Psalm 28 explained: From Silence to a Song

Please don't stay silent (vv. 1-2)

The writer calls God a rock, something solid to stand on, and fears that if God says nothing he is as good as dead ("the pit" means the grave). Lifting hands was a common way to pray, here turned toward the inner room of the temple, where God was believed to be present and to speak.

Not with the two-faced (vv. 3-5)

He asks not to be swept away with people who talk friendly but plan harm, and he openly asks God to pay them back for what they have done. This is a raw request for punishment, justified by the claim that they ignore what God has done.

Sudden thanks (vv. 6-7)

The mood turns: he now praises God for hearing him, though the text does not say what changed. Strength and shield picture God as both the power to keep going and protection from attack.

A prayer for everyone (vv. 8-9)

The "anointed one" is the king, and the prayer widens to all the people, asking God to care for them like a shepherd who carries his flock. Some link this to a revolt against King David, but that is a guess, and Christians later also read "anointed one" as pointing to Jesus.

Key verse: Psalm 28:7

Where Christians differ

Christians differ on how to read the request for payback in verses 4 and 5, some treating it as a fair plea for justice or a statement of what God will do, others as an honest but limited human wish that later teaching about loving enemies moves beyond.

Something to think about

When you have asked for help and heard nothing back, what kept you hoping, or what made you stop?