Psalms 31:17

"Make your face to shine on your servant. Save me in your loving kindness."

Key Reflection

In Psalms 31:17, the psalmist prays for divine favor and intervention with profound trust in God's lovingkindness. By asking God to "make his face shine" on him, the psalmist invokes a powerful image from ancient Near Eastern contexts, where a king’s favorable glance signified blessing and protection. This request is coupled with a plea for salvation, expressing deep reliance on God's mercy and grace in times of distress.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Let me not be ashamed, O Lord, for I have called upon thee -That is, I have reposed entire confidence in thee, and in thy promises, in the time of trial; let now the result be such as to show that I had reason thus to trust in thee; that thy character is such that the persecuted and the afflicted may always find thee to be a safe and secure refuge. In other words, Let me not be disappointed, and thus be made “ashamed” before men, as if I had put my trust where no relief was to be found, or where there was nothing to authorize an act of unreserved confidence. See the notes atPsalms 25:2-3.

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