Psalm 62
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Our Confidence, Our Hope
Our Confidence, Our Hope
Welcome
1 For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. 2 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.
3 How long will all of you attack a man to batter him, like a leaning wall, a tottering fence? 4 They only plan to thrust him down from his high position. They take pleasure in falsehood. They bless with their mouths, but inwardly they curse. Selah
5 For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. 6 He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
7 On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. 8 Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah
9 Those of low estate are but a breath; those of high estate are a delusion; in the balances they go up; they are together lighter than a breath. 10 Put no trust in extortion; set no vain hopes on robbery; if riches increase, set not your heart on them.
11 Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God, 12 and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love. For you will render to a man according to his work.
Pray
Psalm- Place ourselves into it- past, present, future
Psalm of confidence-expressing faith in God. VV 1-2
Jeduthun- slide one of the three levitical chief singer in the time of David, along with Asaph and Heman.
A Psalm of David- experience, composed while the pressure was still intense.
Like PS 11, 16, and 23 this Psalm is a song of confidence by one who knows from personal experience that only in God, and always in God are assurance and security to be found.
God’s people sing this song to foster confidence in his care, especially as they are faced with people who use power and wealth to oppress them.
The structure is in two parts, 2-8 ‘’process of self assurance’’, and 9-12 ‘’instruction’’ both parts emphasize the firmness and protective strength of trust in God, they artfully joined together at the intersection of verse 8’’My Refuge is in God!
It seems the Psalmist lives peace with his enemies., but they have power to make his life difficult overall.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. 2 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.
Ak (HB)= only, alone- 6 verses carry this word.
God will preserve us in our stress
V1 Eloquent statement of trust in the God who alone can save him. Confident expression of faith.
Psalmist quietly waits for Him confident he will bring salvation.
wait in silence- trusts submissively and confidently as a servant.
He waits in silence to hear the response, we can’t listen when we complain.
So many times in my life I didn’t want to wait on God
Here is a confession of trust on God and an emphasis on the consequences of that trust. - hope
V2-My Rock= TSUR (HB) describes a secure location and emphasizes YHWH’s protection. A source of peace.
My salvation= yesh’ah (hb) salvation, or deliverance- refers to the liberation God provides from hazards.
Salvation comes from God, not man, anticipating Christ, who brings salvation in God incarnate.
The Old Testament anticipates Christ,
Slide........
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
My stronghold, describes a wall or rocky fortress, God is a stable protector.
NOT BE SHAKEN-Mot (hb) totter, shake up... lack of security and safety.
The Psalmist speaks of his soul and knows His God is victorious....the soul waits
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
3 How long will all of you attack a man to batter him, like a leaning wall, a tottering fence? 4 They only plan to thrust him down from his high position. They take pleasure in falsehood. They bless with their mouths, but inwardly they curse. Selah
He addresses his enemies and describes their wickedness but doesn’t identify them.
It shows the marks of growing confidence and clarity as it proceeds. ( we too should grow in confidence )
The secret that David learnt alone came from experience.
( God doesn’t fail us.)
This is an army against one man.
( It feels like the whole world is against us at times.(
They are trying to bring him down like a leaning wall, hostile army with battering rams to penetrate the fortress and pull down the wall as it’s leaning.
Evil, being ruthlessly competitive is attracted to weakness, to give a last push to whatever is leaning or tottering.
Evil is also attracted to strength V4, the target of its envy, to topple him from height. It is total contrast to the goodness which spares the bruised reed. When we are weak and you are strong.
Emphasizes their deceit, enjoying falsehood, they are hypocrites using words to cause ruin
The Psalmist speaks directly to his attackers, we know what the attacker wants.
He speaks of Lies and injustice
The World pursues and threatens from every side.
Life is full of conflicts and attacks, God neither dismisses the enemies nor chases the germ of violence from the human heart, it is a reality of life.
They pretend to bless but are cursing.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5 For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. 6 He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
Wait quietly before God before speaking.
Example of someone that only talks and never listens.
Reiterates his trust in God, proclaims his confidence
The military imagery is abandoned.
The psalmist repeats his opening words from 1-2 nearly verbatim, trusting God, waiting in silence.
