Please open your Bible to Psalm 5, a Psalm of David, to the choir master for the flutes.
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'll hear my voice.
In the morning I'll prepare the sacrifice for you and watch.
For you are not the God who delights in wickedness.
Evil may not dwell with you.
The boastful shall not stand before your eyes.
You hate all evildoers.
You destroy those who speak lies.
The Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful men.
But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house.
I will bow down toward your holy temple in the field of you.
Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies.
Make your way straight before me.
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.
But that 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 exalt in you.
For you bless the righteous, O Lord.
You cover him with favour as with a shield.
Having a proper perspective is so important.
If we're going to form a conclusion, if we're going to set a course of action,
in pretty well any aspect of life, having a proper perspective is critical.
Now, it doesn't matter how much we think about that.
We will always have some sort of perspective in anything we do.
It will either be a good perspective or it will be a narrow, distorted perspective.
But we will have one.
Every time we set a course of action and make a formal conclusion.
Having a good perspective or a good point of view
means having all the relevant factors included.
Rightly integrated and properly balanced.
As we make a conclusion.
But far too often we have a distorted or narrow perspective
on things that we're thinking about or acting on.
And too often that's because we just go on what we see.
And that means that other critical factors
that may not be apparent aren't actually included.
And so our perspective is actually distorted or imbalanced.
Sometimes really unhelpfully so.
For example, this week, courtesy of the Essendon Football Club,
I suspect that all Christians like me have just felt the awfulness
of yet another public attack, public slanging of Christians.
Once again, we've just had to sit and listen
as Christianity is just branded as bigoted, even evil.
Treated unjustly.
Christians being silenced unfairly.
Without even regard for the truth.
And it seems that, as we listen in,
it seems that this whole notion that's paraded all the time,
inclusivity, tolerance, respect,
it seems like that's on offer to any set of beliefs,
any lifestyle, except Christians.
Now, from there, you see, it would be really easy to form the perspective
that God has been squeezed out of our society.
That God is no longer relevant to our society.
And that the Christian gospel has been defeated
and is powerless in our society.
But you see, that would be a really narrow, distorted perspective.
Why?
Because it doesn't take into account what God says in his word
and who God is in his world.
And then we can develop that example.
And if you're like me, sometimes when you feel excluded from our society,
it sort of pushes us to the other extreme
and a very different point of engagement
when we actually wish we could be involved in our world and accepted.
And then we start to think,
well, actually, our world and our culture
look so appealing at points, so inviting.
And we bounce from something like that Essendon saga
to actually this overcorrection
of just wanting to be part of our world,
be accepted,
be welcomed into it.
It looks so appealing.
It looks so satisfying.
Yet, we have to bear in mind
that the Lord says to us,
be in the world, but not of it.
Why?
Because the good life
of fullness and satisfaction
is sourced in relationship with him.
And we will never find it in the world.
That's what Jesus tells us.
And then he says,
well, I don't want you to be of the world,
but I do want you to be in and of the church.
Because as people who are new in Christ,
new in me,
then I want you to be fellowshiped
with people in a community,
the resurrection community,
where fullness of life is known
and enjoyed
and modelled to a lost world.
So there we have it.
In the world, but not of it.
In the church and in it.
But you see,
that's a hard perspective to balance,
isn't it?
To keep as well.
Because then we start to think,
well, actually,
hmm,
the church just doesn't seem
to be able to compete
with the allure
of our world.
And then we think,
well,
what about all the hurts
that I've experienced
in the church
due to the sinful actions of others
or due to my own omissions?
And again,
you see,
from there,
how easily would it be
to form a distorted perspective
which leads us away
from engaging in the church
and fellowshipping
with other Christians
while leading us ever more
into engagement
with the world?
But again,
that would be a very
distorted,
narrow perspective.
Friends,
the message of Psalm 5,
I believe,
is about King David's
godly perspective
in time of suffering
and attack.
Time when we're being
treated unfairly,
when we're suffering
injustice
or just generally suffering
as we seek to live
faithfully for the Lord
in this broken world
among rebellious people.
It brings just a level
of suffering
just doing that.
Now,
some commentators
are convinced
that this psalm
was written
for congregational use
and so it sort of
looks at suffering
from a more generalized
level
as opposed to
Psalm 3 and 4
that we looked at
over the last two weeks
where it's been
a very personal reflection
from King David
on a very personal
issue and situation.
Regardless of that,
I think it's a model
of how God's people
are to handle
the normal attacks
that comes to them
as God's people.
In other words,
it's a godly perspective
and one that we need
to take on board,
I think,
as our world develops
in the way it's doing
at the moment.
I want to make
three or four points.
The first one is
that David's
personal powerlessness
pushes him to rest
in God's powerfulness.
Look at picking up
the first three verses there.
