Psalm 5:1-12 Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation.… This Psalm hath two parts — 1. The prophet prayeth the Lord to hear his prayer; which thing the wicked cannot, or may not hope for. 2. He beseecheth the Lord to direct him, that the enemies might take no advantage of him; whose nature he describeth, praying God to overthrow them; comforting, on the other side, the godly with excellent promises. Ver. 1 teacheth that God's children many times use words in their prayers, many times not. So did Moses, and Anna the mother of Samuel. God's children should strive to earnestness in prayer, and should pray unto none but to Him alone. Ver. 3 teacheth that we should break our sleep in the morning, to the end we might pray unto the Lord. Seeing God cannot away with wickedness, His children should abhor it likewise. In ver. 6 are comprehended judgments against the ungodly, namely, against liars, cruel persons, and deceitful men. We may not appear before God in the trust of our own merits, which indeed we have not, but of His mercies only. Also that with reverence we should repair to the places of God's service, and reverently also there behave ourselves. Unless God guide us, we shall go out of the way; the strength of our corrupted nature carrying us headlong thereto. Also we should pray for a holy life, and to this end, that the mouths of our enemies may be stopped from evil speech. Ver. 9 is a lively description of the qualities of the ungodly: they are inconstant, they imagine mischief, they are given to cruelty and to flattery. It is lawful to pray against the enemies of the Church, that their counsels and desires may be scattered. The faithful may rejoice at the overthrow of God's enemies. From ver. 12 we learn in what assuredness they are, whom the Lord defendeth; those who repose themselves upon the rock of His almighty protection cannot miscarry. (Thomas Wilcocks.) Parallel Verses KJV: {To the chief Musician upon Nehiloth, A Psalm of David.} Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation. |
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