Refuge for the Righteous

This morning marks our fifth week studying the Book of Psalms. Since beginning our study of the Psalms, we’ve seen similar content in Psalms 1-4. David contrasts the character of God, the character of the righteous and unrighteous, and the destiny of the righteous and the unrighteous. The content of today’s Psalm is no different.

None of the scholars I read this past week linked Psalm 5 with the same events that led to David writing Psalms 3 and 4. But based on what is written, David is once again in some type of distress and he’s turning to God for help.

One link that does exist between Psalm 4 and Psalm 5 is the fact that both are meant to be sung as prayers and accompanied by musical instruments.

Psalm 5 is broken into five sections. Each of them moving back and forth between David and his enemies, the righteous and the unrighteous, between God’s people and those under the wrath of God. Essentially, the message to us this morning is this; God’s children will find refuge in HIs presence and those who don’t know the Lord will find destruction outside of His presence.

I. David’s Request (5:1-3)

First, notice how passionate David is for God to hear his prayer.

(1) This is the prayer of a desperate man. “Listen to me Oh Lord!” “Hear me Oh God!” “Please, I beg you, give me your ear so that you will hear my plea.”

(2) He continues in verse one by saying “Consider my groaning.” Some of your translations may say “consider my lament,” or “consider my meditation.” The idea that David is conveying to the reader is that this is an inaudible prayer. This is due to the fact that “groaning” in its original form means whispering, murmuring, or musing. So, David is quietly pleading with for God to hear him because he is in distress.

(3) A third way we can feel the passion in David’s prayer is found in the first part of the second verse. Notice how he says, “Give attention to the sound of my cry...”

Many pediatricians believe that babies have five different types of cries. There’s the hunger cry, sleepy cry, uncomfortable cry, not feeling well cry, and the painful cry. Some Drs. go as far as saying that while it is difficult for parents to understand the different cries, the bond between a mother and her baby is so deep that mom’s can intuitively understand what her little one needs.

I wonder if the same can be said about God and His children. God knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows exactly what our cries mean and he knows exactly what we need. So, I wonder if when David says “Give attention to the sound of my cry” if he’s not saying to God, “Please, can’t you tell by the sound of my cry that I need you?” “No one else can understand me, no one else may be able to hear me, but I’m begging you to hear me and know by the sound of my cry how desperate I am for you to respond.”

We have to notice also that David directs his prayer to his “King” and his “God.” Just like a mother can intuitively understand what her baby needs, God is the only One who truly knows what we need. As I said a few weeks ago, it’s unfortunate that so often praying to God is our last resort. It seems that we will quickly turn to this person or that person in our times of distress, but only when God is our last hope do we turn to Him. The truth is that it should be the exact opposite. We see in David’s example that he turns to God immediately and without hesitation. It’s because he’s learned that God is the only one who can rescue him.

Most nights, Madeleine wakes up sometime between 11:30 and 12:30 fussing and crying. Sometimes it’s because she’s lost her pacifier, but sometimes it’s because she’s hungry. On the nights when I go into her room to sooth her, I know pretty quick which one it is. If she quiets down after I find her pacifier and give it to her, then I know that was it. But, there are those times that she gets extremely upset when she hears my voice and not her mama’s voice because she knows that only mama can meet her need of being hungry. So, I pick her up and comfort her the best I can. But it’s not until she’s in her mama’s arms being fed that she is truly at peace.

Folks, we cannot find true peace and comfort anywhere else, except in the presence of our Lord. The trials David endured led him to realize that only God could help him in his time of need and it is the same truth for us today. It’s okay to turn to others for advice and help when we need it, but only after we’ve gone to the Lord first.

Finally, notice in verse three the time of David’s prayer. He says, “O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.” While it is essential for us to pray at all times during the day, there is no greater time to pray than earlier in the morning before our day begins.

I read that during World War II, a U.S. military arms manufacturing plant was producing defective bomb sights. While sabotage was initially suspected, it was discovered that the defective sights were due to the employees losing focus. They were working so carefully on such a small part that their eyes would go out of focus. The remedy for the issue was for them to take periodic breaks and look away at a distance to rest their eyes. With the new protocol in place, their work became flawless.

