Psalm 31: Into Your Hands I Commit My Spirit

I can't say that I have done much Biblical analysis, if any. I just decided to try this so I could have some motivation to go beyond the surface of the Bible, where most of my time reading it has been spent. I find that other people’s words are a lot less meaningful to me than something of my own creation (not to put you all down or anything…). So, how does this relate to Psalms 31 you say? Most likely it doesn’t, but it does discredit me and give you a reason to disregard what I say (but please don’t).

The first thing I recognized about this psalm, and it took me a second look to even draw this bit, is verse 5. These words, “into your hands I commit my spirit” (which I remember from a System of a Down song, imagine that), are the last words Jesus said before he died on the cross. I also noticed this is the same wording used in the Old Testament, when God would give the enemies of the Israelites “into their hands”. This promise from God meant that they would easily be able to take over the land in which their enemies dwelled. So apply this and the last words of Jesus to our lives, and what do you get? I guess it would mean we should give ourselves to Him without fighting back, and know that He has total control over everything. Oh such easy words to formulate in the mind, yet so hard to live out for any extended length of time or sometimes to even mean them at all. We all “say” we give our spirits to God and trust Him in everything, but we always fall flat on our faces to such a high standard. EVERY time we sin, we show a lack of trust in His plan, though we never really meant to doubt, it just happens (ALL THE TIME!).

This psalm seems to adhere to the typical psalm layout (at least what I see it to be):
1. I have trusted you God; yet…
2. I am struggling with stuff.
3. Thinks about God for awhile then says…
4. You’re awesome (talking to God of course, because none of you are awesome [BURN]).

I think it is safe to say that too often we dwell in the first and second points, and forget the perfect plan that will unfold from the struggles we face in life. If life wasn’t full of bad and terrible stuff, why would we need God to protect us, or seek His help through the stress in life? Sure, when things are going great, we praise God and all that fun, but how much more meaningful are the desperate cries to God for deliverance from our struggles? This is even more so when He finally does answer our cry. In verse 22 of this psalm, it says “…Yet you heard my cry for mercy when I called to you for help”. One thing I really want is to have confidence that God WILL hear my cries and WILL answer me.

After my brother read this psalm, trying to see if he would have wrote something similar to me, he brought to my attention an event in my distant past, vaguely dealing with verse 4. “Free me from the trap that is set for me, for you are my refuge.” I can’t remember the background of the story too well, but anyway, I just remember opening up the door to my room, and being soaked by a cup of water that was perched atop the slightly opened door. The world (Bryan) is out there, trying to trap us into bad things, and hurt us so as to keep us from following what God desires for our lives. Maybe if my faith had been more than the little it was, God would have protected me like an umbrella, but who knows.

Now to sound like Matt or Glenn: When I was listening to one of Piper’s sermons, he quoted this verse, 1 Samuel 12:20, which says “Do not fear. You have done all this wickedness…”. One thing I don’t/didn’t really understand is why we should “fear” God as it says even in this psalm (verse 19) “How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you…”. I underlined the word fear for those of you who couldn’t find it. Since God is compassionate and loving, what is there to fear, since I believe and everything? I think (maybe wrongly, who knows) that we should fear what God COULD and SHOULD do to us, but we can take courage that He is on our side and wants our best. Wow, this just so happens to correlate with the last verse of this psalm (totally didn’t even realize it at first) which would be verse 34, from the ESV, “Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the LORD!” The rest of the verse I omitted from 1 Samuel 12:20 is the condition to not fearing God “…yet do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart."

Now, as much as George would protest me saying this, I will say it anyway. “George Costanza DID NOT invent the ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ routine, as much as he will claim that he did.” You must now be thinking I am out of my mind, and quite honestly, I am… but that’s beside the point. Someone has been using the “it’s not you, it’s me” routine long before George was even a thought. In fact, there is a very old book about this very topic. What has God been doing all this time? What does the Bible boil down to (not that anyone should EVER boil a Bible. That would be a horrible sin deserving the severest of punishments)? Why do you deserve to go to heaven? Verse 16 says “Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love.” It is only by the grace of God we have any shot at heaven. God has been saying “Look , it’s not you, it’s me” since the fall of man. Of course this takes on a different meaning than George intended. George used this as a break up line, while God uses this as a pick up line. I just thought of that awhile back. Who knew Seinfeld could teach us about God? If you don’t get this part, don’t worry. It just means you haven’t spent your life watching Seinfeld reruns that are on at least twice a day (which only includes non-cable TV). You just can’t get this kind of insight from Full House. (See footnote 1)

Wow! Look at what can be extracted from God’s word if we take the time to just look at it and think about it for awhile. After reading this psalm once (all too briskly, as I would normally do) I got nothing. However, unlike Seinfeld (the show about nothing), which is enjoyed by many people, the show of our lives being about nothing is displeasing to God. I hope you all respond to God with “I long for you” (A bad/awkward response for George, but good for you). Sorry for the length, but Glenn’s are still longer. Keep the faith!

- Jinx

Footnotes
1. This is referring to when Glenn said the bad thing about watching Seinfeld is that it makes shows like Full House seem lame.

Extra Stuff
1. After Bryan found out that I had pretty much written this a week early, he was begging to read it, and was being so impatient. If only this was our attitude towards God’s word, that would be awesome. Just to have a strong desire to learn what God has to say, and not putting it off (as I made him do). Sorry man, I had to call you out on that. You get to do this to other people all the time, so I thought you deserved some back.
2. The demons had wrapped me up in balls and chains (balloons and streamers) this past Sunday. Yet another example of the evils of the world attempting to bind my soul. By the strength of God I was able to be released from those “chains”, because, look at me; I could never break through those heavy streamers. Don’t worry demons; your time will come…
3. Since I am such a geek and all, and music is just something that is powerful, here is a video of someone singing Psalm 31. It's the NKJV.