Latest / Reformed Thinking / A Morning Prayer for Guidance and Protection (Psalm 5) | Matthew Henry

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A Morning Prayer for Guidance and Protection (Psalm 5) | Matthew Henry · Reformed Thinking

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  Welcome to reformed thinking. Glad you could join us.
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  Today we're doing a deep dive. We've got some material here,
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  specifically excerpts from Matthew Henry's commentary
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  focusing on Psalm 5. That's right, Psalm 5.
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  It's, well, it's packed. Really.
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  Our aim today is to get into it, using Henry's thoughts as our
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  guide. We want to understand what it
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  meant for David back then, what it reveals about God himself,
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  and maybe most practically, what lessons are there for your own
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  prayer and worship life today? Exactly.
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  And right at the beginning of the song you get this little
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  instruction to the chief musician upon Nihiluff.
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  Yeah, that's interesting. Henry points out that Nihiluff
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  isn't found anywhere else in the Bible.
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  It's conjecture, he admits, but the idea is it might point to
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  wind instruments used specifically for this Psalm.
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  Setting it apart, maybe from Psalms using Neganath which
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  might have been stringed instruments.
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  Just a little historical note Henry brings up kind of sets a
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  specific scene. It does.
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  It shows this wasn't just, you know, a private thought.
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  It was meant for something more structured.
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  A prayer, a formal address to God, maybe even public worship
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  with music. And the reason for the prayer is
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  pretty clear. David was in a tough spot,
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  enemies causing him distress. Yeah, Henry notes.
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  This was, well, almost normal for David.
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  He was continually beset with enemies.
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  So this Psalm is one response to that ongoing reality.
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  But Henry sees more than just David's personal trouble here.
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  Doesn't. He does.
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  He actually calls it a type of Christ.
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  He sees David's dependence on God, his struggles, as pointing
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  forward. Pointing towards Christ's own
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  reliance on the Father and his victories over darkness even
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  while suffering. Exactly.
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  David's cries kind of echo Christ's future experience.
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  So thinking about us, about you listening, what's the practical
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  value here according to Henry? Well, he says, the Psalm is of
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  great use to direct us in prayer.
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  It pushes us towards prayer itself.
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  Helps us voice our hatred of sin.
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  Right. And it directs our thoughts to
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  Christ's eventual return and the, well, the final downfall of
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  the ungodly. So it's a guide for relating to
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  God now and looking ahead. It really lays out a way to lean
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  on God, find joy in His mercy, and wait for His ultimate
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  victory. OK, so let's get into David's
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  approach. Henry talks about David's
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  resolutions about prayer. It wasn't casual.
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  No, he was serious. He resolved to make conscience
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  of praying and make a business of it.
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  That's quite a phrase. He says unto thee, Will I pray
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  very specific, directed to thee only.
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  And acknowledging God as our King and our God, Henry
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  highlights that seeing God in that role, our King, our God,
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  that's a powerful starting point, a solid principle and
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  plea in prayer. It really grounds the whole
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  thing. And he's specific about when he
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  prays, too. In the morning, Henry gives a
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  couple of reasons why that time is well fitting. 1st, it's when
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  you're supposedly at your best. Fresh mind clear.
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  Not yet pulled in a million directions.
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  Yeah. Fit is for prayer and 2nd Henry
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  says it's when you most need of prayer.
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  Right before you face the day's challenges and temptations,
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  seeking God's help early. Makes sense.
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  He also resolved to direct his prayer.
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  What does that mean exactly? Henry compares it to aiming an
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  arrow or addressing a letter. Yeah, it suggests focus,
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  fixedness and steadiness of mind.
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  You're not just letting thoughts wander, you're deliberately
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  aiming them. Aiming them to God is our Father
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  in heaven. And here Henry adds something
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  crucial for us, for our New Testament believers.
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  He says we must always send them by the Lord Jesus, the great
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  Mediator. Having an eye to this medium to
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  Christ is essential. Our prayers reach God through
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  Him. That link through Christ is key,
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  and after sending the prayer, David resolved to wait.
