The Song of Alphabetical Trust

Psalm 25 is one of eight alphabetic acrostic poems, where the verses follow the order of the letters in the Hebrew alphabet (with some small variations). We already found an inconsistent acrostic in Psalms 9-10, but Psalm 25 is much more complete. Apart from 9-10 and 119, the podcast episodes for the acrostics have “alphabetical” in the title to remind us they’re there. There are at least two purposes for the acrostic structure: first, it’s a helpful mnemonic device for Hebrew students to memorize the psalm, and second, it gives the sense of the poet walking through the entire alphabet to articulate a complete thought. The central theme in Psalm 25 is trust, a humble dependence and faith. The psalm begins, “To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust.” That phrase, “lifting up the soul,” connects to the previous psalm where the righteous person does not lift up his soul to what is false, and it has the sense of directing our desires and hope. It’s an image of actively, continually pointing your soul away from yourself or from counterfeit gods toward the only one who deserves our trust. Both in the beginning and at the end of Psalm 25, David prays that he would not be put to shame, which in the context of faith means not being publicly embarrassed because you relied on a false hope. David is staking his life, his reputation, everything on the Lord. He is confident that God will keep his promises, even if he doesn’t see that vindication yet. This is the first of many psalms that describe someone “waiting for God.” To wait is to have a posture of patient trust that accepts God’s timing and wisdom. Waiting in the Bible is not passive but eager, tense, hopeful, ready to see the Lord at work. The enemies of God’s people gloat over what they perceive to be empty faith just because God’s deliverance hasn’t yet come, but the psalmist calmly replies, “Just wait. You’ll see. I’m not giving up my faith. I trust in the Lord.”

From the initial place of trust, the psalm moves to prayers that alternate between asking for guidance and asking for forgiveness. The sections asking for guidance draw their vocabulary from wisdom literature, using words like “ways,” “fear,” and “good.” Verse 4: “Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths.” The waiting for God to act leads to an alert patience for the Lord’s wisdom in all of life. Then David prays for forgiveness, and in these sections he uses the vocabulary of Exodus, especially chapter 34 where God declares his character to Moses. Verse 6: “Remember your mercy, O LORD, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O LORD!” Notice the repetition of “remember,” a prayer for God to act in accordance with his promises. So far in the psalm, David has affirmed his trust in God, then he has asked God to instruct him in the way he should live and to show him mercy when he doesn’t live this way. This leads David in verse 8 to meditate on God’s heart: “Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the way.” Don’t miss the “therefore.” God is good, and because of his goodness, out of the overflow of his holy love, he generously responds to those who acknowledge their sin and humble themselves before him. He is a teacher who guides, yes, but he is also a judge who pardons. This thought leads David to a desperate plea in verse 11, the middle of the psalm: “For your name’s sake, O LORD, pardon my guilt, for it is great.” Why does God forgive our great sin against him and all the wrongs we do to our neighbor? David’s appeal is not to his own repentance or remorse but to the name — the reputation and character — of the merciful, good God. We can trust the Lord to keep his promises, we can trust him to teach us his ways, and we can trust him to pardon our guilt out of his steadfast, loyal love.

In the second half of Psalm 25, David asks, “Who is the man who fears the LORD?” The question is similar to the last psalm, “Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD?” But instead of a list of virtues and holy behavior, David identifies the righteous person as someone who is friends with God. Verse 14: “The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant.” “Friendship” here has the sense of secret counsel, the circle of our close associates, the one in whom we can confide with all of our hidden troubles. The Teacher and the Judge become the Counselor and Companion, and it’s all on the basis of the LORD’s covenant with his people, his partnership and promises that bind him to us and us to him. The echoes of the covenant with Moses and Israel are critical for understanding this psalm, because it’s where David’s confidence is founded. We have the grace of a relationship with the All-Mighty God who is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and judging the guilty. What an amazing, intimate privilege. And this is what grounds us when we face troubles and sorrow. In the final part of the psalm, David returns to his suffering and enemies, and he lets out a flurry of petitions:  “Turn to me,” “be gracious to me,” “bring me out of distress,” “consider me,” “forgive me,” “guard me,” “deliver me.” These prayers cascade down into the place of calm waiting again: “May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you.” The last line turns from the personal to the corporate: “Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles.” Unlike most laments, David doesn’t end on a confident tone. This is telling for us: at times we’ll begin our conversations with God with the urgent pleas, and then we’ll move into trust. But at other times, we’ll begin with confidence and then, in the safety of that relationship, we’ll pour out our souls to God with all the troubles we face, all the pressure of enemies, our need for guidance, our burdens of guilt. In all these things, we wait for God, knowing that he keeps his covenantal promises to his people because that is who he is.