North Anderson Baptist Church
Psalms 5:1-12 NIV
Our outline goes as follows:
When the Righteous Pray
Part 1
1. God will listen to the prayers of the righteous - Vv. 1-2
2. We can wait with expectation for answers - v. 3
3. God abhors wickedness - Vv. 4-6
Part 2
4. It is God’s mercy and righteousness not mine - Vv. 7-8
5.Those who rebel will not be trusted - Vv. 9-10
6. Blessed are they who love Your Name - Vv. 11-12
Psalms 5:1-2 NIV
1. God will listen to the prayers of the righteous - Vv. 1-2
God has always been and always will be a God who answers the prayers of His people, the righteous people of God. He hears the heart cry of those who are called by His name. He sees the sorrow and the trouble that comes their way. God automatically is listening to you who pray out of a righteous heart. What does the “righteous heart” mean? God’s word says that there are times that God chooses not to give to His children what they ask for because they are not living a righteous life or that their requests are not in line with the will of God. Examples:
Psalms 66:18 NIV
James 4:3 NIV
Matthew 6:12 NIV
Are we able to clearly see why one’s prayers might not be answered. Our responsibility is before the Lord to become more like Christ everyday and therefore become righteous before the Lord in our actions, words and thoughts. When we come before God in repentance and with humility then God will hear and forgive us. Oh, one more example,
1 Peter 3:7 NIV
So husbands beware, treat your wives with respect and love so that your prayers will be answered by a loving and caring God.
Now back to the subject this passage is speaking about. David was petitioning God to hear the prayers of the king’s heart in these two verses. He was not shy to come to His God, the One who had guided Him and kept him throughout his days. Notice, the king comes to “his” King and God of his forefathers to seek His touch and His intervention in David’s life. He calls on the personal relationship that David has with “my God and King.” Where there is no relationship with the Father in heaven then one does not have the right to call on Him and have his prayers answered.
John 9:31 NIV
Notice that David “cries” out to God who desires to listen to David’s needs and respond to his petition. There seems to be an urgency in the words of David as he “cries” out to his God to hear him. According to George Swinnock there is a sense of understanding that meditation is involved in this prayer of David’s.
“Meditation is the best beginning of prayer, and prayer is the best conclusion of meditation. When the Christian, like Daniel, hath first opened the windows of his soul by contemplation, then he may kneel down to prayer.” George Swinnock.
Shall we too begin our prayer through the process of meditation before we enter our time of crying out to the Lord God who cares and is willing to hear all that our heart desires to share with Him? Swinnock expresses that they are so similar that they could be twins, using the original language of the words. In reality, they are both cries unto the Lord for the needs of the heart, whether verbally or from the heart of quiet meditation.
Psalms 19:14 NIV
Ah! my brothers and sisters, sometimes we cannot put our prayers into words: they are nothing but a cry: but the Lord can comprehend the meaning, for he hears a voice in our cry. To a loving father his children's cries are music, and they have a magic influence which his heart cannot resist.(Charles H. Spurgeon)
Just a few days ago someone said to me that they cried out to God in tears and that is all they can do for awhile because of their heart’s need. Many times our life needs bring us to the place of tears and we cry out to God not even in words that we can understand but Paul says in groanings that only the Holy Spirit understands and can present them to the Lord God Almighty for us.
Romans 8:26-27 NIV
Groanings which cannot be uttered are often prayers which cannot be refused.—C. H. Spurgeon
Why should God hear and answer our prayers? David gives us the foundation of the truth that “God Does Hear Us When We Pray”. “Because he is our King and our God. We are not aliens to him: he is the King of our country. Kings are expected to hear the appeals of their own people. We are not strangers to him; we are his worshippers, and he is our God: ours by covenant, by promise, by oath, by blood.” (CHS)
Psalms 5:3 NIV
2. We can wait with expectation for answers - v. 3
David says in the morning I will lay out my prayer to God. This verse is more of a resolution than a prayer. He is saying that before the day comes my prayers are going to be sent to God who can and will answer them. David says, “I will arrange the prayer like the priest arranges the sacrifice upon the altar to God.” In a worship experience, like the sacrifice, it took time to do and humility to present an offering to God. We too, need to take time and be humble before the Lord to share our heart's meditation before the Almighty God, just like a sacrifice to God in the Old Testament.
