Charles Spurgeon

His speech is smooth as butter, but war is in his heart. His words are softer than oil, yet they are swords unsheathed.

“The words of his mouth were smoother than butter. He lauded and larded the man he hoped to devour. He buttered him with flattery and then battered him with malice.”

Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.

“Thy burden, or what thy God lays upon thee, lay thou it upon the Lord. His wisdom casts it on thee, it is thy wisdom to cast it on him. He cast thy lot for thee, cast thy lot on him.”

But You, O God, will bring them down to the Pit of destruction; men of bloodshed and deceit will not live out half their days.

“For the ungodly a sure, terrible, and fatal overthrow is appointed. Climb as they may, the pit yawns for them, God himself will cause them to descend into it, and destruction there shall be their portion.”

Be merciful to me, O God, for men are hounding me; all day they press their attack.

“Be merciful unto me, O God. In my deep distress my soul turns to thee, my God. Man has no mercy on me, therefore double thy mercy to me. If thy justice has let loose my enemies, let thy mercy shorten their chain.”

My enemies pursue me all day long, for many proudly assail me.

“Mine enemies would daily swallow me up. Their appetite for blood never fails them. With them there is no truce or armistice. They are many, but one mind animates them. Nothing I can do can make them relent.”

When I am afraid, I put my trust in You.

“What time I am afraid. David was no braggart, he does not claim never to be afraid, and he was no brutish Stoic free from fear because of the lack of tenderness.”

In God, whose word I praise— in God I trust. I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?

“In God I will praise his word. Faith brings forth praise. He who can trust will soon sing. God's promise, when fulfilled, is a noble subject for praise, and even before fulfilment it should be the theme of song.”

All day long they twist my words; all their thoughts are on my demise.

“Every day they wrest my words. This is a common mode of warfare among the ungodly. They put our language on the rack, they extort meanings from it which it cannot be made fairly to contain.”

They conspire, they lurk, they watch my steps while they wait to take my life.

“They gather themselves together. Firebrands burn the fiercer for being pushed together. They are afraid to meet the good man till their numbers place terrible odds against him. Come out, ye cowards, man to man, and fight the old hero!”

In spite of such sin, will they escape? In Your anger, O God, cast down the nations.

“Shall they escape by iniquity? Will such wickedness as this stand them in good stead? Can it be that this conduct shall enable them to avoid the sentence of earthly punishment? They slander the good man to screen themselves—will this avail them?”

You have taken account of my wanderings. Put my tears in Your bottle— are they not in Your book?

“Thou tellest my wanderings. Every step which the fugitive had taken when pursued by his enemies, was not only observed but thought worthy of counting and recording.”

Then my enemies will retreat on the day I cry for help. By this I will know that God is on my side.

“When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back. So soon as I pray they shall fly. So surely as I cry they shall be put to the rout. The machinery of prayer is not always visible, but it is most efficient.”

In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise,

“In God will I praise his word. Now comes the thanksgiving. He is a wretch who, having obtained help, forgets to return a grateful acknowledgment. The least we can do is to praise him from whom we receive such distinguished favours.”

in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?

“In God have I put my trust. This and the former verse are evidently the chorus of the Psalm. We cannot be too careful of our faith, or see too sedulously that it is grounded on the Lord alone.”

Your vows are upon me, O God; I will render thank offerings to You.

“Thy vows are upon me, O God. Vows made in his trouble he does not lightly forget, nor should we. We voluntarily made them, let us cheerfully keep them.”

For You have delivered my soul from death, and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.

“For thou hast delivered my soul from death. His enemies were defeated in their attempts upon his life, and therefore he vowed to devote his life to God. Wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling?”

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy, for in You my soul takes refuge. In the shadow of Your wings I will take shelter until the danger has passed.

“Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me. Urgent need suggests the repetition of the cry, for thus intense urgency of desire is expressed. If 'he gives twice who gives quickly, 'so he who would receive quickly must ask twice.”

I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills His purpose for me.

“I will cry. He is quite safe, but yet he prays, for faith is never dumb. We pray because we believe. We exercise by faith the spirit of adoption whereby we cry.”

He reaches down from heaven and saves me; He rebukes those who trample me. Selah God sends forth His loving devotion and His truth.

“He shall send from heaven. If there be no fit instruments on earth, heaven shall yield up its legions of angels for the succour of the saints.”

My soul is among the lions; I lie down with ravenous beasts— with men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords.

“My soul is among lions. He was a very Daniel. Howled at, hunted, wounded, but not slain. His place was in itself one of extreme peril, and yet faith made him feel himself secure, so that he could lie down.”

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; may Your glory cover all the earth.

“Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens. This is the chorus of the Psalm. Before he has quite concluded his prayer the good man interjects a verse of praise; and glorious praise too, seeing it comes from the lion's den and from amid the…”

They spread a net for my feet; my soul was despondent. They dug a pit before me, but they themselves have fallen into it! Selah

“They have prepared a net for my steps. The enemies of the godly spare no pains, but go about their wicked work with the coolest deliberation.”

My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast. I will sing and make music.

“My heart is fixed. One would have thought he would have said, "My heart is fluttered; "but no, he is calm, firm, happy, resolute, established. When the central axle is secure, the whole wheel is right.”

Awake, my glory! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn.

“Awake up, my glory. Let the noblest powers of my nature bestir themselves: the intellect which conceives thought, the tongue which expresses it, and the inspired imagination which beautifies it—let all be on the alert now that the hour for praise has come.”

I will praise You, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing Your praises among the peoples.

“I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people. Gentiles shall hear my praise. Here is an instance of the way in which the truly devout evangelic spirit overleaps the boundaries which bigotry sets up.”