Psalm - 5

Psalm - 5

Legacy Standard Bible

LEAD ME IN YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS

For the choir director. For the flutes. A Psalm of David.

1 Give ear to my words, O Yahweh,

Consider my meditation.

2 Give heed to the sound of my cry for help, my King and my God,

For to You I pray.

3 O Yahweh, in the morning, You will hear my voice;

In the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch.

4 For You are not a God who delights in wickedness;

Evil does not sojourn with You.

5 The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes;

You hate all workers of iniquity.

6 You destroy those who speak falsehood;

Yahweh abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit.

7 But as for me, in the abundance of Your lovingkindness I will enter Your house,

At Your holy temple I will worship in fear of You.

8 O Yahweh, lead me in Your righteousness because of my foes;

Make Your way straight before me.

9 There is nothing reliable in their mouth;

Their inward part is destruction itself.

Their throat is an open grave;

They flatter with their tongue.

10 Hold them guilty, O God;

By their own devices let them fall!

In the abundance of their transgressions thrust them out,

For they are rebellious against You.

11 But let all who take refuge in You be glad,

Let them ever sing for joy;

And may You shelter them,

That those who love Your name may exult in You.

12 For it is You who blesses the righteous one, O Yahweh,

You surround him with favor as with a large shield.

Background

The historical background of this Psalm is debated among scholars. Some see it as a continuation of Psalms 3-4, during Absalom’s rebellion. Many of the phrases that David uses in the Psalm could easily lead that direction.

Other scholars see a different direction, one I am inclined to agree with. There are parallels in Psalm 5 to two others psalms that are unique. Psalm 15 and Psalm 24 are called Entrance Psalms, to be sung as worship was beginning at the Temple. They describe who can enter into God’s presence.

Psalm 15:1-5 - O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent?

    Who shall dwell on your holy hill?

2 He who walks blamelessly and does what is right

    and speaks truth in his heart;

3 who does not slander with his tongue

    and does no evil to his neighbor,

    nor takes up a reproach against his friend;

4 in whose eyes a vile person is despised,

    but who honors those who fear the Lord;

who swears to his own hurt and does not change;

5 who does not put out his money at interest

    and does not take a bribe against the innocent.

He who does these things shall never be moved.

Psalm 24:3-6 - 3 Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?

    And who shall stand in his holy place?

4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,

    who does not lift up his soul to what is false

    and does not swear deceitfully.

5 He will receive blessing from the Lord

    and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,

    who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah

You can easily see the language overlap. Reference to the temple/tent, evildoers, sins of the tongue, and promise of blessing. These psalms are linked. Just as Psalm 15 and 24 describe who may enter into God’s presence for worship, Psalm 5 does something similar, but the opposite. It describes those who cannot enter into God’s presence for worship. You’ll also see some links to Psalm 1 with reference to the way of the wicked and the way of the righteous. So this is a worship psalm, as you will clearly see in the language as we walk through it. This was sung by the worshiper to be reminded of who they are before God, who God is before them, and by what means they are able to stand in his presence. This would be an appropriate psalm to read each Sunday morning before worship. There is a heaviness to this psalm.

This psalm is broken down a little differently than others. For many of the psalms you can divide it out simply by looking at the stanzas. But this one is broken down a different way. Here, David mades 3 petitions in his worship, with 3 corresponding reasons for them. You can see those by the usage of “For” in the ESV version (v. 4,9,12). Thus the outline is as follows.

WELCOME MY WORSHIP, FOR THE WICKED ARE REJECTED (V. 1-7)GUIDE MY WAY, FOR THE WICKED CANNOT BE TRUSTED (V. 8-10)PROTECT MY WITNESS, FOR THE RIGHTEOUS ARE BLESSED (V. 11-12)

WELCOME MY WORSHIP, FOR THE WICKED ARE REJECTED (V. 1-7)

The Psalmist begins with an overwhelming appeal for God to hear him when he prays. He is hungry to be in God’s presence and desires nothing more than to be heard by God. Worship, being in God’s presence, is top priority.

v. 1-3 - Give ear to my words, O Lord;

    consider my groaning.

2 Give attention to the sound of my cry,

    my King and my God,

    for to you do I pray.

3 O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice;

    in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.

