Psalm 5

Psalm 5

A Morning Prayer

This psalm bears the title, To the Chief Musician. With flutes. A Psalm of David. The superscription indicates that this was not a private meditation alone, but a psalm delivered for corporate worship under the direction of the Chief Musician. In Israel’s worship structure, this office referred to the appointed overseer of sacred music, such as Heman or Asaph, who are specifically named in 1 Chronicles 6:33, 1 Chronicles 16:5–7, and 1 Chronicles 25:6. The instruction “with flutes” shows intentional musical arrangement. Worship in Israel was ordered, structured, and skillfully executed, not casual or improvised. David prepared this psalm to be sung in the congregation with instrumental accompaniment.

The theme is explicitly morning prayer. David approaches the LORD at the start of the day, before the pressures of conflict and opposition overtake him. This is a disciplined beginning, not an emotional reaction. David seeks strength and joy from God before facing adversaries.

A. Approaching God in the Morning

Psalm 5:1–3

“Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation.
Give heed to the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray.
My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD, in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.”

David opens with urgent repetition. “Give ear,” “consider,” “give heed” form Hebrew parallelism, reinforcing one central plea: LORD, listen. This is not vain repetition, but intensified emphasis. David longs for a hearing before God.

Notice the personal relationship expressed: “my King, and my God.” David is king of Israel, yet he bows before a higher King. This establishes hierarchy and humility. He is not negotiating with God, he is submitting before Him.

“For unto thee will I pray” shows exclusivity. David directs prayer to God alone. Prayer is not therapeutic self-expression, it is communion with a personal, sovereign God. The object of prayer matters. David consciously directs himself toward God.

“My voice shalt thou hear in the morning.” Morning prayer establishes priority. Before speaking to men, David speaks to God. Before planning strategy, he seeks divine direction. Scripture consistently commends early seeking of the Lord.

“And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.” Mark 1:35

The phrase “I will direct my prayer” carries the idea of arranging or setting in order, like wood laid upon the altar for sacrifice. Prayer is deliberate. It is structured. It is prepared. David does not approach God haphazardly.

“And will look up” expresses expectation. Prayer without expectancy is unbelief in religious language. David prays, then watches. He believes God hears and responds. Faith links preparation before prayer with expectation after prayer.

Psalm 5:4–8

A Contrast Between the Wicked and the Godly

“For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.
The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.
Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the LORD will abhor the bloody and deceitful man.”

David grounds his prayer in theology. He reflects on God’s character. God does not delight in wickedness. Evil cannot dwell with Him. Holiness defines the divine nature.

“The foolish shall not stand in thy sight.” The term “foolish” here refers to the morally arrogant, those who act as if there is no accountability before God.

“The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.” Psalm 14:1

“Thou hatest all workers of iniquity.” This is strong language. It confronts modern attempts to soften divine holiness. God does not merely dislike sin abstractly. He stands in active opposition to those who practice and embrace it. Divine justice is personal and moral.

“Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing,” meaning falsehood. The LORD abhors the bloody and deceitful man. Violence and deception characterize the wicked. These sins are not trivial in God’s sight.

As David draws near to God, he becomes more aware of sin’s seriousness. Nearness to a holy God heightens moral clarity. True prayer produces increasing sensitivity to righteousness.

“But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple.
Lead me, O LORD, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies, make thy way straight before my face.”

The phrase “But as for me” marks contrast. David does not claim moral superiority. His confidence rests “in the multitude of thy mercy.” Mercy is the ground of approach. Even the king stands before God dependent upon covenant grace.

“In thy fear will I worship.” Worship is rooted in reverence, not emotion. Fear here denotes awe and submission. David understands both God’s holiness and His mercy. The balance produces proper worship.

“Lead me, O LORD, in thy righteousness.” David asks for guidance according to God’s standard, not his own. Surrounded by enemies, he seeks a straight path. The word “straight” implies level, smooth, morally upright direction.

David recognizes dependence. Though he desires righteousness, he requires divine leading to walk in it.

This section establishes three foundations for godly living:
First, early and disciplined prayer.
Second, meditation upon the holy character of God.
Third, continual dependence upon divine mercy and guidance.

