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<center><h1>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary
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on the Whole Bible</h1>
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[<A HREF="MHC00000.HTM">Table of Contents</A>]<BR>
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Matthew Henry<BR><I>Commentary on the Whole Bible</I> (1710)
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<!-- (Begin Body) -->
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<CENTER>
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+3><B>P S A L M S</B></FONT>
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<BR>
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+2>PSALM LXII.</FONT>
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<HR SIZE=1 WIDTH=50>
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</CENTER>
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<FONT SIZE=-1>
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<P>
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This psalm has nothing in it directly either of prayer or praise, nor
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does it appear upon what occasion it was penned, nor whether upon any
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particular occasion, whether mournful or joyful. But in it,
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I. David with a great deal of pleasure professes his own confidence in
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God and dependence upon him, and encourages himself to continue waiting
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on him,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+62:1-7">ver. 1-7</A>.
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II. With a great deal of earnestness he excites and encourages others
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to trust in God likewise, and not in any creature,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+62:8-12">ver. 8-12</A>.
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In singing it we should stir up ourselves to wait on God.</P>
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</FONT>
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<A NAME="Ps62_1"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps62_2"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps62_3"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps62_4"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps62_5"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps62_6"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps62_7"> </A>
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<A NAME="Sec1"> </A>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
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<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>Waiting upon God; Confidence in God.</I></FONT></TD>
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<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1> <! -- Date --> </FONT></TD></TR>
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<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
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</TABLE>
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<CENTER>
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<P>To the chief musician, to Jeduthun. A psalm of David.</P>
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</CENTER>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>1 Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him <I>cometh</I>
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my salvation.
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2 He only <I>is</I> my rock and my salvation; <I>he is</I> my defence; I
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shall not be greatly moved.
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3 How long will ye imagine mischief against a man? ye shall be
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slain all of you: as a bowing wall <I>shall ye be, and as</I> a
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tottering fence.
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4 They only consult to cast <I>him</I> down from his excellency:
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they delight in lies: they bless with their mouth, but they curse
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inwardly. Selah.
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5 My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation <I>is</I>
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from him.
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6 He only <I>is</I> my rock and my salvation: <I>he is</I> my defence; I
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shall not be moved.
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7 In God <I>is</I> my salvation and my glory: the rock of my
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strength, <I>and</I> my refuge, <I>is</I> in God.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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In these verses we have,</P>
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<P>
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I. David's profession of dependence upon God, and upon him only, for
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all good
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+62:1"><I>v.</I> 1</A>):
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<I>Truly my soul waiteth upon God. Nevertheless</I> (so some) or
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"<I>However it be,</I> whatever difficulties or dangers I may meet
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with, though God frown upon me and I meet with discouragements in my
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attendance on him, yet still my soul waits upon God" (or <I>is silent
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to God,</I> as the word is), "Says nothing against what he does, but
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quietly expects what he will do." We are in the way both of duty and
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comfort when our souls wait upon God, when we cheerfully refer
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ourselves, and the disposal of all our affairs, to his will and wisdom,
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when we acquiesce in and accommodate ourselves to all the dispensations
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of his providence, and patiently expect a doubtful event, with an
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entire satisfaction in his righteousness and goodness, <I>however it
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be. Is not my soul subject go God?</I> So the LXX. So it, certainly so
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it ought to be; our wills must be melted into his will. <I>My soul has
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respect to God, for from him cometh my salvation.</I> He doubts not but
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his salvation will come, though now he was threatened and in danger,
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and he expects it to come from God, and from him only; for <I>in vain
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is it hoped for from hills and mountains,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+3:23,Ps+121:1,2">Jer. iii. 23; Ps. cxxi. 1, 2</A>.
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"From him I know it will come, and therefore on him will I patiently
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wait till it does come, for his time is the best time." We may apply it
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to our eternal salvation, which is called <I>the salvation of God</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+50:23">Ps. l. 23</A>);
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from him it comes; he prepared it for us, he prepares us for it, and
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preserves us to it, and therefore let our souls wait on him, to be
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conducted through this world to that eternal salvation, in such way as
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he thinks fit.</P>
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<P>
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II. The ground and reason of this dependence
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+62:2"><I>v.</I> 2</A>):
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<I>He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence.</I>
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1. "He has been so many a time; in him I have found shelter, and
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strength, and succour. He has by his grace supported me and borne me up
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under my troubles, and by his providence defended me from the insults
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of my enemies and delivered me out of the troubles into which I was
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plunged; and therefore <I>I trust he will deliver me,</I>"
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Co+1:10">2 Cor. i. 10</A>.
