Bible Commentaries

FAITH TRIUMPHANT

‘He is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved.’

Psalms 62:2

This psalm is an expression of strong and experienced faith. Let us call it Faith Triumphant. It falls naturally into three parts of four verses each; and in the original each of these begins with the same particle, which, unfortunately, is either not translated in our versions, or rendered by different words. It means ‘Yes,’ ‘Surely,’ or ‘Verily,’ and expresses a conviction freshly acquired. This is the character of the entire psalm: it is a series of maxims hewn straight from life.

I. The silence of faith.—The psalm opens with the words, ‘Truly my soul waiteth upon God,’ but literally it should be ‘is silent unto God.’ Silence is sometimes very eloquent. When a vast audience is listening to a perfect singer, so that you can hear a pin drop, or waiting breathless for the sentences of an eloquent statesman, there is something in the depth of the stillness that goes beyond all words. So faith has its silence. It is not always silent. On the contrary, it sometimes cries aloud; it groans and complains; it argues and beseeches. In certain circumstances, faith may well have cried or groaned or argued; but these stages are past; and now it is silent before God. It lies before Him in perfect peace, confident that His will must overrule all. For (Psalms 62:2) He is a rock and a defence; and, therefore, says the child of faith, ‘I shall not be greatly moved.’

II. The instruction of faith.—Having attained to such a height he is seized with the spirit of a teacher. And first he begins with instructing himself.

The Psalmist, however, also instructs others (Psalms 62:8). He appeals to the people, and exhorts them to trust in God at all times and pour out their heart before Him. It is the natural way of experience to overflow into testimony; and when the soul has attained rest itself, it naturally seeks to assist the struggling.

III. The alternatives to faith.—In this last section the Psalmist contrasts faith in God with the other refuges in which he was tempted to put his trust. These were men (Psalms 62:9) and money (Psalms 62:10). At least, these are the examples which he gives; and perhaps they are the commonest of all substitutes for God. To one in David’s position it would naturally seem a great thing to have men’s alliance; but he had tried them and found them wanting. Mean men are vanity, and great men are worse—they are a lie; they make greater promises, but all the worse is the disappointment of those who trust in them. Weigh either, or both together, in the balance as against God, and, says he, they are lighter than nothing; and he could hardly use a stronger phrase. This is a word for all times: by any one who has a great cause—who is fighting for Christ’s cause—democracy and aristocracy are alike to be distrusted; God alone is the watchword.

So we come back to the wisdom of the man of God. Once, he says, he has heard, yea, twice—that is, it has been borne in on him again and again as a Divine truth—that ‘power belongeth unto God.’ This is the end of the whole matter; this is the resource that will avail in every difficulty, which will last through time and through eternity. ‘Also,’ he adds, ‘unto Thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy.’ A God of almighty power and, at the same time, of infinite love and sympathy—this is the object of our trust.

Illustration

‘There is a silence which is not that of fright, of pain, of despair, of defiance, but as that of the soul in prayer, and of the heart trusting God, means simply the silence of lamentation, yet in accordance with its nature is the quiet of resignation and the depth of peace in a soul directed towards God, relying upon God, and quieted in God. Such a condition of soul, however, arises only from an unconditional, entire, and exclusive submission to God; and this is not only the single act of yielding to God, but the uninterrupted giving of oneself in order to be in entire safety in God. In order to such an experience in life amid manifold temptations, there is necessary on the one side the help of prayer, in order to be more deeply rooted in God, and constantly renewed in submission to Him, on the other side, the comforting, refreshing, warning promises, in order to keep our own souls awake.’

WAITING UPON GOD

‘My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him.’

Psalms 62:5

I. The inward man.—‘My soul’—where the resolve, desires, affections take their rise. That which sways the outer. The man rules the circumstances, the soul rules the man—two kingdoms, one within another.

II. The attitude of the soul.—Waiting, not simply tarrying. ‘Wait upon a gentleman.’ Look towards. Then this word ‘only.’ Get away from self-dependence, from reliance on men or means—‘only upon God.’

III. The Divine object of the soul’s hope—God.—Think Who He is (attributes); think what He has done; think of His words (of promise).

IV. The reason of confidence.—There is expectation which means anticipated help. It is coming then. Two meanings—It is from Him who gives us hope. It is on Him, on Whom the whole is placed. Expectation, i.e. the thing expected.