Latest / Reformed Thinking / Morning Prayer in a Dark World (Psalm 5) | Charles Spurgeon

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Morning Prayer in a Dark World (Psalm 5) | Charles Spurgeon · Reformed Thinking

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Welcome to Reform Thinking, the deep dive.
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It's good to be here. This is where we take really
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vital biblical texts and theological ideas, the kind that
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anchor the Christian life and the sovereignty of God and, you
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know, align us with the principles of the Westminster
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Confession. And we really subject them to
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some intense analysis. We do.
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Today we're undertaking a study of Psalm 5.
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And this text written by David, is just so much more than
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historical poetry. I mean, it functions as a
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meticulous guide for piety. A guide?
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How so? It really defines precisely how
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the believer who is, you know, living in the middle of constant
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hostility, should approach a perfectly holy God.
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And our goal for you today? Well, it's about efficiency, but
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efficiency through depth. We've gathered a range of
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classic commentaries and theological notes, all focused
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on Psalm 5 and. We're going to distill from them
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the clear, actionable parts of Devotion.
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Exactly. The mission is to understand the
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necessary posture for effective prayer, to grasp the sobering
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implications of God's holiness and his judgment, and, you know,
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to gain clarity on David's own resolution to live righteously.
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The way the Psalm is put together is very instructive.
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It has a definite 2 part structure.
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The initial plea and argument runs from verses one through 7,
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and then David sort of repeats and confirms that same appeal in
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verses 8 through 12. So it's reinforcing the same
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point. It is.
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The entire thing is structured around this stark, unavoidable
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dichotomy. The status and actions and
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future of the righteous are just constantly contrasted with those
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of the wicked. Before we get into the
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substance, let's just touch on a technical marker right at the
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beginning. The Psalm is titled To the Chief
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Musician upon Nihiloth. Right.
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That word nihiloth, it's it's not really recognizable to us
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today. Even scholars who spend their
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lives in ancient Hebrew are uncertain about what it means.
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And that obscurity, funny enough, tells us something
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important about the text. How so?
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It's an internal sign of just how old the Book of Psalms is.
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This musical instruction, whatever it was, belongs to a
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system of worship that is so ancient it's exact mechanics
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have just faded into history. So what are the leading theories
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for a word that seems to defy a simple translation?
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Well, one major school of thought looks at the Hebrew
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root, which suggests the idea of to perforate or to bore through.
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So in this context, it's inferred that the Psalm was
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meant to be accompanied by wind instruments.
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Like a horn, a flute, something like that, An orchestration.
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Exactly. That's one idea.
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Another interpretation, maybe focusing less on the instrument
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and more on the tune, comes from Aben Ezra.
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He theorized that Nailoth was just the name of a specific,
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widely known ancient melody. So sing Psalm 5 to this tune,
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pretty much. But then you have the
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Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation.
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It translates the word not as a musical note at all, but As for
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him who shall obtain inheritance.
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That's a huge shift from a musical instruction to a
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theological dedication. It is, but regardless of whether
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it's the specific pipe or the popular tune or the designated
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recipient, the title confirms that this is consecrated
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scripture. It was intended for structured,
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orderly use in worship. And it's hits the stage.
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This Psalm outlines the posture of the person who is seeking
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their inheritance. That's a great way to put it.
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All right, let's move into the substance of David's prayer,
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Section 1. It grounds itself entirely in
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this this solemn truth about the very nature of God.
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Yes, David makes what the sources call his most mighty
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argument against his enemies by appealing not to his own
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goodness, but to God's inherent character.
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This is the starting point for all reformed thinking about
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petition really, David's plea rests on this foundational,
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unchangeable idea that God is not a God that hath pleasure
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and. Wickedness.
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And that's not just a casual disinterest in evil.
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Oh no. It's an active theological
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necessity that comes directly from God's own imperfection.
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When we talk about God's hatred of sin, we have to be careful
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not to think of it like human hate.
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This isn't some fluctuating emotion or temporary mood.
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That is a vital distinction. The sources described this as a
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powerful deep seated abhorrence of iniquity that is absolute.
