When Others Try to Knock You Down (vv. 1-4)
Even when you’re not running for your life, Psalm 62 offers good counsel for your soul: “For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken” (vv. 1-2). David, as the king, is the most secure person in the land—wealthy and powerful beyond all measure. But still, God alone is his protection.[1] fully trusts his sovereign God with quiet restfulness. Yet such calmness requires great composure in the face of chaos. When our hearts bubble up with agitation, it takes active self-control to keep from boiling over.
In fact, waiting silently requires the very attitude of Christ. As Isaiah prophesied, “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth” (Isa 53:7. At his death, our Lord Jesus was falsely arrested and falsely accused. Soldiers crushed a crown of thorns into his skull, dressed him in a royal robe, and mockingly hailed him, “King of the Jews!” (John 19:1-5). His own people cried out, “Crucify him!” (vv. 6-7). And although Pilate gave him a chance to defend himself, “Jesus gave no answer” (vv. 8-9). “So Pilate said to him, ‘You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?’ Jesus answered him, ‘You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above’” (vv. 10-11a). Jesus wasn’t waiting for the Romans to release him or for the Jews to change their tune. He wasn’t waiting to take revenge though he could have called 10,000 angels. Instead, he waited on God, his Father, who was ultimately in charge of judgment (1 Pet 2:23).
To wait means to trust what is true about God when we still don’t know what is true about our life. So, we wait confidently on God as our Rock, our Salvation, and our Fortress (Ps 62:2). As our Rock, he is solid and secure when all the world around us feels like shifting sand. He is our Salvation when we desperately need his mercy. He is our Fortress when wicked people assail us. Thus, “it is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord” (Lam 3:26).
David goes on to express his own personal struggles: “How long will all of you attack a man to batter him, like a leaning wall, a tottering fence? 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” (Ps 62:3-4). The king’s enemies assault him with violent beatings, seeking murder. They sense his weakness and spread lies about him. They flatter him with their tongues, while cursing in their hearts. So, David feels like an aging stone wall, leaning precariously to the side. Just one hard push will topple him over. One more attack will thrust him down from his high position, yet he is helpless to protect himself.
The selah at the end of verse 4 instructs us to sit for awhile in David’s pain when we feel oppressed? How does David’s predicament give voice to ours? How do people in our life try to knock us down? Some workplaces are dog-eat-dog—survival of the fittest and the fattest. In a contentious marriage, each spouse competes to show contempt. A rebellious child in our home might treat us like the enemy. Even in the church, we can still find backstabbing and jealousy. These struggles are not good, but they are quite real. So how should we respond when others try to knock us down?
First, we look to David who actively waits on God. He doesn’t try to take matters into his own hands or to bargain his way out. His heart remains patient as he meditates on God as his Rock, his Salvation, and his Fortress. Instead of trusting in himself or fearing man, he waits on God alone. It requires time and effort to stoke such a sanctified imagination. Yet prior knowledge of these biblical metaphors will flood our minds as we meditate on the Lord. From Psalm 62, we also look to David’s Greater Son. For although David waited with imperfect faith, Christ assures our victory. He never let the noisiness of life get the better of him. He didn’t defend himself or take revenge, but trusted God to be his Refuge. Likewise, we can respond with faith when others knock us down. We can keep our integrity when coworkers cheat or speak with love when others slander us. We can hold our composure instead of seeking vengeance because we trust the God who judges justly. We need not punish those who sin against us because we know the God who makes all things right in the end. Such active restraint is hard to practice, but it is the way of Christ: to wait confidently on God alone.
When Your Trust in God Begins to Wane (vv. 5-8)
Waiting, though, can make you weary. So, what happens when your trust in God begins to wane? The next stanza repeats similar themes: “For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken” (Ps 62:5-6). Again, the psalmist rests in God alone and waits for God in silence. Previously, he stated this as fact: “My soul waits…” (v. 1). But now, it is an exhortation as David commands his soul to do what his soul has always done (v. 5). So too, believers alternate between faith and fear—strength and weakness. Some days, we are bold as lions; and other days, like bleating sheep. Once more, David declares the Lord to be his Rock, Salvation, and Fortress (see v. 2). But now, he is not shaken in the least (v. 6). David also claims God’s promise of salvation as the basis for his hope, for hope is what keeps us going until salvation comes (vv. 1, 5). David then continues with confident praise: “On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God” (v. 7).[2] God alone is David’s Mighty Rock—his strength now made explicit. He alone is David’s Refuge—a shelter in the storm. And for the first time, he is David’s Glory as the king depends upon God’s grace. He cannot rule if his kingdom is destroyed or if his enemies should triumph. He cannot know God’s covenant promises if his people are wiped out or if his lineage is extinguished. So, David needs more than rest and refuge, but also the Lord to restore his honor.
