Psalm 28:1-5 – “Unto thee will I cry, O LORD my rock; be not silent to me: lest, if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit.
2 Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto thee, when I lift up my hands toward thy holy oracle.
3 Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, which speak peace to their neighbours, but mischief is in their hearts.
4 Give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their endeavours: give them after the work of their hands; render to them their desert.
5 Because they regard not the works of the LORD, nor the operation of his hands, he shall destroy them, and not build them up.”
Have you experienced the loneliness of suffering or the sorrow of rejection? Have you felt the sting of betrayal or the dismay of injustice? Have you gone through a season of prayer when it seemed God was far away and heaven was silent?
In Psalm 28 we find David crying out to the LORD in an hour of desperation. The occasion of his prayer is not revealed, but the tone reveals a sense of desperation had taken hold on his heart, but when he prayed all heaven seemed silent. It is in such an hour we find David’s prayer of supplication.
Psalm 28:1 – “Unto thee will I cry [cry out; call out], O LORD [Jehovah; Eternal God] my rock [refuge; i.e. hiding place]; be not silent [quiet; still] to me: lest, if thou be silent [keep silent; i.e. distant] to me, I become like [resemble] them that go down [descend; fall; sink down] into the pit [hole; prison].
Feeling desperation taking hold on his soul, David calls out, “O LORD my rock” (28:1); that phrase directs us to how we ought to pray when we feel overwhelmed. “O LORD”, Jehovah, Eternal, Living God; “my rock”, my hiding place, my refuge, my place of safety—“be not silent to me”—speak to me, let me hear Your voice, assure me You are listening. “If thou be silent”, if you are distant and silent, I lose all hope and “become like them that go down into the pit”, the abyss, cut off from Your mercy, far from Your grace and suffer the sorrow of those poor lost souls who have no hope.
Psalm 28:2 – “Hear [hearken unto] the voice of my supplications [earnest prayer], when I cry [cry out; cry for help] unto thee, when I lift up my hands toward thy holy [hallow; sacred; consecrated] oracle [innermost part of the sanctuary; the holy of holies].
David continued his plea for the LORD to hear his prayer and, lifting his hands toward the “holy oracle”, the “Holy of holies”, the inner sanctum of the Tabernacle where the mercy-seat was sprinkled with the blood of sacrifices for the sins of the nation and represented the earthly presence of God among His people, David poured out his heart to the LORD.
Psalm 28:3 – “Draw me not away [scatter; drag; remove] with the wicked [immoral; guilty; ungodly], and with the workers of iniquity [wickedness; evil], which speak [declare; promise] peace [Shalom; peace and well-being; health] to their neighbours [companions; friends], but mischief [sin; evil] is in their hearts [mind].
David prayed for God to extend His mercy and grace to him and not number him with those who pretended to be his friends and spoke of peace, but were liars, deceivers and hypocrites.
Psalm 28:4 – “Give [deliver; put] them according to their deeds [work; acts], and according to the wickedness [evil; bad] of their endeavours [work; doings; deeds]: give them after the work [activity; labor; deeds] of their hands; render [return; go back] to them their desert [reward; recompense].
Here the character of David’s prayer is in the tone of an imprecatory prayer, a prayer that calls for God’s justice, judgment and vengeance on his enemies. Notice the spirit of David’s prayer was not one of personal vengeance for the slights and wounds he had suffered, but because of the offenses the wicked had committed against the LORD.
Psalm 28:5 – “Because they regard [understand; consider; teach] not the works [labor; reward; deeds] of the LORD, nor the operation [work; acts; accomplishments] of his hands, he shall destroy [throw down; overthrow; ruin] them, and not build them up [repair; rebuild].”
Had David suffered injustices? Absolutely! However, the LORD is just and longsuffering, “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). God will render justice to whom it is due in His time. God’s people can be assured the judgment of God is sure!
An old gospel song asks the question, “Who is on the Lord’s side? Who will serve the King?” The chorus answers, “We are on the Lord’s side; Savior we are thine!” If you are on the LORD’s side you are on the winning side and God promises, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay” (Romans 12:19).
My friend, you may be going through a season of suffering and heaven seems silent, but know God hears and answers prayer in His time!