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2. "He only can be my rock and my salvation. Creatures are
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insufficient; they are nothing without him, and therefore I will look
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above them to him."
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3. "He has by covenant undertaken to be so. Even he that is the rock of
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ages is my rock; he that is the God of salvation is my salvation; he
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that is the Most High is my high place; and therefore I have all the
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reason in the world to confide in him."</P>
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<P>
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III. The improvement he makes of his confidence in God.</P>
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<P>
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1. Trusting in God, his heart is fixed. "If God is my strength and
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mighty delivered, <I>I shall not be greatly moved</I> (that is, I shall
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not be undone and ruined); I may be shocked, but I shall not be sunk."
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Or, "I shall not be much disturbed and disquieted in my own breast. I
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may be put into some fright, but I shall not be afraid with any
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amazement, nor so as to be put out of the possession of my own soul. I
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may be perplexed, but not in despair,"
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Co+4:8">2 Cor. iv. 8</A>.
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This hope in God will be an anchor of the soul, sure and stedfast.</P>
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<P>
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2. His enemies are slighted, and all their attempts against him looked
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upon by him with contempt,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+62:3,4"><I>v.</I> 3, 4</A>.
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If God be for us, we need not fear what man can do against us, though
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ever so mighty and malicious. He here,
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(1.) Gives a character of his enemies: <I>They imagine mischief,</I>
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design it with a great deal of the serpent's venom and contrive it with
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a great deal of the serpent's subtlety, and this <I>against a man,</I>
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one of their own kind, against one single man, that is not an equal
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match for them, for they are many; they continued their malicious
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persecution though Providence had often defeated their mischievous
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designs. "<I>How long will you</I> do it? Will you never be convinced
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of your error? Will your malice never have spent itself?" They are
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unanimous in their consultations to cast an excellent man <I>down from
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his excellency,</I> to draw an honest man from his integrity, to
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entangle him in sin, which is the only thing that can effectually cast
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us down from our excellency, to thrust a man, whom God has exalted,
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down from his dignity, and so to fight against God. Envy was at the
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bottom of their malice; they were grieved at David's advancement, and
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therefore plotted, by diminishing his character and blackening that
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(which was casting him down from his excellency) to hinder his
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preferment. In order to this they calumniate him, and love to hear such
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bad characters given of him and such bad reports raised and spread
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concerning him as they themselves know to be false: <I>They delight in
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lies.</I> And as they make no conscience of lying concerning him, to do
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him a mischief, so they make no conscience of lying to him, to conceal
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the mischief they design, and accomplish it the more effectually:
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<I>They bless with their mouth</I> (they compliment David to his face),
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<I>but they curse inwardly;</I> in their hearts they wish him all
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mischief, and privately they are plotting against him and in their
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cabals carrying on some evil design or other, by which they hope to
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ruin him. It is dangerous putting our trust in men who are thus false;
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but God is faithful.
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(2.) He reads their doom, pronounces a sentence of death upon them, not
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as a king, but as a prophet: <I>You shall be slain all of you,</I> by
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the righteous judgments of God. Saul and his servants were slain by the
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Philistines on Mount Gilboa, according to this prediction. Those who
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seek the ruin of God's chosen are but preparing ruin for themselves.