It is easy for us to focus so intently on the challenges of life that lay before us that we lose focus on our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. That is why it is vital for us to start and end everyday in prayer to Him. Because when we do, we will have clear vision and the ability to attack the days problems.

Billy Graham once said, “The Christian life is not a constant high. I have my moments of deep discouragement. I have to go to God in prayer with tears in my eyes, and say, ‘O God, forgive me,’ or ‘Help me.’”

II. God’s Character (5:4-6)

After describing to the reader his decision to pray, David reveals the content of his prayer. He starts his plea by asking God to remove three types of people from his presence; those who are evil, those who are prideful, and those who are liars.

David then goes on to list six reasons why He’s asking God to get rid of them:

1. God does not “delight in wickedness...”

By saying that God does not take pleasure in the wickedness of man, David is referring to criminals. While it’s true that God is not pleased when we break His law, the wickedness that David is referring to here is the law of man. God does not take pleasure in people who break civil law because He is a God of justice, not anarchy.

2. God does not tolerate the presence of evil doers.

The purity and holiness of God will not allow Him to tolerate the presence of evil doers. Habakkuk 1:13 says, “Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrongdoing.” This means that God is too righteous, too pure, too holy, to be in the presence of sin.

3. Foolish people will not stand before the Lord

Only fools continue in their wicked ways. And because of their foolish decision to continue in their sin, they will not be allowed into the presence of God the Father. Spurgeon says it best, “A little sin is a great folly, and the greatest of all folly is great sin. Such sinful fools as these must be banished from the court of heaven.” God will not allow foolish people into the court of His Kingdom.

4. God hates all evildoers

On more than one occasion, whenever someone says the word hate, I’ve heard it said that hate is a harsh term to use, especially when it is used to describe another person. The Bible tells us that we should not hate our brothers and sisters no matter what they’ve ever done. That like Jesus, we are to show them mercy and grace. While we are not supposed to hate, even the most vile of humans beings, God is allowed to hate because He is a sovereign and just God. So what David is revealing about God’s character in this verse cannot be taken lightly. Imagine being hated by God. Imagine being detested by God. Imagine God hating you so much that He says He can’t even stand to have you in His presence. The truth is that is exactly how God feels about those who are evildoers. People who continually sin, are hated by the Almighty. Now, let me be clear about something. We are all sinners. Romans 3:23 makes that fact abundantly clear. “For all have sinned, and fallen short of the glory of God.” But, while we are all sinners, those who believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, have been redeemed by God. He no longer sees the sinner. He sees the One who became the sacrifice for our sins. But those who continue in their sins, He still sees the sinner. And it is that person the Lord hates.

5. God will destroy liars

Revelation 21:8: “the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable ... murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

Revelation 22:15: “Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying” (NASB).

6. God is disgusted by violent and dishonest people

Essentially, David is saying to God, “If you do not find these people pleasing and do not want them in your presence, then neither do I. Therefore, remove them from my presence just as you will remove them from your’s.”

A true sign that we are walking with God and becoming more like Him is when we start to hate sin just as much as He does. One writer put it like this, “As David drew closer to God he became more aware of God’s holiness and man’s sinfulness…If you are drawing close to God, you will become increasingly sensitive to sin, which is inevitable since the God you are approaching is a holy God.”

Solomon writes in Proverbs 2:6-15--“For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints... for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you, delivering you from the way of evil...”

III. David’s Humility (5:7-8)

Notice how David begins this verse by using the word “But...” In using it, he is saying to God, “But I am different than them.” “I am different than the people that I just described to you.” And he doesn’t stop there. He goes on to explain why he’s different and what allows him to be different. Some translations read “But as for me, by your abundant lovingkindness I will enter Your house, At Your holy temple I will bow in reverence for You.” In other words, because of God’s unending, love, mercy, and grace sinners who have turned their lives over to Him are able to enter the presence of the Lord. Evildoers and sinners cannot enter the presence of the Lord, but those who have been made righteous in the eyes of God the Father can dwell with Him forever.

David recognizes that his ability to enter God’s presence despite His sins is only because God has forgiven his transgressions. For us, the only reason we are able to enter into the presence of the Lord, is because of the blood sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

My favorite passage of scripture in the entire Bible is Ephesians 2:1-10. I especially love the first seven verses, which say, “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

It is for those reasons alone, that we can enter into the presence of the Lord. Not because of anything we’ve done, but simply because of the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Another sign of humility by David lies in the fact that he’s bowing before the Lord in his Temple. He’s doing this not out of fear in the sense of being afraid, but out of respect for the awe and majesty of the Almighty.

