Day 130

Psalm 61: Read here – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2061&version=NASB

—Lead me to the Rock!

It appears that this psalm was written during the time of Absalom’s rebellion (2Samuel18) or on his military campaign near the Euphrates (2Samuel8:3-4.) Those are possible, but by no means certain settings for this psalm.

From what we know, David did not travel far outside the Promised Land. Yet figuratively he was at the end of human resources. This becomes a metaphor for despair. ‘When my heart is overwhelmed(exhausted); lead me to the rock that is higher than I:’ At moments when we are ‘overwhelmed like David, we need at least three things. We need a place of stability and security, a place above ourselves. We need God to lead us to that rock. David was unable to get to the firm-footed place above his crisis on his own. No matter what the circumstances that might make you feel overwhelmed, you can pray the same prayer. The thought of God being a rock is prominent in the Davidic psalms because David had used the rocks of the Judean wilderness as places of refuge and protection.

Ultimately Jesus Christ is the ‘Rock that is higher than I,’ because of His divine origin; higher, perfect obedience, supreme sufferings, and his ascension to the right hand of power. He is now our rock of refuge. In his prayer of v3-4 David remembered that God had answered such prayers in the past.

The tent of God as the tabernacle of meeting, the centre of Israel’s sacrifice and worship. The imagery of dwelling in the tent goes back to the desert experience (cf.Ex33:7-11) when the Lord resided among the tribes of Israel in a tent. This tent still existed because Solomon was yet to build the Sanctuary.

‘Wings’(v4) marked and surrounded the interior of God’s tabernacle of meeting and outstretched over the mercy seat of the ark of the covenant in The Most Holy Place.

When David said ‘He shall abide before God forever:’(v7) he could only say this in reference to himself in a very limited way. He could say it without limitation of the Messiah that was promised to come from his lineage.