Today, Wednesday May 31
“He Only is My Rock…”
Psalm 62:1-8
To the Chief Musician. To Jeduthum. A Psalm of David
“Truly my soul silently waits for God; From Him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation; *He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved. How long will you attack a man? You shall be slain, all of you, Like a leaning wall and a tottering fence. 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
My soul, wait silently for God alone, For my expectation is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory; The rock of my strength, And my refuge, is in God. Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah
Spurgeon called Psalm 62 The “Only” Psalm! This is another of David’s psalms that could have been written on any number of occasions. It might have been written when David was fleeing from King Saul in his early years. Or it could have come out of the time David was in Hebron for seven years right after he was anointed king over the tribe of Judah and there was still conflict with the other eleven tribes of Israel from the north (2 Samuel 1-4). Some believe it was written when he was fleeing from his son Absolom who was seeking to kill him and take over the kingdom.
But whenever it was written, as David prays this prayer and writes this psalm, he shows us his remarkable faith as he rests in God alone (vv. 1, 2, 5, 6) and trusts Him to defeat the enemy and restore peace to the land. There are at least three powerful truths that emerge from his experience with the crisis surrounding that should encourage us to apply to our lives also.
One, that we can believe that God alone saves us (vv. 1-4). Second, that we can trust God alone encourages us (vv. 5-8). And third, that we can depend upon God alone to reward us (vv. 9-12). The word "only" or "alone" is found in verses 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6. David wants us to know that his faith isn't in God plus something else, but in God alone. Yes, God uses means to accomplish His work, and the same God who ordains the end also ordains the means, but our faith is in Him and not in the means.
David didn't argue with the enemy or try to tell God what to do; he simply prayed, trusted and waited, knowing that God would give him the kingdom in His good time. The images of God as "rock" and "fortress" remind us of Psalm 18:1-2. In verses 3-4, David is a humble man and sees himself as a bowing stone wall about to collapse and a tottering fence ready to fall down. These verses fit most clearly if indeed this is the time King Saul is seeking to throw him down from his high position on the mountain rocks (see 1 Sam. 24:14 and 26:20). But God was his strong tower! The enemy could threaten him, lie about him, and even assault him, and he would not lose the peace God put in his heart.
To wait in silence before the Lord is not idleness or inactivity. It is calm worship and faith, resting in His greatness and submitted to His will. It is preparation for the time when God gives the orders to act (Psalm 18:30-45). David has moved from "I shall not be greatly shaken" (v. 2, ESV) to "I shall not be shaken" (v. 6, ESV). The greater the realization that God was his fortress, the greater the calmness in his heart. He was not depending on himself or his own resources but on the Lord God Almighty. His throne, his reputation, and his very life depended only on the faithfulness of the Lord.
Remember in yesterday’s chat from Psalm 61, David was praying and asking God to “lead me to the rock that is higher than I”. The Lord must have answered his prayer because here in the very next psalm twice David proclaims, “He only is my rock and my salvation…”, and adds, “The rock of my strength…”. My friend, this reminds us that Jesus Christ and the Gospel is our hope and the anchor of our souls. The Apostle Paul told us, “If indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard” (Colossians 1:23).
In Hebrews 6:18-20 we are assured: “That by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”
Today, we can safely put our entire trust in the Rock, Jesus Christ alone, as our hope and anchor of our souls so that we have no need to ever be shaken!
God bless!