Psalms 5:1 - Meaning and Application

The title of this psalm has nothing unusual in it except the word Nehiloth, which appears nowhere else. Some think, and it is only a guess, that it means wind instruments, just as Neginoth was thought to mean stringed instruments.

In these verses, David looks to God as the God who hears prayer. God has been this ever since people began to call on the name of the Lord, and he is still just as ready to hear prayer now. Notice how David speaks to him: “O Lord” (Psalm 5:1, Psalm 5:3), that is, Jehovah, the self-existent and fully sufficient One, whom we must worship. He also says, “my King and my God” (Psalm 5:2), meaning the One I have chosen as my God, to whom I owe loyalty, and under whose protection I have placed myself.

We know that the God we pray to is a King and a God, the King over all kings and the God over all gods. But that is not enough. The most encouraging thought in prayer, and the strongest reason to pray, is to see him as our King and our God, the One to whom we owe special allegiance and from whom we expect special care.

David first shows what he asks for, and this can strengthen our faith and hope when we pray. If we pray earnestly and in faith, we have reason to hope for three things. First, God will take notice of our situation, the way we describe it, and the requests we make about it. That is why David says, “Give ear to my words, O Lord.” Though God is in heaven, he still has an ear open to his people’s prayers, and nothing keeps him from hearing. People may not hear us, or may refuse to hear us, but God can hear, and he will hear.

Second, David asks God to give careful thought to his case and not dismiss it with a quick answer. “Consider my meditation,” he says. David’s prayers were not only spoken words, but also deep thoughts before God. As meditation prepares the way for prayer, prayer is the proper outcome of meditation. Meditation and prayer should go together (Psalm 19:14). When we truly consider our prayers, we may expect God to consider them too, and to take to heart what comes from ours.

Third, David expects a gracious answer in due time. So he says, “Hearken to the voice of my cry” (Psalm 5:2). His prayer was a cry, which shows strong feeling and urgency. Such earnest prayer from a righteous person is powerful and effective.

David also shows what he promises on his side, so that he may receive this gracious acceptance. This should guide us in our own prayers, because we ask and do not receive when we ask wrongly. David promises four things, and we should do the same.

First, he promises that he will pray. He will make prayer a serious duty: “Unto you will I pray.” Others may live without prayer, but he will pray. A king like David must still be a beggar at God’s throne. Others may pray to false gods and expect help from them, but David says that to God alone he will pray. The fact that God is ready to hear prayer should strengthen our resolve to live and die as people of prayer.

Second, he promises to pray in the morning. His prayer voice will be heard then, and his prayer will be directed then. That will be the date on his letters to heaven. This does not mean only morning prayer, since he also says elsewhere, “Morning, evening, and at noon, will I pray,” and even, “Seven times a day, will I praise you.” But morning prayer is surely our duty. We are best fitted for prayer when our minds are fresh, lively, and settled, after the night’s sleep and before the day’s business fills us. We need prayer then, because the day brings dangers and temptations, and we need fresh supplies of grace by faith and prayer.

Third, he promises to pray with focus and purpose. “I will direct my prayer,” he says, like an archer aims his arrow at the target. We should come before God with that same steady purpose. It is also like addressing a letter to a friend in a certain place, because our prayers must be directed to God as our Father in heaven. We should always send them through the Lord Jesus, the great Mediator, that is, the one who stands between God and us, and then they will not fail to reach their destination. All our prayers must be directed to God, and his honor must be our highest goal in them. Let our first request be, “Hallowed, glorified be your name,” and then we may expect the same gracious answer Christ himself received: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”

Fourth, he promises to wait patiently for an answer of peace. “I will look up,” he says, meaning he will watch for the result of his prayers and listen for what God the Lord will speak (Psalm 85:8; Habakkuk 2:1). If God grants what he asked, he will be thankful. If God refuses, he will be patient. If God delays, he will keep praying and waiting without losing heart. We must look up, or look out, like a person who has shot an arrow and watches to see how near it comes to the mark. We lose much comfort from prayer when we fail to notice God’s answers.

So, praying and waiting like this, as the lame man watched Peter and John closely (Acts 3:4), we may expect God to give ear to our words and consider them. We may leave ourselves in his hands, as David does here. He does not say, “Lord, do this or that for me,” but, “Hear me, consider my case, and do in it what seems best to you.”

David also thinks of God as a sin-hating God (Psalm 5:4-6). He mentions this both as a warning to himself and to all who pray, so they remember that the God we deal with is not only gracious and merciful, but also pure and holy. Even though he is ready to hear prayer, if we cherish sin in our hearts, he will not hear us (Psalm 66:18).

He also says this to strengthen his prayers against his enemies. They were wicked people, and so they were enemies of God, people in whom he took no pleasure. This shows the holiness of God’s nature. When David says, “You are not a God who has pleasure in wickedness,” he means, “You hate it, because it is completely opposite to your pure nature, your perfect goodness, and your holy will.”

Even if wicked people seem to prosper, no one should conclude from that that God takes pleasure in wickedness, not even when people try to cover it with religion. Some even hate their brothers, cast them out, and then say, “Let the Lord be glorified.” God has no pleasure in wickedness, even when it wears a religious mask. So those who enjoy sin should know that God does not delight in them. And no one should say, when tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” because God is not the source of sin, and evil will not dwell with him.

Hammond thinks this may refer to the law of Moses, which would not allow strangers who kept on in idolatry to live in the land of Israel.

The next point is the justice of God’s rule. “The foolish shall not stand in his sight” means they will not have his favor, will not be welcomed to serve before him, and will not be found innocent in the great day of judgment. Workers of evil are truly foolish. Sin is folly, and sinners are the greatest fools of all, not fools God has made, for he hates nothing he has made, but fools they have made of themselves, and those he hates.

Wicked people hate God, and so it is right that he hates them, and their end will be misery and ruin. “Those whom you hate, you will destroy.” In particular, two kinds of sinners are marked for destruction.

First are the fools, those who speak lies and deceive others. Scripture puts special weight on this sin (Revelation 21:8), “All liars,” and (Psalm 22:15), “Whoever loves and practices a lie.” Nothing is more opposite to God than lying, and nothing is more hateful to the God of truth.

Second are the cruel, violent people. “You will abhor the bloody man,” because cruelty is just as contrary to the God of mercy, and mercy pleases him. Liars and murderers are especially like the devil and show themselves to be his children. So it is not surprising that God hates them.

These were the marks of David’s enemies, and people like them are still enemies of Christ and his church. They are utterly lost to virtue and honor, and the worse they are, the more certain we can be that their ruin will come in due time. As we sing these verses and pray over them, we should stir ourselves up to pray, because we will not seek the Lord in vain. We should also confess our hatred of sin and live in sober expectation of Christ’s coming, which will be the day when ungodly people are brought to final ruin.