Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 28:7
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.
7. my strength ] Cp. Exo 15:2. my shield ] See note on Psa 3:3.
trusted ] Better as R.V., hath trusted.
greatly rejoiceth ] Exulteth. Cp. Psa 5:11; 1Sa 2:1.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The Lord is my strength – See the notes at Psa 18:1.
And my shield – See the notes at Psa 3:3. Compare Psa 33:20; Psa 59:11; Psa 84:9; Psa 89:18; Gen 15:1.
My heart trusted in him – I trusted or confided in him. See Psa 13:5.
And I am helped – I have found the assistance which I desired.
Therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth – I greatly rejoice. I am happy. He had found the assurance of the divine favor which he desired, and his heart was glad.
And with my song will I praise him – I will sing praises to Him. Compare Psa 22:25.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Psa 28:7
The Lord is my strength and my shield.
A sacred solo
Note in the three sentences-there is in each that which is inward and that which is outward. The Lord is my strength–that is inward; My shield–that is outward. My heart trusted in Him–inward; I am helped–outward. My heart greatly rejoiceth–inward; With my song will I praise Him–outward. It teaches us that truth and beauty of form are to be linked together: to be holy we need not to be uncouth. Slovenly preaching, doggerel verses and discordant singing are to be avoided in our worship.
I. We have here A sure possession. With double grip the psalmist takes hold of God. The Lord is my strength and my shield. It is not anything belonging to the Lord, but the Lord Himself that he thus lays hold on. He also can say this has a large inheritance which death cannot wither, nor space compass, nor time limit, nor eternity explore. He may be short in pocket money, as owners of large estates sometimes are; but he is infinitely rich, for he hath real property and an indefeasible title to it. Notice how God is laid hold of–
1. Inwardly, as his strength. You cannot tell how strong you are if you can say this: what marvellous capacity for endurance. Increase of burden is nothing to groan at if there be increase of strength. And with this we can, also, do anything. Then–
2. There is the outward manifestation. God is our shield. Where would you hide yourself, said one to Luther, if the Elector of Saxony should withdraw his protection? He smiled and said, I put no trust in the Prince of Saxony. Beneath the broad shield of Heaven I stand secure against Pope and Turk and devil. So he did, so do we. And many of us can attest this.
II. A definite experience. My heart trusted in Him and I am helped. He does not say, I trusted as one who makes a profession with his lips, but my heart trusted. Happy the man who in his heart trusts. Did you ever notice the middle verse of the whole Bible? It is Psa 118:8. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. The comparison will not bear a thought, the preference is infinite. May the heart always trust, and in God alone. Then we have the outward manifestation of the inward experience, I am helped. Not I was, nor I shall be, but I am. Old Master Trapp says, faith has no tenses, because faith deals with a God whose name is I am. With man we trust and are often disappointed or deceived, but never so with God.
III. A declared emotion. Therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth, and with my song, etc. Some peoples rejoicing is but skin deep. They laugh: their face is surfaced over with smiles, and their mirth bubbles up with silly glee. Nothing is more sad. You may perhaps have heard of Carlini, one of the most celebrated clowns of the beginning of this century, a man whose wit and humour kept all Paris in roars of laughter; but he himself had little share of the cheerfulness he simulated so well and stimulated so much. His comedies brought him no comfort; he was a victim of habitual despondency. He consulted a physician, who gave him some medicine, but advised him by way of recreation to go and hear Carlini. If he does not fetch the blues out of you nobody will. Alas, sir, said he, I am Carlini. And so often men make mirth for others, but live in gloom themselves. Not so the man who has laid hold on God. My heart greatly rejoiceth. And we should tell out our joy. With my song will I praise Him. Hard-worked mothers, toiling labourers, wearied servants, sing praise unto Him. The birds, the flowers, the many-tinted shells in depth of ocean, all praise Him. Do you the same. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
The Lord acknowledged and praised
I. the Lord acknowledged.
1. AS the source of strength.
(1) Physical.
(2) Intellectual.
(3) Spiritual.
2. As a shield.
(1) Against temptation.
(2) Against the fiery darts of Satan.
(3) Against the attacks of personal enemies.
II. the Lord trusted.
1. With the heart.
2. For the salvation of the soul.
3. For the power to keep from falling.
4. For help in every hour of need.
III. the Lord rejoiced is.
1. Because the soul is at peace with God.
2. Because of the consciousness of security in God.
3. Because of the manifested presence of God in the soul.
IV. the Lord praised.
1. For the manifestation of His power.
(1) To give strength in the hour of weakness.
(2) To give encouragement in the hour of despondency.
(3) To give light in the hour of darkness.
(4) To give inspiration in the hour of conflict.
2. For the manifestation of His love.
(1) In cleansing the heart from all sin.
(2) In inscribing the name in heaven.
(3) In the adoption of sons into the Divine family.
(4) In the blessed assurance of an eternal home in heaven. (O. T. Adams.)
