Tag: prayer

Posted in Exposition

From Despair to Faith in Psalm 13

Posted on by writtenexposition

INTRODUCTION

According to its title, Psalm 13 is a psalm of David. There is, however, nothing within it to indicate either the period or occasion in David’s life that might have inspired this short song expressing anguish and distress. This psalm is often cited as the classic example of a lament for it follows the typical structure of a lament psalm: an address to the Lord; an expression of complaint; a petition for help; a statement of faith. Consisting of only six verses – three groups of two – it is remarkably concise. In these sections there is movement from despair – to prayer – to faith.

STRUCTURE

1-2 Invocation and Complaint

3-4 Petitions and Motivations for the Lord to help

5-6 Affirmation of trust and a Vow to praise the Lord

CONTENT

1-2 – Four lamentations

3a – Three petitions

3b-4 – Three motivations

5-6 – Three Affirmations

EXPLANATION

Invocation and Complaint (1-2)

How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD? forever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me?
How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? how long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?

The first section of Psalm 13 consists of four lamentations beginning with ‘How long?’ (i.e. ‘Until when?’) addressed to YHWH, Israel’s God. The psalmist is upset and frustrated with the deity and these lamentations are strongly worded complaints which express impatience that YHWH has not already remedied the distressing and vulnerable situation in which the psalmist now finds himself. It appears to the psalmist that YHWH has forgotten him or, even worse, is deliberately ignoring him.

The ‘how long?’ (repeated four times) would indicate that the psalmist has been in distress for quite some time. Now, thanks to YHWH’s lack of attention, he finds his situation unbearable. Nothing pleases him – his complaints are about God (theological), himself (personal) and others (social).

FOUR LAMENTATIONS

  • How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD? forever? – ‘How long?’ is the language of lament (e.g. Psa 4:2; 6:3; 62:3; 90:13).
  • How long wilt thou hide thy face from me? – The hidden face of YHWH represents divine disfavour or rejection (cf. Deut 32:20; Job 13:24; Psa 44:24; 88:14). It seems to the psalmist that the Lord will not listen to him.
  • How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? – He has been left to his own devices because of the lack of response from the Lord. He has wasted time drawing up his own unsuccessful plans to extricate himself from his situation. Now he does not know what to do. He is sad the whole day long.
  • How long shall mine enemy be exalted over me? As a result of YHWH’s lack of attention David’s enemy has now risen to a position of power. The psalmist feels weak and vulnerable.


PETITIONS AND MOTIVATIONS FOR THE LORD TO HELP (3-4)

THREE PETITIONS (3a) Consider and hear me, O LORD my God: lighten mine eyes

The three petitions are imperatives, they are not just prayers but urgent requests.

  • Consider me – watch, regard, gaze, focus intently.
  • Hear me, O LORD my God – answer, reply, respond. The psalmist feels able to address YHWH directly because of the Lord’s covenant relationship (Exod 19:5) with his people. On that basis David expects an answer to his petitions and divine intervention to improve his circumstances.
  • Lighten mine eyes – The psalmist asks the Lord to give light to his eyes. This means restore life, vigour and joy. The psalmist considers himself exhausted and near death. He asks that his health be restored.

THREE MOTIVATIONS FOR GOD TO ACT – (3b-4) – lest I sleep the sleep of death; Lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him; and those that trouble me rejoice when I am moved.

David lists three reasons why YHWH should intervene on his behalf, in the poem these are presented using a double ‘lest.’

  • Lest the psalmist dies. He does not want to die while the Lord is still silent.
  • Lest the enemy gloats, saying ‘I have finished him.’ The enemy, mentioned also in v.2, is not identified.
  • Lest those that trouble him rejoice when he wavers and falls.


AFFIRMATION OF TRUST AND A VOW TO PRAISE THE LORD (5-6)

But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation. I will sing unto the LORD, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.

The ‘But’ at the beginning of v.6 is the crux of Psalm 13. Thus far the poet has moved from anguished lamentation to anxious petition. Now comes an even more striking movement, a noticeable change of mood, in spite of the fact that there has been no change in the psalmist’s circumstances. For whatever reason(s), lament and petition now give way to trust.

‘But I,’ or ‘But as for me’ indicates that the psalmist has taken a firm decision. In three affirmations he states what he has done and also what he intends to do.

