1Truly my soul silently waits for God;
From Him comes my salvation.
2He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense;
I shall not be greatly moved.
3How long will you attack a man?
You shall be slain, all of
you,
Like a leaning wall and a
tottering fence.
4They only consult to cast him down from his high position;
They delight in lies;
They bless with their mouth,
But they curse inwardly. Selah
5My soul, wait silently for God alone,
For my expectation is from
Him.
6He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense;
I shall not be moved.
7In God is my salvation and my glory;
The rock of my strength,
And my refuge, is in God.
8Trust in Him at all times, you people;
Pour out your heart before
Him;
God is a refuge for us. Selah
9Surely men of low degree are a vapor,
Men of high degree are a lie;
If they are weighed on the scales,
They are altogether lighter than vapor.
10Do not trust in oppression,
Nor vainly hope in robbery;
If riches increase,
Do not set your heart on them.
11God has spoken once,
Twice I have heard this:
That power belongs to God.
12Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy;
For You render to each one according to his work.
Commentary
Vs.
1
“Truly my soul silently waits for God;
From Him comes my salvation.”
This is another wonderful psalm for everyone who believes in God, who knows Him, and trusts Him. It begins with silently waiting for the salvation of our Lord. For when mans words fail, when all their efforts and deeds have come to their end, and all the voices have been silenced, there is our confident expectation and hope of our God bringing His salvation to us all who wait for Him!
Vs. 2 “He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense;
I shall not be greatly moved.”
To that end our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is our rock (my Rock) and our (my) salvation. For He is our defense against all who would condemn us (Isaiah 54:17; Rom. 8:1), just as He is our defense from all the lies and deceptions of the wicked one in this world. For again He is our defense in this life and for eternal life, for He has given us new and everlasting life through His Word, when He came in the flesh and was crucified for us all to believe in Him. For when He rose from the grave He made the way for our and your eternal redemption! Therefore I shall not be greatly moved, and neither shall you, by all of this life's troubles and troublers in it, if you keep your faith and trust in Him alone. That is David’s message to us all, remember whom you believe in! For He is greater than all! For if all this worlds powers could not defeat Him, nor the devil himself, therefore they will not be able to overcome you, whether in life or death, for He is with us forever!
Vs. 3 “How long will you attack a man?
You shall be slain, all of
you,
Like a leaning wall and a
tottering fence.”
David now returns to his present distress, for certain men had formed a confederacy against him, attacking him with malicious words openly, while scheming things behind the scenes to kill him. Therefore, David knowing God’s defense of his person as His anointed servant knows that God Himself will deal with them all! Yes, they shall all be slain, all of them, but not by his hand, but by God's hand! Therefore, David likens them all to a leaning wall or a tottering fence whose fall is certain.
Vs. 4 “They only consult to cast him down from his high position;
They delight in lies;
They bless with their mouth,
But they curse inwardly. Selah”
And so when they consult it is not for his (or the nations) well being, but only to devise a means to cast him down from his high position. Indeed, they delight in lies, in telling lies about him to ruin him and his reputation, all the while playing the hypocrite by blessing him openly with their mouth while cursing him inwardly in their hearts. To this end David is sickened by them all.
Vs. 5-8 5My soul, wait silently for God alone,
For my expectation is from
Him.
6He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense;
I shall not be moved.
7In God is my salvation and my glory;
The rock of my strength,
And my refuge, is in God.
8Trust in Him at all times, you people;
Pour out your heart before
Him;
God is a refuge for us. Selah
David then turns away from them all and turns to the Lord. Consoling himself in the presence of the Lord in their secret place. David says that he will silently wait for God alone, for my expectation is from Him (vs. 5), thus not man, but from our God and Savior who weighs everything and everyone in the scales of His just balance. For our God is our Rock and our Salvation, our defense and ultimately our justification, therefore I shall not be moved (vs. 6), for my faith and hope are in Him alone. For God is my salvation and glory, He is the One who has has placed His glory in me so that all may see Him, amen (2 Cor. 2:15-16). Therefore, He is the Rock of my strength who has made me strong and enabled me to do many things that I could have never done! Therefore he is my refuge from fear, from the stalker and the oppressor. For He will be my refuge and resting place forever, amen (vs.7).
Therefore:
“Trust in Him at all times,
you people;
Pour out your heart before
Him;
God is a refuge for us. Selah” vs. 8
Vs. 9 “Surely men of low degree are a vapor,
Men of high degree are a lie;
If they are weighed on the
scales,
They are altogether lighter
than vapor.”
David now denounces all men who live low lives, (likely referencing those who have risen up against him), for their persons and lives are but a vapor, here for a moment before they vanish away forever. Equally then he rejects the notion that those who are of high stature in this world are somehow superior or more noble than others, so called “royals” and dignitaries are all just sinners like everyone else. For they are not inherently more just, or righteous, or noble in character simply because of their position and stature in this world. Indeed, they are just a lie, propped up by those who need to adore and worship and trust in someone other than God. Thus, if they are weighed on the scales, they are only found to be lighter than vapor, for nothing substantive is found in them.
Vs. 10 “Do not trust in oppression,
Nor vainly hope in robbery;
If riches increase,
Do not set your heart on them.”
David now cautions against oppression, that pitfall of power that often overtakes those who need to have it, which ultimately only undermines them. Therefore those who are of “high stature” should never misuse their power to oppress others, just as men who are of low degree should never hope to raise their lot in life through robbery. For all ill begotten riches are a lie, they will leave you in the midst of your days, leaving you a sorrowful fool in the end for having ever set your heart upon them (Jer. 17:11).
Vs. 11-12 11God has spoken once,
Twice I have heard this:
That power belongs to God.
12Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy;
For You render to each one
according to his work.
In concluding this Psalm, David reveals that God had spoken to him, twice in fact, reminding him that power, all power belongs to God (vs. 10). Therefore, David in humble submission to Him also declares that to the Lord belongs mercy, for it is of God to render to each one according to his work.
Scripture Quotations
New King James (1982): Thomas Nelson.
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