To make this a bit more relatable, consider the external context of this Psalm. This is the last Psalm in a series of three (3,4,5) that occur within the events surrounding Absalom’s usurping of his father David’s throne. David has been betrayed not only by his son Absalom, but by one of his closest advisors and confidants, Ahithophel (Bathsheba’s grandfather).

Read on or watch the video to see what I received from this Psalm. I hope it speaks to you at some level as well.

Here is the video link:

Psalm 5:7-12

The audio links are to the right (Spotify and iTunes) and the transcript used to record this podcast is below.

5:7-12 Contrasting God’s People and God’s Enemies

7 But I, by your great love,
    can come into your house;
in reverence I bow down
    toward your holy temple.

The Psalmist (and by extension, me) can come into the house of God. I see this as a picture of my conversion. Why can I come into God’s House i.e. be converted? Because of His great love. God’s mercy and love are the path into His presence. The believer’s reciprocation to this mercy and love extended to him by God is reverence and worship. This is opposed to the condition of the unbelieving enemies of God. The opening word “But” is there to contrast this situation from the one previous.

8 Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness
    because of my enemies—
    make your way straight before me. (Think John 1:23, Isaiah 40:3)

I have read that Psalms 3,4, and 5 have, as their backdrop, the problems between David and Absalom, where Absalom – over a period of approximately 4 years – worked to betray David, luring some of David’s inner circle to his cause of usurping the throne from his father. David is betrayed from within and without. In light of that, I can understand the motivation behind the upcoming verse 9: 

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.

and can clearly see David being reminded of the betrayal of not just Absalom, but of a member of his inner council, as seen in 2 Samuel chapter 15:

“While Absalom was offering sacrifices, he also sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, to come from Giloh, his hometown. And so the conspiracy gained strength…”

As we read the story of David as found in 2 Samuel, one of the major events is David’s treatment of Bathsheba and her husband. David, in effect, murders Bathsheba’s husband and marries Bathsheba, as she was pregnant with David’s child. Bathsheba’s grandfather was Ahithophel. I have no problem believing that Ahithophel would want retribution for what David had done to his granddaughter and his granddaughter’s husband, by all accounts an honorable man. As Bathsheba’s grandfather and one of David’s inner circle of advisors, Ahithophel’s defection to Absalom must have hit David particularly hard. With the defection of Ahithophel, Absalom gained an ally that knew David intimately, and this information would give Absalom a great deal of power. With that as a backdrop, read verse 9 again, and see that David is in shock, realizing that this valued and trusted counselor – Ahithophel – not to mention a member of Bathsheba’s extended family – knew his innermost secrets, and knew David’s strategies militarily. In his anger, I can see David coming before God saying:

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.

 I can alter this a bit and see David saying:

Not a word from Ahithophel’s mouth can be trusted;
    his heart is filled with malice (due to his anger of how his granddaughter was treated).
Ahithophel’s throat is an open grave;
    with his tongue he has done nothing but tell lies.

Have you ever been betrayed by someone you thought was a confidant? By someone with whom you shared your most intimate  thoughts? By a family member, who outwardly showed allegiance, but who deserted you at the most inopportune time? That’s the story of David and Ahithophel.

The wicked would want us to trust them. We must not. The foundation for any counsel they might offer up is malice. The ultimate display of their wickedness is their ability to deceive. Their voice offers death, not life… deception. With their slippery tongues i.e. their ability to deceive with words, they sow discord, hatred, and death. And the pain of their betrayal is multiplied when they are  – or were – trusted enough to have been in your “inner circle”.

10 Declare them guilty, O God!
    Let their intrigues be their downfall.
Banish them for their many sins,
    for they have rebelled against you.

Yes, Absalom and Ahithophel rebelled against David. But David also recognizes that as God chose David to be King, this rebellion is ultimately against God. Though Absalom and Ahithophel (and all involved with the uprising) are of the covenant family, David is asking God to banish them. They have proven, by their actions, that their inclusion in the covenant family of Israel is a false claim. There are many who claim membership in God’s family, but in truth are not. We see that in the 1st century church as well as in our churches today. Not everybody who shows up at Church on Sunday is a part of the covenant family… they may look like it, but they are not. The ultimate sign of membership in God’s community is a relationship with God resulting in Godly behavior. By their behaviour, Ahithophel and Absalom have demonstrated they are not acquainted with David’s God, and should be banished.

Within that context, as David is fleeing Jerusalem, read verses 11 and 12.

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.

As David flees Jerusalem into an uncertain future, he asks his God to provide protection and favor. This isn’t a metaphor when David says  

But let all who take refuge in you be glad;

David needs refuge. David needs protection. David needs the shield of God’s protection.

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

Though David includes himself when he says “..You bless the righteous…” this is not David saying he is without fault. I have no doubt David is full of self-recrimination as he is realizing his sin in all of this. He is referring to his “right-standing” before God. which is due to God’s nature, not David’s.  Which takes us back to verse 7:

7 But I, by your great love,
    can come into your house;
in reverence I bow down
    toward your holy temple.

David relies on God’s mercy and great love for whatever solution God is going to bring to the current situation, which may or may not include David’s re-gaining the throne. David’s righteousness i.e. his “right-standing” before God will be the key to David’s deliverance. David’s returning to God when confronted with his own sin and relying on God’s mercy is a characteristic of the truly converted. David is SO not perfect, and he is not without responsibility in this situation. His only salvation lies with God.

Blessings,

Paige