"Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and He shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved."
Psalm 55:22
In Psalm 55, David tells the LORD of his burden in dealing with an enemy. Note that David does not just quickly strike out at his enemy but takes his foe to the LORD for Him to deal with him. We admire David’s wisdom and patience. And in all his trials, he remembers what is most important –
“Give your worries to the LORD, and He will care for you. He will never let those who are good be defeated” (Psalm 55:22, HSB [1]).
“Cast thy burden upon the LORD.”
What wonderful, wise words are these! Our burdens, those things we are given to bear that are too heavy for us to carry, we “cast them,” “throw, cast, hurl, fling” [2] (BDB) onto the Lord’s shoulders. Peter understood this well, for he wrote –
“Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you” (1 Peter 5:7).
This is impossible for a proud “self-made man” to do. His arrogance will trip him up. But if we are humble, we will cast our cares on the Lord. Remember Peter’s words –
“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7).
“And He shall sustain thee.”
The Lord will provide!
“Thy bread shall be given thee, thy waters shall be sure. Abundant nourishment shall fit thee to bear all thy labors and trials. As thy days so shall thy strength be” [3] (Spurgeon).
“Sustain” – “Here it means that God would give such a ‘measure’ of strength and grace as would be adapted to the duty or the trial, or such as would be sufficient to bear us up under it” [4] (Barnes).
“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
“What a glorious promise to a tempted and afflicted soul! God will carry both thee and thy load. Then cast thyself and it upon him” [5] (Clarke).
“He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.”
The genuine believer is safe!
“While he trusts in God, and works righteousness, he is as safe as if he were in heaven” [6] (Clarke).
“He may move like the boughs of a tree in the tempest, but he shall never be moved like a tree torn up by the roots. He stands firm who stands in God” [7] (Spurgeon).
“In all their trials and temptations, he will sustain them, and will ultimately bring them off in triumph” [8] (Barnes).
“I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved” (Psalm 16:8).
“He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defense; I shall not be moved” (Psalm 62:6).
Quote: “We cannot do our work so long as we stoop beneath the exhausting waste of anxiety and care. Hand all over to thy Father’s care” [9] (F.B. Meyer).
[1] HSB is the Harvest Study Bible from Harvest Ministries in Guam.
[2] BDB – Brown, Driver, Briggs. Brown-Driver-Briggs’ Hebrew Definitions, the electronic version in eSword.
[3] TOD – C.H. Spurgeon. Treasury of David, the electronic version in eSword.
[4] BNB – Albert Barnes. Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible, the electronic version in eSword.
[5] ACC – Adam Clarke. Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible, the electronic version in eSword.
[6] ACC – Adam Clarke, ibid.
[7] TOD – C.H. Spurgeon, ibid.
[8] BNB – Albert Barnes, ibid.
[9] TBDD – F.B. Meyer. Through the Bible Day by Day, the electronic version in eSword.