Psalm 5

How do you start your day?

In this Psalm, King David shows us how to pray.  The things that he prays for may be very surprising as it is not your typical milquetoast prayer.

Psalm 5 (NIV)

A psalm of David. For the director of music. For pipes.

1 Listen to my words, Lord,
    consider my lament.

 1. Believers Seeking God’s attention: Listen, consider, hear my cry for help.
2 Hear my cry for help,
    my King and my God,
    for to you I pray.		 David knows that God will listen so … he waits expectantly for an answer.

3 In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice;
    in the morning I lay my requests before you
    and wait expectantly.

In Contrast …
4 For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness;
    with you, evil people are not welcome.		 2. Unbelievers are not welcome in God’s presence.
5 The arrogant cannot stand
    in your presence.
You hate all who do wrong;		 a. Arrogant: think they do just fine without God.
6     you destroy those who tell lies.
The bloodthirsty and deceitful
    you, Lord, detest.		 b. Liars: don’t respect God’s law.

c. Bloodthirsty: prey on the weak for gain. God says to them, when things get tough don’t come to Me. You rejected Me!
7 But I, by your great love,
    can come into your house;
in reverence I bow down
    toward your holy temple.		 3. God’s Grace for Believers: Most folks think they can come to God on the basis of their own good works.  But believers understand we can only come to God based on His Grace and love.
8 Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness
    because of my enemies—
    make your way straight before me.		 The God of grace will lead you through the lies and attacks of your enemies.
9 Not a word from their mouth can be trusted;
    their heart is filled with malice.
Their throat is an open grave;
    with their tongues they tell lies.		 4. The Consequences of Unbelief: The boomerang effect of sin.  Enemies will lie, try to trip you up, ensnare and trap you in their intrigues.
10 Declare them guilty, O God!
    Let their intrigues be their downfall.
Banish them for their many sins,
    for they have rebelled against you.		 David asks three things of God:

1 – Declare them guilty

2 – Catch them in their own trap

3 – Banish them so they can’t harm others
11 But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
    let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
    that those who love your name may rejoice in you.		 5. Praise God because He answers: David begins his prayer in expectation.  He concludes with glad, joy, refuge, protection, love, blessing, favor and shield, rejoicing!
12 Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous;
    you surround them with your favor as with a shield.		 God always has our situations under control!

In Matthew 5:44 Christ tells believers to “pray for those who persecute you.”  And as the Holy Spirit has shown us through the warrior David, sometimes those prayers can include asking God for justice in the form of having our enemies suffer from the very lies and traps that they have set for us.  “Let their intrigues be their downfall.”

Unbelievers are secure in their unbelief and rebellion against God and mistakenly think that they can come to God on the basis of their good deeds, if, that is, they should ever be in a jam.  Because we understand that we can only come before the Creator of the Universe based on His grace toward us we need to learn to pray like men, asking God to bring our enemies low so that they stop relying on themselves and turn to God, their only hope.

John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

By Richard Loper