The big picture
Psalm 62 keeps returning to one word of exclusivity: “only.” Salvation, defense, expectation, glory, strength, and refuge are repeatedly located in God while human power is exposed as both deceptive and light. Enemies bless with the mouth while cursing inwardly, and their unstable arrangements are set against the image of rock. The speaker first states his waiting, then commands his own soul to continue it, turning repetition into deliberate maintenance of direction. Yet this stillness does not exclude speech, because the gathered people are invited to “pour out your heart before him.” The final section places both low and high degree in the balances and finds no rank heavy enough to become an ultimate foundation. Oppression, robbery, and even honestly increasing riches fail the same test. The last words join power, mercy, and recompense in God, giving judgment a weight no human title or fortune can carry.
Central truth
Psalm 62 repeatedly insists that God alone is David's rock, salvation, defense, and expectation, while status, wealth, extortion, and human force are exposed as too light to bear the weight of trust.
The study notes have a page of their own
The movement by movement analysis, the words to trace, the verse by verse notes and where readers differ are written for someone studying alone. They are on the Deep Personal Reflections page for this chapter. This page is the lesson.
A chapter-specific teaching brief
These anchors come from this chapter itself. They help a teacher use the Level 1 overview, the Level 2 study, and the Scripture text as one lesson.
Open with the chapter’s first image
Psalms 62:1: “Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation.”
Slow down at the turning point
Psalms 62:3: “How long will ye imagine mischief against a man? ye shall be slain all of you: as a bowing wall shall ye be, and as a tottering fence.”
Keep this word trail visible
salvation, rock, belongeth, defence, degree, heart
What to explain, in order
Teach the passage in this order. Each step names the verses it rests on, so every point can be shown in the text before it is applied.
Psalm 62:1-2
A soul that waits
Begin with the posture before the trouble. "Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation." Explain that waiting here is quiet, settled dependence, not idleness. Then mark the little word only in verse 2: "He only is my rock". The psalm will repeat that word again and again. Teach the confession first, before the enemies appear, because the psalm wants the class standing on the rock before it shows them who is pushing.
Psalm 62:3-4
The leaning wall
Read 62:3-4 and draw a wall leaning out of true. The attackers think one push will do it. Point out what they want: "to cast him down from his excellency", to remove him from honour. Point out how: "they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly." Explain that this is the danger of smiling hostility, which often hurts more than open attack. Teach it second so the class sees the rock of verse 2 tested by real pressure.
Psalm 62:5-7
Preaching to his own soul
Read verses 5-6 beside verses 1-2. Verse 1 described; verse 5 commands: "My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him." Then verse 6 drops the word greatly. Explain that David is talking to himself with truth, and the confession grows firmer after the attack, not weaker. Verse 7 gathers the titles: salvation, glory, rock of strength, refuge, all "in God". Teach this as the centre of the psalm.
Psalm 62:8
Pour out your heart
Now the private prayer turns outward: "Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us." Explain the picture of a jar emptied completely. Contrast it with verse 4, where the enemies speak one thing and hide another. Before God, nothing needs hiding. Teach it here because it is the invitation the whole psalm has been building toward, and it is the line most learners will carry away.
Psalm 62:9-10
Weighed on the scales
Bring a simple balance if you can. Read 62:9: people of low degree and high degree together are "lighter than vanity". Explain vanity as breath. Then 62:10 names three false securities: oppression, robbery and wealth that increases. Explain that the last one is not sin, but "set not your heart upon them" warns against trusting it. Teach this step to show what the rock is being compared with, so the class names its own alternatives.
Psalm 62:11-12
Power and mercy
Read the closing: God has spoken once and David has heard twice, "that power belongeth unto God. Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy". Explain the Hebrew pattern of one, then two, as emphasis. Then the last clause, "thou renderest to every man according to his work", which Paul quotes in Romans 2:6. Teach this last because it answers the whole psalm: the God who is strong and kind will set right what the liars of verse 4 have done.
Where learners get stuck
The misreadings this passage tends to produce, and how to answer each from the text.
"Waiting on God means sitting back and doing nothing."
The waiting of 62:1 and 62:5 is the soul resting its whole weight on God, and it sits beside active trust and open prayer in 62:8. David is under attack in 62:3-4 and still acts: he speaks to his soul, teaches the people and refuses false securities in 62:10. Waiting means looking to God alone for the outcome, not giving up on obedience.
"A real believer never feels shaken."
Verse 2 says "I shall not be greatly moved", which admits that some movement is possible. Only after the attack and the self-exhortation does verse 6 say "I shall not be moved." The psalm shows confidence that grows through pressure. Feeling shaken is not failure; it is the occasion to say again, "He only is my rock" (62:6).
"Verse 10 teaches that having money is wrong."
The verse condemns oppression and robbery outright, but it speaks of honest riches differently: "if riches increase, set not your heart upon them" (62:10). The fault is trusting wealth, setting the heart on it, not owning it. Paul gives the same charge in 1 Timothy 6:17: the rich are not to trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God.
