12302023 Psalm 62 Meditations - Part 6

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of our great God as we close out this year and prepare to enter another. Thank God for all He has accomplished and that He knows all that is to come.

“Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah” (Psalm 62:8).

David has acknowledged the difficulty of his situation. He has looked to God alone as his source of deliverance. He has grown in his confidence and his trust. He has worshipped the one who has the power to save him. Now David turns his attention to encouraging others.

If my surmising about the setting of this psalm is accurate, David is speaking to those who are supporting him as he tries to remain on the throne. This could be addressed to the entirety of the loyal citizenry, or it could be spoken more specifically to the devoted servants who are with him in the midst of the conflict. These ones who have remained faithful are facing the threat right along with David. For some of them, that means risking their lives and facing the possibility of ruin.

David tells these people to do two things. The first thing is to trust God. The meaning is to go to God for refuge – not desperately or in a panic, but confidently, as to a familiar and comfortable place of safety. When can they do this? At all times. Such a sweeping, all-inclusive statement can lose its impact when we think of it only in a broad sense. Sure, I trust God all the time. But remember that “all times” includes THIS time! That might be the point that David is trying to drive home. These people trust God in general. They have trusted Him in the past. They have trusted Him in the easy times of life. They have trusted Him in lesser challenges.

All that is good, but what about this time? Right now, when it is hard? When danger and destruction lurk around every corner? When the vile enemy rears his ugly head? When there are no answers in sight? When the solution is not known? Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Trust God in THIS time! The most challenging times are not the times to give up. These are the times when God does His most amazing work and when the answers are most clearly His. There is no question that He is able to deliver this time also. There are no situations too hard for God.

David is speaking from experience. He knows that trusting God is a valid position to take. One of the most astounding realities in the Bible (and in history) is that the Jews have survived, in spite of all the attempts to wipe them out. David’s personal story is also pretty incredible. There is hardly a man who has faced the severity of threat that David faced. It was a threat that started as a young man (bears, lions, Goliath, Saul) and never seemed to end. He faced long-enduring threats from his own king, perils from foreign powers, insurrections from his own people, and rebellions from his sons - constantly. That he lived through it all is evidence of God’s constant deliverance. The king who has experienced the threats and the deliverance encourages others to trust God also, no matter what the situation.

The second instruction is to pour out their hearts to God. The word has undertones suggesting extravagance or extreme levels. It isn’t like an accidental spilling of milk; it is more of a full-out emptying of everything. It is the deliberate shedding of the lifeblood in a sacrifice, the presentation of an offering, the mounding up of the quantity spilled, the full expenditure, or the sprawling out caused by such a large quantity.

This isn’t, “Oh, yeah, I prayed today,” or “I ran through my prayer list.” This is the depths of the soul being expressed to God. This is the agony that springs up from the depths. It is the conflict that is so intricately entwined in the heart. It is the full range and honesty of emotion. It is the thoughts we are ashamed to think and the words we would never tell anyone else. It is the desperation when we see no answers and we must rely desperately on God. We can tell Him all that we feel and all that we need.

Both actions – trusting and pouring out - are possible because God is a refuge. He is a shelter and a place of hope. This is true both physically in terms of practical protection and internally in terms of support and care. That’s kind of what the two actions are about. The first has a tendency toward the external (deliverance), and the second has a tendency toward the internal (support). God does both, and He does them very well. David knew this. These instructions were not empty words for him. David could say this so confidently to others only because it was his powerful testimony.

In this coming year, may God be all that you need for every need that you have – just as He always has been. God bless.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

12232023 Psalm 62 Meditations - Part 5

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of the God who is more than we can imagine. Thank God that He allows us to continue to learn of him.

“My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God” (Psalm 62:5-7).

Verses 5-6 are almost identical to verses 1-2. It seems the value lies in thinking about why they are repeated and also in noticing how they are different. I believe the repetition is more deliberate and meaningful than simply being an echoed refrain. There is a reason why these words are stated again, and there is a reason for the slight variations.

I think the primary reason for the repetition has to do with where David’s thoughts have just been. He just spent two verses describing the fierce attack by the enemy. After thinking about the threat, he needs to return to stabilizing truth. When problems arise in life, whether they be the one big thing that is the current monster, or whether they be the combination of smaller, yet troubling, things, it is natural and inevitable that we will think about them. We can’t ignore them, since we are constantly dealing with the ramifications. We are continually needing to make decisions about them. They are a very real part of life. On the other hand, constantly dwelling on the problems will wear down our spirit and deplete our strength. We can’t stay too long in the realm of the problem without remembering the Deliverer. Our thoughts have to turn back to God. That is what David does. After reviewing the very real and dangerous threat, he turns his mind back to God, back to the same truths and reassurances with which he started. This truth had not changed.