David begins his day anchored in theology, humility, reverence, and expectation. That is the pattern of a man who intends to walk uprightly in the midst of opposition.

B. Description and Destiny

1. Psalm 5:9–10

The Description and Destiny of the Wicked

“For there is no faithfulness in their mouth, their inward part is very wickedness, their throat is an open sepulchre, they flatter with their tongue.
Destroy thou them, O God, let them fall by their own counsels, cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions, for they have rebelled against thee.”

David now moves from theological reflection to moral diagnosis. He describes the wicked first by their speech. “There is no faithfulness in their mouth.” Their words cannot be trusted because their character is corrupt. Speech reveals the inner man.

Our Lord later affirmed this principle:

“O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” Matthew 12:34

The mouth is the overflow of the heart. Wicked speech exposes wicked nature. David had clearly experienced slander, lies, and manipulation from enemies. Yet instead of responding in retaliation, he brings the matter before God.

“Their inward part is very wickedness.” The corruption is not superficial. It is internal. The Hebrew indicates ruin and destruction within. What proceeds outward in speech is merely the eruption of internal decay.

“Their throat is an open sepulchre.” A sepulchre contains death and corruption. An open tomb spreads defilement and stench. Paul later uses this exact language to describe universal human depravity:

“Their throat is an open sepulchre, with their tongues they have used deceit, the poison of asps is under their lips.” Romans 3:13

The imagery is graphic and intentional. Speech can carry spiritual death.

“They flatter with their tongue.” Flattery is not harmless politeness. It is manipulation disguised as praise. It seeks advantage. Scripture repeatedly warns against flattering lips.

“A man that flattereth his neighbour spreadeth a net for his feet.” Proverbs 29:5

David is not naïve. He understands that enemies may wound openly or seduce subtly. Both arise from rebellion against God.

“Destroy thou them, O God.” This is an imprecatory prayer. David does not take vengeance himself. He asks God to judge. He appeals to divine justice, not personal retaliation.

“Let them fall by their own counsels.” This is a measured request. He asks that their schemes collapse upon themselves. Scripture shows this principle repeatedly.

“He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made.” Psalm 7:15

God often judges by allowing wicked plans to implode.

“Cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions.” The issue is not a single failure. It is sustained rebellion. The final phrase defines the root problem: “for they have rebelled against thee.” Their sin is ultimately vertical before it is horizontal against David.

David’s concern is covenant loyalty to God. Rebellion against God determines destiny. Persistent rebellion invites judgment.

2. Psalm 5:11–12

The Description and Destiny of the Righteous

“But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice, let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them, let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.
For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous, with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.”

The contrast is sharp. The wicked rebel. The righteous trust.

“Let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice.” Trust defines the righteous. Not perfection. Not performance. Trust. The Hebrew idea is refuge-taking faith, leaning upon God for protection and provision.

Rejoicing flows from trust. Joy is not self-generated optimism. It is covenant confidence. Those who trust in the LORD have objective grounds for joy because God defends them.

“Let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them.” Defense belongs to God. Protection is not self-engineered. The righteous shout because the LORD surrounds them.

“Let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.” Loving God’s name means loving His revealed character. His name represents His attributes, His covenant faithfulness, His righteousness, and His mercy. The righteous delight not merely in blessings, but in God Himself.

“For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous.” Blessing here is covenant favor. It is not mere material prosperity. It is divine approval and presence.

“With favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.” The imagery intensifies. To compass means to surround entirely. God’s favor encircles the righteous like a shield that covers every vulnerable point.

Elsewhere David affirms:

“For thou, LORD, art a shield for me, my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.” Psalm 3:3

A shield in ancient warfare was large and mobile, capable of covering the entire body. God’s favor is comprehensive protection. It guards against visible and unseen attacks.

The righteous stand secure not because enemies disappear, but because divine favor surrounds them. Judgment awaits rebels. Joy and protection belong to those who trust.

Psalm 5 closes where it began, with God at the center. The day begins with prayer. It proceeds with moral clarity. It ends with confidence in divine justice and covenant blessing.

The destinies are fixed by relationship to God. Rebels fall by their own counsel. The trusting rejoice under divine favor.