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  To patiently wait for an answer of peace, He'd look after his
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  prayers, listen for God's response.
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  It's an active waiting. And one more thing Henry
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  mentions David's prayers were also meditations.
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  So thinking deeply and praying go hand in hand.
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  Meditation prepares the way for prayer, perhaps.
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  That seems to be the idea, meditation and prayer working
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  together. OK, let's shift focus from David
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  praying to the God he's praying to.
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  The song shows God in, well, two major ways.
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  First. First, God is a prayer.
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  Hearing God, he's ready. He's willing to listen.
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  His ear is open to his people's prayers.
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  And it's not just hearing like sound waves hitting an ear,
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  right? No, Henry says.
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  He'll take cognizance of our case.
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  He considers it wisely and compassionately.
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  Who engages with what he hears? But then there's the other side.
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  Just as strongly God is presented as a sin hating God,
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  holy, pure. Absolutely.
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  The Psalm says God has no pleasure in wickedness, Henry
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  explains. That means God hates it.
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  It's the total opposite of his nature, his infinite purity and
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  rectitude and holy will. And evil shall not dwell with
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  him. It won't last.
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  It won't ultimately succeed in his presence.
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  Which leads to a serious warning Henry draws out.
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  If we regard iniquity in our heart, he will not hear our
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  prayers. Holding on to sin blocks that
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  connection. That's stark, and it helps
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  explain David's view of his enemies because Henry connects
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  this sin hating nature of God to specific types of sinners God
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  opposes. Right, like the foolish who are
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  called of iniquity, sin itself is presented as folly, and
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  sinners as the greatest of all fools, self-made fools.
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  God also hates liars. The deceitful, those who speak
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  leasing or lying make sense for the God of truth.
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  And he abhors the bloody man, the cruel, the violent.
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  Inhumanity is repulsive to the God of mercy.
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  And Henry explicitly says these traits, deceit, cruelty fit
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  David's enemies there. And God shall destroy man of his
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  character. Which sets up this really sharp
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  contrast in the Psalm between David's enemies and the
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  righteous. How does Henry describe these
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  enemies? Pretty strong language.
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  Yeah, very bad character. Bad men indeed, and
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  significantly, enemies to a man after God's own heart.
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  They're deceitful, no faithfulness in their mouth,
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  ready to lie to smear David. They might use flattery, flatter
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  with their tongues, but it's just a cover for malice.
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  Inside their inward part is wickedness itself.
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  And bloody or cruel, that image is powerful.
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  Right throat is an open sepulchre, like the grave, ready
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  to devour. Henry sums them up as perfectly
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  lost to all virtue and honor. And David sees their opposition
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  not just as personal, but as rebellion against God rebels
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  against the God. That's key.
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  Now contrast that with the righteous, who are called God's
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  peculiar people. What?
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  Defines them according to Henry's reading 2 main things.
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  Yes. First they put their trust in
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  God. They rely on His power, His
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  promises, His protection. And second, they love his name.
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  They find pleasure in who God is as He's revealed himself.
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  They delight in knowing Him. Henry calls that true and pure
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  religion, trusting God and loving his revealed character.
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  And their futures are completely different from the wicked.
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  Absolutely, God shall destroy the wicked.
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  But the righteous are blessed. They're safe, protected by God's
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  favor. Like a shield, Henry uses that
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  image. God's favor surrounds them, as
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  with a shield. Yes, a defense on every side, he
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  says. Total security and satisfaction
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  for those who stay under that favor.
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  OK, another part of David's response that Henry emphasizes
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  is his dedication to worship, specifically public worship.
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  Right. David resolves to keep closely
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  to God and to his worship, setting himself apart from those
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  who reject God. And he says, I will come into
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  thy house to worship there with other faithful worshippers.
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  Henry makes a point here. David prayed privately, yes,
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  often. But that private devotion
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  prepared him for it didn't replace the public ways God set
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  up for worship the public ordinances.
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  Private prayer fuels public worship.
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  It doesn't excuse you from it. Seems to be the idea and how we
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  worship matters too. Reverently, with a sense of the
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  huge distance between God and us.
