Or, Where to Go with Your Groaning
Scripture: Psalm 5:1-12
Date: December 1, 2013
Speaker: Sean Higgins
When we talk about God who authors the great story of history and every small subplot down to the phrases, we do well to remember that He writes it as the omniscient Three Persons. He knows all the details and He puts each character in place on purpose. When we see troublers, we know they haven’t arrived accidentally, and certainly haven’t surprises Him. Kuyperian-Calvinists believe (at least on paper) that the Lord writes as Lord.
As we learn to read and see how He develops characters, we often aren’t inclined to appreciate tension or nuance. As we mature we see more, and grace grows our narrative holdings. Here’s one example of our hard first reads. Once we have come to know God as God, once we’ve been humbled by His sovereignty, at times all we can see is His sovereignty. His initiative and power is all that’s visible. This is better than only thinking of Him as docile and impotent, but it doesn’t keep us out of the opposite ditch.
Men have imagined many powerful gods, they have fictionalized false idols with galactic might. Men have not conceived a God of holiness who hates evil. Even we Bible-people struggle to remember and hold together in our thinking that our God does whatever He pleases, that He abhors the sinful, and that He authors evil into the story for sake of His glory and the gracious good of His people.
In Psalm 5 we find David writing another song in more trouble. For a man after God’s own heart, for the sweet psalmist of Israel, David sure anguished a lot. Here is another lyrical poem intended for corporate worship that reminds us of God’s character. When we find ourselves in a position to groan, this is where to go with our groaning.
The heading indicates that this is a work of David, another song delivered to the Choirmaster to be used in Israel’s corporate worship. This particular number was for the flutes, that is, to be sung with flute accompaniment. Like soothing strings in the evening (Psalm 4), wind instruments in the morning might sound fledgling start.
No historical context is provided so the precise trouble is unnamed. I’ve mentioned before that generalized lyrics allow for generalized applications. These lyrics cover a medley of people, so learning to sing this song will help deal with trials of various kinds.
The psalm has five stanzas, alternating between the righteous and unrighteous, a twofold division mankind introduced in Psalm 1.
Not that there was much mystery, but we ought to take our groaning to God.
Give ear to my words, O LORD;
consider my groaning.
Give attention to the sound of my cry,
my King and my God,
for to you do I pray.
O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice;
in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.
(Psalm 5:1–3, ESV)
Three imperatives call God to attend: Give ear, consider, and Give attention. The bother is so bad, however, that only one of the objects David asks God to hear is articulate. He calls God to hear my words, and then my groaning and the sound of my cry. The last two are audible but not verbal expressions. Strata of grief smothers his words.
David calls Yahweh, my King and my God. The song teaches us to take our groanings to the throne where there is hope. Our God rules and He hears. We take despair to Him for Him to do something about it. In this case, the call comes early in the day: in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch. When David prepares he is not preparing wood or animals for sacrifice (though the word is used in those contexts, see Leviticus 1:7, 8, 12). David prepares his prayer and song. Once the prayer is offered David watches like a sentinel. God hears and we eagerly look for His help.
Verse 4 begins with For, it is an explanation of why David prays and watches. It’s a new stanza but the cause of our anticipation.
For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
evil may not dwell with you.
The boastful shall not stand before your eyes;
you hate all evildoers.
You destroy those who speak lies;
the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.
(Psalm 5:4–6, ESV)
The song is not telling God who is as if He doesn’t remember any more than the commands are demanding something from Him as if He won’t reply. The song reminds the singers and praises the heavenly King for His character.
You are not a God who delights in wickedness. He is God and He has no affection for wickedness, for violence and criminal behavior. In fact, evil may not dwell with you. The word dwell would be better translated visit. Evil isn’t welcome to visit in His presence for a minute. Instead, the boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers. Hate is a strong word and that makes it the right word. Even more, You destroy those who speak lies; Yahweh abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.
The LORD has no delight (verse 4), He hates (verse 5), and He abhors (verse 6) sin and sinners. Sin doesn’t float above men, it comes from and characterizes men.
Though wickedness and evil are generalized, note that the prevalent sin involves the mouth: boasting, lying, deceiving. The fourth stanza (verses 9-10) also stresses tongue transgressions: no truth in their mouth, throat, flattering tongue, counsels. Words are their vice.
