Psalms 62

Wesley: Waits in silence—patiently and quietly expects help; Alone—and not from any other; salvation from him. Silent waiting is active trust, not apathy.

The soul must still wait. Alone excludes rival saviors while inviting persevering expectation; silence is the posture of hope under grace.

Calvin: the soul waits in silence upon God alone, from whom comes salvation. Alone cuts off creature confidence; silence marks submission.

Salvation’s source is God only. Waiting is faith’s quiet, not works’ noise.

Wesley: Rock—defence; Fortress—safety; Greatly shaken—assaulted yet not overthrown. Alone repeats exclusivity.

Not greatly shaken allows felt pressure without final fall. Trust in the fortress steadies; the saint still clings to rock and salvation named as his.

Calvin: God alone is rock, salvation, and fortress, so he shall not be greatly moved. Stability is derivative of who God is.

Alone excludes double trust. Shaken may come; greatly overthrown need not, in him.

Wesley: Attack—assault with mischievous designs; Leaning wall—ready to fall. How long rebukes prolonged battering of the weak-seeming.

The question confronts oppressors. Shared seriousness—battering a leaning wall is cruelty God may answer; the psalm gives speech to the assaulted.

Calvin rebukes those who assault a man as a bowing wall or tottering fence—violence against the apparently frail.

How long is moral protest before God. The attackers’ timeline is not sovereign.

Wesley: High position—dignity; Falsehood—deceit; Bless—flatter; Curse—wish his ruin. Mouth and heart split in hypocrisy.

False blessing is named so it can be refused. Grace does not require naivety toward flattering cursers; integrity of speech is still required of all.

Calvin: they delight in lies, bless with the mouth while cursing inwardly, plotting to thrust from high place. Hypocrisy is laid bare before God.

Inward curse under outward blessing is sin. Selah lets the exposure settle.

Wesley: Wait—he repeats the duty to his own soul; Hope—expectation of help from him. Self-exhortation renews v. 1.

O my soul shows the will addressing itself to wait again. Hope from him is maintained by repeated silent trust, not a single moment.

Calvin: he charges his soul again to wait on God alone, for hope is from him. Repetition strengthens exclusive dependence.

Hope’s fountain is God. The soul is commanded back to silence under that hope.

Wesley reprises rock, salvation, fortress; now not shaken (stronger than v. 2’s greatly). Confidence grows in restated trust.

Only keeps rivals out. Escalation from not greatly shaken to not shaken models deepening assurance as the soul waits.

Calvin’s line returns: he only is rock, salvation, fortress—now without the qualifier greatly. Certainty rises on the same foundation.

Only is the doctrinal hinge. Unshaken standing is God’s gift to the waiting soul.

Wesley: Salvation and glory—safety and honour rest on God; Refuge—protector. Glory as well as rescue is parked on him.

Resting salvation and glory on God frees from self-exaltation. Mighty rock invites continued taking of refuge.

Calvin: salvation and glory rest on God; mighty rock and refuge name him alone as honor’s seat.

Glory is not self-made. Refuge is God, full stop.

Wesley: Trust—depend; Pour out—make known all wants and griefs; Refuge for us. Public call joins trust and poured hearts.

At all times and pour out are means for the people. Grace that is refuge still summons continual trusting disclosure—corporate as well as private.

Calvin calls the people to trust at all times and pour out their hearts, for God is a refuge. Faith and honest prayer belong together.

Refuge for us is covenant comfort. Pouring out is permitted because he hears.

Wesley: Breath—vain empty thing; Delusion—a lie; Balances—when weighed, lighter than breath. Rank dissolves on God’s scales.

Low and high alike are warned off as trust-objects. Shared—human weight is vapor; seek the refuge of v. 8 instead.

Calvin: men of low and high degree are vanity in the balance—together lighter than breath. Creature confidence is emptied.

Balances tell truth. Delusion of high estate falls with the breath of the low.

Wesley: Extortion—unjust gain; Riches—even if increased lawfully, set not thy heart. Triple ban on false trusts.

Set not your heart is a command for the will. Increasing wealth still requires refused affection; hope stays on God.

Calvin: trust not in oppression or riches; even when wealth grows, the heart must not settle there.

Heart-set on riches is idolatry. Vain hopes on robbery are doubly damned.

Wesley: Once… twice—frequently and solemnly; Power—to protect his people and punish enemies. Repeated hearing fixes the lesson.

Twice have I heard models attentive discipleship. Power belonging to God redirects trust from breath and riches.

Calvin: God has spoken once and twice that power belongs to God—settled revelation, not private guess.

Power is God’s property. The double hearing seals certainty for the waiting church.

Wesley: Steadfast love—mercy; Render—reward or punish according to his work. Power (v. 11) pairs with mercy; rendering takes works seriously.

According to his work upholds moral responsibility under mercy. Steadfast love does not erase rendering; grace trains toward works God will own.

Calvin: mercy belongs to the Lord, who will render to every man according to his work—power and steadfast love joined to just recompense.

Hesed and judgment meet in God. Rendering is his; the saint rests in love without denying accountability.