In the first segment on Psalm 28, we saw the psalmist lay out for us the urgency of his plight, as he has been lumped in with the society of wicked lawbreakers. This need aches for a solution, so with the depravity of this group made clear, the psalmist petitions for them to be judged. “Give them according to their work;” render to them their recompense. As they have done, so may they be repaid. Now, this request for judgment seems fairly tame at first read. As far as curses go in the Psalms, it is rather unremarkable. He is not calling for their kids to be dashed against the rocks, so how bad can it be? Do not be fooled, though, for to be repaid according to your deeds is the standard for ultimate judgment without mercy. It is the metric of Final Judgment. Hence, we read in Revelation that on the Last Day, the books will be opened, and the dead will be judged according to what they have done (Rev 20:12). Such is unvarnished judgment by your works, absent all pity, leniency, and sympathy. This is to stand before the Holy Lord bare and alone. The psalmist prays for pure retribution without a drop of mercy on the wicked.

He adds that therefore, the Lord will destroy them and will not rebuild them. Permanent is their end without hope of restoration. This strikes us as so terrifying, we wonder about its propriety. Is the psalmist on solid ground in asking for raw retribution? Are we supposed to pray in this way? Well, first, there is one’s intention. If you pray for judgment from a motive of personal vindictiveness, from spiteful jealousy, then the request does not align with uprightness and is wrong. If your desire is the honor of God’s justice, then it is acceptable and pure. Secondly, under the law, the Lord set justice as a top priority, and he enlisted every saint to be part of its administration. Every Hebrew was a part-time cop under the law, and this was doubly true for the king. And with David as our psalmist, he is on righteous footing to request justice on evildoers.

What about us, though? Is this one of the list of acceptable petitions? Simply put, yes. Every time we offer up, “Thy Kingdom Come,” we long for the Day of the Lord, which includes the bitter judgment by works on the wicked. David had an eye on Judgment Day with this request, and so do we by desiring Christ’s coming. Nevertheless, in the New Testament, the covenant priorities have shifted. Under the law, judgment stood in line before mercy. Under the gospel, however, mercy has come to the front of the line. Our prayer for the wicked is first that they might repent and be saved. We hope for the triumph of the gospel for them. But, if they do refuse mercy, then judgment remains for them. We then are allowed this petition, but gospel mercy takes the lead. The heart of Christ in us desires conversion over judgment.

With the petition for judgment filed, however, the main part of this psalm is wrapped up. This is why God cannot be silent. His corporate wrath is falling upon the herd of evildoers, so with critical importance, the psalmist needs to stand out, to be exempted. And the Lord’s quiet was short-lived. An answer speeds forth from heaven. In verse 2, David begged, “Hear my pleas for grace.” And in verse 6, he has what he asked for: “Blessed be the Lord, for he heard my pleas for grace.” In real life, the distance between prayer and answer may have been longer, but this psalm includes them both in this dialogue with God. The Lord was his refuge in the storm of wrath. God singled out the psalmist from the corporate punishment. The flood of fury that washed away all the wicked did not touch David. God’s grace made the psalmist stick out from the evil crowd in the best way possible.

Furthermore, the grace of the Almighty worked its wonders in David through faith: “My heart trusted in Yahweh” (v. 7). The Lord heard the faith of David, which unleashed his loving grace to deliver him from going down into the pit, and by this exposed a whole other standard of judgment. The wicked lot were judged by their works. David, though, is judged by faith. The evildoers fall alone, with only their sins, but David is surrounded and upheld by grace. Is this not the heart of the gospel? To be judged by grace through faith unto life and worship, this is the triumph of mercy. While outside the gospel, each one is judged by law, for all their sinful deeds, without mercy.

In fact, so wonderful is the psalmist’s salvation, he wants it to be spread to all of God’s people: “The Lord is the stronghold for his people, the salvation of his anointed.” The oasis of grace that delivered the psalmist from the corporate punishment—Yahweh is this, both for the anointed king and for the people. Having tasted of grace, the anointed psalmist wants others to enjoy it with him: “Save your people; bless your inheritance.” The intercession of mercy rescued the psalmist from the pit, and now, he makes intercession for the saints of God’s flock.

