Trusting God Alone, Part I
TRANSLATION
(H) For the director of the choir, (namely) for Jeduthun, a psalm of David. (1) In God alone my soul (waits) in silence. From him (comes) my salvation. (2) He alone (is) my rock and my salvation, my stronghold. I will not be greatly shaken. (3) How long will you attack a man to murder him, all of you, like a leaning wall, a tottering fence? (4) They surely plan to thrust him down from his high position. They take delight in lies. With their mouths they bless, but inwardly they curse. (Selah) (5) In God alone wait in silence, O my soul, for my hope (is) from him. (6) He alone (is) my rock and my salvation, my stronghold. I will not be shaken.
OBSERVATIONS
Five out of the first six verses of Psalm 62 as well as verse 9 begin with the same Hebrew word, “ak.” When used with God’s name, the word means “alone,” (vss. 1, 2, 5, & 6). When used with the activity of human beings, it conveys a different meaning, “surely” (vss. 4 & 9).
At first glance, verses 5 & 6 seem to be a word-for-word echoing of verses 1 & 2 with several word repetitions including “God” (vss. 1 & 5), “salvation” (vss. 1, 2, & 6), “my soul” (vss. 1 & 5), “silence” (vss. 1 & 5), and the phrases, “my rock and my salvation, my stronghold” as well as "I will not be shaken” (vss. 2 & 6). However, upon closer examination, we discover two subtle differences. First, the mood of the verb changed. The indicative, “my soul waits” (vs. 1), was transformed into a command to oneself to wait on God (vs. 5). Also, the modifier “greatly” (vs. 2), was dropped (vs. 6) to enhance the sense of the psalmist’s complete confidence in God’s protection.
OUTLINE
I. Statement of faith: my soul waits on God. (1 & 2)
II. Setting where faith is tested: I am besieged by my enemies. (3 & 4)
III. Self-exhortation to faith: wait on God, O my soul. (5 & 6)
IDEA STATEMENT
Only after being tested by the adversities of life do we learn to put our faith in God alone.
APPLICATION
Turning theory into reality is what takes place when we undergo the trials that life inevitably brings our way. David professed that he trusted in God alone (vss. 1 & 2). However, only after facing hostility from enemies who were bent on destroying him (vss. 3 & 4) did he learn what it meant to depend fully on God (vss. 5 & 6). Having no other place to turn compels us to cast ourselves completely on Yahweh’s mercy.
When the military prepares new recruits, it puts them through boot camp, training exercises, war games, any number of battle simulations to get them ready for what they will inevitably face as soldiers. However, those who have experienced actual combat testify that there are no preparations, no training exercises, that can fully reproduce the realities of actual battle. Only when faced with a real enemy, firing real ammunition, with death as a real possibility, does a recruit become a genuine soldier.
The same holds true for spiritual conflict. James told his readers to welcome adversity with this statement: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds” (Jas. 1:2). What was James’ reason for saying this? He knew from experience that only when our faith is strengthened by testing in actual life situations will we become spiritually mature so that we are ready to face whatever may happen. It is when we endure adversity that our theory turns into reality, our profession into possession. Being under the gun is never pleasant, but it the only way to become fully dependent on the one who has promised never to leave us nor forsake us. We will only learn to trust in God alone when all we have is God alone.