One difference in the wording is that in v. 1, he opened with a declaration: “My soul waiteth upon God.” In v. 5, it is a self-admonition: “My soul, wait thou only upon God.” The verb “wait” is a different word but sharing the same root and meaning – to rest in silence. The word “only” is added, although apparently some manuscripts also include it in v. 1, and it is certainly implied in both places and prominent throughout the psalm. In essence then, the difference is that the second time, David gives an instruction to himself, rather than merely making a statement. As previously stated, this is a necessary adjustment after thinking about the problem. The battle in his soul is not completely settled, especially after he considers the problem, so he has to tell himself once again to rest in God for his salvation.

I believe vs. 5-6, while they are an admonition and a reminder, go even deeper than that. At the beginning David asserted his trust in God. Not to minimize that declaration, but in the beginning of a trial, it is relatively easy to glibly, although sincerely, state, “I will trust God in this.” It’s different when the trial persists. It’s one thing to say we will trust when we don’t yet know what that will mean, when the trial looms in front of us, threatening, yet somewhat anemic, because its ferocity is unknown. When we have persisted in the trial, we realize how sharp the teeth are, how hot the flames are, how harsh the blows are. This is no longer an unknown or an idea; it is reality and a punishing onslaught.

When we reach this stage of the trial, we need to come back to a renewed resolution that we will continue to wait on God, even now that we realize more what that means. With a fuller understanding of what the situation really is, we resolve that we will still trust. We weren’t just saying that when it was easy; we really determine to do it, and we really mean it. Such a declaration at this stage of the game reveals a depth and profundity to our resolve. Our trust in God is more meaningful. It is experiential; we have been doing it, and we have found Him to be sufficient.

The biggest change is in the second clause. Instead of “From him cometh my salvation,” David says, “My expectation is from him.” A different word is used. Previously, God was his source of salvation, or deliverance. The new word is really more of an emotion-based word than a fact-based one. It has to do with expecting, hoping, or longing. The word actually refers to a cord that would attach two things. David has tied himself to God. In one sense, this reveals David’s lack of strength. He cannot stand or move on his own. His hope lies in being tied to God, which allows him to be suspended when he cannot stand, lifted up when he cannot rise, and carried along when he cannot walk. David may not be capable of much, but as long as he is tethered to God, he has hope that he will continue to be held above and to move through his trial.

Verse 6 is identical to verse 2, with only one word omitted. Saying the same words means more now than it did before. The reiteration is important, in case he has slipped along the way. The words are now a sense of resolve rather than just a statement. The one change is the omission of the word “greatly.” I think it reveals David’s growth in the trial. At the beginning he said he would not be moved or shaken much; now he won’t be moved at all. I think this has to do with having lived through the trial for a time with God’s help. He has seen what God has done for him. His faith and relationship with God have deepened. He has realized that God can keep him better than he had previously realized or understood.

I believe that in vs. 5-7, David is moving more toward worship. Instead of merely foundational truths, he is building into robust and confident adoration of his great God. In v. 7, David adds new content. His experience has given him more to say. He still sees God as the source of his salvation. He also sees God as the source of his glory. I think this may refer to his position as king, that it is only God who can keep him there. David goes on to offer two more names of God that he has not given previously in the psalm. God is the rock of his strength. While he has acknowledged God as a rock, this is a recognition that God infuses that type of strength into David also. David does not have such strength on his own; it comes only from God. God is also his refuge. This particular word for “refuge” refers to a shelter. It is a place of rest and hope, away from (or at least temporarily separated from) the trial or attack. It is a place to catch his breath and recuperate.

David sees God as being all these things for him. God is his only source of salvation, the rope that holds him up, his high cliff-like rock, his deliverance, his steep unassailable rock, his stability, his splendor, his infused strength, and his place of shelter. Truly David is dependent on God. He is throwing out anchors, but not desperately. He uses these anchors confidently, trusting in the God who is worthy of every accolade that David bestows.

May this great God be especially close and meaningful to you this week. Merry Christmas!

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

12162023 Psalm 62 Meditations - Part 4

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of the one who can meet all threats. Thank God that He can handle anything we face!

“How long will ye imagine mischief against a man? Ye shall be slain all of you: as a bowing wall shall ye be, and as a tottering fence. They only consult to cast him down from his excellency: they delight in lies: they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly” (Psalm 62:3-4).

