Psalms
Chapter 5
Lord, Hear My Voice in the Morning
O Lord, listen to my words and hear my complaint,
give heed to my sighs, my King and my God.
From daybreak you hear my voice, from dawn I am in your presence, watching for you.
You are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil has no place in you.
The arrogant cannot stand before you. You hate all who do evil;
you destroy all who speak falsehood, who thirst for blood and live on lies; all of them the Lord detests.
But I, by your love and grace, may come into your house. In reverence, I bow down and worship at your holy temple.
Lead me, O Lord, through your path of righteousness; make your way straight before me, for my enemies lie in wait.
Not a word of their mouth can be trusted, for their heart is full of mischief. Their tongue flatters with deceit, but their throat is an open grave.
O Lord, make them pay for their guilt. Let their snares trap them. Cast them out for their many sins—for their offense and rebellion.
But for those who take refuge in you, let them ever sing and rejoice. Let your deliverance shield them, that they may praise you in gladness—those who love your name, O Lord.
You praise all who live in righteousness; your favor covers them as a shield.
Commentaries
5
By God’s mercy, each new day brings fresh hope to most of us. It appears that the psalmist has been falsely accused of a crime. He prays for protection from the wicked and hopes that today, at last, the accusers will be revealed. In this hope, he goes to the Temple to watch and wait for God’s intervention. The enemies of God’s servants are God’s enemies: God will take care of them. They may deceive human judges with flattering words, but not God. He sees their bitterness and corruption inside. If we are thoughtful, such accusations make us uneasy. Sometimes, they reflect aspects of ourselves. Ultimately, this serves as a good general approach to what we might call the ‘hostile’ psalms.
Goodness is a fundamental attribute of God (cf. Ex 36:4). Let us entrust our cause to God since Christ has entered the sanctuary once and for all (cf. Heb 9:12).
The psalmist prays for protection from the wicked. Many people choose wicked ways in this world, but God is love, and the psalmist acknowledges this, bowing in reverence to the Lord.