The security of those who have God for their strength and shield
He is invulnerable whom God shields. The devil might spare his arrows, for not one of them will take effect on him whom God shields. David rested in his God in the midst of trouble, for God was a shield unto him. Oh, man, what about your fortifications? The French, yonder in Paris, put out statements and bulletins about the state of the fortifications–about the condition of the chain of forts that encircle their city. Now, as you walk around the walls of your own soul, have you got God as a shield? You, young fellow, are you shielded by God? Is God your shield? Have you covenanted with Jehovah? If you have, then–oh, hear it!–you are safe, for the Lord is thy shield. (J. Robertson.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 7. The Lord is my strength] I have the fullest persuasion that he hears, will answer, and will save me.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
7. The repetition of “heart”denotes his sincerity.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
The Lord [is] my strength,…. That is, the author both of natural and spiritual strength; that gave him strength of body, and fortitude of mind, to bear up under all the exercises he was tried with; the strength of his life, spiritual and temporal, and of his salvation; the strength of his heart under present distresses, and who he knew would be so in the hour of death, when his heart and strength would fail;
and my shield; to protect and defend him; as were the love, power, and faithfulness of God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, his power and fulness, his blood, righteousness, and salvation;
my heart trusted in him; in the Lord as his strength and shield; not in any creature, nor in his own strength and righteousness; but in the Lord God, in whom are righteousness and strength: and it is plain he did not trust in his own heart, since his heart trusted in the Lord; and which shows that his trust was an hearty one, his faith was a faith unfeigned, he believed with the heart unto righteousness;
and I am helped: this was the fruit of his trust, even a gracious experience of divine assistance: saints are helpless in themselves, and are also as to the help of man; God is the only helper of them; he helps them out of all their troubles; in whatsoever he calls them unto, and to what they want; and the help he affords is sometimes quick, and always seasonable; and sometimes by means, and sometimes without them;
therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; that is, in the Lord, the ground of which was the help he had from him; and this joy was very great, a joy unspeakable, and full of glory; it was not carnal, but spiritual, a heart joy, joy in the Holy Ghost;
and with my song will I praise him; praise is due to God, what glorifies him, and is acceptable to him; it becomes the saints, is comely for them, and it is pleasant work to them, when grace is in exercise; see Ps 69:30; this may be understood of one of his songs, and one of the best of them, and of one better than this, as a Jewish writer u observes.
u R. Moseh in Aben Ezra in loc.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(7) Therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth.Better, danceth for joy, as in the Prayer Book. Another possible translation is, And when I have been helped my heart will dance for joy.
With my song.Literally, from my song, but the reading is doubtful. The LXX. have my flesh has flourished, which is probably correct.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
DISCOURSE: 539
ADORING GOD FOR HIS MERCIES
Psa 28:7. 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.
THE man of this world delights to speak of the things of this world: the man of God delights to speak of God: each speaketh out of the abundance of his own heart. It is the very character of a true believer, that he regards the works of the Lord and the operation of his hands, and that he desires to magnify the Lord for all the benefits conferred upon him. No one can read the Psalms of David, without being penetrated with this thought. What the particular affliction was from which he had recently been delivered when he penned this psalm, we do not certainly know: but after blessing God for his condescension and grace in hearing and answering his supplications, he records, for the benefit of all future saints, his feelings in the review of the mercies vouchsafed unto him.
In this record we see,
I.
What God is to the believer
To all that trust in him, he is both a protector from all evil, and a helper to all good
This is a blessed truth, if considered only in theory
[What cannot he do, that has the God of Jacob for his help? To what duty may he not address himself with a full assurance that he shall be able to fulfil it? Would he overcome the most inveterate lusts? Through the influence of Gods Spirit he shall mortify the deeds of the body, and bring the very thoughts of his heart into captivity to the obedience of Christ. Would he attain and exercise all the graces of the Spirit? he shall do so, yea, he shall do all things through Christ strengthening him
And whom needs he to fear? Surely neither men nor devils: for, what can man do, when he himself is crushed before the worm? As for Satan, though he have at his command all the principalities and powers of hell, he is a vanquished enemy, and shall ere long be bruised for ever under the believers feet ]
But this truth is yet more blessed, when it is practically experienced by the believer in his own soul
[What a zest does the believers own experience give to every declaration of the Inspired Volume! When, from the communications he has actually received, he can say, God is my strength and my shield, then it is that he is prepared to enjoy these blessed truths as he ought, and to give unto God the glory due unto his name. And here we cannot but exhort every believer to trust in God with his whole heart. In this case he shall never be disappointed of his hope: yea rather, the more he expects, the more he shall receive; and according to his faith it shall be done unto him. Let him only be able to say with David, My heart trusteth in him; and he shall sooner or later have reason to add, I am helped: I am protected from evils, which I could not by my own wisdom or power avoid; and I am enabled to do things, for which my own strength would have been utterly insufficient: by my own experience therefore, no less than from the divine testimony, I can say, The Lord is my strength, and my shield.]
As from Davids assertions we learn what God is to us, so from his frame of mind we may see,
II.
What should be the disposition of our hearts towards him
Certainly these exalted privileges should be received by us,
1.