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If God's being is perfectly righteous, then his will must
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align perfectly with that being. He has to hate sin.
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He must. If God could take pleasure and
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wickedness even for a moment, then God would be imperfect and
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therefore not God. And yet we see successful
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villainy all around us. People achieve earthly triumph
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through malice or deceit. What does this deep seated
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abhorrence mean for that perceived success?
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It means that success is, in the ultimate sense, meaningless.
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The sources are very clear that the Lord of Holiness is totally
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unaffected by it it. Doesn't impress him.
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Not in the slightest. Wickedness can array itself
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wittily, grandly, proudly. It might wear the close of
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wealth or get public applause, but it's glitter holds no appeal
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for the Holy One. Men might be blinded by.
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It Oh absolutely. Men get blinded by the gaudiness
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of earthly triumphs and forget the wickedness behind them.
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But God sees through the facade instantly.
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His judgement isn't delayed just because the sin is temporarily
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profitable or masked by political success.
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And this leads right into the severity of God's rejection of
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sin in that statement. Neither shall evil dwell with
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thee. What's the theological weight of
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that exclusion? Does it just mean evil can't be
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in heaven? It implies a total necessary
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separation that runs much deeper than just a location.
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God's holiness means He will not afford it the meanest shelter
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anywhere, anywhere, anywhere. If evil is contrary to his
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nature, it cannot share His dwelling place.
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Period. For the believer, this is a
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really stark, practical warning against any kind of self
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deception. That's an interesting point,
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connecting it to our practical lives.
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If God gives evil no shelter, what about the believer who
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struggles with sin? The sources are blunt about
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this. You cannot attempt to entertain
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2 guests so hostile to one another as Christ Jesus and the
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Devil. You can't have both.
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Christ will not take up residence in the main part of
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your heart if you're still entertaining and sheltering the
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devil in the secretive cellar of your thoughts or intentions.
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This verse forces the believer to recognize the absolute moral
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incompatibility. So the same righteous demand
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that banishes evil from heaven requires separation from it on
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earth. It does, Which means David's
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prayer here isn't just a lament, it's a strategically
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sophisticated argument. He's aligning his desire with
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God's nature. Precisely, he's saying, when I
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pray against these tempters, I am arguing against the very
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things which you yourself abhor. And for us to really get that
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alignment, we have to clearly define who God God hates.
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The wrath isn't just at the idea of evil, but at the worker of
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iniquity. Yes, the person themselves.
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Let's look at that title, workers of iniquity.
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How do we distinguish between someone who sins out of weakness
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and these people? The distinction is 1 of
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vocation. It's their job.
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These individuals don't just fall into sin by accident, they
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sin industriously. Industrially.
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They make sin their business, their trade, or their craft.
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They strive to be effective at it.
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They're the workmen who need not be ashamed of doing what
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everyone ought to be ashamed of. They are, in a spiritual sense,
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professional sinners. And their professional sin is
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defined as the greatest of all folly.
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That's why the sources call them fools.
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Written large, a small sin is a great folly, but a large
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practice sin is the greatest folly imaginable.
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Willful rejection of eternal sense for a temporary corrupted
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game. That's it exactly.
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The Psalm even calls out specific methods.
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The Lord will abhor the bloody and deceitful man.
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Yes, that combination of violence and treachery is
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singled out, but we have to also underline those who speak
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leasing. That is liars, right?
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The sources insist that evil speakers must be punished just
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as certainly as evil workers. They are inseparable.
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The seriousness of falsehood is huge.
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Liars are described as having short wings.
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Short wings? What does that mean?
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Their flight and deceit will soon be over, and they will
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inevitably fall into the fiery floods of destruction.
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That's powerful imagery. Their temporary success is
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destined for a sudden, destructive end.
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It is. They may lie frequently and
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cleverly and face no immediate danger from human law, but they
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have absolutely no hope of escaping the law of God.
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God bears this powerful deep seated hatred against them
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because deceit violates the very truth of His being.
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So this theological starting point, God's absolute holiness,
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has to logically dictate how the believer responds.
