But I am trusting in you, O LORD, saying, ‘You are my God!’ My future is in your hands.
Psalm 31:14-15 NLT
I see at least 4 parallel situations or statements between Psalm 31 and Jesus' death on the cross.
v.5 Into Your hand I commit my spirit;
Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last. Luke 23:46
v.10 I am dying from grief; my years are shortened by sadness.
He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” Matthew 26:38
v.18 Silence their lying lips—those proud and arrogant lips that accuse the godly.
“He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself! So he is the King of Israel, is he? Let him come down from the cross right now, and we will believe in him! Matthew 27:42
v.22 In panic I cried out, “I am cut off from the Lord!”
Then at three o’clock Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” Mark 15:34
And I wonder if this is the courage spoken to Joshua that is a foreshadowing of the courage given to Jesus his namesake.
v.24 So be strong and courageous,
This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9
What does it look like to be a conqueror? Maybe it doesn’t look as confident as you might think. Joshua, David and Jesus are all three mighty conquerors but they all share the need for assurance and encouragement. Don’t assume that being a conqueror makes you arrogant and cocksure.
Main Point: No matter what God calls you to do and no matter how you feel about the task, God Himself can accomplish it.
Recently I discovered on Spotify the song Dangerous Grace by Ri-An
In this song there are many excellent lyrics, and one of the phrases I really was moved by is, “What can you lose when this life's not your own?”
I think God gave David insight into what Jesus would face in going to the cross. Some of that experience comes out in other Psalms very clearly, and today I see it here in Psalm 31.
Jesus has to give His life (and death) to God -- so do we. (v.5) I wonder if we start at or near the end of events on the cross because we need to see where we are going. And we need to know (as Jesus would also need to know) that life and death are in God's hands.
Jesus didn’t just shake off the oppression of death and then was fine after a time of prayer. It continued to agonise Him through the whole experience (at least that's my view of the situation). (v.10) Although I believe this is a foreshadowing of the words Jesus would speak earlier to His disciples in the garden, I think they are meant to set the stage for the emotional torment Jesus is facing the whole time. Are we expecting too much if we think we will be spared a similar path?
Jesus faces accusations and mockery right to the end. It never lets up. Being a conqueror doesn’t mean facing no opposition. David faced it and so did Jesus. Won’t I too then? And it seems these taunts are deeply affecting the stamina of faith that Jesus had. (vv.13,18)
Jesus panicked? Could it be that David is telling us something about the mysterious words Jesus cries out on the cross? Could it be that Jesus panicked? (v.22) Most of the translations render this similarly with few exceptions. The words and parallels are so similar to me that I think Jesus was struggling at the very end. David does all the time in the Psalms. Could it be that it isn't sin to panic and to have a bit of fear? Could it be okay to sometimes momentarily need the reassurance that even though it looks like God has abandoned you, He hasn’t. You can be strong and courageous in your actions even if your emotions and words aren’t there yet.
Conclusion:
It is God who accomplishes His will in you. It was God who accomplished His will in Jesus. Jesus submitted but it was a difficult path. So I can trust God but I can also expect it to be very hard. I may struggle with it, I may think it is too much and I may wonder if God can pull it off. That’s okay because like Joshua and the battle of Jericho, in the end it is God who does the miracle of salvation.
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