It goes back to ‘’My Soul’’ V1 and V5- redemption, hope
’My Rock’’ V2 and 6
V2& V6- Not be moved- not at all, confidence has increased. ---HE ALONE----
7 On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. 8 Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah
Rock of my strength/strongest support,
MY GLORY- honor or reputation, more important than refuge
David fills his thoughts with God
V7 combines deliverance and honor, the goods that make human life, in relationship to God, ‘’Deliverance’’ and fellow human beings ‘’Honor’’ good and happy.
3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
V8 encourages the congregation to do the same, trust God
He stakes his reputation & salvation on trust in God
God as refuge, does not protect against the threats of enemies but proves reliable in crisis and challenge.
Asylum- God is Refuge for us! we are welcome in his camp- SELAH
V8. he is talking to his fellow worshipers in the temple, pour out your heart, confide in him all that is bothering you.
V1&5- wait in silence, V8 pour out your heart. one side is the disciplined matter of waiting with the expectancy of the other side, pouring out your heart.
Hannah and Job poured their hearts out, to give full expression to feeling.
15 But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord.
Eli thought she was drunk, but she was praying for a child.
16 “And now my soul is poured out within me; days of affliction have taken hold of me.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
9 Those of low estate are but a breath; those of high estate are a delusion; in the balances they go up; they are together lighter than a breath. 10 Put no trust in extortion; set no vain hopes on robbery; if riches increase, set not your heart on them.
Hevel (Hb)= Breath, Vanity, Idols
put trust in God, not in riches
V9 speaks of scale, one plate people, on other plate is placed the weight, but no matter how small the weight , the plate goes down.
HB= two phrases, sons of man.
Men are a vapor, it’s folly to put trust in them, they are weak.
Compared to God, no kind of man is reliable
Kazav HB= Deception V4 and V9, describing falsehood
Any human effort that doesn’t arise from true faith will fail to achieve lasting good.
SLIDE...
7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!
Don’t trust in man, trust in the son of man.
Jehovah Jireh
YAHWEH RAPHA- GOD WHO HEALS
V10, warning us not to trust in wealth, especially illegal, but if wealth does increase legally, don’t let it engross
When I was young, business, ideas, needed more, never satisfied.
We are set apart, not to bow to Baal, but to God.
Danger of comparing
Speaks against trying to secure your existence and improve ones life in power & recklessness.
Danger of having so much of a prospective and investment into this world, and missing the hope of the new one.
22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11 Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God, 12 and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love. For you will render to a man according to his work.
The Psalm uses a numerical saying, a literary device common in Wisdom Literature as he looks to God’s promises.
Intensifies the connection
A play with numbers - seen in Proverbs 30:18
18 Three things are too wonderful for me; four I do not understand:
Twice is indicate that the idea is sure, to God be both the power and the steadfast love in his faithfulness.
concludes by showing his confidence in God by noting His promises
. …we too must remind ourselves and each other of His promises.
By His power he can show both mercy and justice.
God is the one that can make people strong.
Man only pretends to have power
God’s trustworthiness
A persons work
Care comes form YHWH, enemies don’t notice.
6 He will render to each one according to his works:
A persons work shows whether his faith is real or counterfeit.
We all have a home- tents, holy mountain
It is what is inside, its prospective dust.
Ash Wednesday
V12 Steadfast love- by placing confidence in Christ we experience that love.
The Ps ends by David offering back to God in worship.
The Psalm ends with a prayer.
All power belongs to God
Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 1994 “God Only Is Great”
“God Only Is Great”
At the funeral of Louis XIV the great cathedral was packed with mourners paying final tribute to the king whom they all considered great. The room was dark, save for one lone candle which illumined the great solid casket that held the mortal remains of the monarch.
At the appointed time, Massilion, court preacher, stood to address the assembled clergy of France. As he rose, he reached from the pulpit and snuffed out the one candle which had been put there to symbolize the greatness of the king. Then from the darkness came just four words, “God only is great!”
—Homer J. R. Elford
May our hope be in God and God alone, the rock.
May we stand on Him and His promises.
May we wait on him and pour our hearts out to him daily
May we keep an eternal prospective, confidently keeping our work, identity, and source of power in Christ.