Psalm 62

To the choirmaster: according to Juduthun. A Psalm of David. 

1 For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation.

2 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.

In my opinion this is one of the most beautiful and powerful of all the psalms, expressing dramatic confidence and patient hope while under duress. The first verse is literally, “Truly (only and ultimately) for God waits my soul, from him my salvation.” This declaration is the foundation of the entire psalm and is repeated again with slight changes as a refrain in verses 5-6. The psalmist’s trust is rooted in the nature of God, for whom three metaphors are assigned. God is his rock, his salvation, and his fortress. These are frequent metaphors in the psalms because they were so pertinent to David as a military man. As a soldier you look at terrain differently from a civilian. Every large rock feature becomes a potential position for staging an attack or falling back in retreat. Access to a fortress was necessary to withstand an enemy siege of a city. And finally, one needed divine help in the form of timing, weather, and a hundred other factors to secure victory (salvation). Thus, it’s not surprising that David would see God as all three of these -- a solid place to position oneself for battle, a secure place for protection, and a saving person to intervene on one’s behalf. Because of these convictions about the nature of God, David can rest and wait for God to do his thing. David waits in silence. He has said all the words that can be said, and now he waits -- expecting, hoping, trusting. This is the only thing that he can do. It’s also the most helpful thing that he can do. In my experience, God speaks more clearly when I am listening rather than when I’m talking. There is a place for talking with God, but it’s important that we listen first, and that is where David begins. Before he lays out his concerns, he simply listens and waits, steadying his soul on the solid foundation of the unchanging nature of God. Developing this ability to wait in silence is difficult these days when there are so many things to distract. There’s an old saying, “if the Devil can’t make you bad, he’ll make you busy”. Busy-ness can be all about self-reliance and pride, but it is the humble who wait in silence that truly move the world. The psalm calls us to stillness and rest, a posture of listening and waiting, trusting ultimately in God, not ourselves. 

3 How long will all of you attack a man to batter him, like a leaning wall, a tottering fence?

4 They only plan to thrust him down from his high position. They take pleasure in falsehood. They bless with their mouths, but inwardly they curse. Selah

David asks a rhetorical question of his attackers, “How long will you attack me, coming at me like a battering ram against the walls of my life, pushing against me as I lean and totter with each blow?” There doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. This was a typical battle plan in ancient warfare: surround the city and cut off all supplies of food and water. Then under the protection of shields, advance against the city gate with a battering ram to gain entry and subdue a weakened population. David is that city that has been surrounded, the entrance to his soul is being beaten relentlessly by those that want to bring him down. This reeks of political intrigue, a real-life game of king of the mountain where the guy on top is always under threat of being pushed off. The tools of political upheaval are lies and falsehoods often in clever disguise. The best politicians are those that are the best liars. (Notice I said the best politicians, not the best leaders). Politicians use lies and half-truths to manipulate public opinion to gain an advantage. David as the “incumbent” must continually thwart their verbal assaults, and it gets old. And this was in a monarchy where David could ostensibly arrest and kill his political opponents (although this would undermine his moral authority). How much more does this battle for political power rage in a democracy! What seems to irk David the most is their duplicity -- they bless with their mouths but inwardly they curse. We all hate hypocrites and backstabbers, and David has had enough of it as he sits in silence, waiting for God to act. An interesting poetic note here -- the word “only” occurs as the first word in six of the first nine verses in the psalm (1,2,4,5,6,9), although the English translations don’t always show this. Verses 1,2,5,6 are in reference to God, verses 4 and 9 to the psalmist’s enemies. This functions to create a contrast between them. The psalmist places his ultimate trust in God (1,2,5,6,) while his enemies are ultimately trying to topple him (4) and they are ultimately a vapor (hollow, empty, unstable, fleeting) as stated in verse 9. 

5 For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.

6 He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.

The psalmist returns to the opening refrain, describing that his ultimate hope is in God as he waits in silence. The word for “hope” here is elsewhere translated “cord”, so the meaning of “hope” is a metaphorical extension of that very common word. A cord provides a connection between two things (think of the marriage ritual where a cord binds the hands). A cord holds things secure, ties them together in safety. The psalmist’s expectation, his cord, is God himself, the one who connects everything security, the common thread that ties together everything in his life. The parallel word in verse 1 is “salvation”, thus, “God is my salvation and my expectant hope.” Verse 6 parallels verse 2 with the only change being the omission of the word “greatly” in verse 6 as a modifier of “moved”. To have so much repetition in such a short psalm is unusual, but it makes a lot of sense on a practical level. When forces are constantly pushing against you, threatening to knock you down and run you over, one of the most important things you can do is forcefully speak truth to yourself. David sits alone in silence and must continually remind himself that God is his rock, his fortress, his salvation and his hope. Afterall, the enemy never stops his attacks, so we must never stop our response, and our response is sitting in stillness and reminding ourselves of what is true. The act of sitting in silence seems counterintuitive when it comes to facing opposition, whether literal or metaphorical. It seems that God wants us to rest, to relax, to stop doing and just wait for Him. Perhaps that’s why other translations phrase these verses, “Find rest my soul, in God alone.” Relax, stop talking, stop doing, then listen to God and hear Him speak truth to your soul. Memorize these verses and recall them every time you are tempted to fret, and you will find rest for your soul. This is what Jesus offered when he said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30). Come alongside Jesus and learn from him. Stop trying to save yourself and accept the gift he offers, rest for your soul. David was ultimately pointing us to the rest that only Jesus gives, an end to the striving to earn God’s favor through our good works, the only true rest for our souls.

