Perspective: Reflecting on the Psalms (Part 2)

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Reflecting on the Psalms
(Part 2)

For God alone my soul waits in silence,
for my hope is from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
On God rests my deliverance and my honor;
my mighty rock, my refuge is in God.

Psalm 62:5-7 (NRSV)

This is my Father's world
O let me ne'er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong
God is the Ruler yet

From "This Is My Father's World" by Maltbie D. Babcock

Previously, I mentioned that, during a recent discussion about the Psalms with my Sunday school class, I recommended praying the Psalms, because they cover a wide range of emotions and experiences.  For a number of years, I had not spent much time reflecting on the Psalms, though I did sometimes incorporate them into my morning prayer time.  After that Sunday school meeting, I decided to continue reflecting on the Psalms, as I did when preparing for the class discussion.  I've pondered what might have been happening in the psalmists' lives and considered how I can relate.


Psalm 86

One psalm I encountered recently is the eighty-sixth psalm, which is described as "a prayer of David."¹  David is the shepherd, musician, poet, and military leader who eventually becomes the most beloved king of Israel.  The psalm begins,

Incline your ear, O Lord, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.
Preserve my life, for I am devoted to you;
save your servant who trusts in you.
You are my God; be gracious to me, O Lord,
for to you do I cry all day long.²

It is not clear exactly what is going on that inspires David to compose this psalm, but what is clear is that his life is in danger.  He goes on to pray,

O God, the insolent rise up against me;
a band of ruffians seeks my life,
and they do not set you before them...
Show me a sign of your favor,
so that those who hate me may see it and be put to shame,
because you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.³

In the First and Second Books of Samuel, we read that David lives a dangerous life.  After David is anointed to be the next king of Israel,⁴ he defeats a giant named Goliath in battle.⁵  He is then made a military leader, and he leads the Israelite army to victory in numerous battles.⁶  Going into battle against one's people's enemies is a dangerous job, but the situations that seem to distress David the most involve people who should not be his mortal enemies.  As he grows in popularity with the people, the current king becomes paranoid and begins trying to kill him.⁷  As a result, he ends up spending a lot of time evading the king and his soldiers.⁸  Later on, after David becomes king, one of his own sons tries to overthrow him.⁹

As David begs God for help, he praises God.  He prays,

For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
abounding in steadfast love to all who call on you.¹⁰

David goes on to pray,

There is none like you among the gods, O Lord,
nor are there any works like yours.
All the nations you have made shall come
and bow down before you, O Lord,
and shall glorify your name.
For you are great and do wondrous things;
you alone are God.¹¹

David echoes words that are repeated throughout the Hebrew scriptures,¹² praying,

But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.¹³

There are times when I've wondered, if God is indeed as loving, gracious, and merciful as David proclaims in this psalm, then why would one have to beg God to act in loving, gracious, and merciful ways, as David seems to do.  Now I'm starting to wonder if maybe David is reminding himself of God's goodness as he waits for God to act.

I have never experienced the kind of danger David experienced in his life, so I can only relate to this psalm to an extent.  Ever since the pandemic, life has seemed a lot more dangerous than it seemed previously, and there have been times when I prayed to God for protection.  There are people in this world who can relate to this psalm a lot more than I can relate to it.  For example, there are refugees who have fled extremely dangerous situations.  This psalm can be a reminder to pray for people who are facing mortal danger.


Psalm 62

Another psalm I encountered recently is the sixty-second psalm, which also attributed to David.¹⁴  Once again, it is not clear what is happening in his life that inspires him to write this psalm, but one can make some guesses based on his story and the subject matter of the psalm.  The psalm begins,

For God alone my soul waits in silence;
from him comes my salvation.
He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall never be shaken.¹⁵

This proclamation is repeated almost word-for-word later in the psalm.¹⁶

David is evidently embroiled in conflict with the people around him.  Rhetorically, he asks,

How long will you assail a person,
will you batter your victim, all of you,
as you would a leaning wall, a tottering fence?
Their only plan is to bring down a person of prominence.
They take pleasure in falsehood;
they bless with their mouths,
but inwardly they curse.¹⁷

Once again, I can only relate to this psalm to an extent.  I don't have the kind of clout David has, so I haven't experienced the kind of opposition he is facing.  That said, I regularly witness people's cruelty when I scroll through the cesspool formerly known as Twitter.  Social media in general seems to be rife with people who are eager to bring people down, even if it means trafficking in falsehoods.

David takes refuge in God, and he urges others to do the same.  He proclaims,

Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your heart before him;
God is a refuge for us.¹⁸

It is all too clear to David that the only security to be found is in God, because the people around him are not trustworthy.

The psalm ends on a hopeful note.  David proclaims,

Once God has spoken;
twice have I heard this:
that power belongs to God,
and steadfast love belongs to you, O Lord.
For you repay to all
according to their work.¹⁹

David has put his faith in God.  Though there is so much wrong with the world around him, he is confident that God is faithful and loving and that God will someday set all things right.


These two psalms of David have similar themes, because they were both inspired in times of danger or conflict.  They both invite us to take refuge in God.  The eighty-sixth psalm encourages us to turn to God for help and protection in times of trouble, and the sixty-second psalm encourages us not to despair when the state of the world brings us down but to trust in the God who sets all things right.  God is good, even when life is hard.


Notes:

1. From the superscription to Psalm 86 (NRSV)
2. Psalm 86:1-3 (NRSV)
3. Psalm 86:14, 17 (NRSV)
4. 1 Samuel 16:1-13
5. 1 Samuel 17
6. 1 Samuel 18:5
7. 1 Samuel 18:6-11
8. 1 Samuel 19-31
9. 2 Samuel 15-18
10. Psalm 86:5 (NRSV)
11. Psalm 86:8-10 (NRSV)
12. See Exodus 34:6, Nehemiah 9:17, Psalm 145:8, Joel 2:13, and Jonah 4:2.
13. Psalm 86:15 (NRSV)
14. From the superscription to Psalm 62
15. Psalm 62:1-2 (NRSV)
16. Psalm 62:5-6
17. Psalm 62:3-4 (NRSV)
18. Psalm 62:8 (NRSV)
19. Psalm 62:11-12 (NRSV)

Re David was painted by Valentin de Boulogne around 1626.