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They must, and that. Brings us to Section 2, David's
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firm resolution about a disciplined, exclusive devotion.
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David's resolution outlines a life just saturated in God.
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First he resolves on exclusivity.
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For unto thee will I pray. Unto thee alone.
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Yes, it means God is the only object of worship and the sole
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recourse for the soul in times of trouble.
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The godly person must drink only from the divine fountain,
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leaving the broken cisterns, the false idols, the empty promises
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of the world to the godless. And that exclusivity is paired
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with persistence. Dared resolves that he would
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pray for as long as he lived. He wouldn't let his supplication
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cease, no matter how long the answer took.
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He says My voice shalt thou hear.
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It's an affirmative choice. I will not be dumb.
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I will not be silent. I will not withhold my speech.
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And the sources say this isn't externally motivated, it's
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driven from within, right? There is a fire dwelling inside
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the believer that compels him to pray for God's children.
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Prayer isn't an optional hobby, it's a necessity for survival.
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They'd sooner cease to live than cease to pray.
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That's the idea. It sounds like this internal,
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unavoidable need, but with all the distractions of life, how
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does David actually sustain that?
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And that brings us to his resolution on timing, focusing
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on the morning. He resolves.
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My voice shalt thou here in the morning.
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The morning hour is given a special status.
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It's described as the fittest time for intercourse with God.
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Why that time in particular? What makes it so optimal?
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Well, at dawn our spirits are fresh and crucially, they are
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freest from the distractions and all the things the day will
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inevitably throw at us. The world hasn't fully asserted
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its claim on our focus yet. Exactly.
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We're encouraged to dedicate the mornings of our days, the start
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of our time, and the morning of our lives, our youth, to God.
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There's a wonderful old insight quoted in the sources about this
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spiritual prioritization. An hour in the morning is worth
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2 in the evening. That statement really speaks to
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the efficacy of the time invested.
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The morning prayer sets the spiritual trajectory for the
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hours that follow. The sources see prayer as the
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key of the day and the lock of the night.
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Yes, it should be the first and last great act of devotion.
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It should be both the morning star and the evening star in our
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daily horizon. So the morning is a time for
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actively receiving grace before the day's spiritual battles even
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begin. Precisely.
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We're given this beautiful poetic analogy.
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Just as the dew is on the grass, we are encouraged to let grace
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drop upon the soul during that quiet, consecrated time.
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It's. A period for holy duties.
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It is. It's sometimes poetically called
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the Wings of the morning, signifying speed and divine
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elevation. If we begin by orienting
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ourselves to God's will, the day will unfold under His guidance
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rather than just being governed by accidents or reactive
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decisions. OK, so establishing this habit
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of exclusive morning prayer is just the beginning.
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David then moves to the spirit of the request itself.
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He does. He outlines the methodology for
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acceptable prayer. And this is Section 3, the three
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stages of effective petition. This moves beyond just the habit
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and gets into the method preparation, direction and
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expectation, and the process has to begin internally before a
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single word is spoken. And that pre verbal internal
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work is stage 1 preparation or meditation.
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Why is this so necessary before we even kneel down?
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Meditation is indispensable because it fits the soul for
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supplication. It's the act of aligning our
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frantic or scattered thoughts with the gravity of approaching
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a holy God. Without it, you risk missing the
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point. You risk missing much of the
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sweetness and the efficacy of the prayer that follows.
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The sources caution US against just rushing into God's presence
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without forethought, humility, or a clear focus on the need.
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The sources use some extremely vivid metaphors to describe
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this. Let's unpack them.
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The first one compares meditation to water, yes.
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Meditation must be kept flowing because it is the water to drive
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the mill of prayer, the outward action of prayer.
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The mill moving is useless if the internal stream of
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contemplation is dry. It's idle to pull up the
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floodgates of a dry roof and hope to see the wheel turn.
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Exactly. The thought has to precede the
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utterance and. What about the negative analogy?
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The Blind Falcon. Prayer without preparatory
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meditation is likened to Hawking with a blind Falcon.
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The Falcon, which is the prayer is sent out but without the
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focus insight from meditation. It just strikes at random.
