Psalm 5 - A Prayer For Protection Series

A PRAYER FOR PROTECTION

TEXT: Psalm 5:1-12

Psalms 5:1-12 KJV To the chief Musician upon Nehiloth, A Psalm of David. 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.

I. INTRODUCTION—THE PSALMS SPEAK TO US TODAY

-The Psalms were written over a period of around 900-1000 years. The oldest psalm was written around 1410 B.C. and the last one was written around 430-500 B.C.

-The oldest psalm being Psalm 90 describes the wanderings of Israel in the wilderness as Moses observed what all took place during that time. It is marked by descriptions of the severe testings of Israel during their wanderings. There is a flavor of living life with gritted teeth and having to endure things that aren’t necessarily enjoyed but required. It is sort of like just grinding through life as one commentator put it in his study on the Psalms.

-The last psalm, Psalm 126, is believed to have been written during the time of Israel’s captivity to the Babylonians as they returned back to Jerusalem from their exile. It is one that is filled with joy as they see the Lord opening up the doors of opportunity to them.

-All of the Psalms mark our own journey as a saint of God. Whether you are up or down, soaring or struggling, you can find a psalm that relates to where you are at in life. They aid us in our worship to the Lord and we are given some instructions in the New Testament as to how they contribute to our walk with God:

• Sung as devotions—Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16

• Prayed fervently—Acts 4:25-26

• Preached evangelistically—Acts 2:25-28, 31, 34-35; 13:33-35

• Taught expositionally—Luke 24:44; Rom. 3:10-14, 18; 1 Cor. 15:27; Eph. 4:8; Heb. 1:5

-In fact, it would be safe to say that when we look at the book of Psalms there is an evident God-centered focus to move our hearts toward the Lord.

II. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF PSALM 5

-Sometimes there aren’t clear markings in the superscriptions as to what the surroundings of the psalm are. Psalm 5 has a superscription but it doesn’t give us any real historical clues as to what is taking place in David’s life.

-Some believe that this is another psalm that deals with David’s flight from his son, Absalom. That is gained from the designations of the times of these psalms.

• Psalm 3—A morning prayer written the next morning after David had fled Jerusalem under the cover of night. They had marched through the day and finally collapsed in the evening and it was written the next morning.

• Psalm 4—An evening prayer that was written after David had crossed the Jabbok and continued north fleeing from Absalom. He would move into the mountain terrain and hope to find some allies among the mountain tribes. On that evening he acknowledged what God had done for him.

• Psalm 5—A morning prayer that was written the following day. He was going to face his foes on this day and he was a bit uncertain about how things would turn out.

-Even though David notes the greatness of God and the power of prayer, the superscription gives a bit of a hint as to what was taking place in the heart of David. It is a psalm written to be accompanied by a ‘nehiloth.’ This is a flute type instrument that was normally used to play songs that conveyed a heaviness of spirit.