Now,
the context of the psalm
is King David's
daily struggle
to rule God's people
and nurture righteousness
or behavior
which is pleasing
to the Lord
given the unruly hearts
of his people
and given their natural
inclination
to wickedness
which in the Bible
is simply
anything lived,
any life lived
in rebellion
against God.
That's wickedness.
It doesn't have to be
as evil
as it possibly can be.
It just means
a general orientation
is called wickedness.
A natural born orientation
to rebel against
God's authority,
to seek autonomy,
to live without
reference to God's word.
Now,
that's the struggle
David has each day
trying to subdue
the unruly hearts
of God's people.
And against this,
we see King David's
primary weapon
of response
is the weapon
of prayer.
And we see there
in verse 3 particularly,
verses 2 and 3 especially,
but his daily routine
begins
with David
talking to
the Lord.
Now,
we need to remember
that this is a king
of a large nation.
His day would have been
incredibly busy,
long,
pressured.
Every morning
so many officials
would be coming to him
each day
seeking advice,
reporting on issues.
But David,
if I can use the word
of Martin Luther,
says that,
you know,
he's too busy
not to pray.
And he's confident
of God's
answering of that prayer.
If you look at verse 3,
that last sentence
in verse 3,
in the morning
I prepare a sacrifice,
that's
a particular interpretation
of the Hebrew word,
which might actually
be a little bit more general,
although it's in the same line,
I prepare a sacrifice
is more likely to be,
look,
I set out in order
the various demands
and pressure points
of my day
and I take them
to the Lord in prayer.
And having done that,
then I wait confidently
for the Lord's guidance,
the Lord's answer.
And if you look at verse 2,
we see an even nicer context
because this is King David,
a very powerful man,
but he recognizes
that in all his power,
he's powerless.
And so,
he comes before
the greater king,
Yahweh,
who is the covenant-keeping God,
and the judge
of the whole earth,
of whom David
is but a servant.
And verse 1,
then,
that explains
his urgency,
his passion
in prayer.
David's expressing
the deep feelings
of his heart,
his mind.
Nothing of a mindless
habit here,
but the specific,
ordered,
daily committing
of his day
to the Lord.
So,
what can we say?
Well,
ultimately,
David's prayer
is simply spreading
out his helplessness
before the Lord.
He knows
that in spite
of all his power
as a king,
and that was
substantial power,
he is powerless
to do the thing
that he most wants
to do
and needs to do
as God's king,
and that is,
subdue the unruly
hearts
of God's people.
And he knows
that opposition
to him
as God's
appointed king
is only a symptom
of a much bigger battle,
a much bigger rebellion,
a much deeper
unruliness
in the hearts
of God's people,
and that is
their rebellion
ultimately
against God's rule,
their desire
for autonomy.
And so,
the first perspective
is here
that David
in the situation
of suffering
is doing
what he can do
as God's servant.
He can pray.
He can wait
on the Lord.
He can worship.
He can rest
in the Lord.
He can trust
the Lord.
So David
does what he can do,
and then behind
that prayer
we see that
he's really
looking to the Lord
to do what
only the Lord
can do.
as the true
effective king
and ruler
of his world
and his people.
And so,
there's a real calm
in David
we sense
at the beginning
of every day
that allows him
to get into his day
with
consummate
confidence.
Because every day,
David experiences
the opposition
and sinful behavior
of his people.
But in a sense,
I think we could say
here that David,
as he prays,
pictures himself
in God's courtroom
where the great king,
the great judge
of the whole earth,
has it all
under his control
and is doing
what he wants to do,
as he wants to do it,
with whom he wants
to do it.
So David,
as he prays,
is in a sense
observing
the outworking
of God's character.
And so that's
where he's moving
to look
in face
of his own
personal inconstancy
to God's constancy.
David's world's turmoil.
But as he sees himself
in God's courtroom,
as it were,
he sees calm
and order
and control.
Verses 46,
David is confident
that God's judgment,
justice rather,
will be measured out
to the wicked.
And the wicked,
I say,
are those who rebel
against God's authority
and pursue autonomy
in this world,
in life.
Verse 4,
for you're not a God
who delights
in wickedness.
Evil may not dwell
with you.
The boastful
shall not stand
before your eyes.
They're all terms
of relationship
and presence
and intimacy,
aren't they?
You hate all evildoers.
You destroy those
who speak lies.
The Lord abhords
the bloodthirsty
and deceitful man.
David's perspective
is,
as he engages
with God's character,
that all sinfulness,
all rebellion
will be exposed
and it will be exposed
simply because
it's measured
against God's
righteous character.
Rebellious hearts,
rebellious character,
overflow
into sinful,
rebellious actions.
And we pick up
on those verses
and so often
those sinful actions
are defended
and applauded
in our world.