He is coming to God:

UrgentlyGive ear, consider, listen. He is desperate for God to help. To intervene. Intense emotion conveyed.Give ear…common poetry…listen closely. Lit. ‘Broaden.’ Like putting hand behind ear to hear.Groaning - lit. sighing (used only here and Psalm 39:4). Hardly audible.Sound of my cry…this one is loud. Not some polished prayer. He is alternating between quiet, somber words and loud, exclamatory words.To you do I pray - v. 2…word for ‘pray’ is to intervene or mediate. God, I need you to step in to whatever is going on. As we’ve seen already…unless God intervenes we are dead.PersonallyHe addresses God 4x in these 3 verses. My God and My King in v. 2David is writing this…the King is appealing to the King of Kings. Only one higher he can go to for help.Uses Yahweh 2x in v. 1 and v. 3.PersistentlyIn the morning…has the sense to it of “every morning”ExpectantlyPrepare a sacrifice…word for prepare is used of placing things out orderly. Used most often of wood and animal on the altar (sacrifice is not in text). Lit. I prepare for you and watch. Word is also used of presenting a case in court of law, laying out all the facts.And we watch. Wait. We lay out our hearts, our lives before God and we watch for him to work.

Habakkuk 2:1 - I will take my stand at my watchpost

   and station myself on the tower,

and look out to see what he will say to me,

    and what I will answer concerning my complaint.

Micah 7:7 - But as for me, I will look to the Lord;

    I will wait for the God of my salvation;

    my God will hear me.

When we come to worship, we come urgently. We need God. We want to be with God. We come personally. He is not a stranger. We can call him by name. We come persistently. There is no “one and done” with worship. And we come expectantly. We trust that God is going to work in us when we come into his presence.

Now the first turn happens here in verse 4. It begins with “for.” He has offered his petition for God to welcome worship, now here is the ‘why.’ Because God rejects the wicked.

v. 4-6 - For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;

    evil may not dwell with you.

5 The boastful shall not stand before your eyes;

    you hate all evildoers.

6 You destroy those who speak lies;

    the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.

The Psalms have already said so much about the wicked.

Psalm 1 - way of the wicked v. Way of the righteous

Psalm 2 - rebellion of the wicked against God

Psalm 3 - David is attacked by the wicked and asks for protection

Psalm 4 - David is slandered by the wicked and asks for vindication

Psalm 5 - God rejects and refuses to hear the wicked

Psalm 66:16-20 - 16 Come and hear, all you who fear God,

    and I will tell what he has done for my soul.

17 I cried to him with my mouth,

    and high praise was on my tongue.

18 If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,

    the Lord would not have listened.

19 But truly God has listened;

    he has attended to the voice of my prayer.

20 Blessed be God,

    because he has not rejected my prayer

    or removed his steadfast love from me!

Notice how he titles those he rejects - wicked in v. 4; arrogant in v. 5; do wrong in v. 5; tell lies in v. 6; bloodthirsty in v. 6; deceitful in v. 6. And notice how he describes how God views sin - no pleasure in v. 4; hate in v. 5; destroy in v. 6; abhor in v. 6. There is no ambiguity about what these people are and how God views them. For some of you, this may be your first time being confronted with verses like this. It can be jarring for someone who has only heard their whole life that God is love to now see that God hates.

When we talk about this issue we use the phrase, “Hate the sin but love the sinner.” And I think that is right and appropriate. Our sense of justice is flawed. We are ignorant of context and motivations. Our anger is not always righteous. None of that is true of God. His justice is perfect. He knows context and motivations. His anger is always righteous. We make a distinction between the sin and the sinner. God makes no such distinction. This text doesn’t say that God hates sin, though he does. It says he hates sinners. Why? Well, why do we sin? Because we are sinners. Our only hope is grace (which we will see soon enough).

There is a confidence yet again in this prayer. This is a righteous person praying to a righteous God regarding protection from the unrighteous. This is about as close to God’s will as you can get. This is a confident prayer to pray.

v. 4 - Evil cannot dwell with God…potential imperfect…not even temporarily. v. 5 - the boastful cannot stand before God’s eyes. No sin will go undetected. Nothing can be hidden.

Hebrews 4:12-13 - 12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Evildoers…not merely describing anyone who has committed a sin. It is a participle…this is describing people who are defined by their sin. Who relish in it. Who defend it. Who do not care what God thinks about it. God rejects those who reject him.Yes, God hates them because they are antithetical to his very nature. He is holy and righteous. He therefore hates all things defined by sin.

Psalm 11:5 - 5 The Lord tests the righteous,

    but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.

Verse 6 parallels verse 5. The boastful cannot stand (v. 5) you destroy those who speak lies (v. 6). You hate all evildoers (v. 5) he abhors (v. 6). This word “abhor” is related to the word for abomination. Those things and people that are cut off. Rejected.