Illustration: Andrew and Kirk Wrestling until someone cries mercy. Whenever someone cries mercy, they are acknowledging the dominance of the other person over them. It is a sign of respect.

Finally, David’s humility allows God to mold him into who God wants Him to be. When David says, “Lead me” and “make your way straight before me,” he’s saying to God “Lead me to become the man you want me to be.” “Teach me your righteous ways.”

Psalm 25:4-5 — “Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.”

We cannot consider ourselves a committed follower of Jesus Christ, if we are not growing to become more like Him. That is what being a disciple of Christ is all about.

Jesus tells His disciples in Luke 6:40--“A disciple is no above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.”

Committed followers of Christ humble themselves before the Lord and allow Him to direct their paths as He molds them into the person He purposed them to be.

IV. The Destiny of the Wicked (5:9-10)

Verses 9 and 10 can be split into two sections. Verse 9 gives gives us the character of the rebellious and verse 10 tells us their fate.

A. The Character of the Rebellious People

David lists four characteristics of God’s enemies:

1. They cannot be trusted

2. They are destructive at their core

3. With their mouths they are spreading their disgusting ways

4. They offer insincere praises to further their own cause

One Pastor put it like this, “No wonder the psalmist groans and cries for help; no wonder he addresses God as the One who destroys those who speak falsehood and who abhors deceitful men; no wonder he prays for the Lord to reveal His way and guide him in it. His enemies come with murderous hearts and words that are not to be trusted; they manipulate the truth for their own gain.”

Everyday someone is lied to and lied about. Everyday someone lies to another person and everyday someone lies about another person. There is great financial gain in our society for liars.

Notice how David links a person’s deceptive ways with their mouth.

“…there is no truth in their mouth…their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongue.”

Utilizing a grave to describe a person’s mouth is an extremely powerful illustration. The thought of a grave or tomb does not solicit happy or joyous thoughts. It is quite the opposite. When we think of a grave we think of a cold, dark place. We think of death.

How often do we distort the truth in order to bring mental anguish to another person? How often do we distort the truth for our own gain? These are not marks of a person who is worshipping God in His Temple. These are not the marks of a person who is depending on God to teach them His ways. This is the mark of a person who is bent on destruction.

And the destiny that awaits those who fail to repent and turn their lives over to God is destruction.

David asks God to “Make them bear their guilt, O God; let them fall by their counsels; because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out for they have rebelled against you.”

The final clause of verse 10 sums up why David is asking God to cast these people out. It’s not because they’ve rebelled against David, but because they have rebelled against God. Yes, they are seeking to destroy Israel’s King, but in doing so, they are really looking to destroy the King of kings.

Therefore, the destiny of those who fail to repent, is God’s wrath!

V. The Destiny of the Righteous (5:10-12)

Finally, David concludes his prayer in song by describing the destiny of the righteous. While the wicked and deceitful will pay for their sins, the righteous will enjoy the exact opposite. They will experience the joy of the Lord’s salvation.

Those who have sought and found Christ are eternally freed from the destructive destiny of the unrighteous and wicked person.

The 4th and 5th stanzas of Charles Wesley’s famous Hymn “And Can it Be, That I Should Gain” sums up our the reason for our joy.

Long my imprisoned spirit lay Fast bound in sin and nature's night; Thine eye diffused a quick'ning ray, I woke, the dungeon flamed with light; My chains fell off, my heart was free; I rose, went forth and followed Thee.

No condemnation now I dread; Jesus, and all in Him is mine! Alive in Him, my living Head, And clothed in righteousness divine, Bold I approach th'eternal throne, And claim the crown, through Christ my own.

Amazing love! how can it be That Thou, my God, should die for me!

What joy we have today because of what Jesus did for us. As we sit here this morning, what is your destiny once your time on this earth ends? Are you destined like the wicked to be cast out of the presence of God for eternity? Or will you spend an eternity with Father, enjoying the blessings and rewards He has in store for those who accept His Son as their Savior?