“Do not drag me off with the wicked, with the workers of evil, who speak peace with their neighbors while evil is in their hearts.” – Psalm 28:3
The day of judgment is a moral necessity but consignment with the wicked would be a terrible end as well as an obvious miscarriage of justice. That is not to say God is capable of such inept adjudication. But in a poetic expression of such hope, David’s prayer shows his desire to be clearly distinguished from the wicked who will one day be dragged off to their punishment. This much is certain.
What constitutes wickedness in this psalm, however, is of great import. Wickedness in this context is defined as those who work evil while speaking peace with their neighbors, knowing such evil intent is in their hearts. This is the ultimate hypocrisy: speaking peace to one’s neighbor while plotting some nefarious treachery against them. Let this never be named amongst God’s people.
And since none of us can see the back of his own head, let us pray with David, “Hear the voice of my pleas for mercy, when I cry to you for help, when I lift up my hands toward your most holy sanctuary. Do not drag me off with the wicked…” (Psalm 28:2-3a).
Of course, this mercy has been granted to us in the person of Jesus Christ. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” – 1 Peter 1:3.