Scripture Reading: Psalm 62

To the chief musician to Jeduthun in the 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 waits 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. 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. Do not trust in oppression, nor vainly hope in robbery. If riches increase, do not set your heart on them. God has spoken once, twice I have heard this, that power belongs to God. Also to you, O Lord, belongs mercy, for you render to each one according to his work.

Opening Prayer

Let’s seek the Lord’s blessing on this, His Holy Word. O gracious God in heaven, we do rejoice and give thanks for your word. We know it is our only infallible rule for faith and life, and as we come to this passage, when we come to this psalm, we pray that you would help us to see the truth that is here, and that your spirit would, as it goes forth with your word, would apply that truth to our hearts, bearing great and abundant fruit for your glory. All to the praise of your name, we ask for your blessing upon your word. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.

Introduction: The Challenge of Contentment

Being content is certainly challenging. Contentment means not only that you’re satisfied with what you’ve been given, but it also means that you remain calm, cool, and confident, even when everything around you is seemingly out of control. Because at the root of contentment is the acknowledgement of the sovereignty of God. That He is ultimately in control of all things and so we simply put our trust in Him to work out all the details of His perfect plan and purpose.

But this isn’t as easy as it sounds. Most people, when they’re faced with danger, difficulty, or uncertainty in their lives, they quickly reach for the panic button as if they had no solid foundation upon which to stand, and certainly many don’t. Unfortunately, this can even be true for Christians, for those who actually do have a solid rock upon which we can stand during such times. It’s so easy to forget our sure foundation and to quickly revert to what comes most naturally to us, being overwhelmed with fear and clamoring about hysterically wondering how we’re going to survive.

We need some sort of jolt in order to then refocus our attention on the truth upon which we stand. We need something that will help us to regroup and collect our thoughts and to help restore contentment and trust in what the Lord is doing. We need something like Psalm 62, where David gives those whose hope and trust is in the Lord an example of steadfast contentment during danger. Rather than floundering around with panic and fear, David in this psalm challenges us to find contentment by being calm, by staying cool, and by standing confident regardless of what’s going on in our lives and in the world around us. And the first challenge that we’re given here and so we need to be content by remaining calm as we wait upon the Lord.

Remaining Calm as We Wait Upon the Lord (Verses 1-2)

This is what David is doing here as he boldly asserts in verse 1, truly my soul silently waits for God. He calmly and quietly, not loudly and hysterically, he calmly and quietly is waiting for the Lord. Now we don’t know the circumstances in which David is writing this psalm. The description of his enemies here in verses 3 and 4 could really fit any number of situations in his life. But this lack of specifics actually helps us to better identify with David because of the variety of dangerous, challenging, and troubling situations that we may find ourselves in.

But we may wonder, well, what’s David waiting for? Well, the obvious implication is that he’s already made his prayer and petition to the Lord, as he does in so many other psalms, perhaps a plea for help and mercy. But now he patiently, calmly, and quietly waits for God’s response. See, David knows that God is faithful and that the Lord will deliver him. He just doesn’t know when that help or deliverance is going to come. And so he truly and silently waits for God.

The word truly or only, as some translations here have, is significant because David uses it to start six of the first eight verses. And it not only denotes exclusivity, that is, David is waiting for no one else but God alone. But it also expresses a certainty. Truly. Sincerely, he is waiting for God. Such sincere and determined waiting and patience is an expression of true faith. True faith is simply trusting in God and God alone to do and accomplish what he’s purposed to do and accomplish.

Obviously, we know trusting in yourself or in someone else instead of God isn’t true faith. Neither is adding trust in God to your trust in yourself or your trust in others, because both of those are going to disappoint. No, true faith, as the Bible describes, is exclusive, and we acknowledge that we can’t save ourselves and that no one else can save us. Only God is able and willing, and so we trust Him. Trusting God fully and completely in this way, that was hard. It’s hard because we so often want to put our trust into something or into someone that we can see or touch. We want to trust in a plan that we’ve gone over and that we pre-approved so that there aren’t any unexpected surprises.