But they don't sneak
through unnoticed
by the Lord.
They're roundly exposed
and condemned,
every one of them.
And the consequence
of that
is just enormous.
They will never
dwell with God.
Now there's a perspective
for you,
isn't it?
They will never
dwell with God.
Devastating consequence
of rebellion
and autonomy.
Something that
in this world
looks quite attractive,
looks quite appealing,
quite satisfying.
And there we have
that important
ingredient
that we need
to have
in our perspective.
They shall never
dwell with God.
the good life
that this world
offers us,
in inverted commas,
proves to be
an absolute illusion,
deception,
when it's set
alongside
the righteous
character of God.
God's mercy.
And ultimately,
it will be
destroyed.
Why?
Because they do
not fear
the Lord.
Equally true,
verse 7,
equally true,
David is confident
that God's mercy
will be gifted
to those who
live under
his rule.
And I think
when David says
in verse 7,
but I,
that's not a
statement of arrogance.
That's a statement
of wonderful
appreciation
of God's grace,
as you'll see
when you read
the rest of the verse.
But I,
through the abundance
of your steadfast love,
will enter your house.
I will dwell with you.
Why?
Not because I'm
any better,
a whit better,
than all the rest
of my people,
but because
I've experienced
the benefits
of your steadfast love,
your grace,
your mercy.
And that could only
have been a gift
to David
because he didn't
deserve it.
And so David,
as he moves forward
in his prayer,
is very much aware
of his own
sinful heart
provoking him
to rebel
against the Lord
likewise.
And he's very much
aware that he also
deserves condemnation
when he's measured
against God's
righteousness.
Except
for God's grace
and God's
unchanging
covenant love
in his life.
King David
enjoys fellowship
with God
not because
he is different
at heart
from the rest
of his people,
but because
God has determined
to love him
and has invited him
into everlasting
relationship with him.
Which changes
David's orientation,
changes his status,
changes his attitudes,
and changes his confidence.
Changes everything
in respect of himself,
in respect of his
understanding
and appreciation
of God,
and in respect
of his role
as God's king
in his daily
circumstances.
And again,
it's a wonderful
perspective
that David's
in the midst
of suffering.
He doesn't know
from one day
to the next
whether he will
make it through
the day.
He has so many enemies,
so many who wish him
dead.
But here's a perspective
that allows
King David
to get on
with his day
regardless of
whether he might
lose his life
in this world
at the hands
of those
who oppose him.
He has confidence
that he will dwell
with the Lord.
He will be
personally
and intimately
ensconced
in God's
actual own
personal house
as it were.
That's how
confident,
how personal
and secure
and warm
and rich
that picture is.
And again,
the perspective
is in total
contrast.
So David,
in total
contrast to
those who
seem to have
life worked
out in this
world
apart from
God,
but David
will be the
one who's
under the
pump.
He will be
the one who
has,
he is the
one who
has the
indestructible
home,
security
and identity
with the
Lord.
And verse
eight then
is an
interesting
little
addition
which I've
pondered for
quite some
time this
week,
and I've
put it
down the
way it
is here.
I think
David now
looks to
the Lord
to coach
him in
righteousness.
I'm not
sure whether
that's the
right word,
I've tried
lots of
different
words,
so forgive
me if
that's
a jars
with you,
but let
me try
and explain
it to you.
David,
I think,
looks to
the Lord
to coach
him in
righteousness.
See,
here's the
problem.
When David
understands that
in contrast to
the wicked,
he has a
place secured
for him in
God's dwelling.
It can
easily turn
into a
perspective of
arrogance,
a sense of
superiority
that I,
in contrast to
everybody else,
have a place to
dwell in the
Lord's house.
But it's not
like that for
David, it
doesn't result in
that for David.
No arrogance,
no sense of
security,
quite the
opposite.
in response
to God's
righteous
character,
David's
concern,
therefore,
is with his
own attitudes,
his own
actions,
way before
he's got any
concern for
the wickedness
of his
enemies.
It's as if
this thought
he's had in
verse 7
just flows
over him
and makes
him so
aware of
the privilege
he has
under God's
love that
his first
and only
concern
really at
that
moment
is his
own
attitudes,
his own
actions.
And so he
asks the
Lord to
coach him
in
righteousness
lest his
own
lifetime,
his own
actions,
give
opportunity
for his
enemies to
mock the
Lord.
And again,
you see,
I think that
highlights David's
total dependence
upon the
Lord.
Lord, even
in his
position of
security,
he's
recognizing,
perhaps
memorizing,
remembering what
he's actually
done in his
own life with
Bathsheba and
other situations.
He's actually,
even as he's
secure in the
Lord, he's
very much
aware of the
fact that he
also could go
down that path
of autonomy and
rebellion that so
many of God's
people choose.
