Psalm 120:6-7 NKJV
6
My soul has dwelt too long
With one who hates peace.
7
I am for peace;
But when I speak, they are for war.
The Ache of the Peacemaker
My Notes
Scripture: “My soul has dwelt too long with one who hates peace. I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war.” — Psalm 120:6–7 NKJV
The psalmist voices a profound ache—the weariness of a soul that has lived too long among those who reject shalom, the deep, holistic peace of God. This is not just a passing irritation but a prolonged, draining spiritual experience. The text reveals the psalmist’s earnest desire: “I am for peace.” This is a declaration of his deepest nature, a reflection of the godly character he strives to uphold. Yet, this noble pursuit is met with constant opposition: “But when I speak, they are for war.”
David knew this tension well. From the quiet pastures of shepherding, he was thrust into the chaos of courts, battles, and betrayals. He endured the deceit of Doeg, the jealousy of Saul, the treachery of Ahithophel, and the hot-blooded zeal of the sons of Zeruiah. His longing was not merely for the absence of conflict, but for the presence of God’s peace.
This passage offers a profound consolation: You are not alone in this trial. David, the sweet singer of Israel, endured this. His very life was a tug-of-war between his desire for quietude and the turmoil of court and combat. Even more significantly, Jesus Christ, the ultimate Man of Peace, endured this opposition—for his love, they were his adversaries; for his good words, they killed him. In Him, we see that peace is not weakness—it is divine strength.
When you cannot separate from the difficult situation, the text encourages a radical patience. View this trial as a divine discipline. God allows the “strict scrutiny” of your foes to make you more watchful, more prayerful, and to drive you more often to the only true refuge: the bosom of God.
When we encounter hostility, Scripture reminds us: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21). Even if our pursuit of peace seems in vain, we must not abandon it. The trials of contentious company refine our patience and faith, and they point us toward the eternal world of peace where strife will cease forever (Revelation 21:4). Where the shalom we sought on earth will be our eternal inheritance.
Cross References: NKJV
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Isaiah 57:20–21 (NKJV) But the wicked are like the troubled sea, When it cannot rest, Whose waters cast up mire and dirt. “There is no peace,” Says my God, “for the wicked.”
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Romans 12:18–21 (NKJV) If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
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Colossians 1:20 (NKJV) And by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.
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John 15:25 (NKJV) But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, “They hated Me without a cause.”
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Hebrews 12:14 (NKJV) Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.
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Revelation 21:4 (NKJV) And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
Thoughts to meditate on:
- Where in my life do I feel surrounded by strife or contention?
- How do I typically respond when others reject peace?
- What practices help me remain rooted in God’s shalom when I am weary?
- What glimpses of heavenly peace encourage me to endure earthly trials?
Prayer
Abba, My soul often feels weary in a world that resists Your shalom. I confess that I long for quietness, yet I am surrounded by voices of strife. Teach me to abide in Your presence when hostility rises. Make me watchful, prayerful, and patient. Lord Jesus, You are my peace. You bore rejection and hostility, yet You overcame evil with good. Help me to follow Your example, to speak peace even when others are for war. Strengthen me to endure trials with hope, and fix my eyes on the eternal peace of heaven. I ask for this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
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
Closing
And I will make you to this people a fortified bronze wall; And they will fight against you, But they shall not prevail against you; For I am with you to save you And deliver you,” says the Lord. “I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked, And I will redeem you from the grip of the terrible.” Jeremiah 15:20-21 NKJV
BILL
Posted on 11/24/2025 by Bill Stephens
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Summary of Commentaries:
In this passage, Spurgeon laments dwelling among those who hate peace, describing it as an unbearable exile. Though David longed for quiet pastures, he endured quarrelsome company and deceitful foes. A man of peace, his words provoked hostility. Saints must expect such trials, remembering Christ endured the same, while cherishing God‑given tranquility.