There is no title to the psalm to identify the specific situation or timing in David’s life. I think it probably was while David was king. He refers to attempts to cast him down from his position of excellence through conspiracies (v. 4). Verses 9-10 also reflect on people (especially men of high degree) and situations (especially riches) that he would more likely be exposed to as king than as a shepherd, soldier, or refugee. In v. 8, he speaks corporately to people (Israel?) who were apparently under his leadership. The conflicts during his reign then seem most likely as the setting.

David started the psalm by focusing on his reliance on God and on the stability provided by his great God. Now he comes to addressing the threat. He speaks of a group of conspirators who have banded together to do him harm. The extent of that harm is attempted murder. “Mischief” is a rather mild term in our language today, often used to describe the relatively harmless shenanigans of children. The Hebrew word, however, refers to an assault, to breaking in on someone. It is a serious and threatening action.

The word “slain” refers to murder, with some rather violent undertones. While the KJV translation predicts this death for the attackers, there appears to be some question as to the subject. From the sources I looked at, it seems that the subject has to be assumed and supplied. A more consistent reading would be to attribute the action of attempted murder to the conspirators, since everything else in these two verses focuses on the threat by those men. From this interpretation, a loose translation would be something like, “How long will you plot harm against me, to murder me, all of you?” Regardless of the translation choice, these two verses clearly reveal a violent conspiracy.

The next phrases about the leaning wall and tottering fence are supplemented with supplied words (in italics) that also suggest this will be the state of the attackers, but I think it can easily be read that it is already their state. That is, they are like a bowing wall and a tottering fence. Rather than an assessment of weakness, it is an assessment of potential energy, of the impending danger to the one who walks near those structures, never sure when they might collapse on him and crush him. Again, this reading seems to fit more uniformly with David’s description of the threat. He senses the imminent danger of being crushed and murdered.

The whole situation seems unfair and oppressive, reflecting the sordid politics of all ages. There is a conspiracy of men who have banded together, bent on David’s overthrow and destruction. Their chief aim is to cast David down from his high position, and they will do whatever it takes to achieve their objective. Lies? No problem. They love lies. Deception? No problem. They have no issue with feigning allegiance and devotion, while on the inside, they are raging, cursing, and plotting against him.

This was a situation of false appearances, so that David was not entirely sure who he could trust. We know this was reality for David. In shocking betrayal, several of his own sons revolted against him. In the midst of those revolts, some of David’s trusted advisors also jumped ship. Those who had seemed loyal actually ended up supporting the competition. With the great uncertainty of knowing whom he could trust, it is no wonder that David learned to trust in God alone.

The opening words of these two verses are “How long?” As difficult as it was for David to endure this long-lasting conflict, the fact that he was even able to ask “How long?” reveals that God had preserved him so far. He was still alive to ask the question. His question implies that the situation has been happening for some time, but it also implies that there will be an end. Even though the threat currently under consideration did finally pass, David (like us) continued to face similar scenarios all his life. Partly as a result of David’s sin, there was perpetual conflict in his house. He was a man of war, so this type of threat was nearly constant.

Each threat did end, however. Eventually David went to his eternal rest. Eventually peace was achieved for his kingdom, ushering in a very different dynamic for Solomon. Eventually, there was even peace in his household, as Solomon was established on the throne. This act was a high point for David in regard to the constant conspiracies; essentially, on his deathbed, in the midst of an attempted coup, when every minute counted, his hurried plan to establish Solomon worked.

These verses are not the most uplifting and encouraging part of the psalm, but they are important for the context. David faced the threat of murder for most of his life. As a young man, he was pursued relentlessly by Saul; he faced threats from foreign powers; throughout his reign he battled rebels, led primarily by his own sons. This is not someone who faced death once, but someone who faced it perennially. Throughout such a life of desperation, he put his trust in God alone. He rested in God as his salvation.

If David could trust God for that, (or perhaps better stated, if God could keep David through that), then surely we can also confidently trust God for the less intense challenges of our own lives, and God can keep us through them. Yes, the assaults do get old. We ask, “How long?” and we want to see a reprieve. But in the midst of the attacks, no matter how long they last, we can trust in God as our salvation, and we can wait on Him for our deliverance. The question “How long?” always has an answer, both determined and accomplished by God.

May God keep you in perfect peace as you trust Him for the solutions that you cannot yet see.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

12092023 Psalm 62 Meditations - Part 3

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of our Refuge. I choose that name, although the following verse does not use it, because two of the words in the verse imply it. “He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved” (Psalm 62:2).

In his time of threat, David is focused on God alone as his salvation. In verse 2, he continues the idea of exclusivity – that only God is the one who can save him.  Now, instead of just stating that fact, he expands upon it. What is this God like in whom David trusts?

