David the psalmist chooses to align himself with the LORD and against those who regard vain idols. He expresses confidence that the LORD will rescue him from his enemies. Psalm 31:6-8 is prophetic of how Jesus entrusts himself to the LORD instead of following the vain religious leaders of His day.
Psalm 31, composed by David, is a personal declaration of absolute trust in the LORD and a petition for His help during a time of deep discouragement and extreme danger. It is a prayer to God organized into two sections of praise with a series of complaints set between them. Psalm 31 concludes with an exhortation to trust and hope in the LORD.
- The First Praise (Psalm 31:1-8).
- The Complaint to the LORD (Psalm 31:9-13).
- The Final Praise (Psalm 31:14-22).
- The Concluding Exhortation (Psalm 31:23-24).
Psalm 31 is also prophetic of Jesus’s persecution and glorious vindication as the Messiah.
Most of The Bible Says’ commentaries for Psalm 31 are divided into two sections: one for how the psalm corresponds to David; the other explaining its prophetic relationship to Jesus as the Messiah.
This section of Psalm 31 concludes its First Praise.
Psalm 31:6-8 as David’s Praise
David, the psalmist, continues his praise to God with a contrast.
I hate those who regard vain idols,
But I trust in the LORD (v 6).
Idols are anything that we trust that gives us the illusion of control. David recognizes that idols are vain because they only give us the empty illusion of control over our circumstances.
In reality, there are only three things that we have control over. These three things are:
- Who we trust.
- Our perspective/attitude.
- Our actions.
Everything else is ultimately out of our hands.
In David’s era, carved idols of false gods were the idols people worshipped and took care of in exchange for divine favors—such as victory in war, fertility, success in farming, etc. All of these pagan gods were false (Isaiah 44:9-20). The one true God first called Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3, 17:1-22) and later recalled the people of Israel out of slavery from pagan Egypt (Exodus 3-14). Many have observed how the ten plagues that the LORD brought down upon the Egyptians were demonstrations of His superiority to their false gods.
Indeed, the first two of the Ten Commandments are:
- “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. ‘You shall have no other gods before Me.’”
(Deuteronomy 5:6-7) - “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God…”
(Deuteronomy 5:8-9)
The pagan idols provided moral justification that supported a culture of exploitation and indulgence. This contrasted completely with God’s command to love one’s neighbor as themselves (Leviticus 19:18). Inevitably, expressing faith in idols led to living in an exploitative manner.
Carved idols to pagan deities are less common in our contemporary Western culture—but this does not mean that idols are any less prevalent than at any other time or place in history. We can make an idol of anything we trust that feeds an illusion of control or provides a moral authority for us to justify exploitation or indulgent lifestyles.
Possible modern idols can include political parties/figures, science, education degrees, bank accounts, economic systems, celebrities, gender identities, sexual appetites, health fads, etc. These things can become what we worship if we fail to maintain a proper perspective. If we place our trust in these to perpetuate an illusion of control then all of these vain idols can lead us to “hebel”—vanity and loss.
Idols promise fulfillment and give the illusion that those who regard them are in control of their circumstances. But it is only an illusion which will lead to “madness” and “folly” (Ecclesiastes 1:17-18).
The desire to be in control is so strong and the prevalence of idol worship is so prolific in human culture that Christians are often tempted to worship God as though He were another idol. We are tempted to think: if I perform the external action God commands, then He must give me what I desire. This is false worship. It is the kind of behavior that Jesus severely condemned the Pharisees for practicing and teaching (Matthew 23).
God hates fake worship (Amos 5:21-23). He desires true worship from the heart (Deuteronomy 6:5, Psalm 51:17, Jeremiah 29:13, John 4:24). Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount outlined the principles of His kingdom and all throughout it He consistently taught His followers to love God and others from the heart (Matthew 5-7).
Those who regard vain idols are doomed to futility because in their futile quest to find satisfaction and control, they increasingly become more manipulative and exploitative of others to uphold the lie that they maintain. In the end, false worship traps and consumes all those who regard vain idols when reality shatters their dreams. All idols are vain and unworthy of our trust.
