Psalms · psalm 28 of 150
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Psalm 28 is a prayer of David crying to the Lord, his rock, so as not to be like those who go down to the pit. He asks for justice against the wicked who speak peace to their neighbors while evil is in their hearts. Then he blesses the Lord because he has heard his plea, and ends begging him to save and shepherd his people forever.
The title attributes the psalm to David. It is an individual lament that turns into thanksgiving halfway through the poem. Its theme is prayer and God's silence: David fears that if the Lord is silent, he will be like those who go down to the pit. The psalm ends by moving from personal prayer to prayer for the whole people.
David begins by crying: to you, O Lord, I call; my rock, do not be deaf to me. If God is silent, he will become like those who go down to the pit. He asks him to hear the voice of his pleas for mercy as he cries to him for help and lifts up his hands toward his most holy sanctuary.
A plea about the wicked follows: do not drag him off with the wicked, with those who speak peace with their neighbors while evil is in their hearts. May the Lord repay them according to their work and the evil of their deeds, according to the work of their hands. They do not regard the works of the Lord or the work of his hands; he will tear them down and build them up no more.
In verse 6 the tone changes: blessed be the Lord, for he has heard the voice of my pleas. The Lord is his strength and his shield; in him his heart trusts, and he is helped, so his heart exults and he will sing to him. The Lord is the strength of his people and the saving refuge of his anointed. He ends with a prayer for all: save your people and bless your heritage; be their shepherd and carry them forever.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
David cries to the Lord, his rock, and asks him not to be silent. He fears that if God is silent he will become like those who go down to the pit: unanswered prayer is a real possibility of faith.
He asks not to be dragged off with the wicked, who speak peace with their neighbors while evil is in their hearts. It is a warning against hypocrisy: kind words that hide bad intentions.
The Lord is his strength and shield, in him his heart trusts, and he is helped. God's answer transforms lament into song.
He begs God to save his people, bless his heritage, and be their shepherd and carry them forever. It ends with a prayer for all, with the picture of the shepherd who cares for his flock.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: My rock. — Psalm 28:1
Answer: Becoming like those who go down to the pit. — Psalm 28:1
Answer: He lifts his hands toward the Lord's most holy sanctuary. — Psalm 28:2
Answer: They speak peace with their neighbors, but evil is in their hearts. — Psalm 28:3
Answer: His strength and his shield. — Psalm 28:7
Answer: That God save them, bless his heritage, shepherd them and carry them forever. — Psalm 28:9
Psalm 28 is a lesson in honest prayer. David does not hide his fear of God's silence, but he keeps crying out and discovers that God listens. In a small group you can talk about how waiting for an answer affects us, and pray together with hands lifted or open as a gesture of surrender.
The psalm also invites us to examine the words we say. Hypocrisy is not only a matter for the wicked: sometimes we speak kindly while holding resentment. The final prayer reminds us that we do not pray alone. After caring for our own soul, we ask for God's people, that the Shepherd may carry them always.
Psalm 28 ends with a prayer for all the people. Psalm 29 opens a different landscape: the voice of the Lord resounds like a storm and all the heavens proclaim his glory.
It was a posture of prayer and supplication in Israel, directing the gaze and prayer toward the place where God dwelt among his people, the temple. Today one can pray with hands lifted as a sign of surrender and dependence.
The text does not explain the change. Some think a priest or prophet announced an answer from God, and others that the psalmist received the assurance of being heard. What matters is that faith can give thanks before seeing the whole result.
In its first sense, he is the king of Israel, in this case David. Christians see in the king a shadow of Christ, the ultimate Anointed One, but the New Testament does not quote this psalm directly.