We can see from the statement of David that once he sends his prayers to God he waits before the Lord expectantly to hear the answer that will come. He does not write “maybe come” but will surely come to one whose faith expects an answer to his petition. Faith hath a supporting act after prayer; it supports the soul to expect a gracious answer: I will direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up, or I will look; for what, but for a return? An unbelieving heart shoots at random, and never minds where his arrow lights, or what comes of his praying; but faith fills the soul with expectation. (CHS)
Why would you pray without expecting an answer from God? Faith is necessary to pray expectantly with confidence that God will hear and answer His children’s cries.
Psalms 5:4-6 NIV
3. God abhors wickedness - Vv. 4-6
These three verses seem to give a progression of how God feels about sin and how He deals with sinners. Note that God is not “pleased” with evil or wickedness. Those who are wicked people are not welcomed by God. Therefore, we can see from David’s prayer that he is stating to God what is God’s position on sin and the sinner. In verse 4 we can see and it is important to recognize that God is not pleased with wickedness. It was that way in David’s day, it is surely still that way in our day! There is wickedness abounding in every area of our land. We who are believers can most assuredly say with confidence that God is not pleased today either with the wickedness we have in our society.
I regularly read of the wickedness and evil practice of abortion being approved in different states that are responding to the “Georgia” initiative regarding making abortion illegal in their state. Just yesterday, I read where New York state said to the Hollywood movies executives that if they want take to leave the state of Georgia and take their filming elsewhere because of their position on abortion, that New York would gladly welcome them with open hearts and with lots of tax incentives because their state supports women’s right and abortion when they want it.
Now, we need to think about what David says about God and evil people. Does God love evil people? Jesus died for all people and John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world…” So, surely God loves all the people of the world good and evil. We were once evil and enemies of God whose wickedness was vile and disgusting to God, but God in His mercy and grace extended His hand of love to us to call us to Himself and to salvation. But, when we stay in that condition and refuse to yield our lives unto Him and His righteousness then we are refused the presence of God. He will not tolerate evil in His presence.
Psalms 1:5-6 NIV
Both verses 5 and 6 also tell the same story, that the arrogant will not stand in God’s presence. The liars will not make it through this life alive in this world to the next; the deceitful and bloodthirsty will be destroyed as well. You see David is saying in the context of his prayer to God, the enemies of God are the enemies of David but the people of God also need protection from those who separated from His presence. When God’s word tells us that God “abhors” the wicked, liars, bloodthirsty, deceitful, arrogant and evil people then we too must be like God.
Can we hate the sin and the sinner? God does. How do we get past this idea of hating the sinner whom David describes here? I thought we were to love all people? We are just like Jesus, He loved the wicked sinner but did not tolerate their actions toward God or His children. Abhor means, regard with disgust and hatred. That is what we are to do too, regarding these evil practices and people.
Let us learn here the solemn truth of the hatred which a righteous God must bear toward sin. He has no pleasure in wickedness, however wittily, grandly, and proudly it may array itself. Its glitter has no charm for him. Rest assured, Christ will not live in the parlour of our hearts if we entertain the devil in the cellar of our thoughts.(CHS)
Although Our Lord hates sin and from what David says hates those who commit such evil, He is ready to show His compassion and mercy through the love of Jesus Christ who died upon the cross for each one of us who has sinned and is a lost soul. God’s love toward us is to forgive and to restore the lost sinner to the Lord and give Him purpose and a future for each one so that all may have hope and worth in their life. Today, are you one of those whose life is floundering and has no purpose and you are looking for a God who will take you and love you and give you life everlasting? He is God our Father of the Lord Jesus Christ and He is ready now to extend His gracious hand toward you, just reach out and take it; take the new life where there has been death and hope where there has been emptiness. Allow the Lord God, the maker of heaven and earth, to come into your life through faith in Jesus and His death on the cross and the fact that He rose from the dead to give everyone who believes eternal life. He bids you come unto Him, so come to Him now!
I also call you to:
Pray for yourself and the needs in your life.
Pray that He will restore the Christian that has been far away and desires now to return to the family of God as a renewed child of God.
Pray for the one who is struggling with sin in their life and needs to reach out to God for help.
Pray for the lost soul that you know who needs to come to Christ.
Pray for your church and that God will glorify Himself here and that the church will be used of God to touch lives with His love.