Psalms 5: Lead Me in Your Righteousness
A morning prayer, David lays his requests before his King and God, contrasting the hatefulness of evil to the LORD with the joy of all who take refuge in him.
Psalms 5 (WEB)
1 Give ear to my words, Yahweh. Consider my meditation.
2 Listen to the voice of my cry, my King and my God; for to you do I pray.
3 Yahweh, in the morning you shall hear my voice. In the morning I will lay my requests before you, and will watch expectantly.
4 For you are not a God who has pleasure in wickedness. Evil can’t live with you.
5 The arrogant shall not stand in your sight. You hate all workers of iniquity.
6 You will destroy those who speak lies. Yahweh abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.
7 But as for me, in the abundance of your loving kindness I will come into your house. I will bow toward your holy temple in reverence of you.
8 Lead me, Yahweh, in your righteousness because of my enemies. Make your way straight before my face.
9 For there is no faithfulness in their mouth. Their heart is destruction. Their throat is an open tomb. They flatter with their tongue.
10 Hold them guilty, God. Let them fall by their own counsels; Thrust them out in the multitude of their transgressions, for they have rebelled against you.
11 But let all those who take refuge in you rejoice, Let them always shout for joy, because you defend them. Let them also who love your name be joyful in you.
12 For you will bless the righteous. Yahweh, you will surround him with favor as with a shield.
Psalms 5 (KJV)
1 Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation.
2 Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray.
3 My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.
4 For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.
5 The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.
6 Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the Lord will abhor the bloody and deceitful man.
7 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.
8 Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face.
9 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.
10 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.
11 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.
12 For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.
Psalms 5 (ASV)
1 Give ear to my words, O Jehovah, Consider my meditation.
2 Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God; For unto thee do I pray.
3 O Jehovah, in the morning shalt thou hear my voice; In the morning will I order my prayer unto thee, and will keep watch.
4 For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: Evil shall not sojourn with thee.
5 The arrogant shall not stand in thy sight: Thou hatest all workers of iniquity.
6 Thou wilt destroy them that speak lies: Jehovah abhorreth the blood-thirsty and deceitful man.
7 But as for me, in the abundance of thy lovingkindness will I come into thy house: In thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple.
8 Lead me, O Jehovah, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; Make thy way straight before my face.
9 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.
10 Hold them guilty, O God; Let them fall by their own counsels; Thrust them out in the multitude of their transgressions; For they have rebelled against thee.
11 But let all those that take refuge in thee rejoice, Let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: Let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.
12 For thou wilt bless the righteous; O Jehovah, thou wilt compass him with favor as with a shield.
Summary
Psalm 5 is a morning lament in which David brings his words, his meditation, and his cry before Yahweh, his King and his God. At daybreak he lays his requests before the Lord and watches expectantly for an answer. He reflects on God's holy character: God takes no pleasure in wickedness, evil cannot dwell with him, and he hates and will destroy the arrogant, the liar, and the bloodthirsty. By contrast, David approaches God's house in the abundance of his loving kindness, bowing toward the holy temple in reverent fear. He asks to be led in God's righteousness with a straight path, because his enemies are deceitful, their words faithless, their throats like open tombs. He prays that God would hold them guilty and let their own schemes undo them. The psalm rises to joy at the end: all who take refuge in Yahweh will rejoice and shout for joy, for God blesses the righteous and surrounds them with favor as with a shield. As a lament it teaches us to begin the day with honest prayer, knowing that God is both perfectly holy and a generous refuge to those who love his name.
Voices
- David — The praying king who lays his morning requests before God, asks to be led in righteousness, and rejoices in God's protecting favor.
- Yahweh (the LORD) — David's King and God, perfectly holy and intolerant of evil, who shields and surrounds the righteous with favor.
- The wicked — Deceitful, faithless enemies whose throats are open tombs, whom the holy God will hold guilty and destroy.
Key Verse
Psalm 5:8 (WEB)
Lead me, Yahweh, in your righteousness because of my enemies. Make your way straight before my face.
Lessons Learned
- Morning prayer sets the heart to watch expectantly for God's answer.
- God's holiness means evil truly cannot dwell in his presence.
- We approach God not on our merit but in the abundance of his loving kindness.
- Those who take refuge in the Lord are surrounded by his favor like a shield.
- Prayer is best begun at daybreak. “Yahweh, in the morning you shall hear my voice… and will watch expectantly” (Psalm 5:3, WEB). Bringing our requests to God first orients the whole day toward him.
- God's holiness excludes all evil. “You are not a God who has pleasure in wickedness. Evil can’t live with you” (Psalm 5:4, WEB). His purity is the reason we approach only by grace.
- We enter God's presence by his loving kindness. “In the abundance of your loving kindness I will come into your house” (Psalm 5:7, WEB). Access to the holy God is a gift of mercy, not a right we earn.
- The Lord shields those who love his name. “You will surround him with favor as with a shield” (Psalm 5:12, WEB). God's protection encircles the righteous completely, turning prayer into joy.
- What does David do “in the morning,” and what does it mean to “watch expectantly”?
- How does David describe God's response to wickedness in verses 4-6?
- On what basis does David dare to come into God's house (v. 7)?
- Why does David ask God to make his way “straight” before him, and how does this connect to his enemies?
- What would it look like for you to lay your requests before God at the start of each day and then watch for his answer?
- David lays his requests before the Lord at daybreak and then waits with expectancy (5:3). To watch expectantly is to pray with real hope that God hears and will act, rather than firing off words without faith.
- God takes no pleasure in wickedness, evil cannot dwell with him, and he hates and will destroy the arrogant, deceitful, and bloodthirsty (5:4-6). His holiness is not indifferent; it actively opposes all evil.
- Not on his own goodness, but “in the abundance of your loving kindness” (5:7). David knows the holy God can be approached only through mercy, a truth fulfilled for us in Christ who opens the way.
- He prays for a straight path because his enemies are deceitful and would lead him astray (5:8-9). A clear, God-given way keeps him from stumbling into the crookedness that surrounds him.
- This is a gentle personal-application question. Encourage members to try a simple rhythm of morning prayer this week and to name one request they will bring and then watch to see how God answers.