Beleaguered Leaders

Politicians often live in fear of people in the media who might be powerful enough to bring them down. Christian leaders are increasingly discovering that distorted Internet reports can undermine their ministries. This psalm expresses the pain and frustration of one who feels about to collapse under the pressure of malicious verbal assault (3,4).

It is, however, the song of someone who knows the secret of survival. He begins by stilling himself before God (1). “Rest” is probably too general a word here, but “silence” (in some versions) is too passive. The psalmist is thinking, rather, of a strong image of calm, a massive rock: a shield against enemy weapons, a source of caves and hiding places, the foundation for a fortress. His mind dwells on those pictures as he asserts that God alone is his place of safety. Then he makes a declaration of trust; he will not be shaken from his rock. Only then does he pour out the distress of his heart (3,4), before returning to the place of stillness that gives him hope (5-7). In v. 8 he encourages the rest of us to follow his example.

There are two typical Hebrew idioms to note in the later verses. The low-born and high-born (9) are not intended to be contrasted. Together, they imply any human person. Those enemies who seemed weighty enough to push down the wall in v. 3 are really as light as a puff of wind. Our real enemies are the pride and greed in our own hearts (10). The other idiom, “One thing … two things …” (11) is a way of emphasizing the importance of what is said (compare, for example, Prov. 30:29-31). The Rock on whom we rely is strong and loving and will ultimately be seen to have been just (12).

Make the pattern of this psalm a model for your prayers today.