Psalm 31:1 – “Promise”

As always, here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

¹In You, YHVH, I have taken refuge. Do not let me be ashamed to ages. In Your righteousness, deliver me.

As I related in my last post, I am needing a verse like this right now, needing to buttress my confidence in the Lord and to quiet my naturally worrisome heart. One thing I find tremendously encouraging here is in noting once again that, even living under the Law, David understood grace. “In You I’ve taken refuge.” “In Your righteousness deliver me.” David’s request is, “Never let me be put to shame,” but the basis of his request is not, “Gosh, what a good job I’m doing …” The hope of God’s blessing for David is God Himself! His hope of blessing is not at all in his own merit but rather in a God who is Himself a Blesser.

I can’t resist to insert here something I think few understand – and that is that, even in the Old Testament, God never intended people to live “under the Law” (so to speak). When they told Moses, “All that the Lord commands us, we will do,” the Lord said to him, “Oh that they had such a heart in them.” The plain simple fact was they did not and it took them (like us) about 5 minutes to prove it. As we later learn in Galatians the purpose of the Law always was to bring people to Christ. The purpose of the Law was and is not to give us a system to gain self-righteousness, but rather to show us how utterly hopeless it is that we ever should! In Christ we find grace. In Jesus we meet our Redeemer, we meet our God who sovereignly, wisely, kindly takes complete charge of our lives and who, in showing us Himself, changes us into His image. In Jesus, it’s not about us. It’s about Him.

What is wonderful to realize is that there were a LOT of people in the Old Testament who got it. The Psalms are literally a book of grace even in what was supposedly the age of Law.

This is sooooooo important, because when I (or we) come to a verse like this, struggling with my fears, the last thing in the world I would need is to be clobbered with my duties. I’m already too aware I don’t deserve the Lord’s kindness. I’m already too aware I deserve to fail. But instead, what do I find? I find a God who is my hope, not because of who I am, but because of who He is. “In You I have taken refuge.”

Then there is this matter of “being ashamed.” I said in my last post, I realize that is exactly what I’m afraid of. I’m afraid of failing in particular projects I’m working on right now, afraid of the shame of failing. In this verse David prays, “Never let me be ashamed” (to which my fearing heart cries, “…Please!!!” That is precisely what I need Him to do.

And then I look at lots of other verses in the Bible that mention this “shame” problem and what do I find? I find one promise repeated three times: “The one trusting in You will never be put to shame” (Isa 28:16; Rom 9:33; 10:11). Notice it is a promise. In Psalm 31:1, it is a prayer, a request, but then we have it stated as a promise and that in a verse repeated 3x. I don’t mind noting that 3 is God’s number. When things happen or are said 3x, it is often the Lord putting His signature on it. Also, He Himself says, “In the mouths of two or three witnesses, let every matter be established.”

As I noticed this, I wondered, “Is this really a promise I can count on? If I am honestly trying to be confident in Him, can I rest in His promise that somehow or another He will always protect me from shame?” As I read other verses, I came across the following:

“Do not be afraid; you will not suffer shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated … For the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer” (Isa 54:4,5).

I am inclined to believe that, yes, this is a promise, that as I seek to quiet my worrying heart and just rest in Him, that somehow, some way He will make sure when the smoke clears and the dust settles, I will not be ashamed.

That is a new thought for me.

A promise.

If I really can count on that, it is enormously encouraging and quieting for me.

I feel like there is a little more to understand but that I can wade out into life taking this jewel of a promise with me and that, whatever it is I might be missing, He’ll teach me along the way.

So, that’s my plan – to head into my day saying in my heart, “In You, Lord, I have taken refuge. Let me never be put to shame. In Your righteousness, deliver me,” and trust that He has already promised to in fact answer that prayer.

Lord help us all today to rest in You, to be confident in You, to love because we’re loved, and to be people of grace – because You have given us very great and precious promises.