Those who suppose that ancient people were less sophisticated underestimate the long history of vile words. David is without words for the verbal attacks he endures. Words do hurt differently than swords, but sins of speech are detestable to God.
Remember that next time you watch a presidential news conference, or the spin of politicians, or the co-worker who slanders, or the family member’s attack. We can be grateful that usually blood isn’t immediately drawn, in some cases (such as abortion), it does come.
In contrast to the wicked, David describes himself as a worshipper.
But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,
will enter your house.
I will bow down toward your holy temple
in the fear of you.
Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness
because of my enemies;
make your way straight before me.
(Psalm 5:7–8, ESV)
The opposite of evil to God is holiness. The opposite of evil to us is grace. We have sinned, too, and don’t belong in God’s presence except by grace.
But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house. Without His hesed, His covenant keeping mercy, we would all be toast. None could stand in God’s presence. Because of grace we can enter his house, bow down before your holy temple in the fear of you.
When we’re slandered, we sing and worship. He’s the one who can do something about our needs. Too often we take to the Interwebs or the phone or the coffee shop to express our irritation. But acknowledging the painfulness of slandering schemes should remind us to fear God who hates it and remind us that we would be attackers apart from grace.
We walk differently after worship. Lead me, O Yahweh, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me. In other words, we depend on His guidance to guard us from unrighteousness both in ourselves and in those around us. We remember His position toward unrighteousness: He hates it, and His power toward His own: He helps us walk right.
Another For begins this fourth stanza explaining why Yahweh’s help is so necessary.
For there is no truth in their mouth;
their inmost self is destruction;
their throat is an open grave;
they flatter with their tongue.
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.
(Psalm 5:9–10, ESV)
The picture is not pretty. There is no truth in their mouths, not even a little. From their heart things are rotten: their inmost self is destruction meaning that they are bent. Their throat is an open grave, a mouth open showing decay and smelling of death’s stench. Bible teacher George Zemek referred to this as “ethical halitosis.” They flatter with their tongue. They make blood seem sweet, destruction seem edifying, for example, hailing murder as “women’s choice.”
David sings them to end. Make them bear their guilt, O God; let them fall the their counsels. “They set the trap, cause them to fall into it.” It’s not karma, it’s the sovereign application of reap-what-you-sow. They might experience the judgement and not even know it. Because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out, for they have rebelled against you. They rebelled and the end of that can’t be good. We sing about it so that it won’t become our end.
Paul quotes verse nine in Romans 3:13 in the middle of his summary of the guilt of all men in Romans 3:10-18.
Our words ought to have a different ring to them, and there is refuge in our rejoicing.
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.
For you bless the righteous, O LORD;
you cover him with favor as with a shield.
(Psalm 5:11–12, ESV)
There are liars and there are singers.
We are not left without protection and our protection is not minimal. We ought to rejoice; refugees should even sing for joy. Yahweh will spread [his] protection over them, that those who love [His] name may exalt in [Him]. His name is sweet. His name represents His involvement and His win. He provides cover for His people.
For you bless the righteous, O Yahweh; you cover him with favor as with a shield. This word for shield refers to a full-body shield. Something about His sovereignty enjoys protecting and blessing and favoring His people from trouble not just keeping them out of it. Our joy belongs in the hands of God’s protection.
The end of groaning is rejoicing for those who fear God. The end of the great story is singing, all the way to Revelation. Rejoicing is a refuge in the middle chapters because the joy of Yahweh spills over for us to know and share.
While Psalm 5 is David’s personal, poetic response to trouble, that he directs the choirmaster to prepare it for the congregation’s worship means that groaning is a community project. It doesn’t mean that we share every detail, just as David didn’t share every detail. But groaning should be brought out of isolation, brought to God, brought in worship to learn how to respond. Just as David we remember the Lord’s character and strength and promises.
We know even more than David about God’s sovereign, sin-hating, steadfast-loving nature because of the cross. God hates evil so much so that He killed His Son to deal with it. God also shows grace to His people because He sacrificed His Son as their substitute. We take our groaning to God because He knows groaning. The Lord wrote it into the story for His glory, hating the wickedness that causes grief and conquering it by the anthem of Christ’s resurrection.