With joy
[Who can have reason to rejoice in comparison of the believer? Look round and see how the world at large are taken in the snare of the devil, and led captive by him at his will. Have you no reason to rejoice when God has interposed with a mighty hand and a stretched-out arm to deliver you? When you see the dangers with which you are surrounded, have you no reason to rejoice in having such a shield as is sufficiently large to encompass you on every side, and so strong as to be impenetrable to all the fiery darts of the devil? When you see what lusts you have to mortify, and what duties to perform, have you not reason to rejoice in having Omnipotence for your strength? O rejoice; rejoice in the Lord always; yea, rejoice in him with joy unspeakable and full of glory! However greatly your heart rejoiceth, you never need be afraid of excess: let it be but the joy of a dependent being, and it cannot be too great.]
2.
With thankfulness
[It is your privilege to sing in the ways of the Lord. In heaven the redeemed are singing praises to their God day and night: and so should you do on earth. As for David, he would praise God day and night; and that too with all that was within him; yea, and as long as he should live. Not content with praising God himself, he would have the sun, moon, and stars, together with every thing that had life and breath, to praise him too [Note: Psa 145:1-7; Psa 148:1-14.]. This is a state of mind worthy of a redeemed sinner; nor should we ever rest till we have attained it.]
We shall conclude this subject with two inquiries:
1.
Whence is it that so few possess this heavenly frame?
[It must be confessed, that amongst the professors of religion, there are but few comparatively in whom Christianity has its perfect work. Some are retarded in their growth by the cares of this life, the deceitfulness of riches, or the lust of other things, and never bring forth fruit unto perfection. Others are remiss in the duties of the closet, and thereby deprive themselves of those rich communications of grace and peace, which God would otherwise bestow upon them. And others again are always poring over the evils of their own hearts, instead of contemplating the mercies of their God, and the wonders of redeeming love. It is not at all surprising that these different characters enjoy but little of that divine unction which is imparted to those only who live in close communion with their God. But let no man impute their want of joy to any defect in Christianity itself: they are not straitened in their God any more than David was: it is in themselves that they are straitened; and they receive not, because they ask not. Let them only live nigh unto God in the exercise of prayer and faith, and they shall find that God is the same in every age, rich in mercy, and abundant in goodness and truth.]
2.
How may we all attain it?
[We have advantages far beyond any that David ever enjoyed. What he saw under a veil, we behold, as it were, with open face; a God incarnate, taking upon himself the entire care of all his people, standing between them and the curse of the broken law, and engaging to keep them by his own power unto everlasting salvation. For us there is help laid upon One that is mighty: for us there is all fulness treasured up in Christ, so that we are privileged to say, In the Lord have I righteousness and strength [Note: Isa 45:24. See especially Isa 25:4.] Let us then improve this privilege as we ought to do: let us be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, yea, strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Then may we be assured of final victory, and now, even in the midst of all our conflicts, exult as already victors, yea, as more than conquerors through Him that loved us [Note: Rom 8:34-39. or Isa 26:3-4.].]
Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)
Psa 28:7 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.
Ver. 7. The Lord is my strength and my shield ] So that I am furnished and harnessed within and without. See Psa 18:2 .
My heart trusted in him, and I am helped
My heart greatly rejoiceth, &c.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
shield. Here is the link with Psalm 18. Compare “strength” in Psa 28:8, below.
trusted = confided. Hebrew. batah. App-69.
trusted . . . helped . . . praise. Note the reference to past, present, and future.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
strength: Psa 28:8, Psa 18:1, Psa 18:2, Psa 19:14, Psa 46:1, Isa 12:2, Isa 45:24, Eph 6:10
shield: Psa 84:11, Psa 91:4, Gen 15:1
heart: Psa 13:5, Psa 22:4, Psa 56:3, Psa 56:4, Psa 118:6-9, Psa 118:13-15
therefore: Psa 16:9-11, Psa 21:1, Psa 30:11, Psa 30:12, Psa 33:21, Psa 68:3, Psa 68:4, Isa 61:10
with: Psa 96:1-3, Exo 15:1-21, Jdg 5:1-31, 1Sa 2:1-11, 2Sa 22:1-51, Rev 5:9, Rev 15:3
Reciprocal: 2Sa 22:3 – shield 2Sa 22:33 – strength 1Ch 16:27 – strength Neh 8:10 – the joy Neh 12:43 – God Psa 3:3 – a shield Psa 9:2 – I will be Psa 18:32 – girdeth Psa 18:35 – shield Psa 26:1 – trusted Psa 27:1 – strength Psa 30:10 – be thou Psa 43:2 – the God Psa 69:30 – I will Psa 81:1 – our strength Psa 84:5 – strength Psa 86:16 – give Psa 89:17 – For thou Psa 119:50 – This Psa 140:7 – the strength Isa 30:18 – blessed Isa 50:10 – let Joe 2:23 – rejoice Zec 10:7 – their heart Luk 6:21 – ye shall laugh Col 3:16 – singing