Psalm 62
In Psalm 62:5-12, the Psalmist dually interprets God as a refuge and a hope, and as one with a power to complete God’s work.
The work of abolition is not our work joined by God, it is God’s work joined by us. For those on the outside, and especially for those whose lives have not been touched by the carceral system, we need to remember that this is God’s work, we simply join in. This means that we ought to be especially careful not to see ourselves as doing charity work, or as bringers of salvation, because that power belongs to God. And, as Jesus makes clear in Matthew 25, God is first found in those outcast and downtrodden by our society.
When this Psalm refers to God as a refuge, rock, and fortress, they are calling us to see God as the primary source for this work. Not theory, not theology, but God, the everlasting power and might that repays all according to their work.
And lest we miss this as a warning and caution, the Psalm exhorts the reader to “put no confidence in extortion, and set no vain hopes on robbery; if riches increase, do not set your heart on them.” This warning is not just for individuals, but for systems and communities. This is a warning for our racial capitalist systems, where riches are built off extortion and oppression.
Mitchell Atencio (he/him/his) is a discalced writer and photographer based in Arizona.