  • I have trusted in thy mercy – he no longer depends upon personal merit but chooses to to trust in YHWH’s ḥesed (lovingkindness, mercy, goodness, faithfulness, love, acts of kindness) – often translated as ‘steadfast love.’
  • My heart shall rejoice in thy salvation – the verb ‘rejoice’ occurs twice in the psalm, but what a contrast between the two situations! In v.4 it is those who are opposed to the psalmist who rejoice when he totters and falls. In v.5 it is the psalmist himself who is confident that he will rejoice in the deliverance that YHWH will accomplish.
  • I will sing unto the LORD, because he hath dealt bountifully with me – confident that his deliverance will happen soon he affirms that he will sing praise to the Lord and when he sings praise he will say that the Lord has ‘dealt bountifully’ with him, i.e. brought his suffering to an end.

SUMMATION

In Psalm 13 David, feeling abandoned in his trouble and overwhelmed by sorrow while his enemies triumph, complains to the Lord, asking for urgent intervention. Then, in a striking change of mood, he affirms his trust in God’s unfailing love and expresses his confidence that the Lord will deliver him. He vows to rejoice and sing praise for the Lord’s goodness.

Sometimes in life we are faced with difficult situations (e.g. trouble, sickness, depression, bereavement) which, in spite of prayer and our own determined efforts to combat them, seem unlikely to be resolved. There may be temptation to conclude that God has abandoned us, forgotten us, or is just not interested. Strangely, it is often when facing such challenges and difficulties that darkness and suffering lead us to a deeper encounter with God. Through lament we can express our vulnerability, pain, suffering, negative feelings and frustrations to the Lord before moving on to petition for his help.

The psalmist’s trust in the Lord as a personal friend to whom he can speak directly about his anxieties and share his deepest secrets enables his mood to shift from one of loneliness and despair to one of trust and hope in God’s steadfast covenantal love.

Psalm 13 encourages all who suffer to question and complain to the Lord:

  • about his concern – How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD? forever?
  • about his concealment – how long wilt thou hide thy face from me?
  • about his lack of counsel – How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily?
  • about his control – how long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?

Then proceed to petition the Lord:

  • for his engagement – Consider and hear me, O LORD my God
  • for his enlightenment – lighten mine eyes
  • for his enablement – lest I sleep the sleep of death
  • for his encouragement – Lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him; and those that trouble me rejoice when I am moved

and consciously decide:

  • to trust in his sympathy – But I have trusted in thy mercy
  • to look forward to his salvation (deliverance) – my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation.

Posted in Exposition

Psalm 5: Facing A New Day With Faith

Posted on by writtenexposition

INTRODUCTION

Psalm 5 is traditionally understood as a morning prayer composed by King David. Its setting is an unspecified time when he was under pressure – possibly from opponents making life-threatening false accusations against him. The psalm is also classed as a personal lament since it contains the main elements of lament – invocation, complaint against enemies, petition and expression of hope – see the Introduction to my post on Psalm 3.

David begins the day by committing his distress to the Lord: asking him to hear, guide and protect him. His prayer focuses on the deliverance of the righteous who experience God’s goodness and protection and contrasts them with the wicked who bring God’s judgement upon themselves because of their evil words and deeds.

The superscription TO THE CHIEF MUSICIAN UPON NEHILOTH, A PSALM OF DAVID attributes the psalm to David and and supplies a musical instruction. The meaning of ‘Nehiloth’ is unknown but it is thought to refer to flutes.

STRUCTURE

1-3 PETITION

4-6 CONDEMNATION OF THE WICKED

7-8 WORSHIP

9-10 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE WICKED

11-12 DIVINE BLESSING OF THE RIGHTEOUS

EXPOSITION

PETITION (1-3)

Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation.
Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray.
My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.

The psalmist starts with an opening appeal to YHWH to listen to his petition. In vv.1-2 he uses three imperatives that are typical of lament:

  • Give ear – listen or heed – he asks God to be available
  • Consider – pay attention, understand – he asks God to be attentive
  • Hearken – listen attentively – he asks God to be acquainted with his problem.

