This Psalm, like so many other Psalms, is a prayer
of David. And like so many of these personal prayers of David they were
collected and compiled into this “hymnbook of Israel“. This happened under the direction and
inspiration of the Holy Spirit, so that generations to come would find heavenly
wisdom, counsel and comfort in these words.
Jesus regarded the Psalms as inspired, for in them He, the Greater Son of David, would find the fulfilment of His life and ministry:
“These
are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything
written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” (Lk. 24:44)
In the NT we are encouraged to sing “Psalms, Hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in our hearts to God.” (Col. 3:16)
Many of these Psalms were sung,
directed by a choirmaster, and as in this case, also accompanied by flutes (In Psalm
4 – stringed instruments). Singing the
Word is one of the most wonderful tools for our collective worship of God, and
a great aid to scripture memorization.
1. 5:1-3 – A Prayer – a pouring out of the soul
2. 5:4-12 - A Prayer undergirded by Theological Convictions and Practical Experience
“Give ear to my words, O LORD; consider my groaning. Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray. O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch”.
a. my words
b. my groaning
c. my crying
These are all forms of prayer. Sometimes prayer is words - an outpouring of our
souls in words, such as we find here. At other times prayer is simply wordless groaning. Ex. 6:5 I have heard the
groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold as slaves;
Rom.8:26 “…The Spirit
helps us in our weakness. For we
do not know what to pray for as
we ought, but the Spirit himself
intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words…)
or crying (see examples
in Ex 3:7 “ I have surely seen the
affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry…” so also in Ex 3:9 ;8:12; 14:10;15:25; 17:4 etc). Hannah, the mother of Samuel did both. She prayed to the Lord in words (1 Sam 1:10,11) and then she prayed in her heart with groans (1 Sam
1:12-13). In both forms she poured
out her soul before the Lord (1
Sam. 1:15)
Surely
our earliest thoughts should rise to heaven, our earliest words should speak to
God. Happy the life when every day begins with Him! The First should have our
first employ. (Matthew Henry)
We find here a form of prayer which is rarely used and heard in our churches: A prayer of holy confidence and therefore of strong argumentation. I want to quote something that C.H. Spurgeon had said in a sermon (entitled “Order and Argument in Prayer” - preached on the Lord’s Day, July 5th 1866 at the Metropolitan Tabernacle):
“The best prayers I have ever heard in our prayer meetings have been those which have been fullest of argument. Sometimes my soul has been fairly melted down where I have listened to the brethren who have come before God feeling the mercy to be really needed, and that they must have it, for they first pleaded with God to give it for this reason, and then for a second, and then for a third and then for a fourth and a fifth until they have awakened the fervency of the entire assembly “[2].
This form of prayer is one that we should desire to see among us. From the testimony of Scripture we find that God is pleased to answer strong, believing and urgent prayer, because it comes from a believing, trusting, earnest, expectant heart. We hardly hear passionate prayer like this in our church prayer meetings. Let us take hold of God and ask Him to give us hearts like that.
Why is this kind of prayer so rare among modern Christians?
Firstly, it may
sound too much like the modern ‘name it
and claim it’ brand of
Christianity, by which healings
and prosperity are demanded from heaven. We are intensely suspicious of
anything that is loud and demanding. However, we must be careful not to engage
in knee jerk reactions, and thus to lose a biblical boldness in prayer. Our
enemy is very crafty in this area. There is a holy boldness with which
we may come to God (see James 5:13-18)
and by which we may expect great things from God.
Secondly, we do not hear such prayer because we know God and His Word (the promises of God) so little. Therefore we lack confidence in speaking to God. We are not sure what to say, or what to ask. We have no “words to take with us“ (Hosea 14:2). We need the confidence expressed in 1 John 5:14. This confidence is well expressed in what follows in Psalm 5:4 etc.
2. 5:4 - It is a Prayer undergirded by Theological Convictions and Practical Experience.
Why did David begin with this urgent plea in the first 3 verses? David’s life was always threatened by enemies, both without and within. If it was not an external threat from the enemies of Israel, it was a threat from within i.e. from the house of Saul, and sadly, even members of his own family (e.g. Absalom). There is nothing that strengthens our prayer life as much as needing to depend upon God for survival. So, David’s theology of prayer was formed in two ways: (i) Through his objective knowledge of the Word of God (ii) Through the subjective experience of the truth of God’s Word.
(i)
the ever present
reality of wickedness (evil) around us
and
(ii)
the righteousness imputed to him by God.
Concerning the wicked (5:4-6).
David reminds himself, “For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you. The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers. You destroy those who speak lies; the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.” He saw them as people unable to stand in the presence of God. His was a holy presence, a just presence, a sin-hating presence, a fearful presence, and that is how David looked on them. Furthermore, concerning the wicked, David has this to say (5:9), “For there is no truth in their mouth; their inmost self is destruction; their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongue. He reminds himself of the fact that the wicked possess no real truth. Their destiny is self- destructive. Their speech is deceptive and consists of lying.
Before we admire the world in which we live and which we love so often more than the God who made us, let us remind ourselves of what God thinks of this world (5:4-6) and what the reality and destiny of such people is.
The most difficult aspect of David’s prayer concerning the wicked is found in 5:10: “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.”
This is called imprecatory
prayer[3].
Imprecatory prayers are prayers that curse the enemies of God in no uncertain
terms. This is not as a result of David feeling threatened or assaulted
himself. He is praying this because he is zealous for his God. These rebellious
people are continually insulting the God who made them. Such people have ultimately no one left to appeal for them, because they have
insulted the Only One who can save them. Him they have rejected. They
ultimately get what they desire and deserve.
Concerning the righteous, David was encouraged by the love and the righteousness he had received from God: (5:7 - 8a)
“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.
Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your
way straight before me”.
David knew God’s steadfast (covenantal) love. He knew the fear of the Lord. He knew the righteousness of God (imputed to him) upon which he stood – despite the fact that his enemies kept on accusing him of all sorts of things, even that God had forsaken him (3:1,2). An understanding of the righteousness of Christ, imputed to a believer, is a wonderful help when we are overcome by the fear and intimidation of the world of enemies within and without (the world, the flesh and the devil).
In this regard the house of God (regular public worship) had a major role to play in David’s life. (5:7b) “ …I will enter your house, I will bow down toward your holy temple in the fear of you”.
The result of a heart set free is “joy” (5:11,12), “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. For you bless the righteous, O LORD; you cover him with favour as with a shield.”
When Martin Luther was summoned to the papal court at Worms in Germany, one of the cardinals mocked him. “Where would you find shelter when all the world was gathered against you, if your patron, the Frederik, Elector of Saxony, should desert you?” Luther said, “I’ll be safe under the shield of heaven.” And it is true for us who trust in Jesus. Greater is He that protects us than all the forces that oppose us.
SUMMARY
This
is the nature and experience of true prayer. This is the theology of David’s
prayer. And it is rooted in David’s practical experience of God’s steadfast
love. It is not an unsure, doubting …“I
wonder if God is able …” mindset.
David knows the God to whom he directs His prayer. David knows God’s views on the wicked and the righteous. And therefore verses 1-3, the introductory bold prayer, is based on theological certainties and experience. May we learn to pray like this! To that end we must make it our goal to get to know God, both theologically and experientially.
That will certainly
embolden and strengthen our prayer
life. Amen.
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