Psalm 28

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.
Hear my cry for mercy
    as I call to you for help,
as I lift up my hands
    toward your Most Holy Place.
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.
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.
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.
Praise be to the Lord,
    for he has heard my cry for mercy.
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.
The Lord is the strength of his people,
    a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.
Save your people and bless your inheritance;
    be their shepherd and carry them forever.

• Psalm 28:1-9

Type of Psalm

Psalms of Affliction: Psalms where the psalmist is crying out in pain or distress, asking God where He is in the psalmist’s time of need.  But no matter how dire the circumstances or how long the lament, there seems to always be a word of praise.  Otherwise, why do we go to God in such times, other than to recognize Him as the only one who can help us?

Imprecatory psalms: Asking for vengeance against enemies.  From the two examples above, these requests for vengeance are usually not specific in how God does it.  I have written about this type of psalm or prayer in that they are legitimate requests to God.  We know that God will eventually stamp out all evil in the world.  Praying that God would do as He promises that He will eventually do is legitimate, but when a face is applied to that evil, our first reaction should be one of forgiveness and mercy.

Matthew Henry’s Summary

“The former part of this psalm is the prayer of a saint militant and now in distress (ver. 1-3), to which is added the doom of God’s implacable enemies, ver. 4-5. The latter part of the psalm is the thanksgiving of a saint triumphant, and delivered out of his distresses (ver. 6-8), to which is added a prophetical prayer for all God’s faithful loyal subjects, ver. 9.”

• Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary

Noted Biblical Scholars, Teachers, and Preachers Comments

Psalm 28:1 “How did Jesus endure the terror of the crucifixion? He went first to the Father with his fears. He modeled the words of Psalm 56:3: ‘When I am afraid, I will trust you.’
“Do the same with yours. Don’t avoid life’s Gardens of Gethsemane. Enter them. Just don’t enter them alone. And while there, be honest. Pounding the ground is permitted. Tears are allowed. And if you sweat blood, you won’t be the first. Do what Jesus did; open your heart.
“And be specific. Jesus was. ‘Take away this cup,’ he prayed (Luke 22:42). Give God the number of the flight. Tell him the length of the speech. Share the details of the job transfer. He has plenty of time. He also has plenty of compassion.
“He doesn’t think your fears are foolish or silly He won’t tell you to ‘buck up’ or ‘get tough.’ He’s been where you are. He knows how you feel.
“And he knows what you need.”

• Max Lucado, Traveling Light

My Thoughts

David is in great distress as this psalm begins.  He wants God to display mercy, thus David admits he does not deserve rescue.  He speaks of going down into the pit, probably the pit of despair or the pit of death, or near death.

Then the imprecatory verses are simply asking for justice and for those that have no regard for the Lord, their punishment should not be measured with mercy.

This seems harsh, but it is God’s justice in action.  God shows mercy to those who humble themselves before God, as David does at the beginning of the psalm.  And if they remain unrepentant, David is saying that mercy should not be given.

In the final judgment, this will be the norm, yet with His chosen people, they went from generation to generation of being unrepentant, and God showed them mercy.  But note, God withheld the promise to put them in exile until they were too far gone, unable to obey a single commandment.  And there were probably many people who still worshipped God.  He showed them mercy, although the leaders went astray.  But even then, they only flourished when the king directed the people back to God.  They only had safe borders and peace during times of repentance.

Whether David experienced God’s mercy or he anticipated it, he then praises God for he knows God is merciful.  God is his strength and shield.  David’s heart leaps with Joy.

And then in David’s prophetic prayer, he states that the Lord is strength for the people, not just himself.  The Lord is a fortress of the anointed one (meaning David?, Jesus?, or a corporate anointing of the people).  David ends that the Lord will save his people, bless their inheritance, and be their shepherd and will carry them forever.

Psalm 29

Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings,
    ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
    worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.
The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
    the God of glory thunders,
    the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.
The voice of the Lord is powerful;
    the voice of the Lord is majestic.
The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
    the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes Lebanon leap like a calf,
    Sirion like a young wild ox.
The voice of the Lord strikes
    with flashes of lightning.
The voice of the Lord shakes the desert;
    the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh.
The voice of the Lord twists the oaks
    and strips the forests bare.
And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”
The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
    the Lord is enthroned as King forever.
The Lord gives strength to his people;
    the Lord blesses his people with peace.

• Psalm 29:1-11

Type of Psalm

Psalms of praise: Exactly as stated.  God is being praised.

Matthew Henry’s Summary

“It is the probable conjecture that David penned this psalm at the time of a great storm of thunder, lightning, and rain, as the eighth psalm was his meditation in a moonlight night and the nineteenth in a sunny morning. I. He calls upon the great ones of the world to give glory to God, ver. 1-2. II. To convince them of the goodness of that God whom they were to adore, he takes notice of his power in the thunder, and lightning, and thunder-showers (ver. 3-9), his sovereign dominion over the world (ver. 10), his special favour to his church, ver. 11.”

• Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary

Noted Biblical Scholars, Teachers, and Preachers Comments

Psalm 29:2 “The whole purpose of coming before the King is to praise him, to live in recognition of his splendor. Praise—lifting up our heart and hands, exulting with our voices, singing his praises—is the occupation of those who dwell in the kingdom.
“Praise is the highest occupation of any being. What happens when we praise the Father? We reestablish the proper chain of command; we recognize that the King is on the throne and that he has saved his people.”

