Psalm 31:5
Into your hands I commit my spirit;
deliver me, Lord, my faithful God. (NIV)
Today’s Reading: Psalm 31
Psalm 31 is another Psalm written by David. We don’t know at what point in David’s life when he wrote this psalm. He was often in trouble so this psalm could represent any troublesome time for David. I think that speaks volumes of David in that he would always turn to God in difficult times. His trust in God was unwavering regardless of his circumstances.
An interesting aspect of Psalm 31 is that it is quoted in many other places in Scripture:
- The author of Psalm 71 begins his psalm with the first three verses of Psalm 31.
- Jonah quotes Psalm 31:6 in Jonah 2:8 while he is in the belly of the fish.
- Jeremiah quotes Psalm 31:13 six times – Jeremiah 6:25, 20:3, 20:10, 46:5, 49:29, and Lamentations 2:22.
- Paul quotes Psalm 31:5 in 1 Corinthians 16:13.
- Jesus quotes Psalm 31:5 from the cross as his final words.
Jesus’ final words are recorded by Luke, “Jesus called out with a loud voice, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.’ When he had said this, he breathed his last” (Luke 23:46).
It’s worth noting that even with his final breath, Jesus was fulfilling prophecy. I still have the question of whether Jesus was quoting this psalm or was the psalmist David quoting Jesus? But if we consider that Jesus was quoting this psalm and in doing so was fulfilling another prophecy, we must also acknowledge the level of consciousness and control that is required for him to do that with his final breath. Clearly his life wasn’t taken from him. He willingly gave himself up for us and the strength of his will is evident even to his last breath.
As we covered in our study of Psalm 22, Jesus had to work hard to breathe and even harder to speak. He didn’t mince words. So when he quotes Scripture, it’s prudent that we go to that Scripture to see what else is there. It’s likely that Jesus was not only quoting Scripture because of the meaning of the words he was speaking, but also to point us to the rest of the passage.
The rest of Psalm 31:5 says, “You have redeemed me, O Lord God of truth” (NKJV). The word “redeemed” means “to buy out.” It involves deliverance from bondage based on the payment of a price by a redeemer. This payment is also known as a ransom. Jesus said, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).
Jesus has redeemed us. We were slaves to sin but we have now been set free by Jesus because he paid our ransom. Our response should be what the psalmist did in his response, “But I trust in the Lord. I will be glad and rejoice in Your mercy” (Psalm 31:6-7).
Christ in the Old Testament 
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