Psalm 31 — Into Your Hands I Commend My Spirit

When you see yourself hated and persecuted by all your relatives and friends
because of the truth, do not be downcast either for them or for yourself;
and when all your acquaintances turn away from you,
do not be frightened, but withdraw from them
and keep your eyes fixed on the future, singing Psalm 31.

Athanasius, On the Interpretation of the Psalms

Jesus quotes this psalm as his last words before dying on the cross:

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)

Into thy hand I commit my spirit;
thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God. (Psalm 31:5)

This should make Christians look from two angles. What are we to take from these last words? Also, since Jesus is "quoting" from this psalm, as a faithful Jew, what context would there have been for a listener who may have prayed this as part of daily devotions? 

German words from Psalms 31:15 ("My times are in thy hand")
on a sundial on the tower of the Marienkirche in St. Johann

 Saint Augustine had a lot to say about this psalm, most notably about enemies. He examines them from many angles and I'm going to include several quotes because I found each so insightful. These are all from Psalms 1-50 (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture).

31.4 Freed from the Net

The Double Trap of the Enemy. Augustine. The enemy's trap is stretched out ready; there are twin loops in it, error and terror: error to entice, terror to break and grip us. You must shut the door of greed against error and the door of fear against terror; and then you will be led clear of the trap. Expositions on the Psalms.

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31.8 Set in a Broad Place

The Broad Plane of Freedom. Augustine. You have not imprisoned me with no possible hope for liberty; you have not handed me over to the endless power of the devil. ... The charity that is in me has been released from cramping fear and can walk unhindered forever into the broad stretches of freedom, for I know my Lord's resurrection and the promise of my own. Expositions on the Psalms.

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31.15 In Your Hands

Praying For and Against Enemies. Augustine. We have to distinguish between enemies against whom we must pray. Human enemies, of whatever kind, are not to be hated, lest a good person hates a bad person who is causing trouble, the result is two bad people. A good person must love even the bad person he or she has put up with, so that at any rate there is only one who is bad. The enemies against whom we need to pray are the devil and his angels. ... Even when human enemies assail us, it is only as the instruments of these evil spirits. When the apostle Paul warns us how careful we must be to guard against those enemies, he is speaking to God's servants who are being harassed, and probably by the factions and dishonesty and hostility of human beings; yet he says to them, "It is not against flesh and blood that you have to struggle" — not against human enemies, then — "but against principalities and powers and the rulers of this world."  Expositions on the Psalms.

Sources are here and an index of psalm posts is here.