For the director of music. For Jeduthun. A psalm of David.
Truly my soul finds rest in God;
my salvation comes from him.
Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I shall never be shaken.How long will you assault me?
Would all of you throw me down –
this leaning wall, this tottering fence?
Surely they intend to topple me
from my lofty place;
they take delight in lies.
With their mouths they bless,
but in their hearts they curse.Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
my hope comes from him.
Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I shall not be shaken.
My salvation and my honour depend on God;
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
Trust in him at all times, you people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.Surely the lowborn are but a breath,
the highborn are but a lie.
If weighed on a balance, they are nothing;
together they are only a breath.
Do not trust in extortion
or put vain hope in stolen goods;
though your riches increase,
do not set your heart on them.One thing God has spoken,
(Ps. 62:1-12 NIV)
two things I have heard:
‘Power belongs to you, God,
and with you, Lord, is unfailing love’;
and, ‘You reward everyone
according to what they have done.’
The Psalmist expresses his deep satisfaction with the Lord. When we think of the frenetic activity of the Psalmist and the battles that he engaged in, the idea of rest would be precious in his mind. To rest in God alone suggests tranquillity and serenity. To be able to escape the hustle and bustle of life and even our own emotional unrest and be at restful peace in the presence of God is a precious moment. We come to God and to no other because only God has the words of salvation. There is no other reliable rock, no other source of salvation, God alone is my fortress. In God’s presence I will never be shaken by life’s events.
In the Lord the Psalmist is strong; on his own he is like a wall that leans over and is about to topple, or a fence that is about to collapse. The enemy see his vulnerability. Humanly speaking the Psalmist is a ‘pushover’, but in the presence of the Lord he is invincible. The enemy are those who are close by. They speak words of blessing, but in their hearts, they curse the Psalmist. They speak lies to him and to others about him, the truth is not in them. Only faith in the Lord can overcome this enemy. The Psalmist repeats the earlier theme of rest in God alone. Why repeat the theme in the same words? Repeating a theme helps to confirm the idea in our hearts and minds. If you think of the many themes in Scripture that are repeated, you will realise how important this is for us. We need constant reminders of the love and mercy of God because we so easily become downhearted. The confidence in the Lord that the Psalmist expresses, he now commends to a wider audience. He encourages others to trust in the Lord. That is something we should do. When we are blessed, we should share that blessing with others, not with the idea of promoting ourselves but rather seeking to help others.
The Psalmist advises us not to put our trust in people. The lowborn are those with little wealth and are needy. How could we put our trust in this type of person who has little resources? Some people depend upon building a network of people that they can help. It is the need to be needed. We should be willing to help those who are in need, but we should not build our significance by helping others. We should not put our trust in the highborn, because it would be a lie to think that they could help. If we were to weigh the help that we could get from either lowborn or highborn, it wouldn’t even register on the scales. Quite often riches are gained through dishonest means, but even if riches are acquired honestly, you should not set your heart on riches, because they will not deliver you in your hour of need.
V11 is a bit unusual to our ears, but this is called a numerical sequence which is commonly used in Wisdom literature. Two examples from Proverbs.
There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him:
(Prov. 6:16 NIV)
…”There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, ‘Enough!’:
(Prov. 30:15 NIV)
The Lord is strong and loving. The Lord expects covenant obedience from His people, and the Lord will reward His people for their faithfulness.
Prayer
Lord help us to realise how much we should depend on Your presence with us. Help us to appreciate other people and the help that we can receive from them, but preserve us from placing too much dependence on others to the neglect of our dependence on You. Lord You are our rock and fortress, we are weak without You, and can do all things through Christ who gives us strength. Draw us near to Your presence for we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.