In Psalm 31:7, David expresses his disdain and desire to separate from those who are devoted to worthless or empty idols. The use of the word hate conveys a strong displeasure and rejection of the evil that comes from worship of false gods or anything that takes the place of the true and living God.
In saying that he hates idol worshippers, David is not only distancing or disassociating himself from their wickedness, he outright opposes those who regard anything other than the LORD as a worthy basis to build one’s life upon. He puts no stock or trust in the things they say or do.
Instead of aligning himself with those who regard vain idols and seeking their approval, David puts His trust in the LORD—the Great, “I AM” (Exodus 3:14)—the sovereign Creator, Sustainer, Judge, and Redeemer of the universe.
Only the LORD is worthy of our praise, worship, and trust.
Because David trusts in the only One Who is reliable, he is confident to boast even in a time of terrible danger:
I will rejoice and be glad in Your lovingkindness,
Because You have seen my affliction;
You have known the troubles of my soul (v 7).
David outlines two reasons he will rejoice and choose to be glad in the LORD’s loving kindness. And David is so confident in the LORD that he describes his future deliverance in past terms as though it has already taken place (like he described it in Psalm 31:5—“You have ransomed me”).
The first reason he will rejoice and be glad is because he trusts that the LORD understands his unjust affliction and troubles.
David is confident because, as the Lord had said when the Hebrews were slaves to Egypt: “I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have given heed to their cry because of their taskmasters, for I am aware of their sufferings” (Exodus 3:7), that He is equally aware of David’s own affliction and troubles.
The psalmist writes: You have seen my affliction; You have known the troubles of my soul.
In this case, affliction likely describes the external dangers and circumstances which David’s adversaries have schemed against him. The troubles which the psalmist describes explicitly refer to the inner pain of his soul. The troubles of his soul are likely caused by the social rejection due to his adversaries’ slander, which have made him “a reproach” to his neighbors and “an object of dread” to his friends (Psalm 31:11).
But again, David will rejoice in the LORD’s lovingkindness and choose to be glad because He has seen his affliction and understands the troubles of his soul.
The second reason David will rejoice and choose to be glad in the LORD’s lovingkindness is because he trusts that the LORD will deliver him from his affliction and troubles:
And You have not given me over into the hand of the enemy;
You have set my feet in a large place (v 8).
The word And at the beginning of this sentence means his rescue is a second reason why David will rejoice and choose to be glad in the LORD’s lovingkindness. The LORD not only sees and understands David’s affliction (reason 1 for David’s rejoicing), the LORD also will not let David be given over to his enemy (reason 2).
The psalmist joyfully describes his deliverance with two facts.
The first fact is: You have not given me over into the hand of the enemy. This means that David’s enemies were unsuccessful in the scheme to destroy him. David will escape the evil they intended for him.
The second fact is: You have set my feet in a large place. This expression likely signals freedom and describes the experience of being liberated. For instance, the feet of someone who is imprisoned are confined in a small place—i.e. their shackles and/or a prison cell. But the LORD has liberated David to where he is free to move about without fear or concern of what his adversaries might do to him because God has not given him over into the hand of his enemy.
This praise is nearly identical to David’s praise in Psalm 118,
“From my distress I called upon the LORD;
The LORD answered me and set me in a large place.”
(Psalm 118:5)
Both Psalm 31 and Psalm 118 praise the LORD for His lovingkindness (Psalm 118:1).
Psalm 31:6-8 as Messianic Prophecy
Psalm 31:6-8 is prophetic of Jesus the Messiah.
The Bible Says commentary for this section of scripture will continue numbering the various ways Psalm 31 is prophetic of Jesus the Messiah. The listing of Psalm 31’s Messianic prophecies begins in The Bible Says commentary for Psalm 31:1-5. This section of scripture begins with the 8th Messianic prophecy of Psalm 31.
8. The Messiah will fiercely oppose those who regard vain idols.
I hate those who regard vain idols (v 6a).
Jesus the Messiah fiercely opposed those who taught others to regard vain idols.
