Adult Bible Study on Psalm 5

Psalm 5

(New International Version)

 

For the director of music. For pipes. A psalm of David.

 

¹ Listen to my words, Lord,
    consider my lament.
² Hear my cry for help,
    my King and my God,
    for to you I pray.

 

³ In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice;
    in the morning I lay my requests before you
    and wait expectantly.
⁴ For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness;
    with you, evil people are not welcome.
⁵ The arrogant cannot stand
    in your presence.
You hate all who do wrong;
⁶     you destroy those who tell lies.
The bloodthirsty and deceitful
    you, Lord, detest.
⁷ But I, by your great love,
    can come into your house;
in reverence I bow down
    toward your holy temple.

 

⁸ Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness
    because of my enemies—
    make your way straight before me.
⁹ Not a word from their mouth can be trusted;
    their heart is filled with malice.
Their throat is an open grave;
    with their tongues they tell lies.
¹⁰ Declare them guilty, O God!
    Let their intrigues be their downfall.
Banish them for their many sins,
    for they have rebelled against you.
¹¹ But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
    let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
    that those who love your name may rejoice in you.

 

¹² Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous;
    you surround them with your favor as with a shield.

 

 

1. David says he prays to God in the morning. Is there any reason to pray and spend time with God in the morning rather than any other time of the day?

 

Christians have found value in having a devotional time with God in the morning as a way to focus our thoughts on Him for the day. It’s also a good idea to have dedicated time with God first thing so that we make sure we do it. If we put it off until later in the day, something might happen to distract us and we’ll end up skipping it. Or we might get too tired to focus on reading and prayer later in the day.

 

The most important thing is to spend quality, disciplined time with God, and the example David gives is praying in the Bible.

 

 

2. David says that when he prays, He waits expectantly for God to answer. What makes him so sure that God will answer his prayer?

 

The next word David uses gives use the clue. In verse 4, he uses the word “for.” That means it gives us the reason for what came before it. You could substitute the word “because.” Because God is not pleased with wickedness and evil and all the sinful actions he mentions in the next few verses, he knows God will answer his prayer.

 

David is contrasting himself with the type of people God doesn’t accept or listen to. Because David is righteous, God will answer his prayer.

 

 

3. In verse 7, David says he can come into God’s house because of God’s great love for him. What does it mean to you that you are welcome in God’s house?

 

You don’t welcome enemies or strangers into your home. Your house is a place to receive friends and family. God loves us. He thinks of us as His friend, His family member. He never shuts the door on us. We are always welcome to come visit God.

 

 

4. In verse 8, David asks God to lead him on a straight path because of his enemies. What do his enemies have to do with David walking a straight path following God?

 

I get two meanings out of this verse. It may be that David is asking God to help him know what to do in relation to his enemies. When someone says or does something to hurt us, we need God to lead us on the straight path so that we don’t sin in retaliation.

 

We also need God to protect us and open a path for us to walk through the midst of our enemies. We don’t always know who trust. As David says, not a word from their mouth can be trusted. We need God to give us His wisdom instead of listening to other people.

 

 

5. In verse 10, David finishes listing the sins of his enemies and then claims they have rebelled against God. How have they rebelled against God when all of their actions have been against David, not against God?

 

God hates it when we sin against other people. Sinning against another human is sinning against God because He’s commanded us how to treat others.

 

 

6. In verse 11, David says we should love God’s name. Why His name as opposed to the Person Himself?

 

In Hebrew, God name is Yahweh, which means “I Am.” The word points to who God is. To love His Name is to love His attributes and character. It’s to love all that He is. Use some time during your morning sessions with God this week to think about Who He is and to let your spirit express your love for Him.

 

 

What to DO after reading this passage

Use this psalm as a way to check yourself.

 

• David says God isn’t pleased with wicked people. Think of how you can be more of the opposite of wicked. How can you live more righteously?
• The evil are not welcome with God. How can you be purer in mind and heart?
• The arrogant cannot stand in His Presence. How can you be humbler toward God and other people?
• He destroys those who tell lies. Who do you need to more honest with?
• God detests the bloodthirsty. How can you help others’ good instead of wishing for their downfall?

 

 

 

Do you have another insight into this passage? Please share below!