I. (28:1–2) Hear Me When I Call! This form of prayer brings its requests before God with urgency because it is geared to a desperate situation. Many of the words in this stanza refer to sounds: “call,” “deaf,” “silent,” “hear the voice,” and “cry.” The psalm does not deny to its singers the fear that comes with such urgency, namely, that God might refuse to hear. Rather, it takes up that feeling and employs it to express the intensity appropriate to the crisis.

To be “like those who go down to the pit” is probably more than simply to die; it rather describes those who suffer divine judgment (30:3, 9; 88:4; 143:7; Isa. 14:19; Ezek. 26:20). The godly do not want to be treated in the same way as the wicked (Ps. 28:3).

The “most holy sanctuary” (v. 2) is the “innermost sanctuary.” See 1 Kings 6:16–28 for its construction in Solomon’s temple, which corresponds to the “Most Holy Place” in the tabernacle (Ex. 26:33–34).246 It was the Hebrew convention to “lift up” the “hands” in prayer, especially “toward” the sanctuary (cf. Pss. 134:2; 141:2; Lam. 2:19); the early Christians took over the same practice (1 Tim. 2:8).

II. (28:3–5) Do Not Drag Me off with the Wicked. The psalm prays for God to make a visible distinction between his treatment of the faithful and of the wicked, namely, that he would spare the faithful when judging the wicked. The psalms generally recognize that God will indeed hold accountable those who oppose him for their deeds. The pious wish to see God’s justice vindicated when those who defy his rule receive their due; they do not want to suffer when the judgment falls (2 Thess. 1:9–10).

The “wicked” here are not simply people who commit sins (even the faithful do that, as Ps. 32:5 makes clear) but those who oppose God and oppress his people with deceit and treachery (“evil is in their hearts”). The contrast is clear between, on the one hand, “their work” (i.e., of the wicked) and “the work of their hands” (28:4) and, on the other, God’s “works” and the “work of his hands” (v. 5).247 The first deserves a “due reward” from God (judgment), while the second deserves loving and thoughtful “regard” from humankind.

The “wicked” understood that they will surely receive their penalty (v. 5), so there is nothing vindictive about the prayer for God to do this (v. 4): rather, the prayer reflects the desire that God would indeed display his preferences for all to see.

III. (28:6–9) The Lord Has Heard Me. The psalm ends with confidence that God will protect his “people” (i.e., the body of the faithful) and his “anointed” (the Davidic king, who represents and embodies the whole people; cf. 2:2; 18:50; 20:6; 84:9; 89:38, 51; 132:10, 17). The assurance is that God has heard and will protect; the text does not say how soon or in what manner.

The verb “bless” in “blessed be the Lord!” (28:6) carries the nuance of speaking well of someone (thus the usual Gk. translation, eulogeō). When God blesses people, he speaks a word of well-being over them; when people bless God, they speak well of him, as he deserves (Eph. 1:3).248 To say “blessed be the Lord” is to affirm that he is worthy of human well-speaking, in acknowledgement of his mighty and gracious deeds. The rest of Psalm 28:6 echoes verse 2, turning the request into a declaration.

Verse 7 affirms, “The Lord is my strength and my shield.” David said this about himself as the king (18:2) and also about all the faithful (18:30). Here, then, each of the faithful calls God his strength and shield, the one who provides protection for his king, for his people as a whole, and for each faithful person within the people. Thus the “heart trusts,” and the “heart exults.”

This leads to prayer for God to “save” the people and to “bless” his “heritage.” For the people as God’s inheritance see Deuteronomy 4:20; 9:26, 29; 32:9. For God as “shepherd” of his people cf. comment on 23:1–4.