Psalm 5 : Gve ear to my words O LORD
Give ear to my words, O LORD,
Consider my sighing.
Listen to my cry for help,
My King and my God,
To you I pray.
In the morning, O LORD,
You hear my voice;
In the morning I lay my requests all before you.
In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice;
And I wait in expectation.
For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous;
Surely O LORD you bless the righteous.
You surround them with your favour
As a shield, as a shield.
You are not a God
Who takes pleasure in evil:
With you the wicked cannot dwell.
The arrogant cannot stand in your presence.
You hate all who do wrong.
You destroy all those who tell lies;
Bloodthirsty and deceitful men
The LORD abhors.
But I, in your great mercy,
Will come into your house;
In reverence, bow down towards your holy temple.
Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness
because of my enemies
Make straight your way before me.
For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous;
Surely O LORD you bless the righteous.
You surround them with your favour
As a shield, as a shield.
Not a word from their mouth can be trusted;
Their heart is filled with destruction.
Their throat is an open grave;
With their tongue they speak deceit.
Declare them guilty, O God!
Let their intrigues be their downfall.
Banish them for their many sins,
For they’ve rebelled against you.
But let all who take refuge
In you be glad;
Let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
That those who love your name
May rejoice in you.
For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous;
Surely O LORD you bless the righteous.
You surround them with your favour
As a shield, as a shield.
​
​
​
Comment
The foes from which King David was fleeing were physical of course. His turncoat son Absalom had sent thousands of his henchmen to seek and kill the king. The fears that daily assail us are less likely to have physical form – unless of course we live in those parts of the world where people are routinely treated harshly. Rather we battle other enemies, those of selfishness,
of pride, of addiction, of gossip, of lust, of rampant materialism. And these are just some of the countless legion of enemies that pursue each of us. Just as David faced opposition, there are some people looking at our mistakes and failures and mistakenly declaring that God will not deliver us from our foes. But David recognised that the mighty God of Israel is a shield from foes physical or spiritual, and if we will call on him, the Lord will bring protection and relief. God’s protective deliverance is a valuable thing on which to meditate, before we lie down to sleep and then when we awake we’ll often experience God’s peace that passes understanding. It’s intriguing that David asked for God to strike his enemies’ jaw and break their teeth. Some people may object to the violence of the imagery, though it has an obvious application for those who are pursued by slanderous enemies. It is dif cult for enemies to speak their accusations and lies through a mouthful of broken teeth!
Jeff Lowe: lead vocal, backing vocals, guitar, electric piano, keys