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Psalm 5

Trust in God for Deliverance from Enemies

To the leader: for the flutes. A Psalm of David.

Give ear to my words, O L ord;

give heed to my sighing.

Listen to the sound of my cry,

my King and my God,

for to you I pray.

O L ord, in the morning you hear my voice;

in the morning I plead my case to you, and watch.

For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;

evil will not sojourn with you.

The boastful will not stand before your eyes;

you hate all evildoers.

You destroy those who speak lies;

the L ord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful.

But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,

will enter your house,

I will bow down toward your holy temple

in awe of you.

Lead me, O L ord, in your righteousness

because of my enemies;

make your way straight before me.

For there is no truth in their mouths;

their hearts are destruction;

their throats are open graves;

they flatter with their tongues.

Make them bear their guilt, O God;

let them fall by their own counsels;

because of their many transgressions cast them out,

for they have rebelled against you.

But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;

let them ever sing for joy.

Spread your protection over them,

so that those who love your name may exult in you.

For you bless the righteous, O L ord;

you cover them with favor as with a shield.

New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

8. O Jehovah, lead me forth, etc. Some explain these words thus: Show me what is right, and make me wholly devoted to the practice of that righteousness which adorns thy character; and do this because of my adversaries; for the saints, impelled by the wicked practice and deceitful arts of the ungodly, are in danger of turning aside from the right way. This meaning is unquestionably a pious and a useful one. But the other interpretation is more suitable, which views the words as a prayer that God would lead his servant in safety through the midst of the snares of his enemies, and open up to him a way of escape, even when, to all appearance, he was caught and surrounded on every side. The righteousness of God, therefore, in this passage, as in many others, is to be understood of his faithfulness and mercy which he shows in defending and preserving his people. Consequently, in thy righteousness means the same thing as for or according to thy righteousness. David, desiring to have God as the guide of his path, encourages himself in the hope of obtaining his request, because God is righteous; as if he had said, Lord, as thou art righteous, defend me with thine aid, that I may escape from the wicked plots of my enemies. Of the same import is the last clause of the verse, where he prays that the way of God may be made straight before his face, in other words, that he might be delivered by the power of God from the distresses with which he was so completely surrounded, that, according to the judgment of the flesh, he never expected to find a way of escape. And thus he acknowledges how impossible it was for him to avoid being entangled in the snares of his enemies, ⁷⁵⁷⁵ “Par ainsi il confesse n’avoir ne dexterite ne force, ne mesme aucun moyen pour eviter les embusches des ennemis.” — Fr. “Thus he confesses that he has neither skill nor power, nor any means whatever, by which to avoid the snares of his enemies.” unless God both gave him wisdom, and opened up for him a way where no way is. It becomes us, after his example, to do the same thing; so that distrusting ourselves when counsel fails us, and the malice and wickedness of our enemies prevail, we may betake ourselves speedily to God, in whose hands are the issues of death, as we shall see afterwards, (Psalm 69:1.)

⁷⁵ “Par ainsi il confesse n’avoir ne dexterite ne force, ne mesme aucun moyen pour eviter les embusches des ennemis.” — Fr. “Thus he confesses that he has neither skill nor power, nor any means whatever, by which to avoid the snares of his enemies.”