Commentaries:
Charles Spurgeon
“My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace.” Long, long enough, too long had he been an exile among such barbarians. A peacemaker is a blessing, but a peace hater is a curse. To lodge with such for a night is dangerous, but to dwell with them is horrible. The verse may apply to any one of the Psalmist’s detractors: he had seen enough of him and pined to quit such company. Perhaps the sweet singer did not at first detect the nature of the man, for he was a deceiver; and when he did discover him, he found himself unable to shake him off, and so was compelled to abide with him. Thoughts of Doeg, Saul, Ahithophel, and the sons of Zeruiah come to our mind—these last, not as enemies, but as hot-blooded soldiers who were often too strong for David. What a change for the man of God from the quietude of the sheepfold to the turmoil of court and the tumult of combat! How he must have longed to lay aside his sceptre, and to resume his crook. He felt the time of his dwelling with quarrelsome spirits to be long, too long; and he only endured it because, as the Prayer book version has it, he was constrained so to abide.
“I am for peace.” Properly, “I am peace;” desirous of peace, peaceful, forbearing,—in fact, peace itself.
“But when I speak, they are for war.” My kindest words appear to provoke them, and they are at daggers drawn at once. Nothing pleases them; if I am silent, they count me morose, and if I open my mouth, they cavil and controvert. Let those who dwell with such pugilistic company console themselves with the remembrance that both David and David’s Lord endured the same trial. It is the lot of the saints to find foes even in their own households. Others besides David dwelt in the place of dragons. Others besides Daniel have been cast into a den of lions. Meanwhile, let those who are in quiet resting places and peaceful habitations be greatly grateful for such ease. Deus nobis hæc otia fecit: God has given us this tranquillity. Be it ours never to inflict upon others that from which we have been screened ourselves.
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Enduring Word
My soul has dwelt too long with one who hates peace: The psalmist ached because he lived among the ungodly and was distant from Israel and its people. He longed for God’s shalom (peace); his enemies, who had lying lips, hated God’s shalom. (Guzik)
i. This was a good discontentment. “Contentment in the place where deceit is practised, and strife is loved, is base contentment. Men of faith must there find the distress which inspires the cry to God.” (Morgan)
ii. “The very society of such (be they never so tame and civil) is tedious and unsavoury to a good soul; like the slime and filth that is congealed when many toads and other vermin join together.” (Trapp)
iii. God can work good even in the troubles of difficult company. “And remember, there is a compensation, in that the strict scrutiny of thy foes makes thee ever so much more watchful and prayerful, and drives thee oftener to the bosom of God.” (Meyer)
iv. This makes Psalm 120 a fitting start to the Songs of Ascents. As the pilgrim’s journey to Jerusalem began, the author was mindful of the weariness endured living apart from the supportive community of God’s people. The psalmist needed this trip to Jerusalem at the feast time and needed the larger community of the people of God. (Guzik)
I am for peace: He loved and longed for God’s peace, His shalom. (Guzik)
i. I am for peace: “Properly, ‘I am peace’; desirous of peace, peaceful, forbearing, in fact, peace itself.” (Spurgeon)
ii. “The clause ‘I am a man of peace’ translates a nominal phrase: ‘I peace.’ In his whole being, the psalmist longs for the establishment of peace.” (VanGemeren)
iii. “Jesus was a man of peace…he lived to make peace ‘by the blood of his cross;’ he died to complete it.” (Pierce, cited in Spurgeon)
When I speak, they are for war: The psalmist sought to speak words of peace and goodness, to represent and promote those values in our own community. Yet every time he did, the response was hostile, characteristic of those who are for war. (Guzik)
i. At least for a while, he needed better company – and he would find it among the pilgrims who came to Jerusalem and who shared in these Songs of Ascents. (Guzik)
ii. “So the psalm ends as with a long-drawn sigh. It inverts the usual order of similar psalms, in which the description of need is wont to precede the prayer for deliverance. It thus sets forth most pathetically the sense of discordance between a man and his environment, which urges the soul that feels it to seek a better home. So this is a true pilgrim psalm.” (Maclaren)
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Albert Barnes
I am for peace – Margin, “A man of peace.” Literally, “I (am) peace.” It is my nature. I desire to live in peace. I strive to do so. I do nothing to provoke a quarrel. I would do anything which would be right to pacify others. I would make any sacrifices, yield to any demands, consent to any arrangements which would promise peace.
