Psalm Devotional
Waiting Silently
Written by C.J. Williams. This devotional was first published in the March 2008 issue of The Reformed Presbyterian Witness.
We see David once again beset with adversity, but the fruit of his trial is the deepening of his convictions. David’s patient faith and confidence in the salvation of God are exemplary to the saints in all ages, but we must also see this psalm as a historical picture of the “sure mercies of David” which finally fell to Christ (Isa. 55:3; Acts 13:34).
Patience Under Pressure (vv. 1-4)
This psalm begins with a confession of faith in the face of opposition. While his enemies curse and lie, David exhibits a patient resolve to wait upon God’s sovereign resolution of the matter. The first two verses are neither prayer nor praise; they are the confession of a man who has come to understand the sovereignty of God as an experiential reality.
In contrast to this quiet patience and assurance of faith, the wicked are full of sound and fury (vv. 3-4). They are tenacious in their sin (v. 3a) and ruthlessly competitive (vv. 3b-4a). They will try to topple a vulnerable man, as if giving a final push to a leaning wall, in contrast to the Christlike impulse to spare the bruised reed and smoking flax (Isa. 42:3). In spite of good words, the heart of the wicked always makes itself known (v. 4b).
Assurance Held and Shared (vv. 5-8)
Verses 5 and 6 reiterate the opening lines of the psalm with a few new nuances. David now calls himself to wait silently for God, acknowledging that faithful patience is not only a gift of grace but also an act of spiritual discipline (v. 5). “I shall not be greatly moved” (v. 2) becomes “I shall not be moved” (v. 6). There is a sense of growing assurance.
Even the most personal psalms are never so introspective that they exclude the corporate context of faith. In verse 8, David turns his confession into a corporate exhortation, calling all of God’s people to trust in Him at all times. “Pour out your heart” is the other side of “wait silently.” There is a time to unburden yourself and a time to wait for God’s reply in silence.
God and Man Compared (vv. 9-12)
These verses conclude the psalm with reasons to trust in God rather than man. Men may be vicious (v. 4), but they are also vacuous (v. 9), and nothing is gained by trusting in their schemes or pursuing their riches (v. 10). Verse 10 puts covetousness, which we may be tempted to consider a victimless crime, in the same category as oppression and robbery.
In contrast to men, God’s holy character stands out. “Once… twice…” is an expression of certainty and emphasis in Hebrew poetry (v. 11). The revelation that God is powerful, merciful, and just is a threefold truth in which the believer can rejoice and find assurance (vv. 11-12). It is enough for the faithful man to know the character of his God and wait silently upon Him. This psalm reminds us that the nature of God and the certainty of His promises are an anchor of hope, no matter what trials the believer’s life may hold.
The Lord Jesus Christ, whom David prefigures, brought this picture of patient faith to its perfection. While opposed by the most vicious enemies, Christ trusted in and waited on the Father, finding strength and assurance as He undertook the work of salvation. God’s mercy displayed to David in Psalm 62 anticipates the vindication and resurrection of Christ, on whom fell the “sure mercies of David” (Acts 13:34).
