One thing I believe that is common in the church is that we are a people who easily confess a number of things to be true, and yet, if pressed, are often not sure why we think these things are true. So, we have a number of clichés we use to comfort ourselves and others, and yet in those dark times when life is really difficult, we probably find them to be of little comfort if we do not know why we believe this word or thought to be true. And so we are crushed and oftentimes driven away from the church, thinking we’ve deceived, when the reality is that we simply haven’t been taught.

One of these things we often comfort ourselves with is the nature of God toward us concerning our prayers. By that, I mean specifically that we comfort ourselves with the reminder that God hears us when we pray. But could it be that in those dark times of life this is something you’ve questioned, found no answers within yourself, and been left to wonder if it is really true? Could it be that the word of comfort you’ve attempted to give to others has been of no comfort to you because you question if it is really true?

If so, then I think that Psalm 5 will be a help to us this morning. It, not unlike many other psalms, is a psalm about God, his nature, and his ways. Yes, it is a prayer from David, but it reveals far more about God than it does David. And that is a good thing for us, for David is not around but our God is the same today as he was then. Therefore, this psalm is helpful for us in teaching us about our God. And I think as we learn about him in this psalm it will be comforting for those of who are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.

We don’t know when or under what circumstances the psalm was written, and that’s probably a good thing. It’s a good thing because if we knew we might be tempted to say that God only responds to us in this way when we’re in circumstances exactly like those in which David finds himself. But it is general, possibly intentionally, so that we might know how God responds to him people in all circumstances. So, with that said, what does this psalm teach us about God.

He is a God who hears (1-3)

First, the psalm teaches us that our God is a God who hears. David opens the psalm writing in verses 1-3, “Give ear to my words, O Lord; consider my groaning. Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray. O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.” As he begins writing the psalm, David asks God to hear what he is saying and what he feels, what is unutterable. Then, again, he asks that he would hear his cry, but this time he notes that God is his King and his God, to whom he is praying. This is not simply the God and King, but David’s God and David’s King.

One of my greatest pleasures is being a member of CCC. It is because I am amazed at you and you have covenanted to be committed to me. It seems like both of those things shouldn’t be, as if it’s too good to be true. Maybe, in our pessimistic thinking, we’re accustomed to admiring someone from a distance or being committed to by those who are all too much like ourselves. The church, however, is different. Here are these people, and yet they are committed to me. It is that way with God. David acknowledges that the Lord is God and King and that he is his God and his King. He is both great and committed to David. Therefore, David prays to him in the morning and knows that his God and King indeed does what he has asked for in verses 1-2, namely, he hears his voice as he worships God and watches for his response.

Some of us are quick to picture God differently than he is. We are people for whom it would be easy to accept the thoughts that God is not interested in us, does not think our lives and struggles important, and is not committed to us while these thoughts are utterly unbiblical. And we are people who struggle to accept that God is committed to us, will not swerve in his commitment to us, loves us, delights in us, and considers our lives to be of such great importance that he knows the number of hairs on our heads, while these are completely biblical thoughts.

Brothers and sisters, God hears us when we pray. When you speak of your situation, your needs, your requests, God hears you. And it is not because you’ve done enough to deserve his ear but because he has committed himself to you. Therefore, let us not flatter ourselves into thinking we can change the commitment of God, but rather trust that he hears us and delights in us as we pray. Our prayers are not bothersome to him. We may feel the need to ask God to hear, even as David does, but in the end we can profess that God most definitely has heard us, even as David does. Therefore, entrust yourself to one who cares for you more than any in your life. Consider that he who you think loves you most is evil, while God is indeed God. He hears us when we pray.

But why does David know that God hears him, and why can we know that God hears us? David gives us the answer in verses 4-8, namely, because God is one whose character is consistent.

He is a God of consistent character (vv. 4-8)

That is to say, God is no loose canon. It’s not as if he is simply unpredictable, so we cannot see a consistent nature in him. No, his ways are consistent. David names two aspects of God’s character. First, in verses 4-6, he notes that God is a just God.

He is a God who is just and righteous (4-6)

David knows that God hears him because David knows the character of God. We see this first of all in vv. 4-6. There he acknowledges that God is a just God. He notes that he is a God who does not delight in wickedness and will have nothing to do with evil. Centuries later, John would write something quite similar, writing, “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). Evil simply cannot dwell with God, for he is holy and just. And the only right response of a judge to one who has committed evil is to judge him. Therefore, David continues, “The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers” (v. 5).

