THE RIGHT PATH
Opening Prayer
Lord, keep me from the evil designs of my enemies.
Read PSALM 5
For the director of music. For pipes. A psalm of David.
1 Listen to my words, Lord,
consider my lament.
2 Hear my cry for help,
my King and my God,
for to you I pray.
3 In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you
and wait expectantly.
4 For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness;
with you, evil people are not welcome.
5 The arrogant cannot stand
in your presence.
You hate all who do wrong;
6 you destroy those who tell lies.
The bloodthirsty and deceitful
you, Lord, detest.
7 But I, by your great love,
can come into your house;
in reverence I bow down
toward your holy temple.
8 Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness
because of my enemies—
make your way straight before me.
9 Not a word from their mouth can be trusted;
their heart is filled with malice.
Their throat is an open grave;
with their tongues they tell lies.
10 Declare them guilty, O God!
Let their intrigues be their downfall.
Banish them for their many sins,
for they have rebelled against you.
11 But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may rejoice in you.
12 Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous;
you surround them with your favor as with a shield.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
When was the last time you entered the worship service in a spiritual posture suggested by verse 7?
Think Further
Our psalm sums up David’s story. The attribution “of David” may not denote authorship but simply that it was part of his collection, or was written for him or perhaps about him. Regardless of authorship, the words are appropriate for David. His life demonstrates the acknowledgment of the psalm that God is his personal king (2), and his trust in God’s protection surfaces in the cry for help in verses 1–3. David has also learned through bitter experience that “The bloodthirsty and deceitful you, Lord, detest” (6b). He was like that years ago, covering up his adultery with murder. Yet, by God’s great love (7) he can now enter God’s temple and offer up prayers to him. Indeed, he can count himself as one of the righteous (12) despite his former sins.
The key request of the psalmist, which David would understand clearly enough, is to be led in the right path (8), especially as “enemies”—both external and internal—lure the righteous towards the crooked way, the easy shortcut that ignores God and his commands. As the psalm invokes God’s judgment on human rebellion and intrigue (10), again David could recognize this in the events of his own life. Those who persistently rebel against God—Saul, Absalom, Sheba—eventually fall, while David could take refuge in and rejoice over the certainty of God’s protection (11,12).
Read in the light of David’s story, this psalm is a great encouragement to all who are conscious of their sins and who feel less than righteous. David’s life demonstrates that those who repent and seek God can trust his unfailing forgiveness. God’s favor is a shield against both external and internal enemies and leads us onto the straight path.
Apply
Claim the favor of verse 12 for yourself the next time you must enter into a potentially hostile interaction with either a group, an angry neighbor or a higher authority.
Closing prayer
Lord, teach us to walk in the right path and not in crooked ones and to know that when we fail You, reconciliation is available.
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