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God's church is built upon a rock which will stand, but those that
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fight against it, and its patrons and protectors, shall be <I>as a
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bowing wall and a tottering fence,</I> which, having a rotten
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foundation, sinks with its own weight, falls of a sudden, and buries
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those in the ruins of it that put themselves under the shadow and
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shelter of it. David, having put his confidence in God, thus foresees
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the overthrow of his enemies, and, in effect, sets them at defiance and
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bids them do their worst.</P>
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<P>
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3. He is himself encouraged to continue waiting upon God
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+62:5-7"><I>v.</I> 5-7</A>):
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<I>My soul, wait thou only upon God.</I> Note, The good we do we should
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stir up ourselves to continue doing, and to do yet more and more, as
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those that have, through grace, experienced the comfort and benefit of
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it. We have found it good to wait upon God, and therefore should charge
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our souls, and even charm them, into such a constant dependence upon
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him as may make us always easy. He had said
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+62:1"><I>v.</I> 1</A>),
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<I>From him cometh my salvation;</I> he says
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+62:5"><I>v.</I> 5</A>),
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<I>My expectation is from him.</I> His salvation was the principal
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matter of his expectation; let him have that from God, and he expects
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no more. His salvation being from God, all his other expectations are
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from him. "If God will save my soul, as to every thing else let him do
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what he pleases with me, and I will acquiesce in his disposals, knowing
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they shall <I>all turn to my salvation,</I>"
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Php+1:19">Phil. i. 19</A>.
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He repeats
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+62:6"><I>v.</I> 6</A>)
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what he had said concerning God
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+62:2"><I>v.</I> 2</A>),
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as one that was not only assured of it, but greatly pleased with it,
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and that dwelt much upon it in his thoughts: <I>He only is my rock and
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my salvation; he is my defence,</I> I know he is; but there he adds,
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<I>I shall not be greatly moved,</I> here, <I>I shall not be moved at
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all.</I> Note, The more faith is acted the more active it is.
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<I>Crescit eundo--It grows by being exercised.</I> The more we meditate
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upon God's attributes and promises, and our own experience, the more
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ground we get of our fears, which, like Haman, when they begin to fall,
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shall fall before us, and we shall be <I>kept in perfect peace,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+26:3">Isa. xxvi. 3</A>.
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And, as David's faith in God advances to an unshaken stayedness, so his
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joy in God improves itself into a holy triumph
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+62:7"><I>v.</I> 7</A>):
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<I>In God is my salvation and my glory.</I> Where our salvation is
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there our glory is; for what is our salvation but the glory to be
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revealed, the eternal weight of glory? And there our glorying must be.
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In God let us boast all the day long. "The <I>rock of my strength</I>
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(that is, my strong rock, on which I build my hopes and stay myself)
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<I>and my refuge,</I> to which I flee for shelter when I am pursued,
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<I>is in God,</I> and in him only. I have no other to flee to, no other
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to trust to; the more I think of it the better satisfied I am in the
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choice I have made." Thus does he <I>delight himself in the Lord, and
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then ride upon the high places of the earth,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+58:14">Isa. lviii. 14</A>.</P>
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<A NAME="Ps62_8"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps62_9"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps62_10"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps62_11"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps62_12"> </A>
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<A NAME="Sec2"> </A>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
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<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>An Exhortation to Trust in God.</I></FONT></TD>
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<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1> <! -- Date --> </FONT></TD></TR>
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<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
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</TABLE>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>8 Trust in him at all times; <I>ye</I> people, pour out your heart
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before him: God <I>is</I> a refuge for us. Selah.
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9 Surely men of low degree <I>are</I> vanity, <I>and</I> men of high
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degree <I>are</I> a lie: to be laid in the balance, they <I>are</I>
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altogether <I>lighter</I> than vanity.
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10 Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if
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riches increase, set not your heart <I>upon them.</I>
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11 God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power
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<I>belongeth</I> unto God.
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12 Also unto thee, O Lord, <I>belongeth</I> mercy: for thou
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renderest to every man according to his work.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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Here we have David's exhortation to others to trust in God and wait
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upon him, as he had done. Those that have found the comfort of the ways
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of God themselves will invite others into those ways; there is enough
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in God for all the saints to draw from, and we shall have never the
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less for others sharing with us.</P>
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<P>
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I. He counsels all to wait upon God, as he did,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+62:8"><I>v.</I> 8</A>.
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Observe,</P>
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<P>
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1. To whom he gives this good counsel: <I>You people</I> (that is, all
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people); all shall be welcome to trust in God, for he is <I>the
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confidence of all the ends of the earth,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+65:5">Ps. lxv. 5</A>.
