This is another one of the Psalms of David, the man after God’s own heart. Though the background of this Psalm is not revealed, in verse 3 and 4, we see that David is going through a time of difficulty, opposition or danger that was behind this declaration of faith in God.
David is writing from experience. He is not simply passing along good advice.
62.1 Truly (Only) my soul waiteth upon God:
from Him cometh my salvation.
The original is, “only to God is my soul silence.”
The emphatic word in this Psalm is only (vs.1, 2,5,6).
Only waiting upon God in prayer and faith could bring David’s troubled heart to a place of quietude, submission, and rest. The same is true of every one of us this morning as well.
David wrote in Psalm 20.7,8, some trust in chariots, and some in horses, but we will remember the Name of The Lord our God. They are brought down and fallen, but we are risen and stand upright.
Psalm 33.20 Our soul waiteth for the Lord:
he is our help and our shield.
Spurgeon- “our salvation in no measure or degree comes to us from any inferior source; let us, therefore, look alone to the true fountain, and avoid the detestable crime of ascribing to the creature what belongs alone to the Creator.”
We may throw out a passing and occasional acknowledgement, that our only help is to be found in God, and yet shortly display our distrust in Him by busying ourselves in all directions to supplement what we consider defective in His aid.
62.2 He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved.
Again, David declares that The Lord alone is his rock, salvation and defense.
The word defense here suggests the idea of stronghold or high tower. Sound familiar?
Nahum 1.7 The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and He knoweth them that trust in Him.
Proverbs 18.10 The Name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.
He that stands with one foot on a rock, and another foot upon a quicksand, will sink and perish, as certainly as he that standeth with both feet upon a quicksand.
James 1.8 a double minded man is unstable in all his ways. That word all jumped out of the pages when I read it this week. A person who wavers in their faith in God is going to be an unstable person in life.
62.3 How long will ye imagine mischief against a man? ye shall be slain all of you: as a bowing wall shall ye be, and as a tottering fence.
62.4 They only consult to cast Him down from His excellency: they delight in lies: they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah.
The question how long is not asking for information but is expressing despair.
Why would God place a Selah after the two verses that speak about David’s adversaries or sources of trouble? Because we need to be reminded as Christians that in this life we are going to experience times of opposition and trouble from others.
Trials, tribulations, temptations and testing’s are an inevitable part of the Christian life. If your car hits a bump and the coffee in your cup spills all over, what was the cause of the coffee spilling over? Hitting the bump. Likewise, the bumps in life will bring out the real indicator of where our faith and trust lies.
62.5 My soul, wait thou only upon God;
for my expectation is from Him.
The word expectation is describing a ground of hope. David placed the unknowable outcome of this situation into the hands of His unchanging God.
62.6 He only is my rock and my salvation:
He is my defence; I shall not be moved.
David declares for the 2nd time that Jehovah is my defense. The word defense here means a shelter.
In the second verse we read “I shall not be greatly moved,” and now in this verse, we read “I shall not be moved.” This marks an appreciable advance in faith, a great increase in confidence, dependence, and assurance.
Jesus Christ is not simply my defender only, but my actual protection. I am secure, because He is faithful.
Beloved, Jesus Christ is your Advocate with The Father, not your adversary. He is for you, not against you.
62.7 In God is my salvation and my glory:
the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.
Look through this Psalm this morning with me beloved. Look at how the Psalmist declares his personal experience with The Lord. He declares here that Jehovah is my salvation; my rock; my defense; my expectation; my glory; my strength and my refuge.
4 times, David declares that Jehovah is my salvation.
This Hebrew word is translated salvation 65 times, help 4 times, deliverance 3 times, health 3 times, save, saving, and welfare 1 time.
In other words, Jesus is an all-encompassing Deliverer. In fact, the very Hebrew word that is translated salvation is the word yeshua, from which we get the Name, Joshua or Jesus.
62.8 Trust in Him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.
Trusting in God, the heart is fixed. If God be for us, we need not fear what man can do against us.
Thus, we must so trust in Jesus at all times. We need to trust in Him to guide us when in doubt, to protect us when in danger, to supply us when in want, to strengthen us for every good word and work, to be a very present help in time of trouble.
Trust in Him at all times. In other words, trust in Him right now.
How does pouring out your heart to God fit with waiting silently for Him (62:1, 5)? Obviously, they’re not contradictory.
Waiting silently for God only, as we’ve seen, is to put our hearts in submission to His sovereign love in the face of trials that seem to contradict either His sovereignty or His love. It’s an attitude of trustful submission.
Pouring out our hearts is to unburden ourselves in prayer, where we empty all of our anxieties and confusion and pain onto the Lord, while still remaining in submission to His sovereign love. As 1 Peter 5:7 puts it, “casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”
- Hebrews 4.14-16 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 3 and 4 are called the “rest” chapters. The priests who bore the ark led the people into the Promised Land. Jesus Christ, our Great High Priest is The One Who leads His people into the heavenly rest.
Jesus Christ has a tender heart for His people, especially in their afflictions and temptations. He knows that we are dust. He knows that we are lowly, helpless sheep.
What does it mean to come boldly to the throne of grace? It means to come near to God with confidence. It means to come to God with freedom and with confidence because of Jesus. And when you do come to Jesus, you’re not going to hear a word of rebuke or condescension, (unless you are coming to Him with unrepentant sin your heart), but you’re going to hear,
- Matthew 11.28 Come to Me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
It is through Jesus Christ that we can come boldly before the throne of grace, that we might obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. What are you going to find when you come to Him? Mercy and grace. You’re going to get the help that you need — mercy. You’re going to get favor that you don’t deserve — grace. You’re going to get the help that you need; you’re going to get favor that you don’t deserve. There’s nobody like this Jesus.
One thing kept the people in the Old Testament from entering into the blessing and rest of The Promised Land. It wasn’t the giants. It wasn’t the terrain. It was unbelief in the promise of God. What is the promise of God?
- 1 John 2.25 And this is the promise that He hath promised us, even eternal life.
How does one obtain this promise of eternal life from God?
- John 5.39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me. And ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life.
- 1 John 5.11-13 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
Blessed be the glorious tidings
To a suffering world revealed.
Christ has made a full atonement;
By His stripes we may be healed.
Simpson (1843–1919)
