The Song of Sacrifice

Psalm 5 is a psalm of David and a lament that is infused with confidence. In church history, Saint Benedict and John Calvin both pointed to this psalm as a morning psalm (like Psalm 3), and indeed, the first stanza has a gradual, growing clarity and focus, like David is praying while he’s waking up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, pushing away the grogginess. He begins, “Give ear to my words, consider my groaning.” In other words, “God, listen to what I say, and listen to the unspoken groans of my heart.” In the next line he asks God to listen to his cry and his prayer, and he calls the LORD his “King” and his “God.” He’s reminding himself of who God is. And then in verse 3: “O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.” That last line is interesting. The word “sacrifice” isn’t in the Hebrew text; it’s implied by the word arak, “prepare.” That word could also be translated “arrange” or “setting out,” and it’s usually used for either a legal setting (like laying out a case) or in a ceremonial setting (like laying wood on an altar and preparing a sacrifice). Perhaps both meanings are in David’s mind, some intentional ambiguity. Perhaps David is even using the sacrifice language as a metaphor, like he does in Psalm 51: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” The sacrifice is his own soul. David begins the day by preparing and laying out his heart before the Lord, pouring out his words and his groaning, humbling himself and opening himself up to King, watching and waiting for what God will do. I can think of few better ways to start every morning.

What is David actually praying for? After the opening lines, there are four more stanzas, and they follow a pattern that alternates between the negative and the positive. In stanzas 2 and 4, David describes wicked and evil people who are lying about him, and in stanzas 3 and 5, David expresses his trust and joy in the love of God. In the sections about evil, David meditates not only on how his enemies are affecting him but also on God’s perspective. Verse 4: “For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you.” Or literally, evil cannot be in the same place as God; they are utterly incompatible. This is one of the Bible’s most succinct summaries of God’s holiness and our sinfulness. Wherever God is, evil flees. But evil is not simply an abstraction in this psalm; it’s manifested in real people who are doing real harm. God loathes those who do evil. He hates those who hate and harm others. David mentions several times that his enemies are boastful, liars, deceitful, with no truth in their mouths, flattering and destroying with their words. In other psalms, David flees for his life from physical harm, but here, the primary threat is slander, propaganda, deception. These were the weapons of the serpent in the garden, and they are insidious. But David’s prayer in verse 10 isn’t that God would give him the weapons to fight back but that the God would handle it: “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.” David resists vengeance, leaving it to the Judge for the final verdict. One commentator wrote that David is praying for exposure, collapse, and expulsion. Exposure: make their lies apparent to everyone. Collapse: let their own consequences come back on them in time. Expulsion: drive away all wickedness into exile. Evil is vulnerable to truth, to light, to the presence of the holy God.

In the third and last sections, David proclaims his confidence in God and asks for protection from all these evils. He doesn’t declare his own righteousness based on what he’s done; rather, he says that he can only approach the holy King because of God’s love. Verse 7: “But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house.” Verse 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.” What makes the people of God different from the enemies of God? We have experienced the merciful, abundant, steadfast love of God, which changes our hearts and leads us to love him more, drawing us into greater intimacy and trust. It’s a cycle of love, a refuge, a protection. The last verse sums it all up with a simile: “For you bless the righteous, O LORD; you cover him with favor as with a shield.” You might remember that David uses the shield imagery in Psalm 3, like a mighty barrier between us and those who harm us. What protects us from our enemies? What covers us when we are in danger or distress? The favor of God. His grace. His love. And David observes that when we take refuge in God, we are changed. We don’t stay the same in the shelter. God’s love aligns us with his heart and his character and his will, which leads us to a greater desire to be with him and walk with him. So throughout Psalm 5, David prays things like, “Lead me in your righteousness. Make your way straight before me.” There’s a humility here in admitting that if I were left on my own, I would be exactly the same as my enemies. If I did what I wanted and lived my life my own way,  I could not dwell with God. I’d deserve the Judge’s sentence of “guilty.” But he is merciful and gracious, and because he forgives me, invites me, welcomes me, loves me, I am not what I could have been. His love protects us; his favor shields us.