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<I>You people of the house of Israel</I> (so the Chaldee); they are
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especially engaged and invited to trust in God, for he is the God of
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Israel; and should not a people seek unto their God?</P>
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<P>
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2. What the good counsel is which he gives.
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(1.) To confide in God: "<I>Trust in him;</I> deal with him, and be
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willing to deal upon trust; depend upon him to perform all things for
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you, upon his wisdom and goodness, his power and promise, his
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providence and grace. Do this <I>at all times.</I>" We must have an
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habitual confidence in God always, must live a life of dependence upon
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him, must so trust in him at all times as not at any time to put that
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confidence in ourselves, or in any creature, which is to be put in him
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only; and we must have an actual confidence in God upon all occasions,
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trust in him upon every emergency, to guide us when we are in doubt, to
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protect us when we are in danger, to supply us when we are in want, to
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strengthen us for every good word and work.
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(2.) To converse with God: <I>Pour out your heart before him.</I> The
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expression seems to allude to the pouring out of the drink-offerings
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before the Lord. When we make a penitent confession of sin our hearts
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are therein <I>poured out before God,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Sa+7:6">1 Sam. vii. 6</A>.
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But here it is meant of prayer, which, if it be as it should be, is the
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pouring out of the heart before God. We must lay our grievances before
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him, offer up our desires to him with all humble freedom, and then
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entirely refer ourselves to his disposal, patiently submitting our
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wills to his: this is pouring out our hearts.</P>
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<P>
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3. What encouragement he gives us to take this good counsel: <I>God is
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a refuge for us,</I> not only my refuge
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+62:7"><I>v.</I> 7</A>),
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but a refuge for us all, even as many as will flee to him and take
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shelter in him.</P>
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<P>
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II. He cautions us to take heed of misplacing our confidence, in which,
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as much as in any thing, <I>the heart is deceitful,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+17:5-9">Jer. xvii. 5-9</A>.
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Those that trust in God truly
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+62:1"><I>v.</I> 1</A>)
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will trust in him only,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+62:5"><I>v.</I> 5</A>.
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1. Let us not trust in the men of this world, for they are broken
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reeds
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+62:9"><I>v.</I> 9</A>):
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<I>Surely men of low degree are vanity,</I> utterly unable to help us,
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and <I>men of high degree are a lie,</I> that will deceive us if we
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trust to them. Men of low degree, one would think, might be relied on
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for their multitude and number, their bodily strength and service, and
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men of high degree for their wisdom, power, and influence; but neither
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the one nor the other are to be depended on. Of the two, men of high
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degree are mentioned as the more deceiving; for they are <I>a lie,</I>
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which denotes not only vanity, but iniquity. We are not so apt to
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depend upon men of low degree as upon the king and the captain of the
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host, who, by the figure they make, tempt us to trust in them, and so,
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when they fail us, prove a lie. But lay them <I>in the balance,</I>
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the balance of the scripture, or rather make trial of them, see how
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they will prove, whether they will answer your expectations from them
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or no, and you will write <I>Tekel</I> upon them; they are alike
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<I>lighter than vanity;</I> there is no depending upon their wisdom to
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advise us, their power to act for us, their good-will to us, no, nor
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upon their promises, in comparison with God, nor otherwise than in
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subordination to him.
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2. Let us not trust in the wealth of this world, let not that be made
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our strong city
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+62:10"><I>v.</I> 10</A>):
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<I>Trust not in oppression;</I> that is, in riches got by fraud and
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violence, because where there is a great deal it is commonly got by
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indirect scraping or saving (our Saviour calls it the <I>mammon of
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unrighteousness,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Lu+16:9">Luke xvi. 9</A>),
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or in the arts of getting riches. "Think not, either because you have
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got abundance or are in the way of getting, that therefore you are safe
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enough; for this is becoming <I>vain in robbery,</I> that is, cheating
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yourselves while you think to cheat others." He that <I>trusted in the
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abundance of his riches strengthened himself in his wickedness</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+52:7">Ps. lii. 7</A>);
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but at his end he will be a fool,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+17:11">Jer. xvii. 11</A>.