Thus, David exhorts all Israel to join his praise of God: “Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us” (v. 8). This one verse becomes a 5-part sermon of the soul:
- David first tells us what to do: “Trust in God.” Rest your faith entirely on God as sovereign and wise, merciful and loving. His plans are for your good and for his glory. As your Creator, he knows exactly what you need and when you need it, so trust in him.
- Second, when should we trust God? “At all times.” Don’t just trust him when he makes sense to you or when it’s easy. Instead, trust him at all times. Learn to trust him in the light and you will keep on trusting when it’s dark.
- Third, who should trust God? “O people.” David writes to God’s chosen people of Israel who were rescued out of the slavery. But now, this psalm applies to all God’s people, including us today. We can trust in God as the children of God.
- But fourth, how do we trust him? By pouring out our hearts. The discipline of waiting silently is paired with the discipline of heartfelt prayer. So, when you come before God, just tell him everything because he already knows you intimately (1 Pet 5:7).
- Then finally, why should we trust in God? Because “God is a refuge for us.” He is our only safety, so we trust him absolutely. His shelter is large enough to protect all his people at all times. So, where do you run when you are troubled or afraid? Who is your refuge in the storm? As Jesus assures us in John 14:1, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.”
Once again, the selah at the end of this stanza instructs the reader to pause and reflect on what we’ve just learned. We need such times of silence because our self-talk isn’t always helpful. We get wrapped up in our anxious thoughts or load ourselves down with guilt. At such times, we must counsel one another to wait on God alone: “Have you prayed about it? Have you poured out your concerns before the Lord?” God knows your heart, but he wants to hear from you directly. As Spurgeon wrote, “If you fear lest there remain anything in your heart not poured forth, bring the whole heart, and cast it before the eyes of the Lord, and sacrifice it to him, that he may create a new heart in thee.”[3] And if you don’t know how to pray, then pray Psalm 62 back to God. Walk through it slowly, one phrase at a time as you meditate on who God is and what he’s done. For example, “God, you are my Rock. You are stable and secure. You are my refuge in the storm. You are mighty and immovable. You do not change. Therefore, teach me to trust in you.” You speak such truths into your soul when your trust in God begins to wane.
When You Are Tempted by Worldly Shortcuts (vv. 9-12)
Lastly, wait silently before God alone when you are tempted by worldly shortcuts. Verse 9 tells us not to put our trust in man: other people or ourselves; while verse 10 tells us not to put our trust in money—either ill-gotten gain or wealth stored up over time. For only God is worthy of our trust.
First of all, don’t put your trust in man: “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” (v. 9). Neither rich nor poor will live forever. For social status isn’t permanent, but like a puff of air on a winter’s day which you see for just a moment (Jas 4:14). Consider the time it takes to breathe in—breathe out: That’s your life! (Eccl 1:2). If you weighed yourself on a scale balance, it would register only zeros because we might think we’re heavyweights, but God says we’re just lightweights. Our “delusion” speaks of false security, for no amount of riches or power or social cachet can stave off death. Thus, everyone eventually fails you no matter how much money they possess or how much social power. We all have limited days on earth. And even if your friend remains loyal to the end, they still cannot serve as your Messiah. For only God has both the power and the love to save you. So, thank God for his gift of friends and family and pour your life into healthy relationships, but never let man replace your trust in God.
