Psalm 62:1-12
SS Lesson for 10/27/2024
Devotional Scripture: Lam 3:24-26
Songs have long been part of worship, in part because of their power to express our deepest hopes and fears while drawing us back to God. Perhaps the importance of songs in our relationship with God is best understood when we find ourselves in trouble, not knowing where to turn. At such times, songs like Psalm 62 affirm God’s power and love even as they help us express what we need to tell God. As prayers and songs, the Psalms give worshippers a voice. Sometimes it is the voice of lament (see Psalms 10; 13; 44; 77), and sometimes it is a voice of thanksgiving and praise (see Psalms 66; 107; 148). Lament prayers grieve suffering, and thanksgivings express gratitude. Psalm 62 is neither a lament nor a thanksgiving hymn, though it contains elements of both. Instead, this psalm can appropriately be called a confidence psalm. It expresses trust and hope in God in the middle of distress. Confidence psalms arise from an assured relationship with God. The psalmists are confident that God is their help and refuge. They trust in God’s power and goodness, and they hope in God’s faithfulness (compare Psalms 11; 23). The superscript of Psalm 62 identifies Jeduthun as the leader of the choir (1 Chronicles 16:41-42; 25:1-3; see Psalms 39; 77). He might have been someone like a songwriting partner to David (ruled about 1010-970 BC), who is identified as the writer of Psalm 62. Specific hardships are alluded to in the superscripts of David’s psalms. The power of poetry, especially set to song, is to allow not only the writer or singer to express themselves, fears, pain, trust, love, but also to speak for an audience in attendance. Psalm 62 invited Israelites to join the song, and it still does for us today.
My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him.
(Scriptural Text from the New King James Version; cross-references from the NIV)
1 Truly my soul silently waits for God; From Him comes my salvation.
2 He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved.
3 How long will you attack a man? You shall be slain, all of you, Like a leaning wall and a tottering fence.
4 They only consult to cast him down from his high position; They delight in lies; They bless with their mouth, But they curse inwardly. Selah
5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. 6 My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.
14 Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.
22 Do not say, "I'll pay you back for this wrong!" Wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you.
4 Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal.
31 For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God?
2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
22 All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.
15 But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.
5 My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him.
6 He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved.
7 In God is my salvation and my glory; The rock of my strength, And my refuge, is in God.
8 Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah
4 There is one body and one Spirit— just as you were called to one hope when you were called—
23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
16 'Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you. 17 I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them 18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'
16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
26 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.
9 The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.
2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
8 Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
9 Surely men of low degree are a vapor, men of high degree are a lie; If they are weighed on the scales, they are altogether lighter than vapor.
10 Do not trust in oppression, nor vainly hope in robbery; If riches increase, do not set your heart on them.
11 God has spoken once, twice I have heard this: That power belongs to God.
12 Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy; For You render to each one according to his work.
11 By faith Abraham, even though he was past age — and Sarah herself was barren — was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise.
19 So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.
29 for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable.
24 The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.
13 if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself.
16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."
17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
29 "You warned them to return to your law, but they became arrogant and disobeyed your commands. They sinned against your ordinances, by which a man will live if he obeys them. Stubbornly they turned their backs on you, became stiff-necked and refused to listen. 30 For many years you were patient with them. By your Spirit you admonished them through your prophets. Yet they paid no attention, so you handed them over to the neighboring peoples. 31 But in your great mercy you did not put an end to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.
45 for their sake he remembered his covenant and out of his great love he relented.
11 As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Verses 1-2
A literal translation of the first line would be, "My soul finds rest in God alone." That idea is the theme of this psalm (cf. Psalms 62:5). Rather than looking to other people for encouragement and security, David looked to God alone for these needs. He did this because he had discovered that God Himself was responsible for his deliverance. He had been a rock and stronghold for the psalmist in the past.
David expressed trust in the Lord in spite of opposition in this psalm of confidence. He contrasted the security that comes from trusting in God with the insecurity of hoping in human schemes. The background may be Absalom’s rebellion. [Note: Kirkpatrick, pp. 347-48.]
Verses 3-4
David marveled that wicked enemies tried to topple him, as though he were a leaning wall or flimsy fence. These enemies had resorted to deceitful words to accomplish their ends.
Verses 5-6
These verses repeat the idea of Psalms 62:1-2 with minor variations.
Verses 7-8
The psalmist acknowledged God as the basis of his salvation and glory; unless God had provided them David would have had neither of these blessings. Because of this, David urged his people to trust in Him always and to pour out their hearts to Him in prayer.
Verses 9-10
It is unwise to put one’s ultimate confidence in other people, whether they are of low or high position. The reason for this is that all human beings are comparatively insignificant. They are as transitory and ephemeral as a breath of wind (lit. vapor; cf. Psalms 39:5; Psalms 39:11; Psalms 144:4; Ecclesiastes 12:1; Ecclesiastes 12:7). Consequently the actions and products of human endeavor are poor objects in which to trust.
"The point, then, is not so much that we have nothing to fear from man (as in Psalms 27:1 ff.), as that we have nothing to hope from him." [Note: Kidner, p. 223.]
Verses 11-12
Human power is weak, but divine power is mighty. God’s loyal love is likewise great. He will distribute justice to everyone. Therefore it is important that human beings trust in God rather than in other people and their works.
People are constantly deciding whether to trust in what they can see. In this psalm David helps us see that God Himself is a much better person to trust than any mortal man. We should trust God, who remains faithful forever, because human beings pass away quickly.
(Adapted from URL:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/dcc/psalms-62.html)
Just as a song on the radio can feel like it was written for you at this exact moment in your life and expresses what you need to say, so too can psalms. Psalm 62 invites us to sing along with David and join him in his expression of confidence in God alone. Without identifying a specific situation in David’s life, the psalm becomes that much more accessible for any situation we might relate to the feelings expressed within. Whatever troubled David, we have our own troubles. David models for us how to face our own struggles even though our troubles are different from his. We surrender every circumstance to God because we not only know God’s strength and love, but we also know he will deal with evil and hold human beings accountable for their actions. Those who trust in God have nothing to fear; we fear neither God’s judgment nor the troubles that have swamped us. The God of power and mercy will do what is just and right. Without any further details, we can say with confidence only that David found himself in a turbulent situation. In the midst of it, the king still expressed supreme confidence in God. Sometimes joining David in song will mean singing praise to God, alone or with fellow believers. But other practices also nurture confidence in God, especially when misplaced faith in people falls apart. One example of pouring our hearts out to God (Psalm 62:8, above) could be reading the psalm as our own prayer. While doing so, we reflect on what we need from God, whether that is a change of circumstance or to strength to endure. We could also read the psalm as a way to listen for God (Psalm 62:11, above). Listening for him in all of Scriptures allows us to learn who he is, grasp what he desires for and from us, and build the relationship that he desires and we so desperately need. We must constantly and consistently open ourselves to the Word of God through listening to the reading of Scripture in community, studying Scripture in family and private moments, and memorizing Scripture. We devote time to mulling over the language of Scripture in order to listen to the voice of the Spirit so that we might come to know God and become like God in our conduct. In these ways and more, we must recenter ourselves on God to be reminded of his power and mercy. Only then will our confidence be found in God alone, and only then will we, too, have supreme confidence in who God is and what he is willing to accomplish because of his great love.