Psalm 55:22
Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.
Cast your burden
The Hebrew word for "cast" is "shalak," which means to throw or hurl. This implies an intentional and forceful action, suggesting that believers are encouraged to actively and decisively place their worries and burdens onto the Lord. The term "burden" can be understood as one's lot or what is given by providence, encompassing all the cares, anxieties, and responsibilities that weigh heavily on a person. This phrase invites believers to trust God with their deepest concerns, acknowledging His sovereignty and willingness to carry what we cannot.

upon the LORD
The use of "LORD" here, translated from the Hebrew "Yahweh," emphasizes the covenantal name of God, highlighting His eternal, unchanging nature and His personal relationship with His people. This is a reminder of God's faithfulness and His commitment to those who trust in Him. By casting burdens upon Yahweh, believers are entrusting their lives to the One who is both powerful and intimately involved in their lives.

and He will sustain you
The Hebrew word for "sustain" is "kul," which means to support, nourish, or hold up. This conveys the idea of God providing the necessary strength and resources to endure life's challenges. It reassures believers that God is not only willing to take on their burdens but also actively works to uphold them, ensuring they have what they need to persevere.

He will never let
The phrase underscores the certainty and reliability of God's promise. The word "never" is a strong negation, emphasizing the impossibility of the righteous being abandoned or left unsupported. This assurance is rooted in God's unchanging character and His steadfast love for His people.

the righteous
In the Hebrew context, "righteous" refers to those who are in right standing with God, living in accordance with His will and commands. It is not about perfection but about a heart aligned with God's purposes. The righteous are those who seek to live faithfully, trusting in God's guidance and provision.

be shaken
The term "shaken" comes from the Hebrew "mowt," meaning to totter, slip, or fall. It conveys instability and vulnerability. The promise here is that God will provide stability and security to those who trust in Him, ensuring that they remain firm and unmovable despite life's trials. This assurance is a profound comfort, reminding believers that their foundation in God is solid and unyielding.

Persons / Places / Events
1. David
Traditionally attributed as the author of Psalm 55, David is expressing his distress and trust in God amidst betrayal and turmoil.

2. The LORD (Yahweh)
The covenant name of God, emphasizing His faithfulness and power to sustain those who trust in Him.

3. The Righteous
Those who are in right standing with God, often characterized by their faith and obedience to His commands.

4. Betrayal and Conflict
The context of Psalm 55 involves personal betrayal, possibly reflecting events in David's life such as Absalom's rebellion or Ahithophel's treachery.

5. Jerusalem
While not directly mentioned in this verse, the city often serves as the backdrop for David's psalms, representing God's chosen place for His people.
Teaching Points
Trust in God's Sustaining Power
God is both willing and able to sustain us through life's challenges. Trusting Him involves actively casting our burdens upon Him.

The Unshakeable Righteous
While circumstances may be turbulent, those who are righteous in God's sight have a firm foundation and will not be ultimately shaken.

Active Faith in Times of Trouble
Casting burdens is an act of faith, requiring us to release control and rely on God's provision and timing.

God's Faithfulness in Betrayal
Even in the face of personal betrayal, God remains a steadfast refuge. Our response should be to turn to Him rather than retaliate.

Practical Steps to Cast Burdens
Engage in prayer, immerse in Scripture, and seek godly counsel to effectively cast your burdens on the Lord.
Bible Study Questions
1. What does it mean to "cast your burden upon the LORD," and how can you practically do this in your daily life?

2. How does understanding God's promise to "sustain you" change your perspective on current challenges you face?

3. In what ways can you identify with the righteous being "unshaken" despite life's difficulties? How does this assurance impact your faith?

4. Reflect on a time when you felt betrayed or overwhelmed. How did turning to God for support make a difference?

5. How do the additional scriptures (1 Peter 5:7, Matthew 11:28-30, etc.) reinforce the message of Psalm 55:22, and how can they guide you in moments of anxiety or stress?
Connections to Other Scriptures
1 Peter 5:7
This verse echoes the call to cast our anxieties on God, emphasizing His care for us.

Matthew 11:28-30
Jesus invites those who are weary to come to Him for rest, paralleling the idea of casting burdens on the Lord.

Philippians 4:6-7
Encourages believers to present their requests to God with thanksgiving, promising peace that guards hearts and minds.

Isaiah 41:10
God promises His presence and strength, assuring His people that they will not be dismayed.

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trusting in the Lord with all our heart and not leaning on our own understanding aligns with the call to cast burdens on Him.
Burdens Adapted to Those Who Bear ThemM. Fuller.Psalm 55:22
Burdens Cast Upon GodN. Emmons, D. D.Psalm 55:22
Burdens Cast Upon the LordJ. M. Sherwood, D. D.Psalm 55:22
Grace to Bear the Burden Laid on UsAndrew Reed, B. A.Psalm 55:22
Life's Burden and its ReliefHomilistPsalm 55:22
Man's Burden and HelpT. Smith.Psalm 55:22
Our Burden-BearerMark Guy Pearse.Psalm 55:22
The Burden of LifeMorgan Dix, D. D.Psalm 55:22
The Burden of the RighteousP. L. Davies, M. A.Psalm 55:22
The Lord Our Burden-BearerT. E. Beaumont.Psalm 55:22
The Passing of the BurdensJ. H. Jowett, M. A.Psalm 55:22
What to Do with Our BurdensR. Newton, D. D.Psalm 55:22
The Compassionable, the Commendable, and the Censurable in LifeHomilistPsalm 55:1-23
The Outcry of a Soul in DistressT. W. Chambers, D. D.Psalm 55:1-23
Contrasts in the Character and Experience of the Righteous and the WickedC. Short Psalm 55:16-23
People
David, Psalmist
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Allow, Burden, Cares, Cast, Fall, Moved, Moving, Permit, Righteous, Shaken, Suffer, Support, Sustain, Upright
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Psalm 55:22