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It misses the target and fails to bring anything back.
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The third metaphor is a military one about preparing for battle.
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Right. Meditation is compared to the
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charging of a piece loading the firearm with intent and powder,
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and then prayer is the subsequent focused discharging
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of it. You have to gather the
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components and aim before you launch the petition.
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You do. So the internal work, the
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sincerity of the thought process, is essential, even if
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the words themselves are clumsy. Absolutely.
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David asks God to consider my meditation.
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This shows that prayer has a dual nature.
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There are the requests expressed in words, and then there are the
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unuttered longings which abide as silent meditations.
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So the words are just the garments of prayer.
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They're just the garments. David knows he might forget to
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ask for something he needs, but he asks God, who sees the heart,
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to judge his sincerity, weigh his necessity, and fill up any
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vacancy in his speech. That's comforting to know that
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even when our ability to articulate something fails, the
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sincerity of the thought can still prevail.
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And sometimes our prayers are really nothing more than a
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desperate cry. But that cry has its own voice,
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a soul moving eloquence that reaches God's heart directly.
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God understands the meaning even when we can't structure it.
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He comprehends the meaning in the depth of feeling.
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Yes, the Holy Ghost, who is the true originator and author of
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all true prayer, takes the raw material of a fervent souls
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thoughts, the meditation, and uses it as the goal with which
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to fashion the vessel of the request.
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And that process of refinement brings us to stage 2, the act of
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directing prayer. David resolves, I will direct my
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prayer unto thee, right? What does it mean to direct a
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prayer? The Hebrew word used here has
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roots in both agriculture and the Temple service.
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It means to arrange my prayer before Thee, or very vividly, to
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Marshall up my prayers. So it implies order, focus,
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intentionality. It does.
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It suggests we shouldn't just ramble in God's presence.
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There needs to be some structure.
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That's right, this resolve is likened to the priest
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meticulously laying out the mourning sacrifice upon the
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altar. The sacrifice wasn't just thrown
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down haphazardly, it was arranged in order.
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And in the same way, the believer must put their
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petitions in order, calling up all their mental and spherical
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powers and bidding them stand in their proper places so they can
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pray with all their might and pray acceptably.
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So our words should be set in array, A focused line of
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argument, not just a disconnected confusing throng of
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words. And the structure provided by
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the Holy Ghost taking the meditation and fashioning the
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request. Make sure the arrow is pointed
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correctly. It does.
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The Archer analogy is critical here.
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Directing is the Archer putting the arrow of prayer onto the
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bowstring, pulling it taut and aiming it precisely toward
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heaven at the ear of God. But there's a crucial difference
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between the Spiritual Archer and the Earthly 1.
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The Earthly 1 looses the arrow and walks away.
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The spiritual Archer has to remain on watch.
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Which leads us right to stage 3. Yeah, expectation captured in
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the phrase, and we'll look up. We are instructed not to just
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send petitions into the void and then forget them.
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This is the crucial follow up. After directing the prayer, the
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believer must look up or look out for the answer.
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You have to expect the blessing to come.
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It challenges the believer. If you don't believe God will
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answer, why did you pray in the first place?
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And if you do believe, why are you not waiting and expecting
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the answer? An unbelieving heart just shoots
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at random, but faith saturates the soul with anticipation.
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So holy preparation has to link hands with patient expectation.
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Precisely the failure to watch for the result of our prayers is
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severely criticized in the sources.
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It's likened to the ostrich, which lays its eggs but then
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just ignores its young. It gives birth to the petition
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but abandons the result. And this carelessness is a
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subtle sign of distrust. The sources offer a much better
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model though, the merchant analogy.
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That analogy is so relatable. When the believer sends out the
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spiritual commodity of prayer, often a costly sacrifice of time
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and focus, they must expect a gainful return.
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Failure to watch is like a merchant who sends a richly
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laden vessel overseas with all his wealth and hope on board,
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but then ignores the harbor and doesn't anxiously or expectantly
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wait for its return. We have to open the windows of
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expectation and look up for the promise favor, yes.
