“A Psalm of David. 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.” (Psalms 28:1)
Immediately we know this is a prayer crying out for help. David is in a desperate situation. He has to hear from the Lord and know that the Lord is present in whatever it is he chooses to do and in whatever happens.
Notice that for David if God is not in his situation, he believes all is lost. And that is exactly the position of any situation we may be in. If God is not in it, it’s worthless, useless and from the devil. It will return to the devil without accomplishing anything good, anything eternal.
In verses 3-5, David describes the kind of people he is having to deal with. They are hypocritical. The speak peace, meaning they are friendly and greet one with wishes for prosperity and health, but their hearts are full of mischief, meaning evil and wickedness. “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.” (Psalms 28:3) David prays that he would not continue with such people.
Some think David might have written this psalm when pursued by Saul. Saul kept calling him “my son,” but continued to try to kill him. David had opportunity to kill Saul, but never did. David tells Saul: “Now therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth before the face of the LORD: for the king of Israel is come out to seek a flea, as when one doth hunt a partridge in the mountains. Then said Saul, I have sinned: return, my son David: for I will no more do thee harm, because my soul was precious in thine eyes this day: behold, I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly.” (1Samuel 26:20-21) But Saul continued to seek David’s life.
I’m sure we all know people who are like Saul. They may not want to kill us, but surely wish us harm or wish we would just disappear. We have to deal with them because they intend to harm us possibly physically, but surely emotionally, mentally or socially. In these situations, we can only trust God. There’s David’s story. When Samuel had to choose a king, God sent him to the house of Jesse. But God didn’t anoint any of Jesse’s sons. David’s father didn’t even think David was good enough to be considered. Samuel the prophet asks for another son and Jesse then brought David. And we know the end of that. (1Samuel 16:11-12) The point is that we need to trust God when others don’t even think we’re worth the effort.
In such situations we have to remember what God has said about us. In David’s situation as the youngest son of Jesse, he goes to the battlefield where his older brothers are fighting to take them food. He’s horrified that the Israelites are cowering in fear while Goliath is spewing insults toward God. When David inquires about how they will deal with Goliath, his brothers insult him. But David brushes it off. He knows what God has said about him and who he is. He isn’t bothered by insults. (1Samuel 17:28-29) Remember God’s promises. What anyone else may say isn’t worthy to be considered.
As David did, we need to face the battle with “giants” that confront us. It may seem improbable that we may win but confront those giants or be destroyed. David battling Goliath was an improbable win for David. “And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.” (1Samuel 17:33) But David’s trust was in God. He had trusted God when he was shepherding his father’s sheep and a lion and a bear came. He knew His God. He tells Goliath: “And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD'S, and He will give you into our hands.” (1Samuel 17:47)
When facing giants, depend on the Lord. Pray for the Lord’s Word to be in your mouth. Pray that your actions will glorify God. Face your giants with God and not in your own strength. And like David all will know that it’s the Lord’s work. He will get the glory.
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