Beloved, I am glad to share with you today the above theme from Ps 61.2-3 and following. Indeed, when the believer encounters wickedness in all its forms, when he is pursued by men, “in the overwhelm- of his heart”, he finds his refuge in God (verses 3, 4). This was David’s experience chased first by Saul, later by Absalom; it will be that of the rest of Israel fleeing the domination of the Antichrist. “You will lead me to a rock that is too high for me.” The Spirit of God carries faith to heights to which natural intelligence does not have access and from which one feels unworthy. And from the top of this rock, the believer exalts all that the Lord is for him; all aspects of the help and protection he finds in Him: a strong tower against enemies (Pr 18:10); a tent against the storm or the ardor of the sun; the shelter of its wings that speaks of tenderness and security.
Just as in Psalm 56:9-14, the faithful recall the vows they made, that is, the commitments they made to God (verses 6 and 9). For us Christians, these vows correspond to the feeling of the Lord’s rights over us, to the awareness that we are now left to God, that we no longer belong to ourselves, but to the One who redeemed us (2 Cor 5:12-15; Rom 12:1-2). This short psalm is very beautiful and very touching. He expresses the feelings of the Lord Jesus who, in the awareness that he is the legitimate king of Israel, feels the rejection to which he is the object of his people. And David, chased by Saul in caves and deserts after being anointed by Samuel, foreshadows Christ in similar circumstances (1 Sam. 22…).
This rejection of Jesus from Israel makes him feel like a stranger here on earth. He is, in a way, “at the end of the earth,” and it is there that he prays, and it is there that he sighs after the rock, in other words the resurrection (Ps. 40:3), or the kingdom. But with full faith, he relies on the effective presence and protection of God; it is in this refuge that he calls his tent, that he wants to stay “forever”, that is to say during the time of his rejection. But then he anticipates more than a refuge on the day of his rejection and affliction. He assures his soul in the favor of God who rests on Him as King; and as such he will soon dwell before him “forever,” that is, during the time of the kingdom; then he will fulfill the vows he has made in the hours of distress he is now going through, and his cries and prayers will be changed into joy and praise.
For there is a difference between this Psalm and Ps. 84: in the latter we find the desire to return again to the sanctuary to visit it; in Ps. 63 it is the thirst for God himself; there, the tabernacles of the Lord, of a God of the covenant, are lovable; here, God himself is a satiation of joy when there are no tabernacles to visit. This is of deep moral interest. For for Christand for the new man, the world is a desert with nothing to refresh the soul; but God’s gratuitousness being better than life, we can praise him during our lives and our souls can be satiated like marrow and fat. The saint is not in the sanctuary, but he has seen God there and his desire is towards God himself. Christ could say this literally. And we have seen the Father in Him.
The following verses have been compiled for your edification and grouped together for your better understanding.
I would like to be always in your tent:
- Spiritual foundation, God as
Ps 18:32 For who is God, if not Jehovah; And who is a rock, if not our God? Ps 28:1 Of David. Eternal! I cry out to you. My rock! do not remain deaf to my voice, Lest you walk away without answering me, I will be like those who descend into the pit. Ps 62:3 Yes, it is he who is my rock and my salvation; My high retirement: I will hardly falter. Ps 94:22 But Jehovah is my retreat, My God is the rock of my refuge.
- Inheritance of the righteous, spiritual
Ps 119:111 Your precepts are forever my inheritance, for they are the joy of my heart. Esa 54:17 Any weapon forged against you shall be of no effect; And any language that rises in justice against you, You will condemn it. This is the inheritance of Jehovah’s servants, such is the salvation that will come to them from me, says the Lord. Acts 20:32 And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, to the one who can build up and give the inheritance with all the sanctified. Gal 1:12 for I have neither received nor learned it from a man, but through a revelation from Jesus Christ.
- Fear of God, commanded
Dt 10:12 Now, Israel, what does Jehovah your God ask of you, except that you fear Jehovah, your God, in order to walk in all his ways, to love and serve Jehovah, your God, with all your heart and soul; Isaiah 8:13 It is the Lord of hosts that you must sanctify, It is He whom you must fear and dread. Mt 10:28 Fear not those who kill the body and cannot kill the soul; rather, fear the one who can cause the soul and body to perish in Gehenna. 1 Pet 2:17 Honor everyone; love the brethren; fear God; honor the king.
- Name of God, of the Lord must be respected
Dt 28:58 If you do not observe and put into practice all the words of this law written in this book, if you do not fear this glorious and fearsome name of Jehovah your God, Isaiah 29:23 For when His children see in their midst the work of my hands, They will sanctify my name; They will sanctify the Holy one of Jacob, and they will fear the God of Israel; Ez 36:23 I will sanctify my great name, which has been desecrated among the nations, which you have desecrated in their midst. And the nations will know that I am the Lord, says the Lord, the Lord, when I am sanctified by you before their eyes. Mt 6:10 thy kingdom come; let your will be done on earth as in heaven.
From all the above, we note that the main character of all these Psalms is trust in God when everything is against pious man. The more contrary the circumstances, the more absolute the trust, but Christ shines through everything, taking the place of the righteous under the dependence of God. It is likely that many of the Psalms in this book were composed by David when he was fleeing from Absalom. This trust that appeals to God is expressed especially in Ps. 61. We do not have here a request of the righteous against his enemies, but the righteous succumbing under the weight of the feeling that he is rejected, the righteous crying out to God from the end of the earth, his heart overwhelmed by a flood of evils, and waiting for God to lead him to a rock too high for him, in order to deliver him. His confidence is then restored. He trusts in a known God, regardless of his sufferings of the moment. V. 5 is the expression of the present certainty that he has to have been heard. His vows reached God’s ears; – a full blessing rests on him and under this blessing he will fulfill his vows. In v. 6, there is obviously talk of David, as to the occasion, but our eyes are directed to someone greater than David and to the life in which he entered in perpetuity as a man. Although the pious residue is far from Jerusalem, succumbing to the weight of the affliction of his soul, the fact that the king has found himself in the same position will encourage the faithful and strengthen their hearts; his hymn will become theirs, and, whether he has sung it himself, will be their consolation, when they might have been overwhelmed by despair. Although the fact that the residue is driven out of Jerusalem is the occasion of our Psalm, and is felt by the faithful, this Psalm does not have in view wickedness, but the weakness of nature, when the heart of man is ready to succumb. Our prayers are with you all.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite every person who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me the following prayer:
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I admit to having sinned against you and ask your forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as Lord and personal Savior. I recognize that you died on the cross of Calvary and rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me every day to the eternal life that you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal yourself to me and strengthen my heart and faith, so that your light may shine in my life right now.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for accepting me into your divine family, so that I may also contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby waterpoint to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All adoration, power and glory are yours, now and for centuries of ages. Amen!
I would be happy to react to any questions and comments you may have, before sharing with you tomorrow ” Song of the faithful, far from the house of the Lord (Ps 63).”
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.
David Feze, Servant of the Almighty God.