Give ear to my words, O Lord;
consider my groaning.
2 Give attention to the sound of my cry,
my King and my God,
for to you do I pray.
3 O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice;
in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.
4 For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
evil may not dwell with you.
5 The boastful shall not stand before your eyes;
you hate all evildoers.
6 You destroy those who speak lies;
the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.
7 But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,
will enter your house.
I will bow down toward your holy temple
in the fear of you.
8 Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness
because of my enemies;
make your way straight before me.
9 For there is no truth in their mouth;
their inmost self is destruction;
their throat is an open grave;
they flatter with their tongue.
10 Make them bear their guilt, O God;
let them fall by their own counsels;
because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out,
for they have rebelled against you.
11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
let them ever sing for joy,
and spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may exult in you.
12 For you bless the righteous, O Lord;
you cover him with favor as with a shield. Psalm 5 ESV
A song to be sung with the accompaniment of the flute, or so some think the title comes to mean.
Give ear to my words - It is as though there were a prayer preceding the prayer, hear my words, Oh Lord. David seems to ask for God's attention both to what he says and also his groaning, that innermost prayer, the halls of so many voices and images, the chewing contemplation, that meditation of the heart. Lord, here are the letters from my enemy, I am going to pray but I am not so certain of what to ask, though my heart is vexed within me. This is the way he starts his day, prayer and sacrifice, then he waits and watches. The king refers to God as his King and God for there is none higher to appeal to, and there is none more righteous to guide. How much do you put into prayer? The answer will coincide or intersect with how much you put upon it.
You are not a God - Pray with the understanding of Who God is, what He has revealed about Himself. He hates wickedness so David aims his prayer upon this notion that God will correct the wicked. They are not only wicked but boast in it, and we know that the Lord gives grace to the humble, He shows compassion to the lowly, but He resist the proud. God, they reject the very idea of mercy and forgiveness, they are liars who love violence, blood is to them like water.
But I, through the abundance of Your steadfast love - What is the difference between the wicked and David? That is simple, David does not rest upon his own merit but rather God's steadfast love, His mercy overflowing. He has most graciously brought David to the place of looking up, and He has most compassionately revealed to Him his own sin and need. He bows down in fear, yet he is able to enter. The leader asked to be lead, the captain, king and warrior want to hold the hand of his heavenly father, to be taken by the way he would never have imagined, the road that has to be revealed.
No truth in their mouth - Be aware of the flatterer, the oily tongue, the words that go down sweetly but are empty of nourishment. It's an open grave, don't be deceived lest you fall in, for surely there is nothing there that leads unto life. Lord, do what is just, and please make my way straight.
Who take refuge - There are those that come to rejoice, not because of their own righteousness, but the righteousness of God that has been revealed to them and in them, that is their place of refuge. They pray at first like children, crying, Abba, and they see that God hears them, but then they neglect to pray for a time, because all in the physical is good. These things fall apart and so they come to pray again, but will He listen they wonder, is He still there? God answers the smallness of the child where he is at, but He is never satisfied with the soul that remains a babe forever. They now find themselves wrestling in prayer, meditating upon the law, confessing not only the sin they thought had disqualified them, but also the sin of a stunted life, that they had not sought to know the Lord any deeper than their physical want. These are humbled yet again so that they may grow to become young men. Prepare to pray!
Give ear to my words - It is as though there were a prayer preceding the prayer, hear my words, Oh Lord. David seems to ask for God's attention both to what he says and also his groaning, that innermost prayer, the halls of so many voices and images, the chewing contemplation, that meditation of the heart. Lord, here are the letters from my enemy, I am going to pray but I am not so certain of what to ask, though my heart is vexed within me. This is the way he starts his day, prayer and sacrifice, then he waits and watches. The king refers to God as his King and God for there is none higher to appeal to, and there is none more righteous to guide. How much do you put into prayer? The answer will coincide or intersect with how much you put upon it.
You are not a God - Pray with the understanding of Who God is, what He has revealed about Himself. He hates wickedness so David aims his prayer upon this notion that God will correct the wicked. They are not only wicked but boast in it, and we know that the Lord gives grace to the humble, He shows compassion to the lowly, but He resist the proud. God, they reject the very idea of mercy and forgiveness, they are liars who love violence, blood is to them like water.
But I, through the abundance of Your steadfast love - What is the difference between the wicked and David? That is simple, David does not rest upon his own merit but rather God's steadfast love, His mercy overflowing. He has most graciously brought David to the place of looking up, and He has most compassionately revealed to Him his own sin and need. He bows down in fear, yet he is able to enter. The leader asked to be lead, the captain, king and warrior want to hold the hand of his heavenly father, to be taken by the way he would never have imagined, the road that has to be revealed.
No truth in their mouth - Be aware of the flatterer, the oily tongue, the words that go down sweetly but are empty of nourishment. It's an open grave, don't be deceived lest you fall in, for surely there is nothing there that leads unto life. Lord, do what is just, and please make my way straight.
Who take refuge - There are those that come to rejoice, not because of their own righteousness, but the righteousness of God that has been revealed to them and in them, that is their place of refuge. They pray at first like children, crying, Abba, and they see that God hears them, but then they neglect to pray for a time, because all in the physical is good. These things fall apart and so they come to pray again, but will He listen they wonder, is He still there? God answers the smallness of the child where he is at, but He is never satisfied with the soul that remains a babe forever. They now find themselves wrestling in prayer, meditating upon the law, confessing not only the sin they thought had disqualified them, but also the sin of a stunted life, that they had not sought to know the Lord any deeper than their physical want. These are humbled yet again so that they may grow to become young men. Prepare to pray!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.