Charles Spurgeon

Then the earth shook and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains trembled; they were shaken because He burned with anger.

“There was no great space between the cry and its answer. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, but is swift to rescue his afflicted.”

Smoke rose from His nostrils, and consuming fire came from His mouth; glowing coals blazed forth.

“"There went up a smoke out of his nostrils." A violent oriental method of expressing fierce wrath. Since the breath from the nostrils is heated by strong emotion, the figure portrays the Almighty Deliverer as pouring forth smoke in the heat of his wrath and…”

He parted the heavens and came down with dark clouds beneath His feet.

“Amid the terror of the storm Jehovah the Avenger descended, bending beneath his foot the arch of heaven. " "He bowed the heavens also, and came down." He came in haste, and spurned everything which impeded his rapidity.”

He made darkness His hiding place, and storm clouds a canopy around Him.

“The storm thickened, and the clouds pouring forth torrents of rain combined to form the secret chamber of the invisible but wonder-working God. "Pavilioned in impervious shade" faith saw him, but no other eye could gaze through the "thick clouds of the skies."”

From the brightness of His presence His clouds advanced— hailstones and coals of fire.

“Suddenly the terrible artillery of heaven was discharged; the brightness of lightning lit up the clouds as with a glory proceeding from him who was concealed within the cloudy pavilion; and volleys of hailstones and coals of fire were hurled forth upon the enemy.”

The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded— hailstones and coals of fire.

“Over all this splendour of tempest pealed the dread thunder. "The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice." Fit accompaniment for the flames of vengeance.”

He shot His arrows and scattered the foes; He hurled lightning and routed them.

“The lightnings were darted forth as forked arrows upon the hosts of the foe, and speedily "scattered them." Boastful sinners prove to be great cowards when Jehovah enters the lists with them.”

The channels of the sea appeared, and the foundations of the world were exposed, at Your rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of Your nostrils.

“So tremendous was the shock of God's assault in arms that the order of nature was changed, and the bottoms of rivers and seas were laid bare.”

He reached down from on high and took hold of me; He drew me out of deep waters.

“Now comes the rescue. The Author is divine, "He sent;" the work is heavenly, "from above;" the deliverance is marvellous, "He drew me out of many waters."”

He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from foes too mighty for me.

“When we have been rescued, we must take care to ascribe all the glory to God by confessing our own weakness, and remembering the power of the conquered enemy. God's power derives honour from all the incidents of the conflict.”

They confronted me in my day of calamity, but the LORD was my support.

“It was an ill day, a day of calamity, of which evil foes took cruel advantage, while they used crafty means uterly to ruin him, yet David could say, "but the Lord is my stay."”

He brought me out into the open; He rescued me because He delighted in me.

“"He brought me forth also into a large place." After pining awhile in the prison-house Joseph reached the palace, and from the cave of Adullam David mounted to the throne. Sweet is pleasure after pain.”

The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness; He has repaid me according to the cleanness of my hands.

“"The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness." Viewing this psalm as prophetical of the Messiah, these strongly-expressed claims to righteousness are readily understood, for his garments were as white as snow; but considered as the language of David they have perplexed many.”

For I have kept the ways of the LORD and have not wickedly departed from my God.

“Here the assertion of purity is repeated, both in a positive and a negative form. There is "I have" and "I have not, " both of which must be blended in a truly sanctified life; constraining and restraining grace must each take its share.”

And I have been blameless before Him and kept myself from iniquity.

“In our reading we had a very wonderful description of God's delivering mercy towards His servant David. He was very peculiarly tried in the court of Saul.”

And I have been blameless before Him and kept myself from iniquity.

“"I was also upright before him." Sincerity is here claimed; sincerity, such as would be accounted genuine before the bar of God. Whatever evil men might think of him, David felt that he had the good opinion of his God.”

So the LORD has repaid me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.

“God first gives us holiness, and then rewards us for it. We are his workmanship; vessels made unto honour; and when made, the honour is not withheld from the vessel; though, in fact, it all belongs to the Potter upon whose wheel the vessel was…”

to the pure You show Yourself pure, but to the crooked You show Yourself shrewd.

“"With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward." The sinner's frowardness is sinful and rebellious, and the only sense in which the term can be applied to the Most Holy God is that of judicial opposition…”

For You save an afflicted people, but You humble those with haughty eyes.

“"For thou wilt save the afflicted people." This is a comforting assurance for the poor in spirit whose spiritual griefs admit of no sufficient solace from any other than a divine hand.”

For You, O LORD, light my lamp; my God lights up my darkness.

“"For thou wilt light my candle." Even the children of the day sometimes need candle-light. In the darkest hour light will arise; a candle shall be lit, it will be comfort such as we may fittingly use without dishonesty—it will be our own candle; yet…”

For in You I can charge an army, and with my God I can scale a wall.

“"For by thee have I run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall." Whether we meet the foe in the open field or leap upon them while they lurk behind the battlements of a city, we shall by God's…”

For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God?

“Having mentioned his God, the psalmist's heart burns, and his words sparkle; he challenges heaven and earth to find another being worthy of adoration or trust in comparison with Jehovah. His God, as Matthew Henry says, is a None-such.”

It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way clear.

“Surveying all the armour in which he fought and conquered, the joyful victor praises the Lord for every part of the panoply. The girdle of his loins earns the first stanza: "It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect."”

He makes my feet like those of a deer and stations me upon the heights.

“The conqueror's feet had been shod by a divine hand, and the next note must, therefore, refer to them. "He maketh my feet like hinds' feet, and setteth me upon my high places."”

He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

“"He teacheth my hands to war." Martial prowess and skill in the use of weapons are gratefully acknowledged to be the result of divine teaching; no sacrifice is offered at the shrine of self in praise of natural dexterity, or acquired skilfulness; but, regarding all…”