7 On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God.

8 Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah

Verse 7 begins and ends with God, a fitting poetic frame for the content of the verse, a list of four metaphors describing God in relation to the psalmist -- my salvation, my glory, my mighty rock (lit. rock of my strength), and my refuge. These are all frequent in the psalms and come out of David’s military experience as well as his personal story of fleeing from Saul in the wilderness. David had experienced literal salvation many times over and he attributes this to the character of God acting on his behalf. The word, “my glory” takes us back to Psalm 3 where YHWH is declared to be David’s glory, or “glorious one”, and the lifter of his head. David’s honor didn’t ultimately depend on his performance. He understood that God was the ultimate possessor and bestower of glory, and so he leans on God to source these to him rather than pursuing them himself (as Saul did). Then comes the offering to those that might be reading the words of David’s prayer centuries later: “Trust in him at all times, O people. Pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.” David’s personal testimony is the foundation of his appeal to all in the faith community to follow in his steps by trusting completely in the goodness and power of God. The invitation to “pour out your heart” is a particularly powerful image, the verb being used elsewhere of gushing water or explosive anger. Everything is fair game when expressing your heart to God. Unload on Him, leave nothing unsaid, and as you do so, you’ll find that he is a refuge, that he can take it and bear it with you. This verse used to sit atop my prayer list back when I was in college, and I really believed in the power of God to answer my prayers in dramatic ways, to do what seemed impossible, to turn the hearts of people to himself and redeem every situation for the good. I’ve lived many years since then and seen a lot of pain and sorrow that have made me question the goodness of God. I’ve questioned him, but not walked away from Him. Pour out your heart to him, but stick around and listen to his response. You’ll find that he will become your refuge, your “go to” place for rest. 

9 Those of low estate are but a breath; those of high estate are a delusion; in the balances they go up; they are together lighter than a breath.

10 Put no trust in extortion; set no vain hopes on robbery; if riches increase, set not your heart on them.

Having repeatedly asserted his confidence in the trustworthiness of God, and again using the word “only”, David contrasts his rock, strength, and refuge with the things in which others place their trust. The sons of Adam (low estate) and sons of men (high estate) are but a vapor and a lie. They are of so little substance that If you placed them both together on a scale, one would not outweigh the other. In fact, both sides of the scale would go up! In other words, your position in life, your social status, even your accomplishments make you no better or worse than anyone else. These things can all be gone in an instant. Death is the great equalizer -- rich and poor, famous and unknown, high class and homeless -- all are powerless before that which will inevitably overtake them. Class and wealth will get you so far in life, but they will get you nowhere in the afterlife. Being born into privilege or into poverty doesn’t matter in the final analysis. In God’s economy these are insignificant. When it comes to substantive differences between people, they are about as weighty as air. The second domain of life that is not worthy of our trust is that of material possessions. Whether we acquire them legally or not, they are not to be trusted. Certainly if we gain them through extortion or robbery (essentially the use of force either socially or physically), they are ephemeral for these actions are illegal and you will be punished in this life for them in one way or another. And even if we gain them legitimately, if your riches increase, don’t set your heart on them. The implicit claim is that they will disappoint. Recall Psalm 49 and the fact that no amount of money can ransom one from the grave. Besides that, there is abundant evidence that material possessions often lead to greater stress and unhappiness, family division, and worse. The contrast could not be stronger. God is my rock, my salvation, my strength, my refuge, and my glory. Don’t settle for the counterfeit gods of position, power, and possessions. They are not worthy of your trust and your worship. They will ultimately disappoint. 

11 Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God,

12 and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love. For you will render to a man according to his work.

David concludes his prayer by staying the foundational theological truths about God that he has received. He begins with the formula also found in the proverbs: once God has spoken, twice have I heard. In other words, God has revealed this and I’ve heard it more than once. To the Lord (adonai) belong power, steadfast love, and fair judgment. These three characteristics of God are a thread running through the Psalms. God is good, powerful, and fair. It probably doesn’t need to be stated, but this stands in sharp contrast to the contemporary gods of the nations around Israel as well as the gods that many serve today. David has staked his very life on this reality and he is prepared to stand before God in judgment based on his adherence to these truths. God’s power has delivered him from dire situations, his faithful love has assured him that he will thrive, and God’s justice has allowed David to relinquish the need for vengeance and move forward even when he has been wronged. The word translated “render” here is the Hebrew word shalom -- to make complete. God sees to it that everything comes full circle. Everything gets wrapped up in a satisfactory way in the end. The wicked will suffer consequences and the just will be vindicated. The proud will be brought down and the poor will be exalted. This core conviction underlies the Bible’s teaching on justice, and this reality is embodied in the life and death of Jesus Christ. He came to bring good news to the poor and he completed his work on the cross, judging sin and receiving its judgment at the same time. David couldn’t see exactly how his descendant would do this, but he believed it nonetheless. There are so many things about God that I cannot see as well, but I’ll never know rest, a soul that is silenced until I acknowledge God’s power, goodness and justice.