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
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