Second, “put no trust in extortion; set no vain hopes on robbery; if riches increase, set not your heart on them” (Ps 62:10). Trust God, not man and “pour out your heart before him” instead of setting your heart on riches (see v. 8). For only God offers true hope, instead of the “vain hope” of ill-gotten gain (e.g., Lev 6:4; Prov 21:6). It isn’t wrong to have wealth, but your wealth must never have you (1 Tim 6:10). For the love of money keeps corrupting us until it leads us into sin. Your wealth does nothing when you die. You can’t take it with you and it will not purchase your salvation (Ps 49:5-9). So, trust your money to the Lord and let him direct you how to spend it (1 Tim 6:17-19). Give generously to the kingdom as you put your trust in God (Prov 11:25).
As David continues, “Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God, and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love. For you will render to a man according to his work” (Ps 62:11-12). This one-two punch proverbially says, “I told you once and I’ll tell you again. This is important.”
First, all “power belongs to God.” He is sovereign and mighty. Nothing thwarts his purposes. Yet power without love would only make a tyrant and you cannot trust an abuser. So, in addition to power, “steadfast love belongs to the Lord.” This word, hesed, is the Old Testament word for grace—God’s covenant love reserved for his chosen people—an unfailing, unconditional love regardless of how we perform. Love without power is weak and impotent, but love combined with power assures that we can trust our mighty God.[4] We wait silently before God alone because he is perfect in power and perfect in love. Therefore, God is also perfectly just as he renders to each person according to our work. He makes all things right in the end as he restores the righteous and punishes the wicked, giving to all what we truly deserve (Rev 20:12-13). He can promise this justice because he has the power to forgive our sin through the sacrifice of his Son. He lovingly rescues any who have lost all hope and who could never earn God’s grace.
Those who have not yet placed your trust in God, still read Psalm 62 with unbelieving eyes. You know by experience that life is a vapor. But still, you’ve placed your hope in earthly treasures. Instead of trusting God alone, you seek salvation in other gods. Be certain that God is just and will render to you what you deserve. And this is not good news, for “none is righteous, no, not one” (Rom 3:10). We are not good people in and of ourselves and “the wages of sin is death”—spiritual separation from God (6:23a). We cannot sneak our way into heaven, for God is not only just, but also powerful. He determines what happens to each one of us for all eternity.
Thank God, though, that he is also loving: “The free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (6:23b). For “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (5:8). And “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (10:13). If you don’t have a personal relationship with God today, he welcomes you to himself and promises meaning beyond this life. He is more trustworthy than either man or money, for God sacrificed his own beloved Son to be your Refuge. Therefore, “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Rom 8:31-32).
Life Application Study:
- Consider Jesus’ attitude of waiting silently before God alone (Isa 53:7; John 19:9-11; 1 Pet 2:21-23). How was he able to do so and what can you learn from his example?
- What self-talk pervades your thoughts? What messages have you told yourself lately? What truths from Psalm 62 can you tell your soul today?
- What makes it so hard for you to wait in silence before God? Why are you so often tempted to distract yourself with busyness? How is it not a waste to wait on God?
- Reflect on 1 Timothy 6:6-10, 17-19. In what ways is the love of money a root of all kinds of evil. Consider one way you can be generous to others as God has been generous to you.
- Meditate on the mini-sermon in Psalm 62:8. Then, memorize verses 5-8.
- What – Trust in God
- When – At all times
- Who – O covenant people
- How – Pour out your heart in prayer
- Why – God is a refuge for all of us
- Start a prayer journal in which you can pour out your heart before God. Read Psalm 62 repeatedly with a pen in hand. Then, pray Psalm 62 back to God:
- O God, for you alone do I wait silently (v. 1).
- You alone are my Rock, my Salvation, and my Fortress (vv. 2, 6).
- The wicked only try to knock me down (vv. 3-4).
- But you alone are my Hope, my Refuge, and my Glory (vv. 5, 7).
- Therefore, I trust in you instead of man or money (vv. 8-10).
- For you are perfect in power, love, and justice (vv. 11-12).
[1] The Hebrew word (ak), translated “only” or “alone,” is repeated six times throughout Psalm 62 (vv. 1. 2, 4, 5, 6, 9).
[2] For the fourth time, David pictures God as his Salvation (vv. 1, 2, 6, 7).
[3] Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David: Volume 2, 58.
[4] “This is the only truly worthy representation of God. Power without love is brutality, and love without power is weakness. Power is the strong foundation of love, and love is the beauty and the crown of power” (J.J. Stewart Perowne, Commentary on the Psalms, 1:484).