What kind of judge would we have should we bring before him a man who has proudly committed rape and murder should that judge stand up and give an emotional discourse on how much he hates rape and murder that expresses exactly what we feel, only to then say to the one responsible for these crimes, “Okay, justice has been met, you can go now”? We would declare him unjust, would we not? For one cannot claim to be just simply in judging the works of evil themselves but not the one responsible for the evil done. Thus, God, as a just judge, commits his holy wrath and hatred toward evildoers because evil cannot dwell with him. And his judgment is no mere threat, but rather the psalmist declares, “You destroy those who speak lies; the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man” (v. 6).

But why does David speak of this after crying out for the Lord to hear him and noting that he indeed does in the first three verses? I have no doubt it would be quite a surprise if in conversation I were to say to you, “Please hear what I’m about to say. It is important to me. I’m really struggling. … You hate those who do evil!” It would seem a bit out of place. So why is the psalmist noting this here?

Our only conclusion is that David knows he is not among these men. David is saying, “I know you want nothing to do with evildoers and will judge them. That’s why I’ve asked you to hear me and am confident that you will – because I’m not one of them. I’m not the evildoer!” Rather, David is one who has tasted the Lord’s mercy. We see this in verses 7-8 as David again points us to the character of God in nothing that God is a gracious and merciful God.

He is a God who is gracious and merciful (7-8)

He writes about himself in contrast to the evildoers, “But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house. I will bow down toward your holy temple in the fear of you. Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me” (vv. 7-8). In contrast to those who cannot dwell in God’s presence and must be judged by him, David will enter the Lord’s house and bow down in his presence, continuing to acknowledge God’s holiness, as he bows down in fear of him. And he will now voice his request to God to show him what he needs to do in this time when his enemies are against him.

But why is David so confident that he can know God’s favor and enter his presence? It is because he knows God’s love, mercy, and grace. He does not simply say that he will enter God’s house, but that he will enter God’s house “though the abundance of your steadfast love” (v. 7). He knows that God has chosen to show mercy and grace to those who belong to him. And he knows that God is faithful toward his own, not turning back from the covenant he has made with David.

It wasn’t as if David speaks verses 4-6, forgetting he has indeed sinned – grossly sinned. What is different for him, however, is that he has placed his trust in the God who mercifully declared to Abraham that his faith was credited to him as righteousness. Therefore, David knows God mercifully has declared him righteous and will justly deal with him as one who is righteous.

Therefore, bringing this altogether for ourselves, David trusts that God hears him because he is a just and holy God and a merciful and gracious God. Now, in our minds, God’s justice and mercy seem to be completely opposed. We might say, “Yes, if God were only merciful I would not doubt he hears me, but I am afraid he will not listen because I know he’s just.” However, I would contend that mercy and justice and both necessary together if we are to have confidence that God hears us as his children.

First, it is only by God’s mercy that he ever sent his Son to die for us. He could have simply decided that he would let us all suffer his eternal wrath because of our sins. However, because he is a merciful God, he sent his Son to die for our sins and to rise from the dead so that our sins might be atoned for and we might be declared righteous before him. And at the same time, God did not fudge on justice. Jesus died because the penalty for our sin had to be paid, and it required the shedding of blood – the very blood of Jesus.

“But,” we might ask, “how do we know that God’s mercy might not run out? How do we know that God won’t decide to begin charging our sin to our account again so that we again fall under his dissatisfied eye and wrath?” It is because God is a just judge. It is because he, who judges evildoers, has judged us in his Son, and our penalty has been paid. Therefore, were God to now decide to let the weight of our sin again stand against us it would be an unjust action. It would amount to God deciding he will ignore the just payment that Christ has made on our behalf. This is why John writes in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

We can speak to God because he has shown himself merciful and we can trust he will never turn his ear away because he is a just God. David cries out for the Lord to hear him, knowing he will, for he is a just and merciful God. Then, David gives us more of God’s nature, namely, that God does not overlook our response to him.

He is a God who does not overlook our response to him (vv. 9-12)

He punishes those who rebel against him (9-10)

David writes in verses 9-10 again of the evildoers, of those who are his enemies, “For there is no truth in their mouth; their inmost self is destruction; their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongue. Make them bear their guilt, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out, for they have rebelled against you.” In these verses the Lord’s anointed king cries out for God to bring justice on his enemies. He points out that they speak lies, destruction is their desire, their words are meant to bring about death, and they speak positively about others merely for flattery. They are utterly wicked. Therefore, the anointed king cries out for a just response to God. He cries out for God to allow them to bear their guilt, receive the very things they desire for others, and be struck down. And he notes that he cries out for this for their rebellion is rebellion not chiefly against him (against David), but “they have rebelled against you” (against God).

