Psalms 5:1-12
1 Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation.
2 Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray.
3 My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.
4 For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.
5 The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.
6 Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the LORD will abhor the bloodya and deceitful man.
7 But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holyb temple.
8 Lead me, O LORD, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face.
9 For there is no faithfulnessc in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue.
10 Destroyd thou them, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions; for they have rebelled against thee.
11 But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendeste them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.
12 For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compassf him as with a shield.
Protection from the Wicked
The ordering of prayer is very necessary, Genesis 22:9. Our Lord's prayer should be our model. Often our words need to be supplemented by our meditations; that is, we must make room for the “groanings which cannot be uttered,” but which the Spirit understands, Romans 8:26. Distinct from either of these is the urgent ejaculation for aid which is here described as the voice of my cry, Psalms 5:2. As soon as we awake, let us speak to God. We must keep watch for the answer, Psalms 5:3, r.v. How many answers we miss, because we get tired of waiting for the return of our ships!
Note the seven expressions for the ungodly, Psalms 5:4. As for me -the chief of sinners, but see 1 Corinthians 15:10. The Jew in prayer turned toward the Temple, Psalms 5:7; Daniel 6:10. Here the Tabernacle, which preceded it, stood for the same, 1 Samuel 1:9. We look to the Most Holy Place, whither Jesus has entered, Hebrews 10:19.
The ungodly are specially characterized by sins of speech, Psalms 5:9. Wicked men are like sepulchers, which exhale pestilential odors. Their doom is inevitable. Notice the combination of trust, love, and joy, Psalms 5:11.