Psalm Saturday: Psalm 5

Psalm 5

Give ear to my words, O LORD;
consider my groaning.
Give attention to the sound of my cry,
my King and my God,
for to you do I pray.
O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice;
in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.

For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
evil may not dwell with you.
The boastful shall not stand before your eyes;
you hate all evildoers.
You destroy those who speak lies;
the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.

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.
Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness
because of my enemies;
make your way straight before me.

For there is no truth in their mouth;
their inmost self is destruction;
their throat is an open grave;
they flatter with their tongue.

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.

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.
For you bless the righteous, O LORD;
you cover him with favor as with a shield.

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We cannot worship without grace. It is impossible.

According to David, wickedness and evil may not enter into God's presence. The boastful may not stand before him. Unfortunately, we all fit into that category. We are liars, cheaters, thieves, and murderers. So how do we worship? Well, David gives us the answer: grace.

It is only through the abundance of God's steadfast love that we are able to enter into his presence in worship. There is no other mean. We do not deserve to worship or bring praise. God's name is too great. He is too worthy. And when we rebel against the Lord and live a life of sin, the consequences are severe: separation from God's presence. But his love is stronger than our sinfulness, and his forgiveness is greater than our guilt.

I love the image that David gives us of God covering those he loves by spreading protection over them. While David mentions this in relation to physical protection from enemies, I think the same principle applies to God's covering for our sins. Apart from that covering, we are dirty and despicable. But, we are covered by the Lamb and washed whiter than snow.

Praise be to God for his unfailing love. May we never cease to praise him, just as David did.