God Alone a Refuge from Treachery and Oppression.
For the choir director; [a]according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.
62 My soul waits in silence for God only;
From Him is my salvation.
2 He only is my rock and my salvation,
My stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken.3 How long will you assail a man,
That you may murder him, all of you,
Like a leaning wall, like a tottering fence?
4 They have counseled only to thrust him down from his high position;
They delight in falsehood;
They bless with [b]their mouth,
But inwardly they curse. [c]Selah.5 My soul, wait in silence for God only,
For my hope is from Him.
6 He only is my rock and my salvation,
My stronghold; I shall not be shaken.
7 On God my salvation and my glory rest;
The rock of my strength, my refuge is in God.
8 Trust in Him at all times, O people;
Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us. Selah.9 Men of low degree are only vanity and men of rank are a lie;
In the balances they go up;
They are together lighter than breath.
10 Do not trust in oppression
And do not [d]vainly hope in robbery;
If riches increase, do not set your heart upon them.11 [e]Once God has spoken;
[f]Twice I have heard this:
That power belongs to God;
12 And lovingkindness is Yours, O Lord,
For You recompense a man according to his work.
It’s one thing to believe that God alone is your salvation, your rock, your refuge and stronghold. It’s quite another to live it. There are plenty of things in our world that seem trustworthy, and certainly plenty that do not. Yet our minds can fool us into trusting in the latter, to trying to take a shortcut. It’s tempting for folks to rely on a get rick quick scheme, to seek power as if that were the end of all things.
Yet the more you get, the more you realize it doesn’t fulfill. David was king of all Israel, he had great wealth, a fantastic home, and many valiant men that looked up to him to lead. Still, he had to put his trust in God alone, to remember that all of this was a gift from God and could be gone in an instant. And then what? Just curse God and die, as Job’s wife once advised her husband?
No, the only sure thing is God, the only true power in this world is His. Only if we do what we do for him does it have any lasting value. As it says in verse 12, God is the one who rewards us. And though men might praise us or offer us great wealth, it is nothing if God is not in it. Set your heart upon Him, and leave the rewards to Him. Stick with God through thick and thin, and rest in His unfailing lovingkindness.