But true faith is when we trust in God’s power to deliver us. When we trust in His perfect plan without knowing all the details. And when we calmly, quietly trust in his perfect timing to reveal it all to us, no screaming, no yelling, no complaining, no huffing and puffing, no wringing of the hands, no panic and no hysteria, but a content, calm faith in God and God alone. Truly may God give us such a faith.

Of course, David is able to express such faith and contentment because God has revealed himself to David through his word and through his spirit. Only because of what David knows to be true can he be content and calm. And so what’s the truth upon which he’s basing his calm and resolute faith? Well, we see several truths in verses, the second part of verse one and verse two. It says, from him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation. He is my defense. I shall not be greatly moved.

And so David is here emphasizing the vital importance of a faith that is rooted in sound doctrine. And we know that some, even in the church today, will shun the very thought of doctrine. Instead, they favor an emphasis on experience or feeling saying that it isn’t what you need to know that it’s important, but it’s just how you feel and what you experience. And you allow that to guide you in your faith. But friends, this is foolish because we know that feelings and emotions change and experiences will vary. You can’t build your faith upon such an unreliable foundation. If you do, it’s surely going to collapse when the storms of life begin to beat down upon you.

And so doctrine rooted in the sure, unmovable standard of God’s Word is what will be most helpful during such turbulent times. And so note the exclusive truth claims or the doctrine which David rests in here. First, he is asserting that in God alone is salvation. Now we know that throughout the Bible, this great truth is asserted. In fact, it’s the promise God gives in Genesis 3:15 when he promises to raise up the seed of the woman to crush the head of the serpent. It’s the promise that’s sung about in Psalm 3 verse 8, salvation belongs to the Lord. And it’s the truth that’s fully revealed in Jesus’ own exclusive truth claim when he declares in John 14, I am the way and the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father but through me.

Because of our sin, we know we can’t save ourselves. We’re not saved by our works because our works are nothing but filthy rags. We’re not saved by our wills because we know that our wills are bound to sin. We’re not saved by our flesh because we know that our flesh has been corrupted by sin. The doctrine we build our faith upon is that in God alone, through Jesus Christ, is our salvation. Secondly, we see that in God alone is sure protection. That God is our rock. Remember, many times in David’s life, when he was on the run from Saul and other enemies, that the rocks of the wilderness, David often found within those rocks protection and defense. And so this becomes an easy description for him to use to speak of God. But David always knew that his one sure defense wasn’t the actual rocks that he was hiding behind. Wasn’t the caves that he was hiding in. But it was the rock that was higher than him. It was Jesus Christ who is for us that sure and certain rock.

Standing by faith on Christ is our only hope against the daily assaults of the evil one. Because we know that Christ has gained the victory over him. And so we stand firmly on that solid rock of Christ where there is protection. Thirdly, David asserts that in God alone is strength. Because of our sinful nature, again, we’re weak, we’re helpless, and we’re easily overcome by Satan’s snares and temptations. But God, through Jesus Christ, provides us with strength. He provides strength of life, having delivered us from death. He provides strength to resist temptation, and He provides daily sustaining grace and strength to face whatever troubles we may face in any given day. And He renews that grace and strength for us each and every morning. And the final doctrinal truth that David asserts here is that in God alone we will endure. David speaks of the all sufficient grace, which is ours through Jesus Christ, that enables us to endure all things. He says, I shall not be greatly moved. Now I want you to note carefully the word greatly, because at this point, David isn’t denying that he will be beaten and battered by his enemies. He isn’t saying that trouble will never come his way. After all, he’s in the midst of trouble right now. But he won’t be so moved or shaken that he will fall and tumble from the rock upon which he stands. The storms of life will come, and the floodwaters will rise, but he won’t be overcome or destroyed by them. Because by God’s grace, he knows that he will endure. Beloved God, these doctrinal truths and the assurances that we have of God’s care for us will enable us to be content by staying calm in the midst of our troubles.

