Psalm 5 - Enemies At The Gates
Life is hard enough, but it gets even harder when we come up against people/persons who are directly coming against you and what you are trying to do in life. We will face resistance, particularly when we are standing up against evil. But resistance against us is one thing…but having those who are our enemies, and actively stand against us…well, that is another thing all together!
The question then becomes - How do we deal with our enemies, especially when they are truly doing evil things?
King David knew what it was like to face many enemies who not only sought to kill him and destroy his kingdom, but were truly evil in their deeds (consider those who worshipped the false gods Ba’al, Asherah and Moloch - part of which involved the sacrifice of children). Psalm 5 is one of many psalms where King David speaks out of his sorrow, out of his anxiety and out of his discouragement. It poses questions that many of us ask of God, yet it also illustrates the gracious, merciful and loving character of God and His relationship with us.
Psalm 5 can be broken down into several sections, each with significant themes of their own, while still linking to the next. They form a repeating pattern. The first is King David talking directly to God with words full of honest thought and feelings. The second are statements about his foes, those enemies that do evil towards David, and against the Lord. Those two themes are repeated throughout this psalm, one following after the other. It is also important to note that while King David is pouring out his heart to God, he only talks about his enemies and the wicked people twice - while he talks about the character and nature of God
So, let’s have a close look at Psalm 5 shall we?
Verse 1-3: “O Lord, hear me as I pray; pay attention to my groaning. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for I pray to no one but you. Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.
One of the most consistent prayers that King David offers up is “O Lord hear my prayer”…or variations of the same concept. On one hand it may seem demanding of God - almost like a child demanding of a parent “listen to me!!!”. But it’s not…
Philippians 4:6 says “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” - one of the the key words here is ‘petition’. Petition means to place a need or desire for a particular outcome in front of a person of authority. In this case, before God. So what King David was doing, was presenting a petition before God in the form of this psalm.
1 John 5:14-15 adds to this by saying “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”
Furthermore, David says that it is only to God that he is praying to - not false gods (like Ba’al etc), not to his forefathers (or saints) - but to Yahweh the only true god, the Lord of Lords and King of Kings.
He finishes off these verses by reminding God that he does this every morning, and that he is ‘waiting patiently’ for God’s response to his prayers. The waiting patiently is something that many of us struggle with. We are constantly badgering God about something that we are struggling with, or some need that requires divine intervention - but there is a place for us to say “here you go God, here’s my issues, do your thing - your will be done!” - that is easier said than done - I realise that, but like many things to do with spiritual maturity, it takes practice and it takes self-discipline to accomplish.
Verse 4-6: “O God, you take no pleasure in wickedness; you cannot tolerate the sins of the wicked. Therefore, the proud may not stand in your presence, for you hate all who do evil. You will destroy those who tell lies. The Lord detests murderers and deceivers.”
In these verses King David is reminding God (and to a point himself) of his character. He is noting in a round about way - “God you are good, you are holy - therefore you hate what is evil and unholy”.
David lists a few pertinent things - wickedness, pride, lying, murder and deception - all of these things are the calling card of Satan. Unholy, wicked ways are the character of Satan. God hates it in Satan, and he hates in people who give themselves over to such vile things.
What David is facing is not merely political opposition, but rather a spiritual onslaught that is manifesting itself in the physical realm, through the opposition of neighbouring nations who have ungodly and unholy foundations.
John 3:36 notes… “And anyone who believes in God’s Son has eternal life. Anyone who doesn’t obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God’s angry judgment.” - this should serve as a warning to us all to live righteous, holy lives and not following the ways of the world in all its abundant debauchery.
Verse 7-8: “Because of your unfailing love, I can enter your house; I will worship at your Temple with deepest awe. Lead me in the right path, O Lord, or my enemies will conquer me. Make your way plain for me to follow.”
The unfailing love of God is a constant theme throughout the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. King David speaks of it often in his psalms, mainly in part because he was a constant witness of God’s unfailing love in his own life, in the life of his family and in the nation he came to lead.
John 1:14,17 links God’s (Yahweh) love to the fulfilment of that love in the coming of Jesus, when is states “So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son….For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ.”
The next point or two that David makes are both quite important and impactful and follow directly on the heels of his statement about God’s unfailing love. It is only because of God’s unfailing love that we can enter into his presence, and that is even more true of Christians today, who are being made righteous by the salvation offered to us by belief in Jesus Christ.
Because we can enter into his presence, we can worship him fully, in power and in truth, and more importantly with the awe-inspired reverence that we need to approach God with.
It is in that place of relationship and connection to God that we can hear his direction and guidance for our lives. It is in that place that God will reveal the path we are to take in the next season of our lives.
The one mistake we make is that we think that once we are on a particular path, we will be on it for the rest of our lives. That is incorrect. God has many paths for us to walk, and many different things to do for his kingdom, and many seasons in our lives to experience. Just look at the life of King David - he started off as the youngest brother of a large family, he was a shepherd, then he became a hero after killing Goliath, then as his fame grew from military conquests, he became a refugee as he escaped from Saul’s persecution, then he became king, and to top it all off - the messiah would come from his family lineage. Do not despair the changing of paths - if you are comfortable with the path you are walking right now, then be prepared for God to shift your direction and the path he wants you to follow him down.
Verse 9-10: “My enemies cannot speak a truthful word. Their deepest desire is to destroy others. Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave. Their tongues are filled with flattery. O God, declare them guilty. Let them be caught in their own traps. Drive them away because of their many sins, for they have rebelled against you.”
In these couple of verses, David returns to his plea to God about his enemies.
Again, he lists off things that are evil and ungodly - deceit, murder & violence towards others, disgusting language and speech which reveals the evil in their hearts, and flattery (which is a form of pride and deception).
Mark 7:20-23 makes note of similar things when it states “And then he added, “It is what comes from inside that defiles you. For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you.” - this too should serve as a warning to us, if we have lives where these things exist, then we need to get on our knees and repent before God. We need to ask God for a heart transplant.
If people don’t repent and turn their hearts to God, then be sure of the fact that their sins will catch them out, and there will be significant consequences to being wilfully sinful.
Verse 11-12 : “But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them sing joyful praises forever. Spread your protection over them, that all who love your name may be filled with joy. For you bless the godly, O Lord; you surround them with your shield of love.”
I love how King David finishes this psalm. He takes the reader to a promise of God’s eternal goodness to look after and protect those who love and obey him.
When we love and obey God, he protects us from our enemies, he shields us from the things that seek to destroy us, and the result is the joy of the Lord.
Nehemiah 8:10b reminds us “…Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength”
Sometimes it’s hard to connect to a biblical figure like King David who lived nigh on 3000 years ago. But that is the beauty of his writings. The content and themes he presents and explores in his psalms are familiar to everyone. We are able to hold onto the truths found there, we can appropriate the promises present within them and we can get reminded of the unfailing character and nature of God. Psalm 5 is no exception. It is a powerful psalm that resonates well with us, especially if we are going through a trying time.
I pray that God, the Great ‘I AM’ shows his unfailing love to you by protecting you and your family today, may those that seek to kill and destroy your life and your love for God be removed from your life completely. May the schemes of the enemy be foiled in the name of Jesus. May you stand strong and cling to the promises and the eternal, never-ending goodness of Yahweh.