My salvation and my honor depend on God. Christ is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in Him at all times, you people. Pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our safe place to hide! (Psalm 62:7-8)
U.S. History
On July 4, Americans celebrate the Declaration of Independence, adopted by the original thirteen colonies in 1776. The document stated the principles for which the Revolutionary War was fought. These ideals are under attack right now, but should remain fundamental to our nation. The colonies resolved to be free and independent, no longer under allegiance to King George of England or any human king.
Political independence from Great Britain was courageous, but now is a good time for Christians to declare our dependence upon God! Just as the stakes were high for the colonies, they are high for every person who decides to follow Jesus or reject Him. Believers swear lifetime allegiance to Christ as our King, and we need Him for everything. Apart from God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), we are defenseless, poor, and vulnerable, so we count on the Lord to sustain us in this world and in the world to come. The whole Bible teaches this, and Psalm 62 expresses that wonderfully.
Here’s my outline of the Psalm: True Help…
- Comes from King Jesus Alone (Verses 1-4)
- Is Available from King Jesus at All Times (Verses 5-8)
- Is Given by King Jesus Sovereignly (Verses 9-12)
I will address the first two points in this post and the last point and more practical implications in the next post.
True Help Comes from King Jesus Alone (Verses 1-4)
The Hebrew word for salvation in verse 1 is yeshuah, from which Jesus’ name is derived. It means deliverance, help, welfare, prosperity, security, and victory. It means God saves His people from sin, Satan, and all kinds of troubles. He doesn’t just bring us to Heaven at the end. The Lord helps and walks with us all through this life. Psalm 2:12 says: “Blessed are all who take refuge in the Son of God.” So I interpret Psalm 62 as pointing to Jesus the Messiah.
Verses 1 and 2 say: “Truly my soul finds rest in God. My salvation comes from Him. Truly, He is my rock and my salvation. He is my fortress. I will never be shaken.”
David did not write in easy times. Enemies were assaulting him. They tried to kick him down like a rickety fence. They told lies about him and backstabbed him, so David appealed to God, his faithful Creator and Savior. We must do the same when we are afflicted, attacked, rejected, or ridiculed. We run back to God our Father by faith. He takes notice of every event in our lives, and He will not leave the guilty unpunished.1 “The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.” 2 Jesus protects us like the apple (pupil) of His eye and hides us in the shadow of His wings.3 Believers are super-safe in Christ.
David calls Jesus “my rock” in verses 2, 6, and 7. He’s thinking of Deuteronomy 32:4, written 400 years earlier. Moses says, “Oh, praise the greatness of our God! He is the Rock, His works are perfect, and all His ways are just.” In ancient times, large stones were used as foundations for buildings, and rocks symbolized strength, stability, and durability.
Jesus may have also had Deuteronomy 32 in mind when He told His parable of “The Wise and Foolish Builders” in Matthew 7. Christ says that the foolish man built his house on sand, and when floods and storms beat against that house, it caved in with a crash. Jesus says that’s what happens to people who hear God’s words and do not practice them. The Lord urges us to be wise and build our lives on His solid rock foundation. The storms of life will beat against us also, but we will not crumble. Jesus says we will survive and thrive when we hear God’s words and trust and obey Him.
In 1965, Bob Dylan released the song entitled “Like a Rolling Stone.” It speaks of a person who leaned on their own beauty, position, and wealth and trusted the wrong people. After things go wrong, the chorus asks: “How does it feel? To be on your own, with no direction home, a complete unknown, like a rolling stone?” In 1976, Christian songwriter Larry Norman released a song called “The Rock That Doesn’t Roll.” The chorus says: “Jesus is good for the body and great for the soul. He is the Rock that doesn’t roll.”
Psalm 62 and the whole Bible call us to depend on Christ as the only safe way to make it through this broken world. We must be joined to Him and walk with Him by faith as His precious sons and daughters. Then we can be still and rest in Christ. Jesus’ followers have peace knowing that He has the final say over our lives, not human or Satanic opposers.
When we read “enemies” or “attackers” in the Bible, Christians can be encouraged that God protects and delivers us from our spiritual enemy, the devil, who is called “the accuser.” Satan attacks us, bringing us shame and self-hatred. He works to distance us from the Lord. God the Holy Spirit does the opposite. He brings us godly sorrow for our wrongdoing and helps us leave our sins and return to God and His ways.
True Help Is Available from King Jesus at All Times (Verses 5-8)
Verses 5-6 are similar to verses 1-2, as David reminds himself that Jesus is a faithful Savior.
- He provides food to those who fear Him.4
- He receives all who seek Him.5
- He hears and answers our prayers.6
- He guides us all through our lives.7
- He forgives us and purifies us from all unrighteousness if we confess and forsake our sins.8
After David remembers Christ’s faithfulness for himself, he goes on to encourage others. Verses 7-8 say, “My salvation and my honor depend on God. He is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in Him at all times, you people. Pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our safe place.”
David calls Christ his refuge or fortress four times in this Psalm, a strong defensive structure where people run in dangerous times. Martin Luther wrote his most famous hymn in 1527, one of the worst years of his life.9 Battles were raging, Luther fought extreme sickness and intense depression, and the bubonic plague had come to Wittenberg, Germany. Many people evacuated, but Luther stayed to minister to others. How did he do that?
Luther remembered the Bible’s truth that the Lord Jesus is not only our reliable refuge but also our compassionate Elder Brother, eager for us to ask, seek, and knock on His door for help. He remembered the truth of Psalm 57:1, “Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me, for in You I take refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of Your wings until the disaster has passed.”
I quote Hebrews 4:16 often and happily do it again: “Let us approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” John Newton reminds us: “You are coming to a King, large petitions with you bring, for His grace and power are such none can ever ask too much.” Let us pray big prayers, beloved, attempt great things for God, relying on Him and laboring in His strength.10
Depending on Christ honors Him and is good for us. “Blessed and happy are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence.”11
To be continued. You can read Our Declaration of Dependence (Part 2)
Notes (various Bible translations): 1 Exodus 34:7. 2 1 Chron 16:9. 3 Psalm 17:8. 4 Psalm 111:5. 5 Deut 4:29. 6 John 14:14. 7 Psalm 48:14. 8 1 John 1:8-10; Prov 28:13. 9 See “The Weak Man Behind a Mighty Fortress” by Mark Galli, Christian History Institute Issue #39, 1993. 10 Eph 3:20-21. 11 Jer 17:7.
Extra note: Bob Dylan (born Robert Allen Zimmerman in 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. He is one of the greatest songwriters of all time and has been popular since the early 1960s. His lyrics incorporate political, social, and philosophical themes. In 2022, Dylan reaffirmed his religious outlook and said, “I read the Scriptures a lot (including the Five Books of Moses and the Pauline Letters), meditate, and pray.” (The Wall Street Journal, Dec 19, 2022)