SPEAKER_00: I mean this at some point in our life I said, you know, when I get to this point over here, I'm not gonna have to worry so much anymore.
SPEAKER_00: When I accomplish that, I can relax a little bit.
SPEAKER_00: The psalm that Warren just read, David wrote after he had become king.
SPEAKER_00: You know, when we think about David in the Psalms, a lot of times what we think about is him, you know, writing about hiding from Saul and his enemies that are trying to kill him.
SPEAKER_00: But this psalm is one that David is communicating after he's hit that point of success.
SPEAKER_00: He's hit that point of where many times we will say, well, if I can just get to this point in my life, if I can just accomplish this goal, then I can I can I can relax a little bit.
SPEAKER_00: I can rest.
SPEAKER_00: He's king, and he still can't rest.
SPEAKER_00: I think we can relate to David, can't we?
SPEAKER_00: I think there's there's a part of us that that can connect right there.
SPEAKER_00: Because haven't we all to some degree, and if you haven't yet, you will.
SPEAKER_00: It's just a fact of life, haven't we all said, you know what, it's it's tough right now.
SPEAKER_00: I mean, I'm really hitting the grindstone right now.
SPEAKER_00: I'm really dealing with some difficult things right now, but man, if I can just get here, man, it'll be good.
SPEAKER_00: That's where he's at.
SPEAKER_00: This morning, as we continue in our study of the Psalms this summer, we pick up at this point in David's life.
SPEAKER_00: And there's something that David realizes that is true at every stage of life, whether we realize it or not, whether we're distracted by the other things of life that's going on or not, he realizes that salvation is found in God alone.
SPEAKER_00: And there comes a point in time in our life when that's all that matters.
SPEAKER_00: Nothing else matters.
SPEAKER_00: Because that's what you're staring eye to eye, face to face, right then at that point.
SPEAKER_00: He realizes that.
SPEAKER_00: And family, we will too.
SPEAKER_00: It's just a part of life.
SPEAKER_00: And so as we continue in our study of the Psalms and we look at what David writes here in Psalm 62, that rest for the soul is in God alone.
SPEAKER_00: Once we figure that out, folks, and the sooner that we figure that out, the better life's going to be.
SPEAKER_00: Let's go to God in prayer.
SPEAKER_00: Father, thank you for bringing us together today.
SPEAKER_00: The Lord's day is truly the best day of the week.
SPEAKER_00: Because it gives us the opportunity, again, recognize the privilege that we have of being your sons and your daughters.
SPEAKER_00: And Jesus, it gives us yet another opportunity to recognize you as the Lord and Savior of our life and to celebrate your resurrection through the communion.
SPEAKER_00: It gives us the opportunity to be reminded of the salvation that we have in you.
SPEAKER_00: That can be found in no one and nothing else.
SPEAKER_00: Lord, for us to remember again that rest for our soul is truly in you alone.
SPEAKER_00: Spirit, I pray that this message will be your message today.
SPEAKER_00: As always, that you will speak powerfully to us, to our hearts and our souls and our minds, to understand what David is saying here, to understand and to connect with his frustration, with his desire, with his hope, and to see ourselves in him.
SPEAKER_00: That's the beauty of your word.
SPEAKER_00: It helps us to not only understand who you are, but to better understand who you've created us to be.
SPEAKER_00: Lord, we love you so much because you've been so good to us.
SPEAKER_00: We thank you, we praise you, and we offer this prayer together in the name of Jesus, our Lord and our Savior.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.
SPEAKER_00: Church, the 62nd Psalm has been referred to as the alone psalm or the only psalm because it references God as the only source of true rest for the soul.
SPEAKER_00: I mean, we can kid ourselves and think that a trip to the beach should do it, but no.
SPEAKER_00: No, only God is the source of true rest for our soul.
SPEAKER_00: And this particular psalm, family, is titled as being for the director of music or the chief musician.
SPEAKER_00: It's a man by the name of Jaduthan.
SPEAKER_00: And Jeduthan is mentioned by name elsewhere in the Bible.