Hate in this context means to fiercely oppose. Jesus taught His disciples to hate evil, but love people. He taught them to seek the best for their enemies through love and prayer (Matthew 5:44). Jesus lived this out on the cross when He prayed for His Father to forgive His executioners because they did not know what they were doing when they crucified the Son of God (Luke 23:34).
Jesus did not wish evil upon anyone. But he did fiercely oppose (hate) the actions of those who were against God’s perfect Law of liberty and love.
Idols are anything that we trust which give us the illusion of control in exchange for our devotion. In Jesus’s day, one of the most prevalent idols captivating Israel was the religiosity and tradition of the scribes and Pharisees.
The Tradition emerged in the wake of Israel’s exile to Babylon in 586 B.C. Before then, the people of Israel, and later Judah, continued to fall into temptation of the surrounding paganism and drift away from God’s perfect Law given through Moses. Their exile was one of the consequences of their disobedience, pursuant to their agreement with God in their covenant/treaty they entered into with Him (Deuteronomy 32:14-68).
To avoid God’s judgment, the leaders of Israel began to establish new laws that were designed to keep Israel from violating God’s Law. These new laws were to be a “hedge” surrounding God’s perfect Law. The Tradition effectively began to replace and even violate the spirit of God’s perfect Law as these new man-made laws proliferated over the centuries. They became a means by which the elite oppressed those whom they were supposed to serve (Matthew 23:14).
When Jesus the Messiah came to earth, He came to re-establish and fulfill God’s perfect Law (Matthew 5:17-20). His “Sermon on the Mount” was a re-exposition of the Mosaic Law and an expression of the Messianic Kingdom (Matthew 5:3-7:27). This re-framing naturally led to conflict with the Scribes and Pharisees, whose power was based on the people continuing to regard the vain idols they had constructed through their Tradition.
One of many examples of this conflict is found at the beginning of Matthew 15 when “some Pharisees and Scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said” (Matthew 15:1):
“Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread” (Matthew 15:2).
Jesus responded:
“Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? (Matthew 15:3).
Perhaps the most severe example of Jesus opposing the Scribes and Pharisees was when He called them out in front of the crowds in Jerusalem for their hypocrisy and malicious abuse of their rules to selfishly exploit and ruin God’s people (Matthew 23:1-36).
Jesus fiercely opposed the wicked and exploitative system of the Sadducees when he cleared the Temple courtyard of extortioners and money changers (Matthew 21:12-16).
Both of these public incidents: the cleansing of the Temple; and the severe rebuke of the Scribes and Pharisees demonstrate how Jesus fiercely opposed (hated) those who regard vain idols in His day.
9. The Messiah will trust the LORD.
But I trust in the LORD (v 6b).
This Messianic prophecy is related to the previous prophecy. The previous prophecy stated what the Messiah would not trust and regard (Psalm 31:6a)—the glory and approval of men and their vain idols. This prophecy states what the Messiah will regard and trust—the LORD.
Instead of aligning Himself with the powerful religious leaders of His day (John 5:34, 5:41), Jesus the Messiah entrusted Himself to the LORD,
“I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God?”
(John 5:43-44)
This prophecy in verse 6 reasserts the psalm’s central theme of trust. Accordingly, it is related to most of the Messianic prophecies in this psalm that describe the Messiah’s posture toward the LORD and His response in the middle of trials. The prophecy of Psalm 31:6b specifically reiterates the first and the fifth Messianic prophecies of Psalm 31.
- The first Messianic prophecy of Psalm 31 was: “The Messiah will take refuge in the LORD” (Psalm 31:1).
- The fifth Messianic prophecy of Psalm 31 was: “The Messiah will commit His spirit into the LORD’s hand” (Psalm 31:5a).
This prophecy anticipates Psalm 31:14 which says: “But as for me, I trust in You, O LORD, I say, ‘You are my God.’”
10. The Messiah will rejoice in the LORD’s mercy.
I will rejoice and be glad in Your lovingkindness (v 7a).
This Messianic prophecy is also related to the previous two prophecies. The previous two prophecies stated what the Messiah will not regard (those who oppose God—Psalm 31:6a) and what He will trust (the LORD—Psalm 31:6b). This prophecy shows that one of the ways the Messiah will trust the LORD is by having confidence and joy in His lovingkindness and mercy.
