Psalm 28

There is in this psalm a treasure of hidden beauty that is not visible on the surface. The first striking thought is in the words "remain silent." Moses taught the people of Israel "that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD."¹ David is right, therefore, when he says that it would be man's spiritual and physical undoing if God would no longer speak. Solomon said: "Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint."² Or, as the KJV puts it: "Where there is no vision, the people perish." God began to speak to man immediately after he had fallen in sin. He called man to Himself. We read in the Genesis' account: "But the LORD God called to the man, 'Where are you?' "³ In those cases in which God no longer speaks to man, we see that man has hardened himself. David's prayer, therefore, is a prayer of protection against the hardening of his heart.

There is a world of emotions in this prayer. Objectively considered, the fact that David calls upon God is a guarantee that God will keep on speaking to him. David's impression that God had ceased to speak to him is an illusion based on the fact that David uses his feelings as a thermometer for his relationship with God. There is, of course, a difference between David's relationship with God and ours. The writer to the Hebrews says: "In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son."⁴ If, at some moment no prophetic message came through, people thought that God remained silent, but God's revelation in Jesus Christ to us is constant and continuous.

The phrase: "Do not turn a deaf ear to me" is translated differently by various translations. The RSV and the Berkley Version render it: "Be not deaf to me," the KJV with: "be not silent to me." The idea that God could be deaf or would have difficulty hearing is, of course, ridiculous. The intent is that God would act as if He did not hear. God hears and speaks clearly. Those two characteristics determine His relationship with man.

George Knight, in his Commentary on the Psalms, points out that God is the person addressed in this psalm. "To you I call, O LORD my Rock." This phrase expresses the intensity of the cry for help. It is strange, however, that man would ascribe to God the isolation, which he brought upon himself by his sin, as if it were something for which God should be held responsible.

We do not know under what circumstances David wrote this psalm. He was, obviously, under great pressure, because the psalm sounds like a cry for help. In a sense it is unfair to try to analyze this kind of poetry. This is the prayer of a man whose life is in danger. Theological subtleties are of no consequence under such conditions. David sees himself going under together with all the godless, and he thinks that God ought to make an exception for him. The question is, is he right in such expectations? The answer is "Yes!" "For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him."⁵ That is why he cries for mercy and lifts up his hands toward the Most Holy Place. He prays in the direction of the place where the Ark of the Covenant stood. There is no better picture of prayer than this prayer of David.

Apparently, David does not say anything about himself in the verses 3-5, but a closer look reveals that he draws a comparison between himself and "the wicked," almost like the Pharisee and the tax collector in Jesus' parable.⁶ Yet, the relationship here is different. In the parable, the Pharisee's righteousness was presumptuous, and the tax collector was a sinner who wanted to repent of his sin. Here, the wicked are people who have no intention of leaving their sin filled lives, and David is a man who calls upon the Lord with an honest heart.

The essence of David's frustration is probably best expressed in vs. 3 where he describes the wicked as people "who speak cordially with their neighbors but harbor malice in their hearts." This duplicity puts him under great pressure. His neighbors, with whom he thinks to live in harmony, and who are outwardly kind to him, plot evil against him. "With friends like that, who needs enemies"? But David leaves revenge in God's hands. In spite of the negative tone of vs. 5, there is yet a trace of hope in the words "since they show no regard for the works of the LORD and what his hands have done…" God would indeed build them up again if they showed regard for His works. But since they do not interpret God's intervention in their lives as a punishment for their sins, there is no hope left for them. God "will tear them down and never build them up again."

It is possible that between verses 5 and 6 a change has taken place in David's circumstances, but it is more likely that, in answer to his prayers, God gave him insight in his circumstances rather than that he experienced a physical change. He has seen the enemy for what he is, and has realized that there is no longer any reason to fear.

The verses 6 and 7 are a personal testimony, upon which follows a general application in the verses 8 and 9 for all those who know the same fellowship with the Lord as he does. The praise is based upon the answer to his prayers, which is a good thing. Our experiences with God should keep the flame of our praise burning. The "cry for mercy" says more about the intensity in this situation of dire need than about the volume of the voice. In this prayer David gave it all he had, because he knew that it was a matter of perishing or surviving. God always answers such a prayer. It is under those conditions of extreme need that he acknowledges God as his strength and his shield.

We get to know the power of God only if we are weak in ourselves, and when our reserves are exhausted. That is the experience the Apostle Paul had, when he wrote: "To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great Revelation, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."⁷ When a man comes to the point where God is his strength, he is invincible.

The word shield is used 19 times in the Book of Psalms in connection with God.⁸ We find it in different contexts, and with several variations. It means that God is our perfect protection in the midst of the fight. David tried this out and found it to be true. The British atheist G. H. Wells mocked the concept of God being "our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."⁹ He had come to the conclusion that prayer did not make any difference in situations of trouble. He should know better now, being no longer alive on this planet! He who trusts the eternal God will be eternal himself. The Apostle John wrote: "The man who does the will of God lives forever."¹⁰

David's hymn of praise is based upon this truth. Praising God is always an act of faith, to which our experience of redemption and receiving answers to our prayers gives depth and beauty.

The last two verses of this psalm give a surprising turn to the whole poem. As with Psalm 25, so here it appears that the experience of one individual serves to express what God does for all His children. Nobody lives for only himself, or goes through life, gaining experiences as a mere individual. The Biblical principle is that what happens to one goes for all. God is the strength of all of Israel as He is of the one man, David. David was the anointed one among his people. In New Testament terms, this means that he was the Christ, which means the anointed One. The blessings God poured out upon His Son Jesus Christ fall upon us likewise. It is in Him that we are being shepherded and carried forever.

² Prov. 29:18

³ Gen. 3:9

⁴ Heb. 1:1,2

⁵ II Chr. 16:9

⁶ Luke 18:10-14

⁷ II Cor. 12:7-10

⁸ That is in the NIV

⁹ Ps. 46:1 (KJV)

¹⁰ I John 2:17

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