The Righteous One’s Thoughts of God and of Man while going up to the Morning Sacrifice

If Psalm 4 is an evening hymn, then this is a morning song. David awakes with a song on his lips. He faces the day with all its enemies, and asks God for leading and guidance.

In v. 3 the words, “My prayer”, are an insertion by the translators, and if left out there is a description of David’s spiritual method. The word, “direct,” means to order or arrange – and “look up” means to watch. More often than not, we arrange and then pray. But David prays first, and then arranges the day that was before him. He then watches either for God’s help or that he is walking circumspectly. So we should pray, then arrange, and then watch.

Psalm 5

   1  Give ear unto my words, O Lord,
         my meditation weigh.
   2  Hear my loud cry, my King, my God;
         for I to thee will pray.

   3  Lord, thou shalt early hear my voice:
         I early will direct
      My pray'r to thee; and, looking up,
         an answer will expect.

   4  For thou art not a God that doth
         in wickedness delight;
      Neither shall evil dwell with thee,
   5     Nor fools stand in thy sight.

      All that ill-doers are thou hat'st;
   6     Cutt'st off that liars be:
      The bloody and deceitful man
         abhorred is by thee.

   7  But I into thy house will come
         in thine abundant grace;
      And I will worship in thy fear
         toward thy holy place.

   8  Because of those mine enemies,
         Lord, in thy righteousness
      Do thou me lead; do thou thy way
         make straight before my face.

   9  For in their mouth there is no truth,
         their inward part is ill;
      Their throat's an open sepulchre,
        their tongue doth flatter still.

  10  O God, destroy them; let them be
         by their own counsel quelled:
      Them for their many sins cast out,
         for they 'gainst thee rebelled.

  11  But let all joy that trust in thee,
         and still make shouting noise;
      For them thou sav'st; let all that love
         thy name in thee rejoice.

  12  For, Lord, unto the righteous man
         thou wilt thy blessing yield:
      With favor thou wilt compass him
         about, as with a shield.