David is comforted because he knows that God will respond to his enemies one day. God does not simply glance over the abuse directed toward his children. David knows that vengeance is the Lord’s and a man will reap what he has sown. He knows God will judge those who are evil. But again, why would this be a comfort to David? Again, it must be because he knows his response to the Lord has not been to reject him as his Lord but to place his faith in him. And that is indeed what we find in verses 11-12. God is one who punishes those who rebel against him and one who protects and provides for those who trust in him.

He protects and provides for those who trust in him (11-12)

David ends the psalm declaring that God protects and provides for those who trust in him. He writes, “But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you. For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover him with favor as with a shield” (vv. 11-12).

Now, you’ll notice that in these last two verses David moves from speaking simply about himself to “all who take refuge” in God. He wants them to rejoice and sing for joy. He wants all who love God to exult in him, as he spreads his protection over them. For he declares that God blesses and righteous and covers them with his favor as a shield.

As surely as God punishes the wicked who rebel against him, he blesses the righteous, those who love him and trust in him. He cares for them, protects them, provides for them, and allows them to rejoice in him. Now, we shouldn’t take this to mean that God gives us the everything we desire anymore than we would expect a loving parent to give a child candy all the time simply because the child wanted it. But we should expect God to give us what we need, and he does. He protects us from the captivity of the evil one that once enslaved us, will ultimately protect us from eternal death, and in the meanwhile will care for us, only allowing those things into our lives which will be used to conform us to the image of Christ.

A word of warning of comfort?

Therefore, David declares that God will hear him, that God’s character is consistent, and that he does not overlook our response to him. So, the question might be asked, “Is this a psalm of comfort or of warning?” And the answer is both. It actually depends on who is asking. For those who have not placed their faith in Christ, this psalm is a serious warning.

To the non-Christian today this psalm is a reminder to you that God is a just judge. He will not allow you to go unpunished anymore than a just judge would allow a rapist and murderer to go unpunished. Rather, on that great day of judgment that is coming and is inescapable, God will cast those who have not placed their faith in him into the lake of fire, which is called hell. You will know his wrath even as David tells that God abhors those who remain in their sin.

And lest you think, “Well, I’m not really bad. I’m certainly not like those about whom David talks about in verses 9-10,” Paul uses that very text in Romans 3 to describe all men, showing that every man is under the power of sin who has not placed his faith in Jesus Christ.

Therefore, to you, non-Christian, this text is a warning. It is a warning that God will justly judge and his full wrath will be against those who are not his on judgment day. But the good news is that you can be reconciled to him. It’s as if you are an enemy soldier, and the tanks to destroy the enemy are rolling in behind us. And I don’t know how long they will tarry. But I do know they’re coming to destroy the enemy. And so even in that illustration, “I tell you now. Don’t die. Don’t continue to rebel. Please, be reconciled to God so that you might not fall under his judgment. For his judgment is sure. Yet, he has sent his Son to pay your penalty, by allowing him to die on the cross and by raising him from the dead, if you will only turn from your sins and believe. Therefore, please, place your faith in Christ, turning from your sins, and following him as your Lord, and you will be spared. In fact, you will be the object of his eternal blessing.”

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:20-21, “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” I implore you, on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. Let this text sufficiently warn you. It is indeed a warning.

And, yet, to the Christian this psalm is a word of comfort. It is a reminder to you today that God indeed hears you. As you’ve cried out to God, he has not and will not turn a deaf ear to you. He would not because he has mercifully decided to delight in you and is just so that he will never turn away from you since Christ has paid your penalty. And he will not overlook your response to him. He sees your desire to serve him, to follow him, and he will protect you and provide for you. For you are his. He has declared you to be righteous because of Christ and therefore in Christ you are a just object of his love. He does not ignore you, for he has purchased you with the blood of his Son. God character is consistent and he does not overlook our response to him. Therefore, today, as you trust him, let your requests be known to God and delight in the fact, like David that God hears us, loves us, and cares for us. We can trust him. Do we need any other reminder than that which we are reminded of as we come to the table? Amen.

THE GOD WHO HEARS