The first is opposed to honor; the second to prosperity.

I will give thee understanding, and I will instruct thee in this way, in which thou shalt go: I will fix my eyes upon thee.

Do not become like the horse and the mule, who have no understanding. With bit and bridle bind fast their jaws, who come not near unto thee.

Many are the scourges of the sinner, but mercy shall encompass him that hopeth in the Lord.

Let your children take part in the instruction that is in Christ, let them learn how powerful with God is humility, how strong is a pure love, how the fear of him is beautiful and great and saves those who live in it in holiness with a pure mind. For he is a searcher of thoughts and desires; his breath is in us, and when he wills, he will take it away.

"For my life has failed in pain" [Psalm 31:10]. For my life is to confess You, but it failed in pain, when the enemy had said, Let them be tortured until they deny Him. "And my years in groanings." The time that I pass in this world is not taken away from me by death, but abides, and is spent in groanings.

Then when he says, "Because," and so on, he explains the tribulation as to external matters. For tribulation drives out the goods of the present life, which are three: namely, pleasures of the flesh, riches, and honors: 1 Jn. 2: "All that is in the world," and so on. Against the first he sets forth sorrow; against the second, poverty; and against the third, reproaches.

Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye just, and glory, all ye right of heart.

"I have been made a reproach above all mine enemies" [Psalm 31:11]. All the wicked are my enemies; and nevertheless they for their wickednesses are tortured only till they confess: I then have overpassed their reproach, I, whose confession death does not follow, but racking pains follow upon it.

Christ the Lord, though innocent and undefiled, was being considered a disgrace among those who were desecrating themselves with wicked sin.… A disgrace indicates a terribly heinous act, what the evil Jews were convinced had been committed by our Lord Savior when they said: "This man is not from God, who does not keep the Sabbath," and elsewhere: "You are a Samaritan and have a…

"Above." The prophet, assigning his exterior tribulation, has proposed sorrows against pleasures, poverty against riches; here he sets forth reproaches against the honors of the world. Concerning this he does three things.

Psalms31