These lend urgency to the psalmist’s impassioned request for the Lord to hear and understand his situation and presumably intervene on his behalf. The depth of his distress is conveyed in v.1 with the juxtaposition of ‘my words’ and ‘my meditation.’ ‘Words’ describes the feelings that the psalmist is able to articulate whereas ‘meditation’ (sighing or groaning) points to distress so profound that it cannot be expressed coherently in words. The psalmist is confident that the Lord understands and responds not only to what can be put into words but also to unspoken turmoil and burdens that can only be felt.

In v.2 David’s prayer becomes even more intense when he addresses YHWH as ‘my God’ and ‘my King.’ David was king of Israel but he recognised the fact that YHWH was his king; the one who had the right to govern and rule his life. The idea of YHWH as king may be traced back as far as the Song of Moses which ends with ‘The Lord shall reign forever and ever’ (Exod 15:18). ‘My God’ intimates that David was in a close covenant relation ship with the Lord. The verse ends with the assertion that he prays exclusively to YHWH; he does not worship other gods as well.

Like Psalm 3 this is a morning psalm (cf. 143:8) because that is when David says he prays to the Lord. The repetition of ‘morning’ may suggest priority; David consciously seeks God in advance of the decisions, conflicts, or temptations that he would experience during the day. ‘Direct’ means to arrange or set in order – thus David’s prayer was not an afterthought, he was was disciplined and consistent – unlike some of us who are rather haphazard as regards prayer. ‘Look up’ means to watch. Perhaps ‘look out’ would also be an appropriate translation. Confident that YHWH hears his prayer David eagerly awaits the answer. Jesus said: And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. Matthew 21:22

  • The task – ‘I will pray’
  • The time – ‘in the morning
  • The tranquillity – ‘I will look up’

Ralph Spaulding Cushman (1945, pp. 84-85) wrote a little poem called THE SECRET on this theme:

I met God in the morning,
When my day was at its best
And His presence came like sunrise,
Like a glory in my breast.

All day long the Presence lingered;
All day long He stayed with me;
And we sailed in perfect calmness
O’er a very troubled sea.

Other ships were blown and battered,
Other ships were sore distressed,
But the winds that seemed to drive them
Brought to us a peace and rest.

Then I thought of other mornings,
With a keen remorse of mind.
When I too had loosed the moorings
With the Presence left behind.

So, I think I know the secret,
Learned from many a troubled way;
You must seek Him in the morning
If you want Him through the day.

CONDEMNATION OF THE WICKED (4-6)

For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee. –God’s holiness
The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity. – God’s hatred
Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the LORD will abhor the bloody and deceitful man. – God’s harshness

‘For’ introduces the reason for David’s confidence in prayer; it is based on the certainty that YHWH is holy. YHWH’s rejection of the wicked and their evil deeds is expressed in a series of six statements; three negative and three positive:

  • thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness – YHWH is not a God who enjoys wickedness.
  • evil shall not dwell with thee – YHWH does not share space with evil.
  • the foolish shall not stand in thy sight – ‘the arrogant’ or ‘boasters’ will not have a place of honour in God’s presence.
  • thou hatest all workers of iniquity. – (cf. Luke 13:27)
  • thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing – liars
  • the LORD will abhor the bloody and deceitful man – lit. ‘man of bloods’ plural – bloodshed or murder.

Botha (2018, p.4) comments: ‘There is progression from the first set of three statements to the second set, because to not associate with certain people develops into descriptions of Yahweh’s positively ‘hating’, ‘destroying’ and ‘abhorring’ this class of characters.’

The psalmist does not directly claim to be righteous but by praising God’s holiness and judgement upon the wicked he identifies himself as one of the righteous.

WORSHIP (7-8)

But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple.
Lead me, O LORD, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face.

In strong contrast to the wicked who cannot stand in YHWH’s sight the psalmist intends to enter YHWH’s ‘house’ and with reverence bow down towards ‘ thy holy temple.’ Though innocent, he recognises that it is only on the basis of YHWH’s great mercy (hesed – steadfast love) that he will have the privilege of doing so (cf. Psa 15; 24:3-6). Critical scholars assert that ‘temple’ refers specifically to Solomon’s temple and use this verse to deny Davidic authorship of Psalm 5. Smith (2006) discusses this in his useful article Could David Have Written Psalm 5? – which may be read online – and shows (2006, p.79) that ‘even after the construction of the temple, the chronicler used the word “house” to describe the tabernacle of David. Thus there is no reason why David himself could not have referred to the Zion tabernacle as “your house” (Psa 5:7).’

