Psa 5 | EE | STEP | Tell the music leader to use flutes. This is a song of David. LORD, hear my words. Listen to what I am saying to you.

Psalms 5

Pray about your Enemies

Tell the music leader to use flutes.

This is a song of David.

1 LORD, hear my words.

Listen to what I am saying to you.

2 My king and my God, listen to my voice.

I am praying to you for help.

I am shouting to you!

3 LORD, at sunrise you will hear my voice.

I will watch and pray early in the morning. ^{▼▼5:3 Verses 1-3: David told the LORD that he would pray early in the morning. Christians must pray like David did. It is important to pray every morning. It is also important to look for the answer from God. That is why David said, ‘I will watch and pray.’}

4 My God, you do not like what is wrong.

Bad people cannot live with you.

5 Some people think that they are important.

They cannot stay near to God.

God, you hate everyone that does wrong.

6 You destroy all that do not speak the truth.

The LORD hates all people that do murder.

He hates people that do not keep their promises. ^{▼▼5:6 Verses 4-6: The enemies of David were really the enemies of God. David says that God will destroy them. Really, they destroy themselves. A man called Hosea wrote part of the Bible. He wrote, ‘Israel, you destroyed yourself. But your help is in me.’ (Hosea 13:9) We destroy ourselves if we do not ask God for help. Even the enemies of God can ask for help. Then they will become God’s friends.}

7 But I will come into your house

because you are so loving and kind.

I will bend low in your holy temple.

8 Lead me in your righteous way

because of my enemies.

Make your path straight for me. ^{▼▼5:8 Verses 7-8: David did not have a temple in Jerusalem. He had a tent. This was a small house made from goatskins. (Look at the end of Psalm 4 for a note on the Temple.) David met God there. Our God is everywhere. We meet him when we pray to him. It is good to pray the words of Psalm 5:8. A straight path means a good path. ‘Lead me in your righteous way because of my enemies’ means this: Help me to obey you, God. My enemies are making it difficult for me to obey you.}

9 Nothing that my enemies say is true.

They want to destroy me.

Their mouth is like an open grave.

They only speak what is not true.

10 God, tell them that they are not right.

Show them that their ideas are wrong.

Send them away because they are bad.

They argued with you. ^{▼▼5:10 Verses 9-10: An open grave has dead bodies in it. They are not nice. ‘Their mouth is like an open grave’ means ‘what they say is not nice.’}

11 Make all the people happy that hide with you.

Make them always sing for joy.

Cover them that love your name. Keep them safe.

Then they will rejoice in you.

12 LORD, you do such good things to the righteous.

Your love is all round them. ^{▼▼5:12 Verses 11-12: The psalm finishes with a picture. The LORD is all round the people that love him. He is like a cover over them that stops people from hurting them. This makes the people of God happy, even when their enemies are near.}