     5802   care
     7150   righteous, the
     8158   righteousness, of believers
     8849   worry

Psalm 55:22-23

     5562   suffering, innocent

Library
July 9. "Cast Thy Burden on the Lord" (Ps. Lv. 22).
"Cast thy burden on the Lord" (Ps. lv. 22). Dear friends, sometimes we bring a burden to God, and we have such a groaning over it, and we seem to think God has a dreadful time, too, but in reality it does not burden Him at all. God says: It is a light thing for Me to do this for you. Your load, though heavy for you, is not heavy for Him. Christ carries the whole on one shoulder, not two shoulders. The government of the world is upon His shoulder. He is not struggling and groaning with it. His mighty
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

Out of the Deep of Fear and Anxiety.
My heart is disquieted within me. Tearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and an horrible dread hath overwhelmed me.--Ps. lv. 4. Thou hast proved and visited my heart in the night season--Ps. xvii. 3. Nevertheless though I am sometimes afraid, yet put I my trust in Thee.--Ps. lv. 3. The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?--Ps. xxvii. 1. I sought the Lord and He heard me and delivered me from all my fear.--Ps.
Charles Kingsley—Out of the Deep

The Arrest
Our study of the closing scenes of the life of our Lord begins at the point where He fell into the hands of the representatives of justice; and this took place at the gate of Gethsemane and at the midnight hour. On the eastern side of Jerusalem, the ground slopes downwards to the bed of the Brook Kedron; and on the further side of the stream rises the Mount of Olives. The side of the hill was laid out in gardens or orchards belonging to the inhabitants of the city; and Gethsemane was one of these.
James Stalker—The Trial and Death of Jesus Christ

If Then to Sin, that Others May not Commit a Worse Sin...
21. If then to sin, that others may not commit a worse sin, either against us or against any, without doubt we ought not; it is to be considered in that which Lot did, whether it be an example which we ought to imitate, or rather one which we ought to avoid. For it seems meet to be more looked into and noted, that, when so horrible an evil from the most flagitious impiety of the Sodomites was impending over his guests, which he wished to ward off and was not able, to such a degree may even that just
St. Augustine—Against Lying

Patrick, the Apostle of the Irish.
THIS remarkable man was prepared by very peculiar circumstances for his important work; and in his instance also it may be seen, how that infinite wisdom which guides the development of the kingdom of God amongst men, is able to bring great things out of what seems insignificant to the eyes of men. Patrick, called in his native tongue Succath, was born A. D. 372, in a village between the Scottish towns of Dumbarton and Glasgow, (then appended to England,) in the village of Bonaven, since named in
Augustus Neander—Light in the Dark Places

Concerning Persecution
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:10 We are now come to the last beatitude: Blessed are they which are persecuted . . '. Our Lord Christ would have us reckon the cost. Which of you intending to build a tower sitteth not down first and counteth the cost, whether he have enough to finish it?' (Luke 14:28). Religion will cost us the tears of repentance and the blood of persecution. But we see here a great encouragement that may
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12

The Resemblance Between the Old Testament and the New.
1. Introduction, showing the necessity of proving the similarity of both dispensations in opposition to Servetus and the Anabaptists. 2. This similarity in general. Both covenants truly one, though differently administered. Three things in which they entirely agree. 3. First general similarity, or agreement--viz. that the Old Testament, equally with the New, extended its promises beyond the present life, and held out a sure hope of immortality. Reason for this resemblance. Objection answered. 4.
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

Covenant Duties.
It is here proposed to show, that every incumbent duty ought, in suitable circumstances, to be engaged to in the exercise of Covenanting. The law and covenant of God are co-extensive; and what is enjoined in the one is confirmed in the other. The proposals of that Covenant include its promises and its duties. The former are made and fulfilled by its glorious Originator; the latter are enjoined and obligatory on man. The duties of that Covenant are God's law; and the demands of the law are all made
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Letter Xlv (Circa A. D. 1120) to a Youth Named Fulk, who Afterwards was Archdeacon of Langres
To a Youth Named Fulk, Who Afterwards Was Archdeacon of Langres He gravely warns Fulk, a Canon Regular, whom an uncle had by persuasions and promises drawn back to the world, to obey God and be faithful to Him rather than to his uncle. To the honourable young man Fulk, Brother Bernard, a sinner, wishes such joy in youth as in old age he will not regret. 1. I do not wonder at your surprise; I should wonder if you were not suprised [sic] that I should write to you, a countryman to a citizen, a monk
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux

Letter xix (A. D. 1127) to Suger, Abbot of S. Denis
To Suger, Abbot of S. Denis He praises Suger, who had unexpectedly renounced the pride and luxury of the world to give himself to the modest habits of the religious life. He blames severely the clerk who devotes himself rather to the service of princes than that of God. 1. A piece of good news has reached our district; it cannot fail to do great good to whomsoever it shall have come. For who that fear God, hearing what great things He has done for your soul, do not rejoice and wonder at the great
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux

Psalms
The piety of the Old Testament Church is reflected with more clearness and variety in the Psalter than in any other book of the Old Testament. It constitutes the response of the Church to the divine demands of prophecy, and, in a less degree, of law; or, rather, it expresses those emotions and aspirations of the universal heart which lie deeper than any formal demand. It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. Its words are as simple and unaffected as human words can be, for it is the genius
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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