Staying Cool Under Pressure (Verses 3-8)

The second challenge that we’re faced with in this psalm is seeking contentment by staying cool or keeping our cool. This is certainly a great, again, challenge for many, even for the believer in Christ who is increasingly assaulted by various troubles. You see, it’s easier, for example, to go into a situation set on keeping your act together and being content, right? We know, okay, this is going to be difficult. I’m going to go through it and I’m going to face it and it’s going to be fine. I’m going to be hanging on to Jesus the whole time. That’s fine. As long as the trouble doesn’t last for too long.

But as time goes on, as God seemingly delays in answering our prayers, as the situation around us might intensify, we know that contentment can be put to the test. We’ll be unable to keep it together and stay cool despite the rising temperature of the situation. That’s the challenge. And it’s what we see happening here as David now describes his situation and those who are assaulting him. Speaking to them, to these oppressors, he questions, how long will you attack a man? You shall be slain, all of you, like a leaning wall and a tottering fence.

Now, the second phrase here in this verse is perhaps better understood as David describing the thoughts and attitudes of the oppressors rather than him giving a warning of their end. Since David, again, is the one who’s currently in this vulnerable position. And so a better translation would be, how long will you attack a man that you may murder him, all of you, like a leaning wall and a tottering fence? You see, his oppressors are relentless. And one reason the relentless is because they sense his weakness. They know at least from a very human standpoint that he’s powerless. They know how easy it will be to take him out. They see him as a wall that’s barely standing or a fence that’s on the verge of collapse. He’d be easily overcome if they would just apply just a little more pressure.

In verse 4, David describes their character. He said, they delight in lies. They bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. And so his enemies aren’t only relentless in their plots, but they’re unstable and unpredictable. And he doesn’t know what they’re going to do next and how they’re going to assault him. They surrounded him. Now, so far, it seems as though he’s withstood their assaults, but his enemies haven’t given up. They keep plotting, they keep planning, they keep attacking. How long is this going to go on before relief, help, and deliverance comes?

Friends, isn’t this often our struggle as well? Isn’t it often when we’re already weakened by some struggle or trial that it seems the assaults upon us are suddenly ramped up all around us? Indeed, this is how Satan operates. When we’re already weak. Maybe when we’ve been sick for a time or we’re weak in strength or we’re even weak in faith. And then suddenly, we begin to get overwhelmed with what seems like a relentless torrent of temptation and troubles and trials all coming down upon us all at once. See, Satan sees an already weakened fence. And so he’s trying to apply just a little more pressure in an attempt to bring it all tumbling down.

How can we be content and keep it all together when the intensity of our trials heats up and is pressing heavily upon us even harder? In verses 5 to 7, David strives for contentment by staying cool and reminding himself of his conviction and hope. In verses 1 and 2, David was boldly declaring and asserting his confidence as he gave a description of what his soul was doing. He says, truly my soul silently waits for God. He’s telling people, look, my soul is silently waiting for God. But now, in verses 5 and 6, we see him actually speaking to his soul. 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.

You see, he’s reminding himself, perhaps even arguing within himself, to hold on to what he knows to be true. He’s saying, look soul, you have to wait in silence for God. Don’t break, don’t falter, don’t give up. You know that my hope is from God alone. You know He is my only salvation, my protection, my strength, and my only hope to endure. You know these things. So, cling to these truths and wait in silence for God. Because He will answer. He will come to help at just the right time.

Friends, do you ever find yourselves doing this? When you’re wearied by the continued pressures and assaults that come your way, trying to argue with yourself, within yourself, to just keep trusting and keep hanging in there. Because you can’t just say at the beginning, look, okay, well, I’m gonna, I’m heading for this trial, I’m gonna remain steadfast regardless of the test and then be done with it. No, you have to remain vigilant. Because again, the temptations, the assaults are going to be coming rapidly and they’re going to be strong upon you. And this is exactly what Peter failed to do. Remember how Jesus warned the disciples that they would all flee from him. Remember how Peter boasted, well look, everyone else may flee, but I will not. I will never leave you. I will die with you if I have to. But because Peter didn’t remain vigilant, and heed Jesus’ warning, he stumbled over his own boastful words miserably.