SPEAKER_00: We see his name in 1 Chronicles chapter 16, verses 41 to 42, where it says that he served the Lord and the king with trumpets and cymbals, and his sons were porters or doormen at the gate.
SPEAKER_00: Judith is also appointed Psalms 39, 77, and 89 by David.
SPEAKER_00: And so the 67nd Psalm is titled as, as Warren mentioned earlier, as a Psalm of David.
SPEAKER_00: And it's very Davidic in its form and structure, especially with regard to its emphasis on the word alone or only, depending on your translation.
SPEAKER_00: David begins in verses 1 and 2 by praising the Lord as his sole salvation and defense in the world.
SPEAKER_00: In verses 3 and 4, David shifts his focus from one extreme to the other, from the Lord of his salvation to the enemies who are plotting against him.
SPEAKER_00: And in verses 5 to 7, David reassures himself of his relationship with the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: And in verse 8, we see a transition point.
SPEAKER_00: We see a transition where David shifts the focus from himself to his people.
SPEAKER_00: And this is characteristic of David.
SPEAKER_00: It's a part of who he is.
SPEAKER_00: It's characteristic of him as king and his relationship and his concern with his own salvation with God.
SPEAKER_00: And it is so closely tied to his concern for the salvation of his people that at times appears to be one and the same.
SPEAKER_00: In verses 9 and 10, we see a hint of the brilliance and the wisdom of the king as he instructs his people.
SPEAKER_00: And in verses 11 and 12, we see a glimpse.
SPEAKER_00: A glimpse of the relationship David enjoys with the Lord from his perspective.
SPEAKER_00: So let's get right into it.
SPEAKER_00: David says in verse 1, truly my soul finds rest in God alone.
SPEAKER_00: My salvation comes from Him.
SPEAKER_00: You know, so many people have said, and I'm sure we're all guilty of it at some point or another.
SPEAKER_00: We've all said it.
SPEAKER_00: You know, if I could only make enough money, or get a big enough house, or go on a long enough vacation, well, then I could rest.
SPEAKER_00: Then I could find some peace.
SPEAKER_00: Of all those things I just mentioned, David as the king has it all.
SPEAKER_00: As the king of Israel, he had all of those things and more at his beck and call.
SPEAKER_00: And having experienced all of that, being in a position of not wanting for anything, he's saying that there's nothing that can substitute for the presence of God when it comes to rest.
SPEAKER_00: The King James translates it this way: saying, Truly my soul waiteth upon God, from him cometh my salvation.
SPEAKER_00: You know, I find it interesting here in the King James that David waits for God.
SPEAKER_00: Here's a guy who's the king of Israel.
SPEAKER_00: He doesn't wait for anything, he doesn't have to.
SPEAKER_00: And the only thing that David doesn't have at his command is the salvation of his own soul.
SPEAKER_00: He has or has had everything else that mortal man could possibly want.
SPEAKER_00: The church, he'll have to wait for God with regard to his salvation.
SPEAKER_00: And here's the thing about David that so many people don't understand.
SPEAKER_00: David had because David waited.
SPEAKER_00: David had what he had because he waited on the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: In verse 2, David says, Truly he is my rock and my salvation.
SPEAKER_00: He is my fortress.
SPEAKER_00: I will never be shaken.
SPEAKER_00: Now, personally, I prefer the King James translation in verse 2, which says, He only is my rock and salvation.
SPEAKER_00: He is my defense.
SPEAKER_00: I shall not be greatly moved.
SPEAKER_00: Here David compares, family, the salvation from the Lord with the immovable, secure, protective, and safety of a rock fortress.
SPEAKER_00: And think about it.
SPEAKER_00: Think about the life of David.
SPEAKER_00: How many times had David been in a cave or a barricade of rocks shielded so that his mortal enemies could not kill him with the arrows that they were shooting at him?
SPEAKER_00: We see in this verse that David takes the tangible, the physical, the limited rock that we all can see, that we all can tangibly feel and experience, and then figuratively connects it with the eternal, immeasurable reality of his salvation.
SPEAKER_00: David says, He is my defense.
SPEAKER_00: You see, family, in his mind, no army can defend his soul.
