Psalm 55:20-23

The composer of Psalm 55 concludes this poem by contrasting his or her familiar friend (see verses 12-15), whom people cannot trust; with God, whom people can trust.
"My companion laid hands on a friend
and violated a covenant with me
with speech smoother than butter,
but with a heart set on war;
with words that were softer than oil,
but in fact were drawn swords.
Cast your burden on the Lord,
and he will sustain you;
he will never permit
the righteous to be moved.
But you, O God, will cast them down
into the lowest pit;
the bloodthirsty and treacherous shall not live out half their days.
But I will trust in you."

1. How disappointing and tragic it is to entrust oneself to a person for years, then to experience the betrayal of that person! This happens in marriages, in business, in social and political friendships, but most tragically of all in what is supposed to be the family of God. Paul writes in Colossians 3:9-10:
"Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator."
The psalmist's "familiar friend," "equal," "companion" spoke "speech smoother than butter," "words softer than oil" repeatedly to the psalmist over many years, leading the psalmist to think his or her friend was genuine and would be there for her or him in all kinds of situations. But recently the psalmist has learned that all the while his or her "familiar friend" was manipulating him or her to that friend's own advantage--and now that that friend had gotten what he wanted, he cut the psalmist's throat and suddenly would have nothing more to do with the psalmist, but sought opportunities to destroy the psalmist.
2. By stark contrast, the author of Psalm 55 has a friend that is much more powerful than her or his friend that had betrayed her or him--God. Thus, he urges his fellow-worshipper's to "cast their burden on the Lord" with the assurance that he would sustain them, and to "trust in" God as a friend who would not deceive or betray or stab one in the back. Peter writes in 1 Peter 5:6-7:
"Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you."
We cannot force "professed friends" to be genuine, and not to use friendship as a means to attain a position or power or wealth or self-advantage; but we can be true friends to others in order to set a godly example to reassure those whose friends have betrayed them that God does not betray those who trust in him, and that not all human beings are counterfeit.

John Willis