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Looking up is described as checking the result like a spy
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upon a watchtower, patiently waiting for the signal that help
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is on the way. So that methodology,
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preparation, direction, expectation defines the internal
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discipline of the believer. It does.
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And now David shifts in Section 4 to the outward walk.
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He contrasts the approach, the protection and the final destiny
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of those who live this way versus those who reject it.
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And a righteous begin their walk with an act of humility and a
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resolution to approach God's sanctuary.
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I will come into thy house. But he knows he can't approach
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the Holy 1 based on his own merit or his own moral standing,
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no? His justification for entry has
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to be entirely external, rooted in God's character.
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This is absolutely central to Reformed theology.
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It is, he resolves to approach in the multitude of thy mercy,
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and in thy fear. This is the foundational posture
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of grace. It's a deep, abiding
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acknowledgement of God's immeasurable, super abundant
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grace that makes it possible for the singer to approach at all.
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He perfectly balances hope from seeing the promises of God and
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holy fear from contemplating God's judgement and majesty when
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approaching God's house. The believers conduct continues
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with a prayer for guidance. Lead me, O Lord.
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What does this longing for guidance tell us about the
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righteous walk? It signals the surrender of the
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individual will. It's the plea of a little child
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who knows it can't discern the path and must be led by its
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father. The believer seeks to be LED in
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God's righteousness. Recognizing the fatal
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imperfection of their own self willed righteousness, Yes, the
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sources call this longing the happy sign of grace when a
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believer learns to surrender their own way and genuinely
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longs to walk in God's way. Why is that surrender so
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crucial? Because without it, the danger
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is immense. Errors about duty, even errors
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made with good intentions but self-directed motives, can lead
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you quickly into a sea of sins before you even realize how far
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you've gone astray. To know that we must be led by
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God is the beginning of wisdom and safety.
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It is so if the righteous walk in this disciplined way,
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surrendering their own path. What defense is promised to them
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against all the evil men and temptations Dave describes?
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The promise is that God's favor, his loving kindness, defends the
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whole person. God will compass him as with a
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shield. And this refers to the large
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Shields ancient soldiers use, the ones extensive enough to
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cover a man from head to foot. Exactly.
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This is not partial protection, it's a comprehensive enclosure.
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The sources confirm this shield was so large it was sometimes
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called a gate. Or a door.
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That's right. Because of its size, if the
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shield didn't cover every part at once, a skillful soldier
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could move it rapidly to deflect any blow aimed at any exposed
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part. God's favor provides this kind
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of comprehensive dynamic. And that loving kindness is also
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compared to something internal to the believer.
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Yes, this divine favor is likened to the grace of faith
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itself, which functions as an armor upon armor.
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Faith defends the whole man and acts to preserve all the other
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graces. Hope, charity, patience within
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the believer. So if God compasses the
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Christian with his loving kindness, nothing can inflict
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lasting harm. He can disarm the tempter, and
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restrain the malice of the wicked.
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And this protection is absolutely necessary because, as
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the sources note, the Christian lives in a land of battles.
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We face enemies constantly. The strong man armed the
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spiritual lion of the forest, but the shield of God's favor
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ensures victory. And there's a royal detail to
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this defense. There is the righteous are
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promised to be crowned. They wear a royal helmet, which
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is at once our glory and defense.
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God's favor is a gracious coronation, setting the believer
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apart and providing complete security.
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OK, let's pivot now to the dark counterpart, the ruin of the
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wicked, starting with their corrupt speech.
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David presents this visceral image of the wicked as evil
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speakers. The description is horrifying.
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Their throat is an open sepulchre.
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An open tomb. We should pause and think about
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that metaphor. Yeah, a tomb is a place full of
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loathsomeness, miasma, pestulence and death.
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And it is not just a sepulchre, but an open one.
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That detail is so crucial. It is.
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It means the wickedness and rot of their heart are not
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contained. They are exhaled and come forth
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spreading spiritual death and destruction through their
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unsavory, rotten and hurtful words.
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Their words aren't nourishment, they are corruption coming from
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a place of death. And they use this corrupt speech
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for manipulative gain. They flatter with with their
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tongue. Using smooth, oily words to
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entice and entrap. Seeking to make personal gain
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from it. The caution is severe.