SPEAKER_00: And no shield made of man can deflect spiritual arrows.
SPEAKER_00: Church David realizes what so many of us miss.
SPEAKER_00: He realizes that he's not in control of his life or his destiny.
SPEAKER_00: God is.
SPEAKER_00: God controls both.
SPEAKER_00: In the King James, David says, I shall not be greatly moved.
SPEAKER_00: The NFE says, I will never be shaken.
SPEAKER_00: And family, I think both accurately communicate what David is saying, and I believe what he's saying is, hey, hey, folks, regardless of what comes my way, I will not be greatly moved, and my faith will not be shaken.
SPEAKER_00: What I see here is that David is a spiritual realist.
SPEAKER_00: In the sense that he sees Satan and those he uses or going to try, and at times succeed in rattling him.
SPEAKER_00: But his commitment, his vow, and his faith is this: you can dish out all you want.
SPEAKER_00: And you might move me to depression.
SPEAKER_00: You may stir me to anger and discontentment, but you will only move me to my knees, not in defeat, not in despair, but to the rock of my salvation, my Lord and my God.
SPEAKER_00: My anchor is firmly planted.
SPEAKER_00: When you combine the NIV and the King James, David makes a powerful statement.
SPEAKER_00: In verses three and four, David transitions.
SPEAKER_00: He transitions from praising his God to confronting his enemies.
SPEAKER_00: Verse 3 in the King James says this How will you imagine mischief against a man?
SPEAKER_00: You shall be slain, all of you.
SPEAKER_00: As a bowing wall shall you be, and as a tottering fence.
SPEAKER_00: How long will you imagine mischief?
SPEAKER_00: The NIV says, How long will you assault me?
SPEAKER_00: When you consider both transitions, family, and the depth from one to the other, you can see that there's a lot of meaning in the Hebrew that is used here.
SPEAKER_00: How long will you imagine mischief?
SPEAKER_00: Church, that can mean anything from gossip to a depraved mind that sits around and thinks only of how to destroy somebody else.
SPEAKER_00: Regardless of how minor or how major the assault is, the planned and premeditated harm of another to one degree or another results in a damaged spirit.
SPEAKER_00: The NIV's rendering confirms this in asking the question How long will you assault me?
SPEAKER_00: In other words, how long will you assault my character?
SPEAKER_00: Verse 3 in the King James goes on to say, You shall be slain, all of you, as a bowing wall shall you be, and as a tottering fence.
SPEAKER_00: When you look at this, I believe what David is attempting to do, church, is to figuratively explain the difference between himself and his enemies.
SPEAKER_00: David is firmly secured in the rock of his salvation.
SPEAKER_00: Whereas his enemies hurl their insults and implot their schemes and conjure up their gossip from their bowing walls and their teetering fences.
SPEAKER_00: A false security.
SPEAKER_00: Verse 4, David indicates that his enemies are close at hand.
SPEAKER_00: Perhaps even within his inner circle.
SPEAKER_00: The NIV reads, Surely they intend to topple me from my lofty place.
SPEAKER_00: Remember, he is the king.
SPEAKER_00: They take delight in lies, with their mouths they bless, but in their hearts they curse.
SPEAKER_00: Take a good look at that.
SPEAKER_00: What we see is that David struggles with what so many of us struggle with at times.
SPEAKER_00: A close friend or loved one who has betrayed us.
SPEAKER_00: In a modern phrase, this would be descriptive of what I personally would call two-faced.
SPEAKER_00: Someone who blesses you or is a friend to your face, but curses you in their heart and talks freely about you when your back is turned.
SPEAKER_00: Both then and now I think you can plainly see what I mean by that.
SPEAKER_00: There's not a person in this room or joining us online that has not struggled with this very same issue.
SPEAKER_00: When someone you trust betrays that trust.
SPEAKER_00: And if by chance you haven't, count your blessings.
SPEAKER_00: Count your blessings.
SPEAKER_00: Because it is a heartbreaking experience.
SPEAKER_00: As you can see, David follows verse 4 with a very well-placed salah.
SPEAKER_00: And when we read the text, we don't actually read that.
SPEAKER_00: That's a note to the musician.