David gives three descriptive names for God: rock, salvation, and defence. These three names of God illustrate God’s character, and they explain why David places his trust in such a God.

The first name is “Rock.” This refers to a rock or boulder, especially one that is sharp. Technically, it is probably a cliff. This gives the idea of a refuge. Imagine being at the top of such a precipice. The steepness and sharpness make it difficult for the enemies to ascend. It presents danger and threat of injury to the enemies just in its physical surface. Furthermore, the enemies are at a great disadvantage. As they struggle to make their way up, they are defenseless, easy pickings for someone sitting at the top. The angle of the walls makes it nearly impossible for them to shoot any weapon at the one who is sitting on top. This Rock is a place of refuge, of safety.

The second name is “Salvation.” This is the same word used in v. 1, and a key word within the psalm. The best understanding is that of deliverance. It refers to aid, victory, prosperity, health, welfare. Some of those applications are stronger than others. For instance, health and prosperity are kind of like the extras of life. They are taking things into the realm of the positive and of advantages. Other words like deliverance and victory are more in the realm of necessity, of saving one’s life. That is the kind of situation David was in. This Salvation is able not only to bestow with blessings, or restore those blessings when they have been absent, but He is also able to rescue from the most dangerous and helpless situations imaginable.

The third name is “Defence.” This refers to a cliff or inaccessible place. The focus is on its height. This word also implies a refuge; it is a retreat, a high fort, or a stronghold. While there are some similarities to the first name, Rock, there are also special differences. The Rock’s outstanding feature was its sharpness, while the Defence’s outstanding feature is its height. Both aspects serve more or less the same purpose. They make the idea of an assault a daunting prospect. They place the assailants at a great disadvantage, more likely to be killed or injured in the attempt than to successfully scale the place of refuge. There is a very low probability of success. The enemies may know exactly where their prey is, and they might be breathing out threats and expending tremendous energy in their pursuit, but they are powerless to touch the one they seek.

When focused on these three names, is it any wonder that David states he will not be greatly moved? This word “moved” speaks of wavering, slipping, shaking, falling, or tottering. Is he speaking literally, of his body and physical well-being? I don’t think so. I think the wavering to which David refers is the shaking in his spirit. He is claiming a stability of soul. By using the qualifier “greatly,” (which he will later omit), he is acknowledging the possibility of some amount of wavering, but really not on a significant level. He is not like someone without God, who cowers in fear or who is paralyzed and overwhelmed by the treat. He isn’t falling apart inside. He isn’t filled with turmoil. He is basically stable and firm. He is able to continue living and doing what he needs to do.

Does this sound familiar? Probably because it is exactly what is stated in Isaiah 26:3. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” How does one remain at peace during times of trouble? By thinking about God, by keeping his mind firmly fixed on God. What better way to do that than by remembering His characteristics through His names! Because, what happens when we deliberately remember how great God is? We naturally trust in such a great God.

This is why it is so important to deliberately turn our concentration to God during trouble. The character and names of God elicit trust within us. It is no accident that the Psalms (and the rest of the Bible) are so filled with these descriptive names of God, names that collectively illustrate the greatness of God. By my personal study, I identified over 120 names just in the book of Psalms. In this psalm alone, David refers to God as his salvation, rock, defence, expectation, glory, rock of his strength, and refuge.

As a matter of personal testimony, I have found this practice to be very helpful. In the past year or so, I have been more deliberate about this by purposefully memorizing psalms that help me to think about who God is. In particular, I use these before I fall asleep at night, when I wake up in the morning, or whenever I am awake in the night. (Plus during difficult times at work, during dentist’s appointments and blood draws, and anytime else that my mind needs refreshed.) They give me foundations for meditation. Psalm 23 was so helpful to me, but eventually I decided I needed something fresh. That’s when I moved to Psalm 121, which was another great experience.

Success breeds success, so after I saw how helpful it was to have more weapons in the arsenal, I moved on to Psalm 62. My memorization is slow. Even though I have chosen familiar psalms, it can take me months to memorize them. But that’s okay. That just means I’m spending that much more time thinking about them, and hopefully getting them so firmly ingrained that I will always have them. I share this not to brag on myself, but to encourage you with the idea. If you don’t already do something like this, you can! And it doesn’t matter if it takes months. Honestly, what could possibly be bad about spending three months or six months focusing on a particular psalm (or other passage)? There is no downside! Just blessing.

This week may God keep your mind focused on His greatness, so that you can rest at peace even in the midst of threats and trouble. He is our Rock, our Salvation, our Defence.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

12022023 Psalm 62 Meditations Part 2

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of God, our salvation. “Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation” (Psalm 62:1).

