81 My soul languishes for thy salvation; I hope in thy word. 82 My eyes fail with watching for thy promise; I ask, "When wilt thou comfort me?"
83 For I have become like a wineskin in the smoke, yet I have not forgotten thy statutes.
84 How long must thy servant endure? When wilt thou judge those who persecute me?
85 Godless men have dug pitfalls for me, men who do not conform to thy law. 86 All thy commandments are sure; they persecute me with falsehood; help me! 87 They have almost made an end of me on earth; but I have not forsaken thy precepts.
88 In thy steadfast love spare my life, that I may keep the testimonies of thy mouth.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Psalm 119:81-88
Commentary on Psalm 119:81-88
(Read Psalm 119:81-88)
The psalmist sought deliverance from his sins, his foes, and his fears. Hope deferred made him faint; his eyes failed by looking out for this expected salvation. But when the eyes fail, yet faith must not. His affliction was great. He was become like a leathern bottle, which, if hung up in the smoke, is dried and shrivelled up. We must ever be mindful of God's statutes. The days of the believer's mourning shall be ended; they are but for a moment, compared with eternal happiness. His enemies used craft as well as power for his ruin, in contempt of the law of God. The commandments of God are true and faithful guides in the path of peace and safety. We may best expect help from God when, like our Master, we do well and suffer for it. Wicked men may almost consume the believer upon earth, but he would sooner forsake all than forsake the word of the Lord. We should depend upon the grace of God for strength to do every good work. The surest token of God's good-will toward us, is his good work in us.