How could God react this way to sin and sinners?

William Plumer - All sin is folly and madness. All sin is in its own nature malignant and mischievous. Its natural tendency is to ruin and wretchedness. It would produce far more misery on Earth than it does, were it not for the restraints put upon it by the Lord. All sin is cruelty to one’s soul, to one’s race, to a bleeding Savior. All sin is proud and insolent. It affects independence of God. It swells and it struts. It exalts itself against God. It is fond of high looks and proud imaginations. It trades in self-conceit, self-deception and fearful presumption. All sin is utterly opposed to God. As fire and water resist each other, as light and darkness are utterly diverse, so God resists the proud. His nature is wholly opposed to it. He cannot cease to abhor it, without ceasing to be God. No creature has any adequate conception of the evil of sin. None but God comprehends it….Sin attacks God. It flies in his face. He is the object against which all sin is directed. It is his law which sin breaks, his will which sin opposes, his authority which sin tramples underfoot, his mercy which sin rejects.

And in response to such utter rejection of sin and sinners, the psalmist now does not proceed to list the attributes of his own righteousness. Instead, the worshiper claims God’s love as the reason for their worship.

v. 7 - 7 But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,

    will enter your house.

I will bow down toward your holy temple

    in the fear of you.

Through the abundance of your steadfast love…hesed love…God’s loyal, covenant love for his people. The worshiper is welcomed only by God’s love. No one gets into God’s presence by deserving it. It is only by the grace-filled love of God. So the worshiper does not enter God’s presence arrogantly and boasting against the wicked (v. 5…boastful makes you wicked). Instead, we come confidently, but with humility. We bow down reverently before God because we know how he feels about sin. But we enter confidently because we know how he feels about us…he loves.

Luke 18:9-14 - 9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

GUIDE MY WAY, FOR THE WICKED CANNOT BE TRUSTED (V. 8-10)

Now he begins petition number two. God, I need you to guide me.

v. 8 - 8 Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness

    because of my enemies;

    make your way straight before me.

This word for ‘lead’ is the same one from Psalm 23:3 - He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. And from Psalm 31:3 - for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me. For who’s sake does God lead? Not my own. But for his name’s sake. God, make my way straight…why? Because I don’t want to dishonor your name. You are so loving. You are so kind. The last thing I want to do is dishonor you like the wicked do.

Why does he cry out to be led in God’s righteous ways? Because of my enemies. I don’t want to be like them. I don’t want to be among the wicked. I do not want to get swallowed up in their wickedness. Any of us are completely capable of doing disastrous things at any given moment. We need God to protect us from that.

Now we come to the next turn, the next “for”…he describes these enemies.

v. 9 - 9 For there is no truth in their mouth;

    their inmost self is destruction;

their throat is an open grave;

    they flatter with their tongue.

He offers four condemnatory remarks about them:

no truth in their mouths…word for ‘truth’ means settled, or firm. Used in Psalm 93:1 to say that the Earth is established. It is firm, immovable. Their words aren’t firm. They are loose. They are untrustworthy. Cannot stand firmly upon them. They shift. Innermost self is destruction…their heart (desire) is to destroy the righteous. They have set themselves as enemies of God and God’s people.Their words kill…throat is open grave. Their words produce death and leave a pile of dead bodies in their wake. Paul quotes this in Romans 3:13 to prove universal guilt before God.They flatter…deceit. The word means to ‘smooth over to conceal.’ They butter you up with good-sounding words to cover up the fact they are treacherous. They give the false impression of trustworthiness.

Psalm 55:21 - 21 His speech was smooth as butter,

    yet war was in his heart;

his words were softer than oil,

    yet they were drawn swords.

Notice the progression…their hearts are destruction, thus their words produce death, and what that looks like is deceit.

Matthew 12:33-37 - 33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. 36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

So now because this is who they are, defined by these sins, David now calls for the just condemnation for their sins.

v. 10 - 10 Make them bear their guilt, O God;

    let them fall by their own counsels;

because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out,

    for they have rebelled against you.

They are guilty of these sins, therefore hold them accountable for that guilt. Their words are slick and smooth…make them slip and fall on those smooth words. Notice the connection of the language…because of the abundance of their transgressions…v. 7, through the abundance of your love. The abundance of the righteous life is the love of God. The abundance of the wicked is their sin.