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When the wicked, manipulative person licks the lamb, he's
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preparing to wet his teeth in its blood.
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Their entire communication strategy is rooted in deceit and
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leasing, in lying. And this complete and active
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rejection of God's nature and ways leads to a decisive,
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unavoidable judgement. It does the foolish.
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These practitioners of sinful folly shall not stand in my
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sight. They have to be banished
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entirely from the court of heaven.
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The sentence against liars is definite and final.
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Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing.
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They are destined to fall into the fiery floods of destruction.
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God's hand is irreversibly turned against them.
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Now, David's expressions against these wicked enemies, they're
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often misinterpreted today as personal vengeful wishes.
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We need to clarify the theological context of these
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curses. That distinction is absolutely
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necessary. These expressions are
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interpreted not as personal maledictions rooted in human
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vindictiveness, but as divine prophecies.
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Or as the word spoken by a judge ex officio.
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By virtue of his office, yes, condemning them as God's
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spokesperson, David is articulating the necessary
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righteous judgment of God. So the righteous believer
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doesn't celebrate private vengeance, but rather affirms
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public justice. Exactly when the judgement is
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executed, the godly will give their solemn assent to the awful
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sentence of the Lord. They will applaud the condemning
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curse that the judge of all the earth thunders against the
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godless because it affirms the holiness and moral order they
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cherish. The contrast and final destiny
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between these two groups, the righteous and the wicked, could
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not be any more stark. While the wicked may enjoy
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temporary ease and may laugh first, they weep ever after.
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Their groaning will be eternal. But the righteous who may weep
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now in this land of battles, shall rejoice eternally in the
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Lord. Yes, and this holy bliss has a
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firm, eternal foundation, making the eternal God the wellspring
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of their constant contentment and blessedness.
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They shall be satiated with divine joy.
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This deep dive into Psalm 5 has really given us a comprehensive
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blueprint for piety, aligning the believers heart and habits
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with the necessity of God's holiness.
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It has. Let's just bring together the
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three main pillars we've extracted from the source
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material. 1st we established the solemnity of God's relationship
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with sin. God's holiness demands a
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thorough, active hatred on all wickedness, regardless of its
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earthly guise. And this truth is the foundation
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for the believer's prayer and the motivation for moral
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separation. We can't shelter evil in the
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cellar. Of our thoughts.
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Second, we define that disciplined, tripartite process
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of effective prayer that David resolved to follow.
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It begins with preparation or meditation, that internal water
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that drives the mill of prayer. Preventing us from shooting at
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random. Then it moves to direction,
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which is the marshalling and arranging of our requests with
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intentionality, like a morning sacrifice.
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And finally, it concludes with expectation, looking out for the
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answer, like the anxious merchant waiting for a gainful
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return, making sure we don't abandoned our petitions.
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And that whole process must be dedicated exclusively to God,
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starting in that consecrated morning hour.
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And finally, the comprehensive protection God grants the
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righteous believer who adopts this posture.
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Because the believer approaches God not by their own flawed
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merits, but specifically in the multitude of Thy mercy and in
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Thy fear, they receive 2 guarantees.
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The first is divine guidance. Yes, that happy sign of grace
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being the longing to walk in God's way.
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And a second is comprehensive defense, where God's favorite
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compasses the whole person as a mighty shield, functioning as
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both their glory and their defense in this world of
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conflict. As we conclude this, consider
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this reflection. Given the severity of God's
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condemnation of sin, that the wicked are utterly destroyed,
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liars fall into fiery floods, and malices abhorred, David
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resolved that he would approach God's sanctuary only in the
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multitude of that mercy. So ponder the sheer,
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immeasurable scale of grace that makes such an approach possible
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for anyone. The necessity of God's hatred
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for sin is absolute, yet His invitation to approach remains
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open. Which must mean.
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It means the measure of His loving kindness must far
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outweigh the multitude of sins that otherwise would banish us
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forever. It compels us to surrender our
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own way and long for His way alone.