And so we ought to be vigilant, especially during times of trial and uncertainty, because we don’t know how long those times are going to last. It may not be short. Maybe it will be. But maybe that trial is going to extend for days, weeks, months, years even. And so we must continually remind ourselves of God’s truth. Again, this shows us the importance of sound biblical doctrine. Because our experiences change. And our emotions are going to change as those experiences change. But the doctrine and the truth of God’s Word doesn’t change. And knowing the great doctrines of God’s truth gives us a foundation which we can repeatedly turn to during times of trouble. And this is what David does here. But note that there’s a further resolve, a resolve that seems to be even more certain than his initial calmness. He says, I shall remember when he said, I shall not be greatly moved. But now look, it has become, I shall not be moved at all. You see, he knows his faith will remain intact. He won’t be moved from the rock. And he further elaborates this resolve in verse 7 when he says, And God is my salvation and my glory, the rock of my strength, and my refuge is in God. And so he strings together these great truths and they establish him in his position before God. He’s reminding himself of these things. Yes, God is my salvation. God is my glory. God is my rock, my strength. He is my refuge. He is my everything. He is my only hope. His salvation rests fully in God’s hands. He knows there’s nothing that he can do to advance his situation. God is his rock, his strength, and his refuge. These are the great truths that he reminds himself of so that he can stay cool even though the assaults of the enemy continue on and pressing harder.

But David not only reminds himself of these things, but He now takes the opportunity to turn His distress really into a teaching moment, to remind others, even us, to do the same in the midst of our trials. He says in verse 8, Trust in Him at all times, you people. Pour out your hearts before Him. God is a refuge for us. He reminds the people of God that hope, salvation, strength, and deliverance aren’t just for Him, but they’re for all who believe and call upon the name of the Lord in faith. God is a refuge, not just for David, not just for the king, but for all people, for Jew and Gentile, for men and women, for slave and free, for young and old, for you and for me. Surely God is a refuge for each of us. Think about that. By calling all people to trust in the Lord, David is calling them to join in the confidence he now enjoys. He knows he isn’t the only one he suffers. You know, too often when we go through a trial or a difficult time, we could be tempted to just narrow the focus on ourselves and on our own suffering and affliction. But David here takes the opportunity of this trial to actually be a witness and an encouragement to others. He says, look, I’m going through this difficult time, and I’m remembering these things, but I want you to remember them as well. Remember the truths of God, that He is a sure and certain refuge for us, not just during times of trouble, but at all times. Whether it’s in joy or in sorrow, we ought to trust fully and completely in the Lord. Surely this is how you stay cool and regain contentment in the midst of trouble, even when the intensity increases. Pour out your hearts to God in prayer, and then calmly trust and wait for his help. And keep calm and stay cool, reminding yourself and others of what you know to be true. That God will hear your prayer and He’ll graciously give the help and the aid that you need at exactly the time that you need it. So during difficult times, we’re challenged to strive for contentment by being calm, by keeping cool.

Standing Confident in God’s Power (Verses 9-12)

And finally, we must stand confident in the power and strength of God and not in the power and strength of man. This is the assurance David now relates in verse 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. So David here is encompassing really all of mankind, regardless of their level of power and influence. When the pressure is on, they all will fail. They all will disappoint, that their strength is vanity and it quickly fades away. He says they’re light. That is, there’s nothing of substance that you can hold on to for security. In strength, in the strength and power of man, there is no hope of salvation or deliverance.

And this draws our attention back to David’s exclusive claim that his hope and trust is in God and God alone. Now, this doesn’t mean that David won’t use the means, the resources or even the manpower that God makes available to him. But he doesn’t place his trust in these things because only God will give the victory. David didn’t place his trust in the sling or the stone, which he used to kill Goliath. His trust was in the Lord. The mighty God of Israel. And it’s the Lord who gave him the victory, not the little stone.