"Verse 12 means God rewards people for their works instead of showing mercy."
The psalm puts the two in one sentence: "unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy: for thou renderest to every man according to his work" (62:12). It does not set them against each other. God's mercy includes his commitment to justice, which is good news for those hurt by the plotting of 62:4. Romans 2:6 quotes the line; let the class see both halves without forcing a system onto one verse.
Learning objectives
- Identify the repeated 'only' or 'alone' emphasis surrounding God in verses 1, 2, 5, and 6.
- Trace the change from 'I shall not be greatly moved' in verse 2 to 'I shall not be moved' in verse 6.
- Explain the wall-and-fence image in verse 3 as the enemies' view of a vulnerable target.
- Contrast people of low and high degree with the balances image in verse 9.
- Explain the warnings against oppression, robbery, and increased riches in verse 10.
- State the two things heard in verses 11–12: power belongs to God, and mercy belongs to him.
Teacher preparation
- Read the psalm aloud and mark every occurrence of only, rock, salvation, defense, trust, and vanity.
- Prepare to explain 'waiteth' and 'expectation' as active dependence rather than empty inactivity.
- Draw a simple balance scale for verse 9 so the image of collective human lightness can be seen.
- Keep verse 10 precise: the psalm does not call wealth evil, but it forbids setting the heart on riches even when they increase.
- Write verses 5–8 together because the second refrain expands personal confidence into an invitation for the people to pour out their hearts before God.
Evidence and interpretation checks
Explicit
Verses 1–2 and 5–8 explicitly name God as salvation, rock, defense, expectation, glory, strength, and refuge.
Scripture-supported
Verse 10 supports a moral boundary around wealth and power by forbidding trust in oppression, robbery, or riches that increase.
Strong inference
The strengthening from verse 2 to verse 6 strongly suggests growing settled confidence as the repeated confession is restated in the middle of pressure.
Possible or traditional reading
Some translations render the Hebrew emphasis behind 'only' in slightly different positions, but the KJV clearly gives the class a repeated exclusivity to observe.
Limit
Psalm 62 does not say money, rank, or human assistance are unreal; it says they cannot rightly carry ultimate trust and must not become the heart's refuge.
Discussion with answer guidance
1. What is gained by repeating nearly the same confession in verses 1–2 and 5–6?
What a good answer contains
The confession settles as it is repeated. Verse 2 says "He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved." Verse 6 says the same but ends "I shall not be moved." The word greatly has gone. Between the two, David has faced the plotters of verses 3-4. A good answer notices that verse 1 states a fact, "my soul waiteth upon God", while verse 5 is a command to himself, "My soul, wait thou only upon God". Faith is preached to one's own soul. A weak answer calls the repetition filler.
Show teacher guidance
Compare the lines closely. The repetition is not wasted space; it rehearses the same refuge until the confession becomes more settled.
2. Why does verse 3 compare the target to a bowing wall and tottering fence?
What a good answer contains
Because that is how the attackers see him. "How long will ye imagine mischief against a man? ye shall be slain all of you: as a bowing wall shall ye be, and as a tottering fence" (62:3). A leaning wall needs only a shove. Read closely, the verse turns the image back on the attackers: they are the ones who will be like the collapsing wall. A good answer holds both: the man looks weak to his enemies, and the enemies are the ones who will fall, while the man rests on a rock that does not lean.
Show teacher guidance
The enemies see weakness they can push over. Let the image communicate perceived vulnerability before moving to God's stability.
3. What contradiction appears in verse 4 between mouths and inward intent?
What a good answer contains
Public blessing and private cursing. "They only consult to cast him down from his excellency: they delight in lies: they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly" (62:4). The plot is to remove a man from his place of honour, and the method is flattery covering hostility. A good answer sees the contrast with verse 8, where the faithful are told to pour out their heart before God: the enemies hide their hearts, the faithful empty theirs. A weak answer only condemns lying in general.
Show teacher guidance
They bless with the mouth but curse inwardly while plotting to cast a person down from excellence.
4. Why does verse 8 tell the people to pour out their hearts after the personal refrain?
What a good answer contains
Because what David has learned for himself he now teaches. "Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us" (62:8). The refuge of verse 7, "my refuge, is in God", becomes "a refuge for us". Pouring out the heart means holding nothing back in prayer, the opposite of the double speech of verse 4. A good answer notes "at all times": not only in a crisis. A weak answer reads verse 8 as a new subject rather than the overflow of verses 1-7.
Show teacher guidance
David's discovered refuge becomes public instruction: trust at all times and bring the full heart before God.
5. What does the balance scale of verse 9 say about low and high status?
What a good answer contains
That neither rank is heavy enough to trust. "Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie: to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity" (62:9). Vanity is breath, vapour. Put humble and powerful people on a scale and the pan rises. A good answer notes that the poor are not condemned and the great are not flattered: both are simply too light to be a person's rock. Verse 10 then names the other false weights: oppression, robbery and growing riches.
