Psalm 119:120 NKJV
120
My flesh trembles for fear of You,
And I am afraid of Your judgments.
Trembling Before a Holy God
My Notes
“My flesh trembles for fear of You, and I am afraid of Your judgments.” —Psalm 119:120 (NKJV)
True reverence begins where self-confidence ends. David, a man after God’s own heart, did not boast in his righteousness when he considered God’s judgments—he trembled, not with terror, but with holy fear. He knew that God is just, holy, and pure, and that His judgments are not arbitrary but righteous and searching. This trembling was not despair—it was worship.
The fear of the Lord is not a fear that drives us away—it draws us closer. It awakens us to the weight of God’s holiness and the seriousness of sin. David’s trembling was not over the fate of others, but over his own need for mercy. He didn’t gloat over the wicked—he humbled himself. This is the posture of the truly godly: trembling, yet trusting.
When we truly grasp the majesty of God—His piercing gaze, His perfect record, His refining fire—we cannot remain unmoved. Like Daniel and John, who collapsed under the weight of divine presence (Daniel 10:8; Revelation 1:17), we too are undone. But this trembling leads to transformation. It purifies our worship, clarifies our values, and anchors our hope in the mercy of Christ.
If we do not tremble before God, we will be captivated by the world. Its distorted values will seem appealing, its pleasures satisfying. But when we stand in awe of God’s holiness, the world’s bling fades. Reverence is not outdated—it is essential. It keeps us from presumption, awakens repentance, and deepens love.
Time to Reflect
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When was the last time I truly trembled before God—not in fear of punishment, but in awe of His holiness?
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Do I ever take God’s judgments lightly or presume upon His mercy? What needs to change in my heart?
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How does holy fear protect me from being consumed by the world’s values?
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What does it look like to walk in reverence daily—in my thoughts, choices, and worship?
Prayer
Lord, You are holy, and Your judgments are true. Let me never grow casual with Your Word or indifferent to Your ways. Teach me to tremble—not with dread, but with reverent awe. Cleanse my heart, refine my thoughts, and awaken in me a holy fear that draws me closer to You. May Your majesty shake me from complacency and stir me to worship, obedience, and love. I bow before You, not because I am afraid to approach, but because I am overwhelmed by Your glory. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Cross References
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Daniel 10:8 — “Therefore I was left alone when I saw this great vision, and no strength remained in me; for my vigor was turned to frailty in me, and I retained no strength.”
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Revelation 1:17 — “And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last.”
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Proverbs 9:10 — “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”
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Isaiah 66:2 — “But on this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word.”
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Luke 1:74–75 — “That we… might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.”
Proverb for Today
Through wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established; By knowledge the rooms are filled With all precious and pleasant riches. A wise man is strong, Yes, a man of knowledge increases strength; Proverbs 24:3-5 NKJV
Summary of Commentaries:
Psalm 119:120 expresses David’s deep reverence and holy fear before God’s righteous judgments. Commentators agree this trembling is not terror, but awe—a response to God’s holiness, justice, and majesty. Even David’s flesh quaked, overwhelmed by the thought of offending such a pure and powerful Judge. This fear is not inconsistent with love; it is the filial fear that leads to obedience and humility. Rather than gloating over the wicked, David humbles himself, aware of his own frailty. God’s judgments are solemn and searching, and they stir the godly to repentance, reverence, and a deeper longing to walk in truth.
NOTE: Psalm 119 is an acrostic pattern. There are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet; each of the 22 sections is given a letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and each line in that section begins with that letter. Today, we’re looking at verse 120, which is in the 15th section, which is called “Samek ס. The website https://www.abarim-publications.com/Hebrew_Alphabet_Meaning.html defines the letter Samek ס as: The verb סמך (samak) means lean upon, support, uphold. It is the verb that is used in the phrase “laying on of hands.”
…….Bill
Commentaries:
Charles Spurgeon
“My flesh trembleth for fear of thee.” Such was his awe in the presence of the Judge of all the earth, whose judgment he had just now been considering, that he did exceedingly fear and quake. Even the grosser part of his being,—his flesh, felt a solemn dread at the thought of offending one so good and great, who would so effectually sever the wicked from among the just. Alas, poor flesh, this is the highest thing to which thou canst attain!
“And I am afraid of thy judgments.” God’s words of judgment are solemn, and his deeds of judgment are terrible; they may well make us afraid. At the thought of the Judge of all,—his piercing eye, his books of record, his day of roving, and the operations of his justice,—we may well cry for cleansed thoughts, and hearts, and ways, lest his judgments should light on us. When we see the great Refiner separating the precious from the vile, we may well feel a godly fear, lest we should be put away by him, and left to be trodden under his feet.
Love in the previous verse is quite consistent with fear in this verse: the fear which hath torment is cast out, but not the filial fear which leads to reverence and obedience.
