Psa 31.1-24 was written by David while he was fleeing from Saul, according to some scholars. The heading reads, “For the Conductor (of the Levitical choir), a Song of David.” The author of Psa 71 quotes the first three verses of this psalm. It is quoted many times in the Tanak, Gospels and Epistles. Jonah quotes Psa 31.6 in Jonah 2.8. Jeremiah quotes Psa 31.13 in Jer 6.25, 20.3, 20.10, 46.5, 49.29 and Lam 2.22.
In Psa 31.1-5 David prays for God to rescue him and believes God will answer him. He trusts him and believes the Lord will not shame him before his enemies. He wants the Lord to be his “rock” and “fortress” to save him. In Hebrew it says a “house of fortresses” and this alludes to all the fortresses David and his people lived in.
Now, rock is the Hebrew “tzur” and it can only guard the back, but fortresses have four walls. David was not asking to be delivered because he was so good, but “for your name’s sake.” If the Lord would lead him, it would bring honor to Yehovah. David knew his enemies wanted to trap him (“the net”) but Yehovah can deliver him out of the most clever of traps. But he does not want to live for himself, he committed his “spirit” (“ruachi”) into God’s hands. God had redeemed him and belonged to him, and Yehovah is the God of truth.
Psa 31.6-8 tells us that David did not recognize idols and considered them useless. He will trust in Yehovah and will rejoice in his lovingkindness. He has not turned him over to his enemies and his feet are set in a “large place” meaning safety.
Psa 31.9-13 tells us how David recounts his troubles. He is in distress, his eye wastes away with grief, as well as his physical strength. His life is spent in sorrow and has spent many years in sighing. He is suffering because of his “iniquity.” His enemies have reproached him before his neighbors and he is an object of dread to his friends. Those who see him run from him, and he is forgotten as a dead man. He is a broken vessel (person) and he is slandered and full of fear. Many have plotted against him and have schemed together to take his life. He is suffering physically, emotionally, socially and spiritually.
Psa 31.14-18 tells us that in the midst of all this, he trusts in Yehovah and he is the God of David. David’s “times” (life) is in God’s hands, not his enemies. Ecc 3.1-8 tells us about twenty-eight “times” in our life. There are fourteen positive (waxing) and fourteen negative (waning) times. The moon is a type of the believer, and it has the same thing. From the new moon to the full moon there are fourteen days of waxing stronger and brighter. From the full moon to the hidden moon there are fourteen days of waning.
David wants the Lord to deliver him from his enemies and from those who persecute him. He borrows from Num 6.23-27 and the Aaronic Blessing when he says, “Make your face to shine” upon him. He does not want to be put to shame (31.1) because he calls on Yehovah. But he wants the wicked to be put to shame and be silent in Sheol (let them be brought there). He wanted the lying lips silenced (like Doeg the Edomite) who falsely accused him to Saul.
Psa 31.19-22 says that even though David had his troubles, he believed God was good, and that goodness has been stored up for those who fear him, and take refuge in him (1 Cor 2.9). He hides a believer in the “secret place” of his covering and from the conspiracies of man (Psa 91.1). He keeps them secretly in a booth (sukkah) from quarreling tongues, etc. This secret place or “covering” is so secure that David found that he was saved from the plots of his enemies, and their words. David says God showed him this to be true when he was in Keilah (1 Sam 23.7) and Saul thought that he had him trapped, but David escaped (1 Sam 23.13-14). David thought that he was done, too, but God heard his prayer and he got away (1 Sam 23.26-29) in answer to his prayer.
On Psa 31. 23-24 David gives a call to God’s people to praise him. He preserves the “emunim” (those with emunah/faith) and pays with precision those who are arrogant. The word for “precision” is “yeter” and it means “bowstring” because the arrow must be properly positioned in order to hit the bulls-eye. A “yeter” is also a measuring rope to make exact calculations. David concludes by saying that we should be strong and be full of courage and “hope” (wait and serve, believing the promises) in Yehovah. David’s life should inspire us to do that because God delivered him (Psa 27.14; Isa 40.31).