This verse is imprecatory…asking for judgment. There are several Imprecatory Psalms (12,35,37,58,59,69,79,83,109,139,140). This is the worshiper asking the God of holiness, the God of wrath, to hold sinners accountable. If this makes you uncomfortable, then so will the OT prophet Jeremiah, the preaching of John the Baptist, Jesus in Matthew 23, and the request of the martyrs in Revelation 6. They all cry out for just condemnation for sinners. Cast them out…expulsion was always the punishment for rebellion (Dt. 30:4).

This may sound harsh to New Testament Christians who are commanded by Jesus to love and pray for their enemies. And we do exactly that. We ask God to bring them to repentance, to show mercy. But it is right and good to pray for justice. Why? Notice the end of verse 10…they have rebelled against God. This is not personal vendetta. This is not for revenge for something someone did to you. Ultimately, they have dishonored the God you love and that should matter to you.

PROTECT MY WITNESS, FOR THE RIGHTEOUS ARE BLESSED (V. 11-12)

Now we come to the final petition…God, protect the faithful.

v. 11 - 11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;

    let them ever sing for joy,

and spread your protection over them,

    that those who love your name may exult in you.

Such a contrast to the wicked. Instead of rebelling against God, the righteous find refuge and joy IN God. Those who find refuge in you rejoice. Those who love your name exult in you.

Notice the worship language…rejoice, sing for joy, exult in you.

Spread your protection over them…protection from what? From becoming like the wicked. So this isn’t just a protection from them, but a protection from becoming like them. Their words are slick and it’s easy to trip and fall. We want God to protect our witness, we don’t want to go away from him. And his steadfast loves provides that protection. So we love his name…character…and exult in him.

Now for the final turn, the final ‘four’:

v. 12 - 12 For you bless the righteous, O Lord;

    you cover him with favor as with a shield.

God is a God who blesses. The word lit. Means to ‘enrich.’ God can enrich physically, materially, spiritually. The tense of the verb for ‘bless’ is a ‘habitual imperfect.’ He blesses ongoing, they never end.

His favor, his grace, his abundant love, covers us like a shield. And that is what we need in a wicked world such as ours.

William Plumer - Every good thing the righteous receive is of God’s mere grace, and sovereign mercy. It is of favor, not of debt. The righteous deserve no good thing. Their righteousnesses are filthy rags. What they are and what they hope to be is all by the grace of God. This now and forever encompasses, fortifies, crowns, adorns them. It is their defense, their beauty, their chief glory.

Application

Pray, even when it feels like you can’t. Groan and sigh if you have to. God understands.Try morning devotional and prayer time (Mark 1:35)Access to God is only by graceHigh view of God - A.W. Tozer - The most important thing about you is what comes to your mind when you think about God.It is ok to hate sin.

Warren Weirsbe - Ever since the fall of man in Genesis 3, there has been a battle going on in the world between truth and lies; justice and injustice, and right and wrong; and we cannot be neutral in this battle.

God is not neutral about sin…obviously. We cannot be so either. We are commanded to love what God loves and hate what God hates (Psalm 97:10; 119:113; 139:21; Proverbs 6:16-17; Amos 5:15; Romans 12:9).

ILL - video on Twitter - gay Christianity, in encounter with Syro-Phonecian woman, Jesus shows his own cultural bias by calling her a dog, but then gives her what she wants. She speaks truth to power and Jesus repents of his racism. Words cannot express the anger that welled up inside me! He is dishonoring, blaspheming the Jesus I love so very much. He is misrepresenting him to the world. His smooth talk and slick interpretation of the Bible will cause countless people to fall into sin. That video has eternal consequences for people. That should matter to us.

We have to do whatever it takes to protect our faithfulness. ILL - girl in our church who just broke up with non-Christian boyfriend. Put her faith first. Some have commented…yeah, but maybe she was supposed to evangelize him. I totally reject that whole concept. The risk of dating a non-Christian is profound. Too many slip and slide away from God. If you can’t be faithful to the Lord while sharing the gospel, then don’t share the gospel. Example: person who feels called to share Gospel with strippers. If you cannot go into a strip club without lusting, God isn’t calling you to that ministry. God cares too much about your holiness and hates sin too much for you to risk being unfaithful. The closer we get to God, the more sensitive to sin we will become.

Worship matters. We need to think more carefully about how we prepare ourselves to worship. Psalm 5 is about a worshiper who is invited by God’s love into God’s own presence. But he did so with fear and reverence. We dare not forget whose presence we are in.ILL - Trading My Sorrows at camp.Sorrow - wah!Sickness - gag like pukePain - slap each otherI had to take students aside and tell them to stop. Jesus died for us to come into God’s presence. Hebrews 10:19-20 - through the new and living curtain of his body…we don’t dishonor that by being flippant.