Show teacher guidance
Both are lighter than vanity when weighed as ultimate grounds of security. Social rank does not change the verdict.
6. How do power and mercy belong together in verses 11–12?
What a good answer contains
God speaks one word and David hears two things in it. "God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God. Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy: for thou renderest to every man according to his work" (62:11-12). Power without mercy would be terror; mercy without power would be helpless. A good answer keeps the final clause too: God's justice in repaying each person is part of his steadfast love, which is why the oppressed of verse 10 can trust him. A weak answer quotes only the comforting half.
Show teacher guidance
God is strong enough to judge and merciful in his dealings, and the closing line says he renders to every person according to work.
Responsible application
Heart and habits
Use verse 10 as a three-part audit of false security: reject coercive gain, reject dishonest gain, and refuse to set the heart on legitimate increase.
Relationships and community
Use verse 4 to examine organizations where public praise masks private plans to remove someone, then compare that behavior with verse 8's openhearted trust.
Weigh the impressive things
Put status, wealth, influence, and force on the conceptual balances of verse 9 and ask what the psalm says each can actually sustain.
Session plans
Two timings of the same lesson. The shorter keeps the reading, the central discussion and one response; the longer gives the confusions and the application their own time.
45 minutes
He only
Read 62:1-2 and ask the class to count how often the psalm says only. Take confusion one.
The leaning wall
Read 62:3-4 and ask questions two and three.
Wait thou only
Read 62:5-8 beside 62:1-2. Ask questions one and four and take confusion two.
On the scales
Read 62:9-10 with a balance if you have one. Ask question five and take confusion three.
Power and mercy
Read 62:11-12, ask question six and take confusion four briefly.
Handout and prayer
Hand out the sheet, read the key verse together, and give a minute of silence for each person to pour out their heart.
90 minutes
What we lean on
Ask the group to name things people rely on to feel secure. Write them on one side of the board.
My soul waiteth
Read 62:1-2 and Isaiah 30:15. Mark every use of only and take confusion one.
Smiling enemies
Read 62:3-4 and ask questions two and three. Discuss how flattery can hide hostility, without naming anyone present.
Not moved
Read 62:5-7 beside 62:1-2. Ask question one and take confusion two.
Pour out your heart
Read 62:8 and Psalm 142:2. Ask question four and talk about honest prayer.
Lighter than vanity
Read 62:9-10 and 1 Timothy 6:17. Ask question five, take confusion three, and test the list on the board against the scales.
Once, twice
Read 62:11-12 and Romans 2:6. Ask question six and take confusion four.
Handout and prayer
Read the key verse together, point to the take-home line, and pray verse 8 aloud as a group.
Adapting the lesson
Children
Use a toy balance or two hands as scales. Put light things on one side, a feather or a leaf, and say these are like the things people trust instead of God. Then show a heavy stone and read verse 6: God is my rock. Teach them verse 8 in simple words: you can tell God everything that is in your heart.
Youth
Ask what makes them feel secure: friends, grades, followers, money. Read 62:9-10 and talk about why these feel heavy but weigh little. Read 62:4 and discuss people who are friendly to your face and cruel behind your back. Then read 62:8 and encourage them to bring hurt to God honestly instead of hiding it.
Adults
Adults can trace the refrain in 62:1-2 and 62:5-6 and the change from greatly moved to not moved. Discuss what they trust when pressure comes: savings, reputation, position. Spend time on 62:11-12 and the pairing of power and mercy, and on how God's justice comforts those who have been wronged.
One to one
If the person is being undermined or betrayed, read 62:3-4 and let them say what it feels like. Then read 62:5-7 and encourage them to speak verse 5 to their own soul. Give them time to pour out their heart in prayer, as verse 8 invites, and pray for them afterward.
Song and video learning lab
A song or video may interpret, compress, or dramatize the text. Its value becomes clearer when its choices are compared with Scripture.
- Before the media: the exact passage and its central movement.
- During the media: the words, people, events, and emotions the artist emphasizes.
- After the media: what it clarifies, what it leaves out, and what belongs back in the biblical text.
Handout
One page for learners to take home. The print button prints this section alone.
Psalms 62:1–12
The passage in brief
In Psalm 62 David is under attack from people who smile to his face and plot behind his back. He keeps saying that God alone is his rock, his salvation and his defence, and tells his own soul to wait for God. He invites everyone to trust God at all times and pour out their hearts to him. People, power and money are all too light to lean on. Power belongs to God, and so does mercy.
A verse to keep
My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.
Psalms 62:5 · King James Version
Questions to take home
What does David call God in 62:2 and 62:6-7?
What do the enemies do in 62:4?
What are you tempted to lean on instead of God?
This week
Set aside ten minutes this week to pour out your heart to God in prayer, holding nothing back.
Music and video connected to the passage
Related media appears when its Scripture reference overlaps this study. Music and video can illuminate a theme while the biblical text remains the foundation.
