Psalms Devotional Series: Psalm 5
The covering of God's covenant, steadfast love
Lead Me in Your Righteousness
To the choirmaster: for the flutes. A Psalm of David.
1 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 5:1–12
Devotional
Last week in Psalm 4, we read a prayer of David in the evening. This week, we shift to a morning prayer from the psalmist.
1 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.
When we rise early we experience the world in a unique way. The earth is cool. The air is crisp; quiet and still unlike the the constant chaotic buzz of our busy world. This environment gives us a space to think. Those thoughts often lead us back to God. Then, our pleas and cries are lifted to him.
Our desire is to be heard by God. To know that his ears pick up our cry.
David cries out about the wicked who are at work in his life.
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.
David reminds God, but more importantly himself, of the simple difference between the way of righteousness and the way of the wicked. God does not delight in wickedness. This is difficult for us to understand since wickedness is such a simple and natural desire for us as humans. We love to choose wickedness. Paul calls it the “desires of the flesh” (Galatians 5). Our natural desire is to focus on our pleasure or happiness. This is not often the things of God, but rather the path of wickedness.
Yet, there is a solution—one that does not come from us, but from God.
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.
The righteous are qualified by one aspect alone—God’s steadfast love and mercy.
This is the Hebrew word hesed (חֶ֫סֶד). It is heavily used in the Psalms to express YHWH’s covenant loyalty, love, kindness, mercy, or faithfulness. This love is not questionable or faulty. It is steadfast and secure. This loving-kindness is the only path through which we can enter the house of God.
In John 14, Jesus says:
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 14:6
Jesus, with his covenant and steadfast love, is the only path through to God or his presence. No other path will work. Jesus leads us back to the Father. His righteousness is the path. Now, his Spirit serves as our guide. The Holy Spirit leads us into righteousness—the righteousness of Jesus.
12 For you bless the righteous, O Lord;
you cover him with favor as with a shield.
Our righteousness will fail, but the righteousness of Jesus will never fail us. In his righteousness, we will find the peace of God. In that righteousness, we experience the full blessing of God’s covenant love with us. He blesses those in his presence because he is blessed and the fullness of blessing. Blessing is the reality of those who are connected to his righteousness.
Covering is more than a descriptive word, it’s a description of reality. The covering of God is like a blanket or clothes. God’s blessing, through his righteousness, covers us like a blanket fully engulfing the body. It becomes our reality. It impacts our total being in that moment.
Choose today to be covered by the righteousness of Jesus and thus find the blessing of God in and on your life.