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Let none be so stupid as to think of supporting themselves in their
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sin, much less of supporting themselves in this sin. Nay, because it is
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hard to have riches and not to trust in them, if they increase, though
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by lawful and honest means, we must take heed lest we let out our
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affections inordinately towards them: "<I>Set not your heart upon
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them;</I> be not eager for them, do not take a complacency in them as
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the rest of your souls, nor put a confidence in them as your portion;
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be not over-solicitous about them; do not value yourselves and others
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by them; make not the wealth of the world your chief good and highest
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end: in short, do not make an idol of it." This we are most in danger
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of doing when riches increase. When the grounds of the rich man brought
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forth plentifully, then he said to his soul, <I>Take thy ease</I> in
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these things,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Lu+12:19">Luke xii. 19</A>.
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It is a smiling world that is most likely to draw the heart away from
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God, on whom only it should be set.</P>
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<P>
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III. He gives a very good reason why we should make God our confidence,
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because he is a God of infinite power, mercy, and righteousness,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+62:11,12"><I>v.</I> 11, 12</A>.
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This he himself was well assured of and would have us be assured of it:
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<I>God has spoken once; twice have I heard this;</I> that is,
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1. "God has spoken it, and I have heard it, once, yea, twice. He has
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spoken it, and I have heard it by the light of reason, which easily
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infers it from the nature of the infinitely perfect Being and from his
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works both of creation and providence. He has spoken it, and I have
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heard once, yea, twice (that is, many a time), by the events that have
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concerned me in particular. He has spoken it and I have heard it by the
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light of revelation, by dreams and visions
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Job+4:15">Job iv. 15</A>),
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by the glorious manifestation of himself upon Mount Sinai" (to which,
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some think, it does especially refer), "and by the written word." God
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has often told us what a great and good God he is, and we ought as
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often to take notice of what he has told us. Or,
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2. "Though God spoke it but once, I heard it twice, heard it
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diligently, not only with my outward ears, but with my soul and mind."
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To some God speaks twice and they will not hear once; but to others he
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speaks but once, and they hear twice. Compare
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Job+33:14">Job xxxiii. 14</A>.
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Now what is it which is thus spoken and thus heard?
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(1.) That the God with whom we have to do is infinite in power.
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|
<I>Power belongs to God;</I> he is almighty, and can do every thing;
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|
with him nothing is impossible. All the powers of all the creatures are
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|
derived form him, depend upon him, and are used by him as he pleases.
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His is the power, and to him we must ascribe it. This is a good reason
|
|
why we should trust in him at all times and live in a constant
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|
dependence upon him; for he is able to do all that for us which we
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trust in him for.
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(2.) That he is a God of infinite goodness. Here the psalmist turns his
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|
speech to God himself, as being desirous to give him the glory of his
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goodness, which is his glory: <I>Also unto thee, O Lord! belongeth
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|
mercy.</I> God is not only the greatest, but the best, of beings. Mercy
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|
is with him,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+130:4,7">Ps. cxxx. 4, 7</A>.
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He is merciful in a way peculiar to himself; he is the <I>Father of
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|
mercies,</I>
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|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Co+1:3">2 Cor. i. 3</A>.
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This is a further reason why we should trust in him, and answers the
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|
objections of our sinfulness and unworthiness; though we deserve
|
|
nothing but his wrath, yet we may hope for all good from his mercy,
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|
which is over all his works.
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(3.) That he never did, nor ever will do, any wrong to any of his
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|
creatures: <I>For thou renderest to every man according to his
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|
work.</I> Though he does not always do this visibly in this world, yet
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|
he will do it in the day of recompence. No service done him shall go
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|
unrewarded, nor any affront given him unpunished, unless it be repented
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|
of. By this it appears that power and mercy belong to him. If he were
|
|
not a God of power, there are sinners that would be too great to be
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|
punished. And if he were not a God of mercy there are services that
|
|
would be too worthless to be rewarded. This seems especially to bespeak
|
|
the justice of God in judging upon appeals made to him by wronged
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|
innocency; he will be sure to judge according to truth, in giving
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|
redress to the injured and avenging them on those that have been
|
|
injurious to them,
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|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+8:32">1 Kings viii. 32</A>.
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Let those therefore that are wronged commit their cause to him and
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trust to him to plead it.</P>
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