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  In thy fear, David says. Henry explains that as having a
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  holy awe of God upon my spirit, God is to be deeply respected by
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  his worshippers. So where does the sort of
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  motivation or ability for this kind of worship come from?
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  Henry says it comes from God himself only, not from our own
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  goodness or merit. Specifically from his mercy, the
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  multitude of God's mercy. Exactly.
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  David leans on that vast, inexhaustible mercy.
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  Henry calls it the foundation of our hopes and the fountain of
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  our joy. And there's another source of
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  encouragement for worship mentioned.
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  Yes, from the instituted medium of worship for David, that was
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  the temple. Henry sees the temple itself as
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  a type of Christ. Christ being the ultimate
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  mediator, the one who makes our worship acceptable.
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  Right, so, Henry says. For them then, and even more so
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  for us now, worshippers need to have an I to this medium, Christ
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  in all their devotions. True worship connects to God's
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  mercy through Christ. OK, finally, let's look at the
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  specific prayers within the Psalm.
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  David prays for different groups, first for himself.
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  Yes, he asks God to guide him, keep him in the way of his duty.
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  He prays. Lead me in my righteousness.
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  And he gives a reason because of my enemies who observe me,
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  they're watching him. And Henry finds this
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  interesting. The fact that his enemies were
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  watching, hoping he'd slip up, actually pushed David to be more
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  careful, more determined to stick to God's way and his
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  righteousness. Their scrutiny made him lean
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  harder on God. Then he prays against his
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  enemies. He asks God to destroy them,
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  cast them out. Why?
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  Based on what we've already discussed.
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  Based on their wicked character, the deceit, the cruelty, the
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  inner wickedness, and crucially because they have rebelled
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  against thee God, their fight with David is part of a larger
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  rebellion against God. Yeah, Henry has a clarification
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  here about praying for destruction.
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  Yes, he sees it less as personal revenge and more as prophecy.
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  Not from a spirit of revenge, but from a spirit of prophecy.
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  So David is foretelling the certain end of all who rebel
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  against God, that they'll be ruined by their own counsels.
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  That's how Henry interprets it. He frames it as God acting
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  rightly, bringing trouble on those who trouble His people.
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  And David also prays for others, for all of God's people.
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  Right for the righteous, those defined earlier as trusting God
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  and loving His name. What does he pray for them?
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  He prays, Let them rejoice, shout for joy, be joyful in
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  thee. They're joy found in God's favor
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  and salvation. And for their protection, defend
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  them, cover us them over shadow us them.
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  Yes, suggesting God's protection, protective presence
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  with them. Henry uses this to encourage us
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  well, encourage you to pray not just for yourself, but for all
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  good people who trust God. So wrapping this up, what are
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  the main things we can take away from Henry's look at Psalm 5?
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  Well, we definitely get a pattern for prayer.
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  How serious it should be, how intentional.
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  The timing matters. Directing it matters.
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  And that absolute necessity of coming through Christ, relying
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  on God's mercy, not our own merit.
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  Yeah, and it really sharpens our view of God's character.
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  He's a approachable he hears prayer, but he's also utterly
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  holy and opposed to sin. We see that stark divide between
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  those against God and those who love him and their very
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  different destinations. And it links private prayer life
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  with public worship, both flowing from God's mercy, both
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  centered on Christ. So for you listening, how might
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  these points shape your prayers? Does seeing God this way change
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  how you approach Him? It's worth thinking about.
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  And here's that final thought from the source to chew on this
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  idea that David's prayer against his enemies wasn't just personal
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  venting, but actually a prophetic declaration of God's
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  certain judgement on all rebellion against him.
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  How does that view shape your understanding of justice and
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  God's ultimate authority over everything?
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  Something to reflect on. Thank you for joining us for
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  this deep dive into Psalm 5 with Matthew Henry.
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  We hope thinking through these insights on prayer, worship, and
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  God's character has been helpful for you.
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  We look forward to potentially exploring sources you share in
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  future deep dives.