Psalm 28 Continued…
Psalm 28:1 To you I call, O Lord my Rock; do not turn a deaf ear to me. For if you remain silent,
I will be like those who have gone down to the pit.
To you I call
David is conscious of being in danger—the danger of being drawn away from God and into the company of wicked men. In such circumstances he cannot rely upon his own strength or on his own faithfulness; or on his own heart or on his fellowmen. He felt that the only place where he could find safety was with God, and therefore, he earnestly prays for God to save him.
O Lord my rock
The idea in this expression is that he owed his safety entirely to God. He had been like a rock to him, a tower, a fortress, etc. (see Psalm 18:2)—that is, he had obtained from God the protection which a rock, a tower, a citadel, a fortress furnished to those who depended on them. The word “rock” here has reference to the fact that in times of danger a lofty rock would be sought as a place of safety, or that men would flee to it to escape from their enemies. Such rocks are all over Palestine, and due to the fact that they are elevated and difficult to access, and because those who fled to them could find shelter behind their projecting crags, or since they could find security in their deep and dark caverns, they became places of refuge in times of danger; and they often provided protection when it could not be found in the plains or the forests below.
Do not turn a deaf ear to me
The idea is that of one who will not speak to us, or who will not listen or pay attention to us. We pray, and we expect God to “answer” our prayers, or, so to say, we expect God to “speak” to us; that is, for the Holy Spirit to express words of kindness; His Word to assure us of His favor, and declare our sins forgiven.
For if you remain silent
If You do not answer my prayers.
I will be like those who have gone down to the pit.
The word “pit” is used figuratively for the grave and death, and sheol and hell (see Job 33:18, 24; Psalm 30:3; Psalm 88:4; Isaiah 38:18; Isaiah 14:15, 19). But here it refers to the grave. The meaning seems to be, if he did not obtain help from God he would probably die. His troubles would overwhelm and crush him. He could not bear up under them.
Psalm 28:2 Hear my cry for mercy as I call to you for help, as I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place.
Hear my cry for mercy
David is not offering mental prayer; it was a petition made audibly, and it came from the Spirit of grace and of supplication and was expressed in a humble manner, with a sense of want and unworthiness, and on the basis of grace and mercy, and not merit.
As I call to you for help
It was a loud cry for help, and he was determined to keep it up until he was heard.
As I lift up my hands
Raising the hands and spreading them out towards heaven was the Hebrews’ usual position of prayer. It denotes supplication and is the outward symbol of an uplifted heart. Consider the following verses:
• Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven. (1 Kings 8:22)
• Moses replied, “When I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands in prayer to the Lord. The thunder will stop and there will be no more hail, so you may know that the earth is the Lord’s. (Exodus 9:29)
• Arise, cry out in the night, as the watches of the night begin; pour out your heart like water
in the presence of the Lord. Lift up your hands to him for the lives of your children, who faint from hunger at the head of every street. (Lamentations 2:19)
Raising the hands in prayer was also the usual posture of the Greeks and other ancient people. Originally, the idea was probably that the hands should be ready to receive the blessings which God would bestow. But, later on, the lifting up of the hands seems to have been regarded as symbolizing the lifting up of the heart. The Jews raised their hands and faced the sanctuary at Jerusalem when they prayed, especially in later years. The Muslims pray towards Mecca, and the Samaritans towards the holy place at Mt. Gerizim.
In the New Testament, Paul encouraged all men to raise their hands when they prayed: “I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing.” (1 Timothy 2:8). “Holy hands” means hands that are not defiled by sin, and that have not been employed for any wicked purpose. The idea is, that when men approach God they should do it in a pure and holy manner.
Toward your Most Holy Place
The phrase “Most Holy Place” as used here denotes the place where the answer to prayer is given. The Hebrew word is “Debir,” which means the inner sanctuary of the tabernacle or the temple, the place where God was supposed to reside, and where He gave responses to the prayers of His people: the same place which is called the holy of holies in some passages. The idea here is that the person who prayed stretched out his hands toward that sacred place where God was supposed to dwell. So we stretch out our hands toward heaven—the sacred dwelling-place of God.
The Hebrew worshippers were not permitted to enter the temple, but worshipped “toward” it; that is, looking toward it, or prostrating themselves toward it as the special dwelling-place of God. If they were in the courts around the temple, they worshipped with their faces toward the place where God was supposed to reside; if they were far away, even in distant lands, they still directed their faces toward Jerusalem and the temple, as the Muslims now do toward Mecca. In Psalm 5:7, David said, “But I, by your great mercy, will come into your house; in reverence will I bow down toward your holy temple.”
PRAY
Father thank you that through your Spirit we may come boldly into your Presence!