Psalm Category: Individual Lament

Key Word: Mercy (hesed). This is one of the sweetest words of the Old Testament. It may be translated as mercy, steadfast love, lovingkindness, or faithfulness. It expresses God’s covenant love for His people. James L. Mays defines it as “helpfulness toward those with whom one stands in relationship.To do hesed is to do the best in and make the best of a relationship” (Psalms, John Knox Press, 1994, p. 328).

Central Thought: Psalm 5 explores one of the great mysteries of redemptive history: How can sinful creatures enter the presence of a holy God? This psalm provides the answer: only by the mercy of God and the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

Psalm 5

Imagine for a moment that you are serving as the high priest of Israel. It is the Day of Atonement—the one day a year when an Israelite may enter the Holy of Holies. You put on the white garment, make a sin offering for yourself, and fill your censer with coals. You stand at the veil. You recall Nadab and Abihu, knowing that it’s dangerous to enter the presence of God. Psalm 5 reminds us that we may only draw near to God through the righteousness of Jesus Christ. It also reminds us that in God’s presence we find our refuge.

A Morning Plea (vv. 1-3). In these opening verses, the psalmist is found in the posture of prayer. He beckons God through a series of phrases: “give ear,” “consider,” “listen,” and “hear” (NIV). He knows who God is (“king” and “God”), and, by means of the personal pronoun “my,” demonstrates that he is in a covenant relationship with Him. We should emulate this pattern as we approach our God in prayer.

The Covenantal Divide (vv. 4-10). Reading Psalm 5 is a bit like watching a tennis match. The psalm moves back and forth between two vantage points, the godly and the ungodly. The pattern is as follows: godly (vv. 1-3), ungodly (4-6), godly (7-8), ungodly (9-10), and godly (11-12).

In verses 4-6 and 9-10, we learn that the ungodly cannot stand in God’s presence. In verses 4-6 the ungodly are described as wicked, arrogant, deceitful, and murderous. Verse 9 focuses on the verbal sins of the ungodly by mentioning throat, mouth, and tongue. Particularly, this verse compares the throats of the ungodly to the stench of an open grave, with its corpse rotting in the hot sun. This psalm provides a vivid and disturbing composite of the nature of the ungodly.

God’s reaction to the ungodly is fierce and unequivocal. Verses 5-6 inform us that God hates those who do wrong. He destroys liars and detests bloodthirsty men. One of the grave dangers of modern liberal theology is to distort God’s justice by teaching the universal love of God. Psalm 5 provides no such mischaracterization. Perhaps understanding God’s justice will spur us on to greater efforts of evangelism.

Ultimately, the sin of the ungodly is rebellion against God (v. 10). Therefore, the psalmist prays for the defeat of the ungodly. Note that the psalmist is not seeking personal vengeance here; rather, he is defending God. In addition, the psalmist requests that the ungodly be destroyed by their own evil plans. It is still very appropriate to pray to God in this manner.

Clearly, verses 4-6 and 9-10 demonstrate that the ungodly cannot draw near to God because of their sinfulness. What about the godly? Verses 7-8 establish that the godly enter God’s presence, not based on their own good deeds, but only by the mercy of God. The word translated as “mercy” in verse 7 expresses the meaning of God’s covenant love in Hebrew. Therefore, the godly may only enter God’s presence because of God’s covenant love for them. The New Testament informs us that this love is ultimately manifested in Jesus. The book of Hebrews tells us that we may all enter God’s presence with confidence through Jesus (Heb. 4:16).

The Protection of the Lord (vv. 11-12). The psalm concludes with the psalmist making a public profession of God’s goodness. The imagery conveyed in verse 11 is akin to that of a mother hen caring for her chicks (see Ps. 91:4). Do you see the beauty of this imagery? Not only has Jesus made it possible for us to enter the Holy of Holies, but when we enter we do not encounter a condemning judge, but rather a loving Father. Remember, we are now a kingdom of priests and have unlimited access to the holy of holies through the veil of Jesus’ flesh. Enter with confidence!

––Anthony T. Selvaggio