But when I speak – When I say anything on the subject, when I propose any new arrangements, when I suggest any changes, when I give utterance to my painful feelings, and express a desire to live differently – they will listen to nothing; they will be satisfied with nothing.
They are for war – For discord, variance, strife. All my efforts to live in peace are vain. They are determined to quarrel, and I cannot prevent it.
(a) A man in such a case should separate from such a person, if possible, as the only way of peace.
(b) If his position and relations are such that that cannot be done, then he should be careful that he does nothing himself to irritate and to keep up the strife.
(c) If all that he does or can do for peace is vain, and if his relations and position are such that he cannot separate, then he should bear it patiently – as coming from God, and as the discipline of his life. God has many ways of testing the patience and faith of his people, and there are few things which will do so more effectually than this; few situations where piety will shine more beautifully than in such a trial;
(d) He who is thus tried should look with the more earnestness of desire to another world. There is a world of peace, and the peace of heaven will be all the more grateful and blessed when we go up to it from such a scene of conflict and war.
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John Gill
My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace. The God of peace, against whom their carnal minds are enmity itself; Christ, the Prince of peace, the Man, the Peace, who has made peace by the blood of his cross, whom the world hates; the sons of peace, the quiet in the land, against whom the wicked devise evil things; the Gospel of peace, which the natural man abhors as foolishness; the way of peace, pardon, and salvation by Christ, which carnal men know not, and do not approve of; and the ordinances of the Gospel, which are paths of peace. In short, some are of such restless, quarrelsome, and contentious spirits that they hate peace with any; are like the troubled sea, that cannot rest; and cannot sleep, unless they do mischief to their fellow creatures: it is very uncomfortable living, especially living long with such. The Targum is, “my soul hath long dwelt with Edom, hating peace;” that is, with the Romans or Christians, who are intended, for the Jews understand this psalm of their present captivity.
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Matthew Henry
The character of the worst of bad men in David’s enemies, who would pick quarrels with those that were most peaceably disposed: “When I speak they are for war; and the more forward for war the more they find me inclined to peace.” He spoke with all the respect and kindness that could be, proposed methods of accommodation, spoke reason, spoke love; but they would not so much as hear him patiently, but cried out, “To arms! to arms!” so fierce and implacable were they, and so bent to mischief. Such were Christ’s enemies: for his love, they were his adversaries, and for his good words and good works, they stoned him. If we meet with such enemies, we must not think it strange, nor love peace the less for our seeking it in vain. Be not overcome by evil, no, not of such evil as this, but, even when thus tried, still try to overcome evil with good.
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Miscellaneous Comments
What holy and gentle delight is associated with the very name of peace! Peace resting upon our bosom, and soothing all its cares: peace resting upon our households, and folding all the members in one loving embrace: peace resting upon our country, and pouring abundance from her golden horn peace resting upon all nations, and binding them together with the threefold cord of a common humanity, a common interest, and a common religion! The man who hates peace is a dishonour to the race, an enemy to his brother, and a traitor to his God. He hates Christ, who is the Prince of peace. He hates Christians, who are men of peace.
—N. McMichael.
“I am for peace.” Good men love peace, pray for it, seek it, pursue it, and will give anything but a good conscience for it. Compare Mat 5:9; Heb 7:14: W.S. Plumer. “It is a mark of a pious man, as far as in him is, to seek peace:” Arnesius. “I would not give one hour of brotherly love for a whole eternity of contention,” Dr Ruffner.
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