SPEAKER_00: And the note basically means that it is a term to indicate a pause in the music and a transition of rhythm and time.
SPEAKER_00: In effect, what it means is that what David has said right there is so profound and so emotionally heavy that you just have to stop for a moment and catch your breath.
SPEAKER_00: Look at what he says.
SPEAKER_00: From a human and emotional perspective, the salah represents a deep sigh of reflection, allowing time to regain one's composure before moving forward with the song.
SPEAKER_00: Verses 5 to 7, he sensed that David feels a need to reinforce his confidence and regain his bearing before addressing his people in verses 8 and 9.
SPEAKER_00: He's mustering up his courage and his resolve in that pause.
SPEAKER_00: I love the way verse 5 reads in the King James.
SPEAKER_00: He says, My soul wait thou only upon God, for my expectation is from him.
SPEAKER_00: Here David shows his transparency, church.
SPEAKER_00: And I believe that it's here that we can most relate to David.
SPEAKER_00: Right there.
SPEAKER_00: Essentially, what David is saying to himself, like so many of us, is don't lose it.
SPEAKER_00: Don't get caught up in all the stuff and all the people that discourage you.
SPEAKER_00: Don't give up on God, because he will never give up on you.
SPEAKER_00: To reaffirm this to himself, he repeats himself in verse 6 from verse 2 and says, Truly he is my rock and my salvation.
SPEAKER_00: I will not be shaken.
SPEAKER_00: In verse 7, the King James says, And God is my salvation and my glory, the rock of my strength, and my refuge is in God.
SPEAKER_00: The NIV renders verse 7 in this way My salvation and my honor depend on God.
SPEAKER_00: He is my mighty rock, my refuge.
SPEAKER_00: Church, in a nutshell, what David is saying is that the only thing that matters in his world now and in the world to come is this relationship with God.
SPEAKER_00: And no matter what people say or do, good or bad, my salvation, my honor as a man, as a son, and as the king are found in God alone.
SPEAKER_00: In verse 8, we see David's encouragement to his people.
SPEAKER_00: Look at what he says.
SPEAKER_00: He says, Trust in him at all times.
SPEAKER_00: You people, pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.
SPEAKER_00: Family, after reassuring himself of his need and his trust in the Lord in all times and having poured out his heart to God, he encourages his people to do the same.
SPEAKER_00: David leads by example.
SPEAKER_00: That's what a good leader does.
SPEAKER_00: He leads by example.
SPEAKER_00: And verse 8 is as much a prayer for his people as it is a request for his people.
SPEAKER_00: There's great emotion and passion in his words, as well as hope and confidence in his spirit.
SPEAKER_00: Again, with the Silah, David pauses to contemplate what he's just said.
SPEAKER_00: Pour out your heart, because you can trust in the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: God is our refuge.
SPEAKER_00: Stanley, what's what's weighing on your heart this morning?
SPEAKER_00: What is it that you don't think you can stand to carry anymore?
SPEAKER_00: God says, trust me.
SPEAKER_00: Because your salvation is in my hand.
SPEAKER_00: No one can truly harm you if you're with me.
SPEAKER_00: And you can't truly be with me, the Lord says, like I am with you until you pour out your heart to me as I poured out my heart to you at the cross.
SPEAKER_00: Verses 9 and 10, David instructs his people.
SPEAKER_00: And he warns those aligned against him.
SPEAKER_00: Verse 9 he says, Surely the lowborn are but a breath, but the highborn are but a lie.
SPEAKER_00: If weighed on a balance, they're nothing.
SPEAKER_00: Together, they're only a breath.
SPEAKER_00: Take a good look at what he says.
SPEAKER_00: It doesn't matter if you're born in poverty or if you're born in wealth.
SPEAKER_00: If you are highborn, as David puts it, or if you are lowborn.
SPEAKER_00: It all boils down to this we're equally worthless without the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: Verse 10 Trust not in oppression and become not vain in robbery.
SPEAKER_00: If riches increase, set not your heart upon them.
SPEAKER_00: Church, I believe that this verse could be tied to verse 3, where David says, How long will you imagine mischief against a man?
