266 – Psalm 5 – My, Your, Their

Please read all twelve verses of Psalm five. 

Sometimes I have a hard time concentrating. I knew I was going to write about Psalm five so I read through it the first time. I have no idea where my mind was, but it was certainly not on what I read. I could recall nothing. So I told myself to pay attention and began again. Before I finished the twelfth and final verse the second time, I realized I had not paid attention and could recall nothing. With mounting disappointment in myself, I again seized my mind, “Pay Attention!” I chided and began again. What is going on? Again nothing! 

Has this ever happened to you? I wondered, is this Psalm so dull that it could not hold my attention? Was the devil somehow keeping me from the word of God? I must have read it five or six times or more. It occurred to me that I hadn’t prayed before reading it the first few times, so I made sure to pray and then began again.

I decided maybe I’ll write about something else. No, I’ll write about Psalm five. Then I decided to copy all twelve verses into a word processing program, double-spaced it, and printed it out so it all fit on a single page. I got out my pencil and after asking the Holy Spirit for help, began the work of observation.

Suddenly this beautiful little Psalm was unlocked to me! I was amazed at how captivating and rich is this humble prayer/song from David to Yahweh. 

Before I begin, I’ll be quoting from the New King James version. They, like most translators, did not transliterate nor translate the word, LORD, which is a horrible representation of the name YHWH or Yahweh. So every place the translators use LORD I will use the bracketed transliteration [Yahweh] which is actually God’s proper name.

Let’s look at the first three verses together.

Psalm 5:1-3 (NKJV)

1 Give ear to my words, O [Yahweh], Consider my meditation.

2 Give heed to the voice of my cry, My King and my God, For to You I will pray. 

3 My voice You shall hear in the morning, O [Yahweh]; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up.

I noticed David talked about his attributes or things belonging to him. 

• My words (verse 1)
• My meditation (verse 1)
• My cry (verse 2)
• My King (verse 2)
• My God (verse 2)
• My voice (verse 3)

Then I noticed David called out attributes or things belonging to Yahweh. 

• Your sight (verse 5)
• Your house (verse 7)
• Your mercy (verse 7)
• Your holy temple (verse 7)
• Your righteousness (verse 8)
• Your way (verse 8) 
• Your name (verse 11)

Next, I noticed David called out things belonging to his enemies (verse 8).

• Their mouth (verse 9)
• Their inward part (verse 9)
• Their throat (verse 9)
• Their tongue (verse 9)
• Their own counsels (verse 10)
• Their transgressions (verse 10)

Finally, at least as far as attributes go, David calls out “their trust” (verse 11) for those who literally put their trust in Yahweh.

So what is the meaning of all of this? If nothing else it communicates to us that David had a clear perspective of himself, Yahweh, his enemies, and those who put their trust in Yahweh. It is a powerful thing that King David recognized that Yahweh was King over him! Can you imagine if we like David understood daily that both mercy and righteousness belong to Yahweh? How different might be our responses to those around us? Maybe we would be quicker to extend the mercy Yahweh has extended to us?

The enemies of David were necessarily also enemies of Yahweh. Why? Because it was Yahweh that established David on the throne – to fight against David is therefore to fight against God. Verses nine through ten tell us the inward man of the enemy was wholly corrupt.

There is so much more that could be said about Psalm 5. We have literally only scratched the surface, but let me make one final observation, then an application.

Psalm 5:11-12 (NKJV)

11 But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your name Be joyful in You. 

12 For You, O [Yahweh], will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield.

Please read Psalm 5 in its entirety. I hope you are among those who put their trust in Yahweh as represented in verses eleven and twelve. If not, what is stopping you from putting your trust in Him? Do it today.

How can you “love Your [Yahweh’s]  name”, if you never read it, never hear it, never say it? In His word He told us His name, it’s Yahweh! Use His name and love His name for He truly is worthy!