• Max Lucado, Walking with the Savior

My Thoughts

All the heavenly beings attribute glory and strength to the Lord.  The Lord is due His name.  There is splendor in God’s holiness.

Frankly, I think we will each fall to the ground when we first see God in His Glory and Holiness.

Then, we understand what Matthew Henry talks about a thunderstorm.  God is showing His strength and glory with a deluge of water coming from the storm.  The lightning breaks the cedars of Lebanon.  The storm twists the oaks and strips the forest bare and shakes the deserts.  There have been hurricanes and tornadoes that have stripped forests bare.

And the people cry out from the temple, “Glory!”

And like the previous psalm, God is the strength of the people.  God will be enthroned forever and the people will be blessed with peace.

Psalm 30

I will exalt you, Lord,
    for you lifted me out of the depths
    and did not let my enemies gloat over me.
Lord my God, I called to you for help,
    and you healed me.
You, Lord, brought me up from the realm of the dead;
    you spared me from going down to the pit.
Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people;
    praise his holy name.
For his anger lasts only a moment,
    but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may stay for the night,
    but rejoicing comes in the morning.
When I felt secure, I said,
    “I will never be shaken.”
Lord, when you favored me,
    you made my royal mountain stand firm;
but when you hid your face,
    I was dismayed.
To you, Lord, I called;
    to the Lord I cried for mercy:
“What is gained if I am silenced,
    if I go down to the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
    Will it proclaim your faithfulness?
Hear, Lord, and be merciful to me;
    Lord, be my help.”
You turned my wailing into dancing;
    you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.
    Lord my God, I will praise you forever.

• Psalm 30:1-12

Type of Psalm

Psalms of thanksgiving for God’s mercies to individuals:  Giving God thanks as noted.

Matthew Henry’s Summary

“This is a psalm of thanksgiving for the great deliverances which God had wrought for David, penned upon occasion of the dedicating of his house of cedar. I. He here praises God for the deliverances he had wrought for him, ver. 1-3. II. He calls upon others to praise him too, ver. 4-5. III. He blames himself for his former security, ver. 6-7. IV. He recollects the prayers and complaints he had made in his distress, ver. 8-10. With them he stirs up himself to be very thankful to God for the present change, ver. 11-12.”

• Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary

Noted Biblical Scholars, Teachers, and Preachers Comments

Psalm 30:1 “In God’s book, man is heading somewhere. He has an amazing destiny. We are being prepared to walk down the church aisle and become the bride of Jesus. We are going to live with him. Share the throne with him. Reign with him. We count. We are valuable. And what’s more, our worth is built in! Our value is inborn.
“You see, if there was anything that Jesus wanted everyone to understand it was this:”
“A person is worth something simply because he is a person. That is why he treated people like he did. Think about it. The girl caught making undercover thunder with someone she shouldn’t—he forgave her. The untouchable leper who asked for cleansing—he touched him. And the blind welfare case that cluttered the roadside—he honored him. And the worn-out old windbag addicted to self-pity near the pool of Siloam—he healed him!”

• Max Lucado, No Wonder They Call Him the Savior

My Thoughts

A note says that this psalm was written for the dedication of the temple.

David is lifting God up, exalting Him because God had lifted up his servant David.  He did not let David’s enemies gloat.  David called and the Lord answered and healed him.  David was in the pit, as good as dead, but God raised him up.  Maybe this was a reference to the rebellion of Absalom.

A lesson in just one verse is that God’s anger lasts only a moment, but God’s favor lasts a lifetime.

There will be rejoicing in the morning.  The psalmist finds favor with God, unshakable, and the mountains stand firm, but if God’s face is hidden, the psalmist will be dismayed.

I cry for mercy, and even if I go into the pit, buried with my ancestors, would not the dust cry out praises to God?

Wailing will be turned to dancing.  Sackcloth will be turned to Joy.

I will sing and not be silenced.  Praise God forever.

The secular world is trying to silence Christians.  May that never happen.  God’s love will pour forth and we shall praise God forever.

Some Serendipitous Reflections

Psalm 28

“1. When have you been as desperate as David (vv.1-5)? As confident as David (vv.6-7)?
“2. Music helps David better express his feelings to God (28:7; 27:6; 26:7). How about for you? What words, song or poetry best sums up how you are feeling about God now?
“3. Which image means more to you now: God as your fortress? Or God as your shepherd? Why?”

Psalm 29

“1. What storm blows through your life now? Are you responding like the people—giving glory to God for ruling over the storm? Or are you like nature-in uproar? Why?
“2. Would you find peace by recognizing the Lord of the storm? Why or why not?”

Psalm 30

“1. ls security important to you? How much of your time goes towards buying a house? Medical and life insurance? Savings? Where does security lie?
“2. Has God turned a time of wailing into a time of dancing for you? Was it ‘overnight,’ surprising you with joy? Or did your mood swings level out more gradually?
“3. How is the theme of ‘sorrow producing joy’ developed in the New Testament (see Jn 16:19-22; 2Cor 4:16-18)? For what are you ‘mourning’? How long has your ‘night’ been? How long until ‘morning’ comes, do you think?”

• Lyman Coleman, et al, The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups

There is one set of questions for each psalm.

Substitute whatever group for any reference to a small group or ask who could come to your aid.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.