Today's Featured Psalm
Psalm 5

Read this Psalm

To the choirmaster: for the flutes. A Psalm of David.

1 Give ear to my words, O LORD;
   consider my groaning.
2 Give attention to the sound of my cry,
   my King and my God,
   for to you do I pray.
3 O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice;
   in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.

4 For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
   evil may not dwell with you.
5 The boastful shall not stand before your eyes;
   you hate all evildoers.
6 You destroy those who speak lies;
   the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.

7 But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,
   will enter your house.
I will bow down toward your holy temple
   in the fear of you.
8 Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness
   because of my enemies;
   make your way straight before me.

9 For there is no truth in their mouth;
   their inmost self is destruction;
their throat is an open grave;
   they flatter with their tongue.
10 Make them bear their guilt, O God;
   let them fall by their own counsels;
because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out,
   for they have rebelled against you.

11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
   let them ever sing for joy,
and spread your protection over them,
   that those who love your name may exult in you.
12 For you bless the righteous, O LORD;
   you cover him with favor as with a shield.


Scripture taken from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Psalm Devotional
The Privilege of Drawing Near

Imagine for a moment that you are serving as the high priest of Israel. It is the Day of Atonement—the one day a year when an Israelite may enter the Holy of Holies. You put on the white garment, make a sin offering for yourself, and fill your censer with coals. You stand at the veil. You recall Nadab and Abihu, knowing that it’s dangerous to enter the presence of God.

Psalm 5 reminds us that we may only draw near to God through the righteousness of Jesus Christ. It also reminds us that in God’s presence we find our refuge.

In these opening verses, the psalmist is found in the posture of prayer. He beckons God through a series of phrases: “give ear,” “consider,” “listen,” and “hear” (NIV). He knows who God is (“king” and “God”), and, by means of the personal pronoun “my,” demonstrates that he is in a covenant relationship with Him. We should emulate this pattern as we approach our God in prayer.

Reading Psalm 5 is a bit like watching a tennis match. The psalm moves back and forth between two vantage points, the godly and the ungodly. The pattern is as follows: godly (vv. 1-3), ungodly (4-6), godly (7-8), ungodly (9-10), and godly (11-12).

Listen to this Psalm

Defender album art Listen to My Words, O Lord (Psalm 5A)
The Book of Psalms for Worship | Defender
Trust album art Listen to My Words, O Lord (Psalm 5B)
The Book of Psalms for Worship | Trust
Abundance album art Listen to My Words, O Lord (Psalm 5C)
The Book of Psalms for Worship | Abundance