John Calvin Commentary Psalms 62:7

"With God is my salvation and my glory: The rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God." — Psalms 62:7 (ASV)

In God is my salvation. One expression is piled upon another here, apparently because he wished to rein in that weakness of our nature which makes us so prone to fall into wrong ways. We may offer a passing and occasional acknowledgment that our only help is found in God, yet soon display our distrust in him by busying ourselves in every direction to supplement what we consider lacking in his help.

The various terms he uses to express God's sufficiency as a deliverer can thus be seen as many arguments for steadfastness, or as many restraints he would apply to the waywardness of the carnal heart, which is always inclined to depend on others for support rather than on God.

This is how he encourages his own spirit. Next, we find him addressing others, calling them to engage in the same conflict and reap the same victory and triumph.

By the people, there seems little doubt that he means the Jews. Since the Gentiles had not yet been visited by the true religion and divine revelation, it was only in Judea that God could be the object of trust and religious invocation.

It would seem that by distinguishing the Lord's chosen people from the surrounding pagans, he suggests how disgraceful it would be for them not to devote themselves entirely to God. They were, after all, the children of Abraham, favored with the revelation of his grace, and especially taken under his divine protection.

The expression, at all times, means both in prosperity and adversity, suggesting the blameworthiness of those who waver and succumb to every change in their external circumstances. God tests his children with afflictions, but here David teaches them to endure these afflictions with steadfastness and courage. Hypocrites, who are loud in their praises of God as long as prosperity shines upon them, yet whose hearts fail them at the first approach of trial, dishonor his name by placing a most harmful limitation on his power.

We are obligated to honor his name by remembering, in our greatest hardships, that to Him belong the issues of death. And since we are all too inclined at such times to keep our affliction hidden within ourselves—a circumstance that can only worsen the trouble and embitter the mind against God—David could not have suggested a better remedy than unburdening our cares to him, and thus, as it were, pouring out our hearts before him. It is always found that when the heart is weighed down by distress, there is no freedom in prayer.

In difficult circumstances, we must comfort ourselves by reflecting that God will provide relief, provided we freely entrust our troubles to his consideration. What the Psalmist advises is all the more necessary, considering the harmful tendency we naturally have to keep our troubles bottled up within us until they drive us to despair.

Indeed, people usually show much anxiety and ingenuity in seeking to escape the troubles that may weigh upon them; but as long as they avoid coming into God's presence, they only entangle themselves in a labyrinth of difficulties. Without dwelling further on the specific words, David is here to be considered as exposing that corrupt but deeply-rooted principle in our nature, which leads us to hide our griefs and dwell on them, instead of immediately relieving ourselves by pouring out our prayers and complaints before God.

The consequence is that we become more and more distracted by our distresses and sink into a state of hopeless despondency. At the end of the verse, referring to the people generally, he says what he had said about himself individually: that their safety is to be found only under divine protection.