Psalm 31 (30):7Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Placing your trust in riches is to embrace emptiness; relying on the prestige and might of humanity leads to futility; depending on a friend in power results in disappointment. Should your hope rest upon these transient things, you will either depart from this world leaving them behind, or they will fade away while you still exist, leading to a disillusionment in your expectations. This futility is articulated by Isaiah, who proclaimed: "All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is as the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God endures forever" (Isaiah 40:6, 8). However, my hope differs from those who place their trust in fleeting illusions; I place my confidence in the Lord, who is not a source of emptiness.

You have despised those who uphold emptiness. He refers to the distractions of this life as 'emptiness', through which we toil in futility. The one who clings to emptiness is accompanied by futility.

You have despised those who pursue emptiness. The Prophet states that they do not place their faith in You but are instead driven by their own futility, and it is common for You to withdraw from such individuals. However, I have placed my trust in the Lord. I will celebrate and find joy in Your mercy, for even in times of distress, I call upon Your aid, attributing the source of all good things to Your compassion.

You have rejected those who cling to vanities and, as it is declared, O Lord, have distanced Yourself from Absalom and his companions, who persist in their futile schemes regarding me, unrepentant and relying solely on their own strength. These empty pursuits serve no purpose; they are indeed pointless and excessive. Those who chase after such hollow plans will not accomplish their aims. Someone observes that You turn away in disdain from those who seek after vanity, which denotes the fleeting pleasures of this life; they chase after these things in futility and toil in vain. Vanity, being despised, inevitably renders those who engage with it contemptible. Alternatively, vanity may refer to wealth and prosperity, which we mistakenly treat as dependable. Yet I have placed my trust in the Lord; I have confided in You, O Lord, rather than in the empty promises and deceitful ways of others.

Complete versus void My expectation rests in the Lord, where nothing void remains, but only what is complete and enduring endures.

He offers an additional reason for entrusting his life to God: the Lord detests those who rely on their own empty pursuits rather than seeking His aid, as these pursuits provide no true assistance. This includes those who follow omens, whether they stem from dreams, fortuitous or unfortunate encounters, the flight of birds, or demonic visions, similar to King Saul's actions when he consulted the medium (1 Chronicles 10:13). The term vanity can also refer to the futility of human cleverness or endeavors that, while seemingly acceptable in their own right or even opposed to God's will, possess no real strength. Thus, the term vain is applied, indicating that the Prophet declares, ‘Let others place their trust in worthless things; I choose not to acknowledge or rely on those empty pursuits. Instead, my hope is firmly placed in the Lord.’

God's compassion for humanity was realized through the incarnation of Christ: He regarded the lowly individual who was brought low by idolatry and rescued him through His sacrifice and death.