And again, we know this can be challenging for us. God has provided for us a tremendous resource for our help and encouragement, maybe in our spouses, in our parents, in our friends, in our children, in one another, as brothers and sisters in Christ. We must acknowledge that these resources, as wonderful as they are, are all fallible, and they’re weak, and they’re imperfect. They can be of help, certainly. But at different times, in different ways, they all will fail us. They’ll all disappoint us. They’ll all be insufficient to give us all that we truly need. And so we ought not to put our trust for deliverance and salvation in them but put our trust and faith in God who graciously gave them to us. We must stand confident in God alone. He will help us. He will sustain us. He will deliver us.

Finally, David again reminds us to stand confident in the revelation of God’s word and not in our own schemes. Verse 10, do not trust in oppression nor vainly hope in robbery. If riches increase, do not set your heart on them. See, when we’re going through trials and we’re being put to the test, we’re going to be tempted to look for the easy way out, to find a quick fix or to our pain and suffering. Even if it means sinning against God. If it means putting our suffering to an end, well then we’re gonna be tempted to do it. And so oppression and robbery here are just given as examples that represent really a whole host of temptations that Satan may bring our way. But we must acknowledge that these will only cause us to fall deeper into distress. They will not help us.

Instead, we ought to stand confident in the truth of God’s revelation. Specifically, in verses 11 and 12, David mentions God’s power. Power belongs to God. You see, God is the almighty creator of heaven and earth. He is the sovereign over all things. He alone has the power to help to turn back our enemies and to deliver us once and for all. And secondly, we ought to stand confident in God’s covenant love, that is, His mercy. He says, also to you, O Lord, belongs mercy. God has made a covenant of grace with his people, a covenant that declares to us God’s great love and care for us, and assures us that God will go to great lengths to save and secure his people.

Friends, think about this. If God so loved you when you were wretched and sinful and rebelling against him, that he would send his only beloved son to die for your sins. Do you really think he’s going to allow you to be destroyed by earthly troubles? I don’t think so. Thirdly, we should stand confident in God’s justice. He says, for you render to each one according to his work. We know ultimately that God is the righteous judge of all the earth. He won’t allow the wicked to go unpunished. He will justify his people, and on the last great day, he’ll destroy those who rise up against him. Surely we can stand confident in this great truth, that with God, there’s sure and certain justice.

Love of God, such firm confidence and contentment we can have and enjoy because of what Jesus Christ has done for us. Because of Christ, we can be content at all times as we remain calm amidst the trials that we faced in our lives, as we keep our cool when the enemy’s attacks is relentless, as we stand confident in the truth of God’s word. For in Jesus Christ alone is our salvation, our deliverance, our help, and our hope. Pour out your hearts to Him in prayer. Pour out your hearts to Him in prayer and wait in faith for His mercy and grace to come. And it will surely come to you, and it will come to you all to the glory and praise of His name alone.

Closing Prayer

Let’s pray. Gracious God and Heavenly Father, we rejoice and give thanks for the truth of your word and this reminder about how we can continue to strive for contentment, even in the midst of the challenges and the trials that we might face in our lives. And we know that there are many temptations around us. The assault of the evil one can be relentless. But may we remember these truths, may we just be calm, trusting in your sovereign power and your grace and your mercy and the promises of your word. May we just keep ourselves calm and cool knowing that you are truly with us as we remind ourselves of the truth of your word and we would stand confident in those promises that you give to us because they are sure and certain and that our salvation has already been secure that the victory has already been won because of what Christ Jesus has done for us graciously and abundantly.

And so we praise you and thank you for these things, oh Lord. We pray that you’d restore our hearts and our souls to true contentment, to true faith, that we might certainly be equipped to be faithful in glorifying and serving you in all that we do. We praise you and thank you. And we ask that you would impress these truths upon each of our hearts, drawing us all closer to yourself. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we pray.