It is logical to wait on God and to look to Him for salvation. The second part of the verse reveals the reason: He is the source of our salvation. Obviously, God is the only possible source of eternal salvation – of the rescue of our soul from the consequences of sin.

Salvation in the context of this verse refers not specifically to the one-time soul salvation, but to the repeated struggles-of-life salvation. It is deliverance, aid, victory, even prosperity. The Hebrew word is sometimes translated health or welfare. This is divine deliverance from something that threatens our well-being. (David will go on to describe the men who are conspiring to defeat him and even kill him.) Davis’s hope is in God alone, because others can’t provide even this level of salvation. Why are others so ineffective and untrustworthy?

Sometimes people can’t deliver us because they have insufficient compassion. It’s nice when we have family and friends who help, but the reality is that sometimes people are not close enough to us feel the need or responsibility to grant more than minimal assistance. For the right person, they would sacrificially give, but they may not know us well enough to care sufficiently to do much.

God never lacks compassion. Every one of His children is very special to Him. He cares about them more than He cares about the lilies of the field or the tiniest of sparrows. “Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him” (Psalm 103:13). “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you” (I Peter 5:7).

Sometimes people can’t deliver us because they have insufficient time. This is sometimes the actual reason behind what seems to be lack of compassion. People have responsibilities to their own families. They have responsibilities at work and at church. They might care about lots of needs, but their time is finite, and they cannot possibly meet every need of which they are aware.

God never lacks time. God is not bound by time, but He does use it for His purposes. In fact, sometimes our complaint is that He is using too much time! Some of God’s best recipes are made in a slow cooker, and time is the special ingredient. God takes all the time with us that we need, but He is simultaneously able to watch over all of His children. He is always watchful. “Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary?” (Isaiah 40:28).

Sometimes people can’t deliver us because they have insufficient wisdom. When they listen to our problems, they might even tell us, “I don’t know what to say.” They find themselves at a loss for how to counsel us. And as far as coming up with a solution to the problem itself, that is another thing entirely! Scenarios can be so complex and situations so sticky, that sometimes the best people can do is to declare, “There IS no good solution to this problem.”

God never lacks wisdom. Not only does He know all things, but He has known them even before we became aware that they needed to be known. Because He always has a plan, He knows what the end is. He knows the solution and the proper means to arrive at that solution. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9). “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!” (Romans 11:33).

Sometimes people can’t deliver us because they have insufficient ability. They lack both power and resources. They might actually figure out what deliverance would look like, but they are powerless to change the cells in our bodies. They are unable to change the hearts of other individuals involved. They cannot raise the funds necessary to pay for their plan.

God never lacks ability. He has all power to everything that He chooses to do. Based on how often the Bible uses them as examples, the outstanding evidences of God’s power are the creation of the world and the resurrection from the dead. If God can do those things, there seems little doubt that He can do anything that He chooses to do in our individual lives. “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh is us” (Ephesians 3:20). Furthermore, God never lacks the resources to work out His plan. “If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof” (Psalm 50:12).

“From him cometh my salvation.” Our salvation (deliverance) is always from God. He can use miracles if He so chooses, but often He uses means. Outsiders and those without spiritual perception might attribute the deliverance to the means, to the secondary causes. They evaluate that it was rest, nature, the weather, doctors, an unexpected financial windfall, influential politicians, the wisdom of a pastor, the kindness of friends, or some other source.

If we are understanding through spiritual filters and looking through spiritual lenses, however, we realize that each of these means of deliverance is actually the plan superintended and worked out by God. Not only does He divinely orchestrate, but ultimately each of those things comes from Him. God created our bodies, their interworking systems, and the laws that determine how they respond. God made nature and controls the weather. God gives doctors wisdom to understand His systems, and every medicine is made from what He created. God supplies finances through His limitless channels. God directs the heart of the kings. God is the source of wisdom, and He bestows it on men. Every spiritual gift that anyone exercises toward us was given to that person by God.

God’s deliverance can be grand and amazing. He caused an earthquake to get Paul and Silas out of jail. He calmed a life-threatening storm for the disciples. But we should not overlook God’s deliverance when it comes through the tiniest details. He created a gourd to grow up to shadow Jonah (and then a worm to continue His plan). God brought a coin-swallowing fish to Peter, and He supplied both a weapon and life-sustaining water for Samson out of the abandoned jawbone of a donkey. Whether the deliverance is large or small, miraculous or mundane, it always comes from God, our Salvation.

May our great God continue His work on your behalf, delivering you through means both small and great, as He does His good work in and through you.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA