Psalm 5

1Give ear to my words, Yahweh. Consider my meditation. 2Listen to the voice of my cry, my King and my God, for I pray to you. 3Yahweh, in the morning you will hear my voice. In the morning I will lay my requests before you, and will watch expectantly. 4For you are not a God who has pleasure in wickedness. Evil can’t live with you. 5The arrogant will not stand in your sight. You hate all workers of iniquity. 6You will destroy those who speak lies. Yahweh abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man. 7But as for me, in the abundance of your loving kindness I will come into your house. I will bow toward your holy temple in reverence of you. 8Lead me, Yahweh, in your righteousness because of my enemies. Make your way straight before my face. 9For there is no faithfulness in their mouth. Their heart is destruction. Their throat is an open tomb. They flatter with their tongue. 10Hold them guilty, God. Let them fall by their own counsels. Thrust them out in the multitude of their transgressions, for they have rebelled against you. 11But let all those who take refuge in you rejoice. Let them always shout for joy, because you defend them. Let them also who love your name be joyful in you. 12For you will bless the righteous. Yahweh, you will surround him with favor as with a shield.

The psalm is a prayer, a solemn address to God, at a time when the psalmist was brought into distress by the malice of his enemies. Many such times passed over David, nay, there was scarcely any time of his life to which this psalm may not be accommodated, for in this he was a type of Christ, that he was continually beset with enemies, and his powerful and prevalent appeals to God, when he was so beset, pointed at Christ's dependence on his Father and triumphs over the powers of darkness in the midst of his sufferings. In this psalm, I. David settles a correspondence between his soul and God, promising to pray, and promising himself that God would certainly hear him (Psa 5:1-3). II. He gives to God the glory, and takes to himself the comfort, of God's holiness (Psa 5:4-6). III. He declares his resolution to keep close to the public worship of God (Psa 5:7). IV. He prayed, 1. For himself, that God would guide him, (Psa 5:8). 2. Against his enemies, that God would destroy them (Psa 5:9, Psa 5:10). 3. For all the people of God, that God would give them joy, and keep them safe (Psa 5:11, Psa 5:12). And this is all of great use to direct us in prayer.

To the chief musician upon Nehiloth. A psalm of David.

Cross-references: Ps 5:1 · Ps 5:4 · Ps 5:7 · Ps 5:8 · Ps 5:9 · Ps 5:10 · Ps 5:11 · Ps 5:12

Introduction