Jesus the Messiah rejoiced and was glad in the LORD’s lovingkindness.
The Hebrew word which is translated here as lovingkindness is חֶסֶד (H2616—pronounced: “kheh-sad” or “Hessed”). Hessed means “mercy.”
This prophecy means that Jesus the Messiah trusted God’s mercy in the midst of His pain more than any vain pleasure He would have received from trusting idolatrous man.
When Jesus obeyed God (instead of men), they sought to destroy Him (John 5:18, 7:1). He obeyed God anyway, even unto death on a cross (Philippians 2:8). He could have avoided this suffering if He had embraced the idolatrous ways of men. But Jesus chose to embrace His cross, endure the painful persecution, and rejoice and be glad in the LORD’s lovingkindness.
During His life, Jesus the Messiah gladly looked to the joy set before Him by His Father and despised—showed no regard—for the shame his enemies heaped upon Him (Hebrews 12:2). Jesus also exhorted those who follow Him to also take up their cross daily and follow Him (Matthew 10:38).
11. The LORD will see and understand the Messiah’s anguish.
Because You have seen my affliction;
You have known the troubles of my soul (v 7b).
This Messianic prophecy is also related to the prophecies immediately preceding it.
The LORD saw how Jesus the Messiah was persecuted for fiercely opposing the powerful but vain idolators of His day (Psalm 31:6a) and for trusting the LORD (Psalm 31:6b) and gladly anticipating His lovingkindness (Psalm 31:7a).
The LORD saw Jesus’s affliction and He knew the troubles of Jesus’s soul (Matthew 26:37-39):
“In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety.”
(Hebrews 5:7)
When Jesus prayed to God in Gethsemane in the hours before His cruel death, the LORD heard Him. He saw the anguish His Son was in, and the LORD understood how He was hurting.
This prophecy anticipates the final Messianic prophecy of Psalm 31:
“Nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications
When I cried to You.”
(Psalm 31:22)
12. The LORD will rescue the Messiah from the grasp of His enemy.
And You have not given me over into the hand of the enemy;
You have set my feet in a large place (v 8).
This Messianic prophecy is related to the prophecy immediately preceding it: “The LORD will see and understand the Messiah’s anguish” (Psalm 31:7b). The LORD rescued Jesus (Psalm 31:8) when He saw the Messiah’s affliction and troubles (Psalm 31:7b).
The LORD did not give Jesus over into the hand of the enemy. Even though Jesus’s enemies managed to put Him to death, they did not get the final word. God delivered Jesus out of their hands when He raised Jesus from the dead. Jesus was elevated over His enemy, Satan, as the ruler of this world because of His obedience (John 12:31, Matthew 28:18).
The expression—You have set my feet in a large place alludes to how after the LORD delivers the Messiah from the hand of His enemies, He is given large amounts of freedom. Instead of being confined in a small place—like a prison cell or a tomb—Jesus’s feet are set free with great authority in a large place.
This corresponds to how after Jesus was resurrected from the enemy of death, He told His disciples: “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18b).
The twelfth Messianic prophecy of Psalm 31, which predicts the LORD’s rescue of the Messiah, relates to several prior prophecies in this psalm. These include:
- The fourth Messianic prophecy of Psalm 31—“The LORD will rescue the Messiah from His adversaries for [the LORD’s] name’s sake” (Psalm 31:3b).
- The sixth Messianic prophecy of Psalm 31—“The Messiah will be resurrected by the LORD” (Psalm 31:5b).
It also anticipates several Messianic prophecies that are expressed in subsequent verses of Psalm 31: see Psalm 31:15, 31:16, 31:17, 31:19, 31:20, 31:21, 31:22.
Biblical Text
6 I hate those who regard vain idols,
But I trust in the LORD.
7 I will rejoice and be glad in Your lovingkindness,
Because You have seen my affliction;
You have known the troubles of my soul,
8 And You have not given me over into the hand of the enemy;
You have set my feet in a large place.
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