A Song for the Helpless (Ps. 28)

Who is this song about?

"Of David" The Hebrew preposition here could mean "for David" "about David" "by David." Given that David is said to have written many songs, it is likely that many of the Psalms were written by him. But the point of the superscription is not that David wrote the song. The point is that this is Davidic song. This is a David-centered song.

In 5th century Antioch, Theodoret thought that it referred to a time hen Saul was chasing David. As such, he said that it is well suited "to everyone encountering calamities of this kind" In 4th century Tarsus (Paul's home town), Diodore thought that Psalm 28 was spoken of Zekiah's illness and recovery.In 5th century Rome, Arnobius the Younger says that Psalm 28 speaks in the inner man of Christ, "that he who committed no sins not be handed over to sinners." (p210)

The first thing they all agree on is that Psalm 28 is speaking first and foremost of the Davidic King – the Lord's anointed, and the second thing they all agree on is that when we see this song in a David-centered way, we will then know how to sing this song with the Lord's anointed!

If you try to start with yourself, then you will stumble over verse 8: "The LORD is the strength of his people; he is the saving refuge of his anointed." It is only because Jesus is the anointed one – because God has heard Jesus – that we can sing these songs in Jesus.

But as we've seen throughout Book One of the Psalter, when Israel sings these songs in David – and when we sing them in David's Lord, Jesus Christ – then we can inhabit them as we are drawn into the greater story of what God is doing in Jesus.