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Enduring Word
My flesh trembles for fear of You, and I am afraid of Your judgments: As the psalmist considered the righteous judgments of God, he looked to his own life and understood that it was not entirely righteous. This sense of trembling fear would make him run to God for His atoning, covering sacrifice. (Guzik)
i. The psalmist didn’t celebrate over the judgment on the wicked; it made him tremble in holy fear himself. (Guzik)
ii. “The presence of God is so real for the psalmist that he responds to his God in spirit and body. His life of obedience is lived in the presence of the living God, whereas the wicked act as if God does not see or care.” (VanGemeren)
iii. “His best servants are not exempted from an awful dread, upon such occasions; scenes of this kind, shown in vision to the prophets, cause their flesh to quiver, and all their bones to shake.” (Horne)
iv. “It is only as we tremble before the exalted and holy God that we will ever see the world and its distorted values to be the empty things they are. If we do not tremble before God, the world’s system will seem wonderful to us and consume us pleasantly.” (Boice)
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Albert Barnes
My flesh trembleth for fear of thee – I stand in awe of thee. I shudder at the consciousness of thy presence. See Habakkuk 3:16; Hebrews 12:21; Joel 2:10; Nahum 1:5. There is nothing unaccountable in this. Any man would tremble, should God manifest himself to him as he might do; and it is possible that the mind may have such an overpowering sense of the presence and majesty of God, that the body shall be agitated, lose its strength, and with the deepest alarm fall to the earth. Compare Daniel 10:8; Revelation 1:17. No man could meet one of the departed dead, or a good angel, without this fear; how much less could he meet God!
And I am afraid of thy judgments – Of thy laws or commands. My mind is filled with awe at the strictness, the spirituality, the severity of thy law. Reverence – awe – is one of the essential elements of all true religion.
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John Gill
My flesh trembleth for fear of thee,…. Not for fear of the wrath of God coming down upon himself, nor for fear of eternal damnation, but for fear of what was coming upon the wicked, for their sins and transgressions. The word used signifies such a dread and horror, which seizes a man to such a degree, that it makes the hair of his flesh to stand up; as Jarchi and Kimchi observe; see Psalm 119:53, Job 4:14.
and I am afraid of thy judgments; not of their coming down upon him, but upon the wicked; the thought of which is more awful to good men than to the wicked themselves; and especially when under any darkness, doubts, and fears; lest, being conscious to themselves of their own weakness, they should be left to join with the wicked in their sins, and so be partakers of their plagues.
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Matthew Henry
The improvement David made of these judgments. He took notice of them and received instruction from them. The ruin of the wicked helped to increase,
1. His love to the word of God. “I see what comes of sin; therefore, I love thy testimonies, which warn me to take heed of those dangerous courses and keep me from the paths of the destroyer.“ We see the word of God fulfilled in his judgments on sin and sinners, and therefore we should love it.
2. His fear of the wrath of God: My flesh trembles for fear of thee. Instead of insulting over those who fell under God’s displeasure, he humbled himself. What we read and hear of the judgments of God upon wicked people would make us,
(1.) To reverence his terrible majesty, and to stand in awe of him: Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God? 1 Sa. 6:20.
(2.) To fear lest we offend him and become obnoxious to his wrath. Good men have need to be restrained from sin by the terrors of the Lord, especially when judgment begins at the house of God and hypocrites are discovered and put away as dross.
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Adam Clarke
My flesh trembleth for fear of thee — I know thou art a just and holy God: I know thou requirest truth in the inner parts. I know that thou art a Spirit, and that they who worship thee must worship thee in spirit and in truth; and I am often alarmed lest I fall short. It is only an assurance of my interest in thy mercy that can save me from distressing fears and harassing doubts. It is our privilege to know we are in God’s favor, and it is not less so to maintain a continual filial fear of offending him. A true conception of God’s justice and mercy begets reverence.
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Miscellaneous Comments
The fifteenth letter, SAMECH, denotes a prop or pillar, and this agrees well with the subject matter of the strophe, in which God is twice implored to uphold his servant (Psa 119:116-117, while the utter destruction of those who make light of his law, or encourage skepticism regarding it, may be compared to the fate of the Philistine lords, on whom Samson brought down the roof of the house where they were making merry, by overthrowing the pillars which supported it.
—Neale and Littledale.
“My flesh trembleth for fear of thee,” etc. At the presence of Jehovah, when he appeareth in judgment, the earth trembleth and is still. His best servants are not exempted from an awful dread, upon such occasions; scenes of this kind, shown in vision to the prophets, cause their flesh to quiver, and all their bones to shake. Encompassed with a frail body, and a sinful world, we stand in need of every possible tie; and the affections both of fear and love must be employed, to restrain us from transgression; we must, at the same time, “love God’s testimonies, and fear his Judgments.”
—George Horne.
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Additional Cross-References
Habakkuk 3:16 (KJV)
16 When I heard, my belly trembled;
My lips quivered at the voice:
Rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in myself,
That I might rest in the day of trouble:
When he cometh up unto the people, he will invade them with his troops.
Philippians 2:12 (KJV)
12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
Romans 5:20 (KJV)
20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
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Samek ס: Held up and supported by the word of God.
113
I hate the double-minded,
But I love Your law.
114
You are my hiding place and my shield;
I hope in Your word.
115
Depart from me, you evildoers,
For I will keep the commandments of my God!
116
Uphold me according to Your word, that I may live;
And do not let me be ashamed of my hope.
117
Hold me up, and I shall be safe,
And I shall observe Your statutes continually.
118
You reject all those who stray from Your statutes,
For their deceit is falsehood.
119
You put away all the wicked of the earth like dross;
Therefore I love Your testimonies.
120
My flesh trembles for fear of You,
And I am afraid of Your judgments.
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