Psa 32.1-11 is a psalm of Teshuvah (repentance). The heading says, “To David, a Maskil.” The word “maskil” means to “give instruction” and any psalm that is introduced with this word indicates that it was to be said through an orator who translated and interpreted for the benefit of his listeners (Talmud, Pesachim 117a). There are eleven other psalms with this word. This psalm is full of instruction and things to think about and “Selah” (pause/prostrate) is used several times throughout. This is also a psalm of Teshuvah (repentance) and rejoicing in the mercy of God. Sin is dealt with and the sinner is comforted, followed by instruction.
In Psa 32.1-2 we learn of the blessing of a sin that is forgiven. This psalm is also the Song of the Day for Yom Kippur or Shabbat Shuvah (the sabbath that occurs during the ten days of repentance between Rosh Ha Shanah and Yom Kippur). One thing that stands out here is God forgave sin before the cross (Jer 31.34) and the sin is “covered” (“Kasah” is related to “Keseh” meaning to “conceal”). David says, “Blessed (happy or empowered to be successful) is the man to whom the Lord does not impute (charge) iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit (no false estimate of themselves and is sincere before God).
Psa 32.3-4 tells us what happens when there is unconfessed sin. David’s body wastes away and his body deteriorated because of worry. Day and night he awaited God’s punishment and anxiety sapped his strength. But in Psa 32.5 says that David acknowledged his sin and confessed it, and he believed that Yehovah would forgive him. We don’t know what sin he is talking about, but many commentators believe it was his sin with Bathsheba, but that’s just speculation.
Psa 32.6-7 tells us that David exhorts the godly to seek the Lord when he may be found. There are moments when God is more “accessible” (Isa 55.6). This can also allude to when the heart is free from all disturbances and feels fully ready to “zero in” on repentance. David did not want his enemies to overtake him “in a flood” of affliction.
Then in Psa 32.8-11 David instructs and teaches us in the way which we should go because he has learned a lesson and he will counsel “with my eye upon you” (not walk blindly). He does not want us to be like the horse or mule which “have no understanding.” In other words, the horse and mule need a “bit and bridle” because they are not guided with ease, they need training. David does not want us to be like them. Don’t make the Lord use affliction, tragedy, distress and calamity as a bridle to keep us “on the way we should go.”
David knew what it was like to live the life of the wicked (temporarily) and he didn’t like it. God’s mercy renewed him and has experienced a rejuvenation that caused him to be glad and shout for joy, and he wants us to follow his example and repent and ask for forgiveness when we have sinned.
Psa 33.1-22 has no heading and it is a Sabbath psalm, and it is also read on Rosh Ha Shanah and Yom Kippur. This is a song of praise and seems to have been written by David by the style. It begins with the same words that Psalm 32 ended with. The writer of this psalm wants the believer to “sing for joy” in (because of) the Lord.” Because praise is becoming (fitting) to the upright (l’yasharim) because they can best judge the mercy and glory of Yehovah (v 1).
In Psa 33.2 the writer wants us to give thanks and sing praises to God with a lyre (kinor) and a harp (nevel) of ten strings. The harp is a symbol of the soul, heart, mind, spirit or inward man of the believer. In Arachin 13b of the Talmud it says that the harp (kinor) of the Temple had seven strings. When Messiah comes it will have eight strings and in the Olam Haba it will have ten (like the Ten Comanndments).
In Psa 33.3 it says, “Sing to him a new song (Shir Chadash) and it is in the masculine, and this alludes to the Messiah. In Scripture, “song” is “shirah” and it is feminine, but here it is masculine (shir) because the thought is “Messiah has come” and so it is an idiom for the Messianic Kingdom. No more tragedies or persecution. Our music today is on an eight note scale. The Kinor here has a ten note scale and the the “new song” (Psa 96.1, 98.1; Isa 42.10). Then it says “play skillfully (well) with a shout of joy.” The word “shout” is “teruah” and it is a shattering sound similar to the “sighs” or “tearful wimpers” of people who cannot catch their breath. This symbolizes the person broken with affliction and pain. In the Olam Ha Zeh (this present world) it is difficult to sing with joy over the “teruah” or “shattering affliction” but in the Olam Haba (the world to come) when the divine plan of history will be revealed, men will see the purpose of even the worst pains and they will make happy music (a new song) to God even out of the Teruah blast (the book “Tehillim” by Mesorah Publications, p.396).
