Psalm 31:22 - Printer Friendly

ESV: I had said in my alarm, "I am cut off from your sight." But you heard the voice of my pleas for mercy when I cried to you for help.

NIV: In my alarm I said, "I am cut off from your sight!" Yet you heard my cry for mercy when I called to you for help.

NASB: As for me, I said in my alarm, 'I am cut off from Your eyes'; Nevertheless You heard the sound of my pleadings When I called to You for help.

CSB: In my alarm I said, "I am cut off from your sight." But you heard the sound of my pleading when I cried to you for help.

NLT: In panic I cried out, 'I am cut off from the Lord!' But you heard my cry for mercy and answered my call for help.

KJV: For I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes: nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cried unto thee.

NKJV: For I said in my haste, “I am cut off from before Your eyes”; Nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications When I cried out to You.

Trusting in God does not make a person completely immune to all fear. Some moments in David's life were extremely dangerous. Among those were being trapped in besieged cities and being pursued by enemies (1 Samuel 23:1–15; 2 Samuel 15—18). David admits that in some of those moments, he was greatly afraid. He wondered if God had abandoned him.

However, no believer is ever left outside of God's watchful care. He even sees the sparrows fall and knows the number of hairs on each believer's head (Matthew 10:29–30). Jesus said, "Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows" (Matthew 10:31). A believer may face what appears to be an impossible situation, but eventually the Lord comes to the rescue.

Pursued by the Egyptians, the Hebrews faced a humanly impossible situation. They were at the edge of the Red Sea and the Egyptian cavalry was bearing down on them. Only the Lord could rescue them, and He did so. He carved a path through the Red Sea so His chosen people could cross safely. When the Egyptians tried to follow, their chariots got stuck and the horsemen drowned (Exodus 14). Facing his humanly impossible situation, David cried out to the Lord for help, and the Lord came to his rescue.

Psalm 31:14–22 comes after David expressed sorrow over persecution and abandonment. Despite hardship, David tells God he still trusts in Him. He regarded the Lord as the foundation of his confidence. David asks the Lord to be forgiving and merciful, preserving him from the enemies who have attacked him. This passage celebrates God's forgiving nature, while looking back on prior instances of rescue.

Because God has rescued him in the past, David chooses to trust the Lord even when he is in danger. Neighbors and friends may abandon him, and enemies may plot, but David is confident he will be vindicated. He also calls on others to be firm and brave as they choose to trust in God.

David mentions dangers and enemies in this psalm. He may have been referring to besieged cities such as Keilah (1 Samuel 23:1–15) or Ziklag (1 Samuel 30). Despite the plots of his enemies and abandonment by friends, David trusts in the Lord, receives an answer to his prayer, and encourages his fellow believers to love the Lord and be strong. This echoes themes also seen in Psalms 4, 25, and 71.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.