Pull me out of the net that they have laid secretly for me; for you are my stronghold. Psalm 31:5 (Hebrew text)

Net – If you read this too quickly, you will miss the crucial implication.  The psalmist is already caught!  “Pull me out” implies that he is already in.  He has been trapped by that concealed snare.  He needs rescue because he is already in trouble.

Typically Christians think of God’s care as preventative.  We want God to keep us from falling into the traps.  We pray, “God, don’t let me fall.  Make me avoid the snares of life.”  But it doesn’t always work out that way, does it?  One of the certainties of human experience is getting into trouble.  It might not be your fault, but when you’re in the net, it really doesn’t matter whose fault it is.  You need help.  You’re caught.  The Hebrew word resheth (net) comes from a root meaning “to take possession.”  Perhaps we need to think of life’s traps as anything that takes possession of us.  There are a lot more snares out there than we thought, aren’t there?

The psalmist offers an unusual perspective on life’s traps.  It doesn’t matter!  The psalmist declares that God is his stronghold and he has committed his life to the will of the sovereign One.  Therefore, he is redeemed, no matter what the circumstances might be.  “Into Your hands I commit my ruach,” is the answer to life’s entanglements.  When we really have given ourselves over to Him, the rest is not up to us.  It’s not a surprise that Yeshua would remind the crowd about this psalm while He hung on the cross.  He was caught in what appeared to be exactly the opposite of God’s goodness.  The crowd, including His friends, believed that life had collapsed around him.  They all thought the dream was over.  But Yeshua says, “I belong to You, Father.  You may do what You wish with me because I know You have redeemed me.”  It certainly didn’t look like redemption, did it?  Yeshua dies!  That is hardly the picture of escape from life’s troubles.  That’s not what we would call rescue.  But by citing this psalm, Yeshua reminds us that being pulled out of the net doesn’t always look like freedom.  The stronghold of God is often invisible to the world.

Perhaps you are trapped in life’s net.  Maybe you walked right into it, never seeing the snare.  Now it looks like it’s too late.  The strong cords bind you.  You aren’t getting out no matter how much you flail and squirm.  This would be a great time to remember the cross.  Yeshua wasn’t getting down from that stake in the ground either – but it didn’t matter.  “You are my stronghold.  Into Your hands I commit myself.”  That’s what matters!  Being caught is the perfect time to reflect on the real dependencies of life.  If you can say the words of the psalmist from the heart, then being in the net is exactly the right place to be.

Topical Index: net, resheth, trap, Psalm 31:5