We even find a reemergence of the shepherd imagery from Psalm 23. “Shepherd your lambs and carry them forever.” What a great line! The Lord’s shepherding of his saints amounts to him carrying them in his arms, and not just for a little while, but forever. And there is no safer place from judgment than the arms of the Almighty. Sure, as adults, we do not want to be carried, but as kids, there was no better spot than in mom’s or dad’s arms and held. With his child-like faith, the psalmist wants to be embraced by his Heavenly Father; he desires this for all the saints. Moreover, this eternal hug of God counters the unending darkness of the Pit. The wicked are judged by works. God destroys them to never rebuild them, and the result lands in the everlasting gloom of Sheol. The ultimate realities of the Final Judgment are very much in view.

On the other side of the equation, though, the Lord broke his silence. His grace exempted the psalmist from the corporate curse. God’s mercy made him stick out from the lot of the wicked and it transferred him to a greater fate, whereby trusting in the Lord, grace saved from judgment and moved into the loving arms of the Lord. Therefore, in this psalm, David prays for and experiences nothing short of the gospel. The saving refuge that redeemed him from the pit and lifted him up in a forever embrace, this is nothing short of Christ himself.

At the end of the day, from what do we need to be saved? We regularly answer this by saying sin and death, which is correct; sin and death, however, are ingredients in the greater system of justice and God’s wrath. Sin is our guilt for breaking the law; death is the punishment our deeds have earned. We all belong to this herd of sinners. We blend in with the wicked world; we share their depravity and so deserved the same everlasting retribution. Thus, to be delivered from wrath, we need to stick out.

We require an exemption not to fit in, and this graciously comes only through Christ. For, the Holy Jesus was born to fit in with us. He became like us. He joined our mortal club to share in our weaknesses, temptations, and burdens. Jesus stood in your shoes; he walked on the same path. Yet, although becoming like us in most ways, there was one way specifically he stuck out from us. We scored an F in obedience, but Jesus aced righteousness with a perfect score. Christ pulled ahead of our sorry pack in order to take us with him. Jesus was judged and approved as righteous. And as the Righteous One, Christ stands next to you. You are not alone in judgment, but your Lord is your mediator and surety; he is your shield of righteousness and guarantor of acceptance. By faith, grace brings you safely through judgment in Christ unto the blessing of resurrection.

Therefore, coming back to Revelation 20, there are two standards of Final Judgment. For the wicked world, they are judged by works; retribution repays them according to their evil deeds recorded in the books. Yet, another book is found, the Lamb’s book of life. And for those who have their names in this book, they are not judged by works but are openly acknowledged and welcomed into glory. This is how Jesus is your everlasting refuge. His love writes your name in his book of life in the ink of his own blood, and the indelible blood of Christ secures you an everlasting salvation.

Moreover, until the Great Day comes, Jesus is your present help and shepherd. Through our pilgrim lives, it feels like we do a lot of walking. Yes, our feet are moving, but in truth, you are being carried in the affectionate arms of Jesus. And as your Lord carries you, he assures you that he is listening. Sure, Jesus does not talk to us audibly, but he is not silent in disfavor. Christ is constantly interceding for us, and to do this correctly, he has to be listening to you. Jesus, then, is not deaf to your prayers. In his wisdom, the answers to our prayers may be long in coming. Many of our prayers will not be answered until we die or until the resurrection, but the answer is coming, and it will be better than we could imagine.

Therefore, even if it seems like we are talking to ourselves, let us keep praying, knowing the Spirit lifts up our petitions into the ears of Christ, who communicates them to the Father. And may we praise the Father that he gave us his perfect Son to be our refuge from wrath. All glory be to our God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

©Zach Keele. All Rights Reserved.

You can find the whole series here.

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Post authored by:

• Zach Keele

  

  Rev. Zachary Keele grew up on a ranch in a small town named Crawford, Colorado. He attended Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania and received his Master of Divinity from Westminster Seminary California. He has served as the pastor of Escondido OPC since 2006.

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