Psalms Reading – 1.27.2022
Psalm 28
Of David.
1 To you, LORD, I call;
you are my Rock,
do not turn a deaf ear to me.
For if you remain silent,
I will be like those who go down to the pit.
2 Hear my cry for mercy
as I call to you for help,
as I lift up my hands
toward your Most Holy Place.
3 Do not drag me away with the wicked,
with those who do evil,
who speak cordially with their neighbors
but harbor malice in their hearts.
4 Repay them for their deeds
and for their evil work;
repay them for what their hands have done
and bring back on them what they deserve.
5 Because they have no regard for the deeds of the LORD
and what his hands have done,
he will tear them down
and never build them up again.
6 Praise be to the LORD,
for he has heard my cry for mercy.
7 The LORD is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy,
and with my song I praise him.
8 The LORD is the strength of his people,
a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.
9 Save your people and bless your inheritance;
be their shepherd and carry them forever.
David speaks as an individual threatened by the wicked and by evildoers, but he concludes with prayers for the nation.
David knows if God does not answer, his life is over. He pleads for God’s mercy, and he lifts his hands in prayer facing the tabernacle. He asks not to have the same fate as those who do evil. He identifies the wicked as those who say nice things to others but have hatred in their hearts.
David takes it a step further and offers imprecations against those who do evil, who have no regard for who God is and what He has done (verses 4-5). Throughout the psalms, such statements call on God to bring about His judgment because of their rebellion against God. David does not indicate that he is going to take private vengeance for himself. He asks God to do so or vows to do so in his capacity as king.
David asks what he understood God clearly spoke on other occasions, “It is mine to avenge, I will repay,” not ours. David was encouraging God to avenge the evildoers of his day.
Whenever I hear of persecution against Christians around the world, I ask God to do the same. Maybe, God will answer by causing the mass conversion of persecutors. Maybe, He will intervene in other ways. I trust God for the method He chooses, but I plead with Him to do so.
I appreciate David’s expression of his confidence in God as he often declares his faith and praises God before the answer arrives. Giving thanks ahead of the answer is an expression of our absolute trust in God.
Memory Verse:
Psalm 25:4-5, Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.
Question(s) to Consider:
Are there situations in which you are calling on God to bring His judgment? Will you give thanks and praise to God ahead of the answer?