1I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of God’s wrath. 2He has driven me away and made me walk in darkness instead of light. 3Indeed, He keeps turning His hand against me all day long. 4He has worn away my flesh and skin; He has shattered my bones. 5He has besieged me and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship. 6He has made me dwell in darkness like those dead for ages. 7He has walled me in so I cannot escape; He has weighed me down with chains. 8Even when I cry out and plead for help, He shuts out my prayer. 9He has barred my ways with cut stones; He has made my paths crooked. 10He is a bear lying in wait, a lion hiding in ambush. 11He forced me off my path and tore me to pieces; He left me without help. 12He bent His bow and set me as the target for His arrow. 13He pierced my kidneys with His arrows. 14I am a laughingstock to all my people; they mock me in song all day long. 15He has filled me with bitterness; He has intoxicated me with wormwood. 16He has ground my teeth with gravel and trampled me in the dust. 17My soul has been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is. 18So I say, “My strength has perished, along with my hope from the LORD.” 19Remember my affliction and wandering, the wormwood and the gall. 20Surely my soul remembers and is humbled within me. 21Yet I call this to mind, and therefore I have hope: 22Because of the loving devotion of the LORD we are not consumed, for His mercies never fail. 23They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness! 24“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in Him.” 25The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. 26It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. 27It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is still young. 28Let him sit alone in silence, for God has disciplined him. 29Let him bury his face in the dust— perhaps there is still hope. 30Let him offer his cheek to the one who would strike him; let him be filled with reproach. 31For the Lord will not cast us off forever. 32Even if He causes grief, He will show compassion according to His abundant loving devotion. 33For He does not willingly afflict or grieve the sons of men. 34To crush underfoot all the prisoners of the land, 35to deny a man justice before the Most High, 36to subvert a man in his lawsuit— of these the Lord does not approve. 37Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has ordained it? 38Do not both adversity and good come from the mouth of the Most High? 39Why should any mortal man complain, in view of his sins? 40Let us examine and test our ways, and turn back to the LORD. 41Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven: 42“We have sinned and rebelled; You have not forgiven.” 43You have covered Yourself in anger and pursued us; You have killed without pity. 44You have covered Yourself with a cloud that no prayer can pass through. 45You have made us scum and refuse among the nations. 46All our enemies open their mouths against us. 47Panic and pitfall have come upon us— devastation and destruction. 48Streams of tears flow from my eyes over the destruction of the daughter of my people. 49My eyes overflow unceasingly, without relief, 50until the LORD looks down from heaven and sees. 51My eyes bring grief to my soul because of all the daughters of my city. 52Without cause my enemies hunted me like a bird. 53They dropped me alive into a pit and cast stones upon me. 54The waters flowed over my head, and I thought I was going to die. 55I called on Your name, O LORD, out of the depths of the Pit. 56You heard my plea: “Do not ignore my cry for relief.” 57You drew near when I called on You; You said, “Do not be afraid.” 58You defend my cause, O Lord; You redeem my life. 59You have seen, O LORD, the wrong done to me; vindicate my cause! 60You have seen all their malice, all their plots against me. 61O LORD, You have heard their insults, all their plots against me— 62the slander and murmuring of my assailants against me all day long. 63When they sit and when they rise, see how they mock me in song. 64You will pay them back what they deserve, O LORD, according to the work of their hands. 65Put a veil of anguish over their hearts; may Your curse be upon them! 66You will pursue them in anger and exterminate them from under Your heavens, O LORD.
Matthew Henry's Commentary
The faithful lament their calamities, and hope in God's mercies. 1-20 The prophet relates the more gloomy and discouraging part of his experience, and how he found support and relief. In the time of his trial the Lord had become terrible to him. It was an affliction that was misery itself; for sin makes the cup of affliction a bitter cup. The struggle between unbelief and faith is often very severe. But the weakest believer is wrong, if he thinks that his strength and hope are perished from the Lord. 21-36 Having stated his distress and temptation, the prophet shows how he was raised above it. Bad as things are, it is owing to the mercy of God that they are not worse. We should observe what makes for us, as well as what is against us. God's compassions fail not; of this we have fresh instances every morning. Portions on earth are perishing things, but God is a portion for ever. It is our duty, and will be our comfort and satisfaction, to hope and quietly to wait for the salvation of the Lord. Afflictions do and will work very much for good: many have found it good to bear this yoke in their youth; it has made many humble and serious, and has weaned them from the world, who otherwise would have been proud and unruly. If tribulation work patience, that patience will work experience, and that experience a hope that makes not ashamed. Due thoughts of the evil of sin, and of our own sinfulness, will convince us that it is of the Lord's mercies we are not consumed. If we cannot say with unwavering voice, The Lord is my portion; may we not say, I desire to have Him for my portion and salvation, and in his word do I hope? Happy shall we be, if we learn to receive affliction as laid upon us by the hand of God. 37-41 While there is life there is hope; and instead of complaining that things are bad, we should encourage ourselves with the hope they will be better. We are sinful men, and what we complain of, is far less than our sins deserve. We should complain to God, and not of him. We are apt, in times of calamity, to reflect on other people's ways, and blame them; but our duty is to search and try our own ways, that we may turn from evil to God. Our hearts must go with our prayers. If inward impressions do not answer to outward expressions, we mock God, and deceive ourselves. 42-54 The more the prophet looked on the desolations, the more he was grieved. Here is one word of comfort. While they continued weeping, they continued waiting; and neither did nor would expect relief and succour from any but the Lord. 55-66 Faith comes off conqueror, for in these verses the prophet concludes with some comfort. Prayer is the breath of the new man, drawing in the air of mercy in petitions, and returning it in praises; it proves and maintains the spiritual life. He silenced their fears, and quieted their spirits. Thou saidst, Fear not. This was the language of God's grace, by the witness of his Spirit with their spirits. And what are all our sorrows, compared with those of the Redeemer? He will deliver his people from every trouble, and revive his church from every persecution. He will save believers with everlasting salvation, while his enemies perish with everlasting destruction.