The whole of the 62nd Psalm deserves time for meditation, with repetition. It implies as much in the reference to silence in two verses of the Psalm. It is basic in that distractions are swept away in the statement that one waits, for God only. (v.1) Experience of lasting value is wrapped in simple statements about the human self and God: He only is my rock and my salvation. Exclamation point! Enough said, except to wait silently and anticipate meaning and life response – meditation, biblically and personally focused, that leads to hope and better living in faith. The accent is on the concept, of God as Rock and Salvation, repeated in the Psalm. The Bible, much given to divine repetition, is to be taken very seriously in this habit of repetition – Selah. Part of this devotion is to make contrast with what is related to ordinary human experience. Persons are commonly caught in the context of some hypocrisy – They bless with their mouth, but inwardly they curse. (v. 4) Factors relating to common negative responses are included, such as falsehood and oppression.
There are various evidences of humility, or lack of it, noted in the Scriptures. We are appalled when we read that after Jesus healed ten persons, only one returned to express appreciation for the gift of restored health. There are those who cannot express appreciation, cannot practice even a modest humility of gratitude. The badgering of others even when they are guilty of heinous conduct shows our pride in ourselves. Judging the wrongdoer ought to be done in tears and sorrow, not in arrogance and self-righteousness. This applies not only for political candidates, who dig for personal dirt in opponents so to sway elections, but for the murderer whose depravity has sunk to the lowest level. The enlightened and biblically oriented Christian is, or should be, so humbled by his own care by God, that he visits, comforts, and helps even the most offensive person, inviting him to the ultimate freedom with God in forgiveness. The formulas found in love apply to all, and always. The matter is personal, but revealed in the social context of our lives.
It is difficult for even some mature Christians to manage Christ-likeness in themselves when they encounter large or small problems in the world. One’s mate is difficult, selfish perhaps, even hypocritical. Hypocrisy is common in that so many parents and children require virtue of other family members that they are unwilling to match. Many persons would not accept the same angry, superior tones of voices from others that they emit in their own communications. That is hypocrisy, observed often in our relationships. The response to a problem may be in anger by the abused member, so harsh words and repercussions become reciprocal. There are other reactions, like sabotaging this or that situation known to be important to the abuser. Instead of permitting God to be everything so to respond in ways that lead, with patience and hope, to solutions, the offended joins the offender by falling to unproductive (wrong) responses. Now, both the initiator and the recipient are guilty. Little is accomplished. Improvement eludes both. Once we rest all in God, we can emerge from praise or condemnation to live with everything encapsulated for us in Christ’s example. He even took time to heal the ear of the soldier who took him to crucifixion. Fathom that! It takes genuine maturity and high skill of self-control to reply softly, which is rightly. The response is not with head down in a posture of weakness, but in true concern about the human condition, with firmness that reveals that solutions are not found in anger, or physical conflict response, but in the quiet reliance on truth – and the power of God. This is a magnificent pattern for life progression, even if the solution is not perceived immediately. God does not settle all his accounts today. He is in partnership with us for purpose. *Mark W. Lee, Sr. — 2016, 2020