David asks YHWH to lead him in the right way so that he can avoid the snares of his adversaries. ‘Thy way’ is the way in which YHWH would have him go and David asks that it will be ‘straight’ – safe and morally pure. David laments the presence of his enemies but does not tell us who they are or what, if anything, they have done to him. Has he literally been verbally threatened or physically attacked by people who are in rebellion against YHWH (v.10) or does he just automatically regard anyone who displays evil characteristics as his enemy?

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE WICKED (9-10)

For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue.
Destroy thou them, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions; for they have rebelled against thee.

Having already implied (vv.4-6) that his enemies are wicked, boastful, evildoers, liars, bloodthirsty and deceitful the psalmist describes them in more detail and asks that they be punished for their rebellion against YHWH. He says that:

  • there is no faithfulness in their mouth – they are dishonest.
  • their inward part is very wickedness – they are inwardly corrupt.
  • their throat is an open sepulchre – ready to swallow prey, their words kill, they threaten the lives of others. This is quoted in Rom 3:13 as proof of the total depravity of sinners.
  • they flatter with their tongue – they are smooth talkers.

Their rebellion against YHWH is displayed by their words and deeds. The psalmist therefore petitions God:

  • destroy thou them – pronounce them guilty, hold them accountable, punish them.
  • let them fall by their own counsels – be brought to ruin by their own devices.
  • cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions – drive out the evildoers because of their crimes.

DIVINE BLESSING OF THE RIGHTEOUS (11-12)

But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.
For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.

In contrast to the punishment of the wicked, those who put their trust in God will experience his protection and experience ongoing (‘ever’) joy. Their delight will not be in their improved circumstances but in YHWH himself – let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee. To love the Lord’s name is to love his character and reputation. The psalm closes with an assurance that the Lord will bless the righteous and that they will be encircled by his shield of goodwill. Those who trust, worship and walk in God’s ways will live under his protection.

Contrasts:

  • The speech of the wicked is deadly (v.9) but the righteous shout for joy (v.11).
  • The wicked fall by the very plans they devise (v.10) but the righteous take refuge (‘put their trust’) in the Lord (v.11).
  • God banishes the wicked (v.10) but shelters (‘defendest’) the righteous (v.11).

SUMMATION

Psalm 5 is a morning prayer by King David. It is a lament in which David expresses his pain and frustration with the wicked and his desire for God’s justice and protection. It is also, however, a psalm of trust and confidence, in which he affirms his faith in God’s goodness and mercy. He draws a vivid contrast between the godly and the ungodly: the righteous can approach God’s presence, while the wicked – boasters, liars, bloodthirsty men – cannot stand before him. Thus David emphasises God’s intolerance of sin. While condemning the wicked, David declares his confidence that God’s steadfast love will let him worship in the temple and that the Lord will lead him along a righteous path.

The theme of the closing verses is deliverance: the Lord will shelter and bless those who take refuge in him, surrounding them with favour like a shield. What began as lament transforms into praise: encouraging believers to celebrate YHWH’s defence of his people, shout or sing for joy, and trust God for deliverance. The psalm thus serves as a model for daily dependence on the Lord and a reminder that divine protection and deliverance are assured for those who put their trust in God.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

BOOKS

Cushman, R.S. 1945. Hilltop Verses and Prayers.  Abingdon-Cokesbury Press, New York

‌JOURNAL ARTICLES

Auffret, P., 1995. ‘Conduis-Moi Dans Ta Justice!’: Étude Structurelle du Psaume 5. Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society, Vol. 23

Barus, A., 2020. Allah Mendengar Seruan dan Tempat Berlindung: Penelitian Puitis Mazmur 5. Jurnal Amanat Agung, Vol. 15, No. 2, pp. 202–234.

Botha, P. J., 2018. Psalm 5 and the polarity between those who may stand before Yahweh and those who may not. HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies, Vol. 74, No. 1., pp.1-7

ELECTRONIC RESOURCES

Smith, K. 2006. Could David Have Written Psalm 5? [online] Available at: https://www.biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/conspectus/vol02/smith_psalm-5.pdf [Accessed 13 Feb. 2026].