These questions help you study Psalm 62 in a small group, a Sunday class, or on your own. Psalm 62 is a short song of David about waiting quietly for God when people around you are pressing in, lying, and chasing wealth. Each section below includes a few discussion questions with notes you can use to guide the conversation.
Psalm 62 at a Glance
The psalm opens with the writer’s soul resting in God alone, then turns to enemies who attack like men trying to topple a leaning wall. Verses 5 through 8 repeat the calm confidence of the opening, with God called rock, salvation, fortress and refuge. The writer then turns to the crowd, urging others to trust God and pour out their hearts to him.
The last section warns against trusting oppression, robbery or growing riches, and it ends by affirming that power and steadfast love belong to God, who repays each person according to their work.
Observation Questions
Use these questions first, before anyone offers an interpretation. Ask the group to point to the exact words in the text, and let them answer from what is written before moving on.
Psalm 62:1-2
1 My soul rests in God alone. My salvation is from him. 2 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress— I will never be greatly shaken.
(WEB)
Read these verses at the start of the session to set the tone. They establish the psalm’s central claim that rest and safety are found in God alone. Ask the group to listen for the repeated images of rock and fortress as the words are read.
Psalm 62:5-6
5 My soul, wait in silence for God alone, for my expectation is from him. 6 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress. I will not be shaken.
(WEB)
These verses echo the opening and show David speaking to himself as well as to the reader. Reading them aloud lets the group hear the instruction to wait in silence in David’s own voice. Pause after them to let the words settle.
Psalm 62:7-8
7 With God is my salvation and my honor. The rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. 8 Trust in him at all times, you people. Pour out your heart before him. God is a refuge for us. Selah.
(WEB)
This passage moves from David’s personal trust to a call to others to trust God at all times. Reading it aloud helps the group feel the shift from private meditation to public encouragement. It is a good place to invite people to share how they have trusted God.
Psalm 62:9-10
9 Surely men of low degree are just a breath, and men of high degree are a lie. In the balances they will go up. They are together lighter than a breath. 10 Don’t trust in oppression. Don’t become vain in robbery. If riches increase, don’t set your heart on them.
(WEB)
These verses are sharp and direct, and reading them aloud gives weight to David’s warnings. Their bluntness can prompt honest discussion about the things people are tempted to trust. Allow a moment of quiet after reading.
Psalm 62:11-12
11 God has spoken once; twice I have heard this, that power belongs to God. 12 Also to you, Lord, belongs loving kindness, for you reward every man according to his work.
(WEB)
Close the reading with these verses, which affirm God’s power and loving kindness. Ending on this note leaves the group with a clear picture of God’s character before the closing prayer. Read slowly so the two qualities can be heard together.
Memory Verse for Psalm 62
Psalm 62:8
Trust in him at all times, you people. Pour out your heart before him. God is a refuge for us. Selah.
(WEB)
This verse calls every reader to trust God at all times and to pour out the heart before him. It is short enough to memorize and practical enough to use in a moment of stress. Invite the group to repeat it together and to notice when they remember it during the week.
A Closing Prayer for the Group
Father, we come to you as the people who need a rock and a refuge. Quiet our hearts the way David quieted his, and help us rest in you alone when the world presses in on every side. Show us where we have trusted things that cannot hold our weight, and give us the courage to set those things down. Thank you that your power and your loving kindness belong to you, and that you deal with each of us faithfully. Keep the words of this psalm with us through the week, and let them shape how we speak, wait and trust. Amen.
