1 Give ear to my words, O Lord,
consider my sighing.
2 Listen to my cry for help,
my King and my God,
for to you I pray.
3 In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you
and wait in expectation.
4 You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil;
with you the wicked cannot dwell.
5 The arrogant cannot stand in your presence;
you hate all who do wrong.
6 You destroy those who tell lies;
bloodthirsty and deceitful men
the Lord abhors.
7 But I, by your great mercy,
will come into your house;
in reverence will I bow down
toward your holy temple.
8 Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness
because of my enemies—
make straight your way before me.
9 Not a word from their mouth can be trusted;
their heart is filled with destruction.
Their throat is an open grave;
with their tongue they speak deceit.
10 Declare them guilty, O God!
Let their intrigues be their downfall.
Banish them for their many sins,
for they have rebelled against you.
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.
12 For surely, O Lord, you bless the righteous;
you surround them with your favor as with a shield.
What would any of us do if we were under some kind of attack? It could be spiritual or physical in nature.
Even though David was God’s anointed king, he was constantly under someones fire! If you love the Lord and serve Him in any capacity, you will be criticized or attacked for it. The devil will constantly try to attack where we are weak and tear us down. Count on it! Today religious persecution can be seen just about anywhere.
What did David do? In a nutshell, he used his trials to draw near to the Lord. This is what is meant by “David, a man after God’s own heart.” He would always seek the Lord and draw near to him for his reassurance, peace and comfort. Trying to defend yourself or fighting your own battles rarely works in the end. When you’re under attack, take refuge in the Lord as your righteous defender. In this psalm,
- David appealed to God as his righteous Judge
- David reverently draws near to God by His grace
- David exhorts everyone to take refuge in God - to rejoice in Him because of His gracious blessings
When you’re under attack, take refuge in the Lord through prayer (5:1-3)
The normal response is to fight back. We usually are thinking of ways to get back and revenge our enemies. David didn't do that. He took his complaints to the Lord in honest, personal, heartfelt prayer.
“Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my groaning, heed the sound of my cry for help,”
The word “groaning” means silent or barely audible sounds. David was calling out to God honestly in his pain. God knows everything about us anyway, its ridiculous to hide our feelings from Him. He is our King and the Lord of our life. It is equally important to be submissive be Him and be willing to do His will. You must know Him as your Lord and Savior, who invites you to come into His presence through the blood of Jesus.
The psalm tells us David prayed “in the morning.” Our first thoughts and what we do with them tell a lot about where our heart really is. Is it negative or positive? Do we give our day first thing to the Lord? Or start thinking about our problems and what the day may bring. David’s first thought on waking was about the threats of his enemies. So he immediately turned those thoughts into prayer. Whatever trials God sends into our lives are cause to turn to Him in honest, personal, persistent prayer. Charles Spurgeon said “Prayer should be the key of the day and the lock of the night.”
When you’re under attack, appeal to God as the righteous Judge (5:4-6)
David’s faith in God is proven by God’s faithfulness towards him, always preserving him and guiding his footsteps. God, who is righteous, will act on our behalf when we call to him in believing prayer.
When you’re under attack, reverently draw near to God by His grace (5:7)
As David thought about God’s hatred of sin and His holiness, he realized he could never approach God on the basis of his own righteousness. The only way he could enter was by His abundant lovingkindness. The Hebrew word translated “lovingkindness” is the Old Testament word for “grace.” Wicked people hate God--where there will be little supply of “the riches of His grace” Ephesians 1:7. The only way that anyone can draw near to God is through His abundant grace as shown to us in Christ.
When you’re under attack, take joyous refuge in God as your defender (5:11 -12)
David broadens the application from himself to all of God’s people who may be under any kind of attack:
“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. For it is You who blesses the righteous man, O Lord, You surround him with favor as with a shield.”
As John Piper says, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.” Each part of this psalm emphasizes these truths: when you’re under attack, take refuge in the Lord through prayer, appeal to Him as the righteous Judge, and draw near to Him by His grace, rejoicing in Him as your defender.
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