SPEAKER_00: You shall be slain, all of you.
SPEAKER_00: As a bowling wall shall you be in a tottering fence.
SPEAKER_00: Essentially what David is saying here is this if you want to build your foundation on lies and the oppression of others, if you feel that the way to the top is stepping on, stepping through, or stepping over whoever is in your way.
SPEAKER_00: And if money and status is the extent to which your vision of security and salvation can carry you, then take notice.
SPEAKER_00: Do not put your trust in them.
SPEAKER_00: Do not set your heart on it.
SPEAKER_00: Because it is a bowing wall and a tottering fence, and it will fall.
SPEAKER_00: Verses 11 and 12, the shift focuses back again to where it began with God.
SPEAKER_00: Here David glorifies the Lord, instructs his people, and warns his enemies.
SPEAKER_00: Listen to what he says.
SPEAKER_00: One thing God has spoken, two things I have heard.
SPEAKER_00: Power belongs to you, God, and with you, Lord is unfailing love.
SPEAKER_00: And you reward everyone according to what they have done.
SPEAKER_00: Look at what he says.
SPEAKER_00: One thing God has spoken to me, two things I've heard.
SPEAKER_00: Family, when the Lord speaks, we get so much more out of it if we're willing to listen.
SPEAKER_00: In everything, everything.
SPEAKER_00: God's infinite power is balanced with his infinite grace.
SPEAKER_00: Back in verse nine, David in the NIV uses the word surely.
SPEAKER_00: Surely in the sense that the information to follow is of foundational importance.
SPEAKER_00: Surely in the sense that you can be assured of it.
SPEAKER_00: Surely in the reality that without the Lord, at best, we're only a breath.
SPEAKER_00: And it all boils down to how we live this life.
SPEAKER_00: And David says, You will reward everyone according to what they have done.
SPEAKER_00: Church, this is a very rich song.
SPEAKER_00: It's a beautiful song.
SPEAKER_00: And a powerful message from David.
SPEAKER_00: And verse eight is the key, and don't miss it.
SPEAKER_00: You ready?
SPEAKER_00: Perhaps you'd like to come.
SPEAKER_00: Verse eight is the key.
SPEAKER_00: Don't miss it.
SPEAKER_00: Trust in the Lord at all times.
SPEAKER_00: Pour out your heart to Him because God is our refuge.
SPEAKER_00: If you take nothing else with you this morning, take that with you.
SPEAKER_00: Hold on to it.
SPEAKER_00: Never let it go.
SPEAKER_00: How can that not give us a reason to pause and consider the value of trusting in the Lord?
SPEAKER_00: Is your heart full this morning?
SPEAKER_00: Is it full of praise?
SPEAKER_00: Is it full of thanksgiving?
SPEAKER_00: Or does your heart need to be emptied this morning?
SPEAKER_00: Empty of worry, of doubt?
SPEAKER_00: David says that God is our refuge.
SPEAKER_00: If you'll pour out your heart to him.
SPEAKER_00: Do you need to respond this morning to share the overflow of joy and thanksgiving that you have with your church family?
SPEAKER_00: Or do you need to respond to share the concern of your heart, to pour out your heart to the Lord?
SPEAKER_00: God is your refuge.
SPEAKER_00: And central is a place where refuge can and should be found.
SPEAKER_00: Or you need a spiritual rest this morning, church.
SPEAKER_00: David reminds us in this psalm that salvation is found and true rest is found only in God alone.
SPEAKER_00: I don't know where your heart is this morning.
SPEAKER_00: I don't know what you're struggling with.
SPEAKER_00: I don't know what you've been blessed with this week that you want to share with all of us.
SPEAKER_00: But if the Spirit is calling you to respond this morning, I encourage you to do so.
SPEAKER_00: Our shepherds are going to be down front waiting to receive you.
SPEAKER_00: And you know what?
SPEAKER_00: If you just can't take that step, but you need to share something with somebody this morning, raise your hand.
SPEAKER_00: And one of our shepherds will come to you.
SPEAKER_00: Whatever you need, don't leave this place without that need being met while we stand and sing.