The Lord is our strength to support us in either service or suffering,
as well as our shield to protect us from the designs of the enemy.
The heart that truly believes in Him shall in due time greatly rejoice.
Psalm 1
1 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.
6 Blessed be the LORD, because he hath heard the voice of my supplications.
7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.
8 The LORD is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed.
9 Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance: feed them also, and lift them up for ever.
Psalm 1 – J. Vernon McGee
Psalm 28 – A Prayer and Its Answer
This psalm also probably belongs to the time of Absalom’s rebellion. Psalm 28:2-3 resemble Psalm 26:8-9.
God is silent sometimes because He loves us unspeakably, Zephaniah 3:17; sometimes to test our faith, Matthew 15:23; sometimes because He has already spoken and we have not listened, Matthew 26:62. But let us never go elsewhere for help, I Samuel 28:6-7. Let us wait and pray, lifting up our hands in the dark to touch His hands.
These prayers for the punishment of the wicked should be read as predictions. Do not be afraid of evil or of evil-doers. God is “a consuming fire” and destroys all evil (Deuteronomy 9:3; Hebrews 12:29). He causes the enemy to be still as a stone until His redeemed have passed over. Therefore there breaks in on the psalmist the ray of hope which finds expression in Psalm 28:6-7. Faith cries, I am helped! Let us rejoice even before the jailer comes to tell us that we are free, Acts 16:25; and let us send out our prayers for all the Church, Psalm 28:9. —Through the Bible Day by Day
Psalm 28:9—Feed them also, and lift them up for ever.
The people of God are here compared to a flock, scattered over many hills, marked by differing brands, sheltering in varied folds, but under the care of one Shepherd, and being conducted to one Home.
The holy soul is as eager for the welfare of the Lord’s “beautiful flock” as He is (Jeremiah 13:20). Whatever is dear to the loved ones is dear to the lover. You cannot love the pastor without taking a keen and constant interest in all that interests him, and especially in the sheep of his pasture, and the people of his hand. Hence when you are nearest the Lord, you are almost certain to begin pleading for his inheritance, and saying: “Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance: feed them also, and lift them up forever.”
The Good Shepherd bare his flock through the desert, and carried them all the days of old. It is as easy for Him to bear a flock, as a single lamb. Jesus does not simply lead us to green pastures and still waters, He bears us, and He bears us up, and He does so forever. Never tiring, though He imparts infinite rest; never ceasing for a moment his shepherd-care. Are you depressed today? Are there strong influences dragging you down? Does your soul cleave to the dust? Let those strong arms and that tender breast lift you up forever. A dying child asked her father to place his arms beneath her weary, emaciated body. “Lift me,” she said. He did so. “A little higher.” He did so. “Higher, father.” And when he had lifted her as high as he could, the convulsive movement proved that Christ had come to lift her up for ever. —Our Daily Homily