In Hebrew, “kinor” (harp) has a couple of intersting facts. The kof (“k” sound in Hebrew) and the vav (“v” sound) add up numerically to 26, the number in the name Yehovah (YHVH). The nun (“n” sound) and resh (“r” sound) spell “ner” which means “light.” Prov 20.27 says, “The spirit of a man is the lamp of Yehovah” (Psa 49.4; Rev 14.1-3). The kinor is the only known instrument whose strings can be strummed by the wind (ruach), and the kinor (as we have said) is a picture of the heart, soul and spirit of a man.
Psa 33.4-5 tells us that the word of the Lord (Tanak when this was written) is upright (just) and the believer will rejoice in them. All his works are done in faithfulness. This refers to the natural order of things that God has designed in the universe and in the earth. What God has designed can be relied upon and it won’t change (Gen 8.21-22) and humans do not need to live in fear of “global warming” or “climate change.”
Psa 33.5 says he loves “charity (tzedekah) and justice (mishpat); the earth is full of the lovingkindness (chessed) of Yehovah.” This tells us that sometimes God exercises “charity” and at other times “justice.” Now, charity can be limited but “lovingkindness” fills the earth.
Psa 33.6-12 tells us that God is not only moral (v 5) but he is the God of all power, and by his word the heavens (plural) were made. As we know from Paul in 2 Cor 12.1-5 there is a “third heaven.” The “first heaven” is the sky, where birds and airplanes fly. Then there is the “second heaven” where the sun, moon and stars are. The “third heaven” is where God is, and what Paul is describing. Then the writer says, “and by the breath (ruach) of his mouth all their hosts (armies).” This tells us that creation was immediate, not over ages (Gen 2.1; John 1.1-3) and the “Davar” is the “Word” (John 1.1). This “Word” can be understood as a divine expression realized in Yeshua.
Prov 30.5-6 says, “Every word of God is tested (examined); he (notice the word of God is a “he”) is a shield to those who take refuge in him.” The word of Yehovah “appeared” to Samuel and Yehovah revealed himself to him “by the word of the Lord” (the divine expression-1 Sam 3.21). So, the word of the Lord “appeared.” “Do not add to his words lest he reprove you, and you are proved to be a liar (Deut 4.2; Rev 22.18; 1 Cor 4.6; Psa 5.2).” He gathered the waters of the sea, laid up “deeps” in storehouses. This is what “cleaved” or “knifed up” through the earth at the flood (Gen 7.11). We are to fear Yehovah and stand in awe of him. Why?” Because “he spoke and it was done; he commanded and it stood fast.” Again, it (the creation) was done immediately, not in ages.
Psa 33.13-17 says that man’s effort and plans do not determine outcomes. God’s plan in the present world and in the future does. Joab believed this in 2 Sam 10.8-14. No king (or president) is saved because he has a mighty army, and a great warrior is not delivered because of his great skill and strength (ask Goliath), and horses (symbolic of power) are a false hope for victory (ask the Syrians in the Yom Kippur War).
Psa 33.18-22 says the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him. It is God’s hand in shaping events and his care of the individual that matters (Matt 10.29). Then verse 19 says, “to deliver their soul from death” and in Hebrew it has the initials of Haman in the book of Esther. The verse ends with “hunger” and that has the same numerical value as Mordechai who fasted three days. This story, as we know, delivered the Jews from death because Haman’s plan did not determine the outcome, God did according to his plan.
Since the writer has praised him and he has seen God’s hand at all angles, he now ends this psalm with the idea of waiting (serving by obeying the Torah) on the Lord because he is a help and a shield. He will trust in the name of Yehovah and requests that the lovingkindness (mercy) be upon his people (and not by any works).
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