Psalms 28
The Rock of My Prayers!
Trust is the foundation of faith. As this is a fact; prayer, like many
aspects of the Christians life must be predicated on trust. This Psalm is a
trust builder as it is describing the nature of answered prayer.
The organization of the Psalm is very
simple; the prayer,
vs.1-5, and the answer,
vs. 6-9.
Rejoicing in Answered Prayer
A Psalm
of David.
To You I will cry, O Lord
my Rock:
Do not be silent to me,
Lest, if You are silent to me,
I become like those who go down to the pit.
2
Hear the voice of my supplications
When I cry to You,
When I lift up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary.
3
Do not take me away with the wicked
And with the workers of iniquity,
Who speak peace to their neighbors,
But evil is in their hearts.
4
Give them according to their deeds,
And according to the wickedness of their endeavors;
Give them according to the work of their hands;
Render to them what they deserve.
5
Because they do not regard the works of the
Lord,
Nor the operation of His hands,
He shall destroy them
And not build them up.
There is little doubt that David wrote this
during the rebellion of Absalom, and it belongs with the
26th,
and
27th
Psalm.
David uses the term rock as an expressive term of support and strength which
the Lord supplies to those who truly seek Him (it is used this way at least
33 times in the O. T.).
David beseeches and implores God to turn His
hearing in his direction. David is down trodden and his appeal has the signs
of desperation as he cries to God and lifts his hands towards heaven
(commentary on Paul’s use of similar language associated with prayer –
1 Timothy 2:8).
David expresses that there is betrayal in
the hearts of the wicked as they speak peace (literally to say “Shalom”);
however, they intend harm which is not usually known until it is manifest.
The plea to deal with the wicked is fourfold in nature:
1.
According to their work
2.
According to their wickedness and plans
3.
After the operation of their hands
4.
And according to what they have stored up for themselves
It is
important to note, before we get to the answer portion, there is no evidence
that there is anything nature of vindictiveness or malice in this prayer. It
is simply a prayer for God to administer justice.
6
Blessed
be the
Lord,
Because He has heard the voice of my supplications!
7
The
Lord
is my strength and my shield;
My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped;
Therefore my heart greatly rejoices,
And with my song I will praise Him.
8
The
Lord
is their strength,
And He is the saving refuge of His anointed.
9
Save
Your people,
And bless Your inheritance;
Shepherd them also,
And bear them up forever.
Everything in the answer is predicated on
the understanding that the man of prayer believed that he had what he asked,
and so believing, had it; justice! There is no evidence
of any change in the circumstances; however,
he was changed!
There is no
longer any fear of going down into the pit, or dread from anything that the
evildoers can engage in against him.
The simple
review of trust has given David the strength to carry on without fear and
replace fear with rejoicing and a song of praise!
What power trust has over the fears,
struggles, and the despairs
of this life!
This Psalm
of answered prayer is a great commentary on the words of the Apostle John in
the hearts of true children of God, note: