An image of creation

Give ear to my words, O Yahweh, consider my meditation.
Give heed to the sound of my cry for help, my King and my God, for to You I pray.
O Yahweh, in the morning, You will hear my voice; in the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch.
For You are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil does not sojourn with You.
The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes; You hate all workers of iniquity.
You destroy those who speak falsehood; Yahweh abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit.
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.
O Yahweh, lead me in Your righteousness because of my foes; make Your way straight before me.
There is nothing reliable in their mouth; their inward part is destruction itself.
Their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongue.
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.
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 one, O Yahweh, You surround him with favor as with a large shield.

Psalm 5

Introduction

I love the way this Psalm encapsulates the message of the gospel. It begins with a call to God, and for Him to observe His creation. Then it explains why sin is a problem. David exposes God’s justice against the wicked, describing how devastating sin is to the human condition, “You hate all workers of iniquity.”

Then the Psalm enters into a plea for God to guide David through his trials. He asks God to “make Your way straight before me.” A straight path is one you can anticipate. If the way ahead does not turn to the right or left, it is easy to see where it is headed. And the path into righteousness is just such a one. It does not deviate to the right or left (Proverbs 4:27; Matthew 7:14), and the future steps are known. This is especially needed for the sinner who has wandered on his own path, but wishes to follow the way of God. And do not let it be lost on you that David’s plea begins with “my King and my God.” Our God is not some foreign ruler who has no care for us. He is the Father to whom Jesus taught us to pray (Matthew 6:9-13), and He will lend His ear (1 John 5:15).

Finally, David exhorts the listener to take refuge in God. He is the only salvation for the sinner, and the only one who is able to shield us from destruction. This is a great joy for all who were previously lost in their sin and destined for destruction.

The fate of the wicked

The gospel (good news) does not exist without the bad news. And the bad news is that you and I are sinners. We have transgressed against the most Holy God who deserves only our honor and praise. But instead, we have replaced Him with idols in our lives (Romans 1:18). We have given ourselves over to the lusts of our hearts, turning to wealth, relationships, status, or anything else that seems more important than the One who created us. And because of this, we deserve to die (Romans 6:23). That is encapsulated in the very first command when God told Adam that if he ate from the tree he would surely die (Genesis 2:17).

This death is the result of disobedience, as God chooses not to adopt those sinners into His family. This is God’s hate, as verse 5 shows us. But destruction is not the end of humanity. God had a better plan for us: redemption.

Take refuge in God

God is a God of justice. But He is also a God of grace. His forgiveness is able to cover any sin (Colossians 2:13-14), and His grace is boundless (Psalm 103:12). The irony you will see come up again and again in the Psalms is that God is the One who deals justice against the sinner, and yet He is also the only One who can protect them from their destruction. We see that on display here in verse 11: “But let all who take refuge in You be glad.” Those who flee to God are saved. Go to Him and you will find refuge from whatever storm you are in. Go to Him and He will pay the debt that is owed – even the debt that is owed to Him. He will shelter you, and He will bless you according to the riches of the grace that are bound up in His Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.

May the Lord bless you and conform you into the image of His Son.