“Let me not be ashamed, O Lord; for I have called upon thee: let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave.”
The psalmist appeals that he might not be ashamed, because he calls out to God, and asks that the wicked be ashamed instead. The fear of shame suggests the psalmist's concern about his reputation and honor. The affirmation "I call on you" expresses confidence that his cry reaches God. The petition that "the wicked be ashamed" reverses the direction of shame. The verse demonstrates that authentic faith does not mean freedom from concern about shame or honor.
Church Fathers on Psalms 31:17
To the end, a psalm of David himself, an ecstasy. 1. To the end a Psalm of David Himself, the Mediator strong of hand in persecutions. For the word ecstasy, which is added to the title, signifies a transport of the mind, which is produced either by a panic, or by some revelation. But in this Psalm the panic of the people of God troubled by the persecution of all the heathen, and by the failing of faith throughout the world, is principally seen. But first the Mediator Himself…
Nicene & Post-Nicene / Ante-Nicene Fathers translations · public domain
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