God's
love.
Why?
Because he
knows that at
heart he has
the same
rebellious,
autonomy-seeking
heart.
And so then we
step through to
the next section,
verses 9 to 12,
where David's
praying actually
pushes him,
therefore, into a
new longing for
God's honor.
So I'm hoping you
see the development
here.
David starts with
his own concerns,
in a sense,
verses 1 to 3,
but by the time
we get to verse
9, David's
totally consumed
with God's
concerns and
God's righteousness.
Very different
perspective.
A much more
wholesome perspective
in lots of ways.
And I think
these verses
9, 10, 11,
and 12 might
actually be
evidence of
God doing
just exactly
what David's
asked him to do,
coach me in
righteousness.
As we see
his focus
shifting from
personal concern
to concern
for God's
honor.
And David
expresses concern
for God's
honor in two
ways, a negative
and a positive
way.
First of all,
in verses 9 and
10, David
asked the Lord,
act against
those who
rebel against
you.
Now, why
does David do
that?
How can David
do that?
To our ears,
it sounds like
a quest for
revenge or
just a blood
thirstiness.
But I don't
think it is
that.
I think David
is reflecting
on the one
hand on the
awfulness of
sin and
rebellion and
how so often
in our world
that rebellion
is camouflaged
by smooth
words that
tries to make
vice into
virtue.
And that's
what we see
all around
us in our
world,
isn't it?
And David
is just
reflecting on
the awfulness
of sin.
And from
there he
bounces to
the righteousness
of God's
character and
how sin is
just such an
offense to
God's character.
Because in
contrast to the
wickedness of
rebellion,
David sees the
constancy of
God's heart,
the beauty of
God's love,
the breadth
of God's
covenant
purpose in
setting aside
these people
and determining
to save
them and make
them his own
and make
them beautiful.
And yet
there's this
rebellion,
rebellion.
And David,
out of concern
for God's
honor,
says,
God,
act.
Act to
show yourself
to be the
righteous God
you are.
God's
desire.
It's not a
concern for
personal
revenge.
It's not a
twisted delight
in seeing people
brought down and
getting what they
deserve.
It's a desire to
see God's
character
clearly evidenced
and honored.
God's
love.
And in
verses 11 and
12,
having asked
God to act
one way,
he then
longs for
God to
act for
all who
take refuge
in him.
Having
experienced
himself
personally,
having
experienced
the freedom
and delight
of finding
refuge in
God,
David wants
the same
for all
God's
people over
whom he
rules.
It's not
that circumstances
have changed
for David
and there's
no longer
any danger,
any suffering,
any personal
attack,
anything to
fear.
it's not
that aspect
of David's
perspective has
changed.
What's
changed is
that David
has discovered
this safe
place,
this place
of refuge,
shielded and
protected by
the Lord.
David has
discovered and
experienced what
it means to
live under the
steadfast love
of the Lord.
He's
discovered,
verse 11,
he's discovered
a deep joy
in the
mess and
uncertainty
of life,
a joy that
will sustain
him in any
circumstance
and which
frees him to
press ahead in
his immediate
circumstances,
not demanding
the Lord
change the
circumstance,
not being
disappointed or
angry at the
Lord if it
doesn't change,
but secure in
the Lord and
in his
steadfast love.
love.
And finally
then, that
personal longing
that's expressed
in verses 11
and 12 there,
that personal
longing for
righteousness and
covering pushes
David towards
Jesus.
Let me read
those two
verses to you.
But let all
who take refuge
in you rejoice.
Let them ever
sing for joy.
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.
Oh my goodness,
this happened
again.
I thought I'd
lost a page
of notes.
Okay.
So we follow
through the
movement for
David and we
just pick up on
this deep
longing he has
for his people.
He's observed
the awfulness
of sin and
he's hated
the sinfulness
of sin in his
people.
He knows his
own restless
heart.
It's an unruly
heart and he's
experienced the
unruly heart of
God's people.
He longs for
things to be
different.
And ultimately
David knows,
we'll go back to the
start, ultimately
David knows that he's
powerless to
effect the change
in the hearts of
God's people that
is needed, that is
required.
ultimately he knew
that only God
could subdue and
renew unruly
hearts.
Only God could
stem the flow of
wickedness and
sin.
Only God could
produce passion and
delight in
righteousness and
obedience to God.
God.
And so that pushes
David in his
longings for God
to act.
And that
ultimately takes us
to Jesus who
actually delivers the
cravings of David's
heart.
Because in the
language of verses
11 and 12 of
Psalm 5 we have
the language of
the gospel.
Jesus covered his
people.
Completely covered
them.
With what?
with forgiveness
for all their
sinfulness, for
all their
offense.
He takes away,
he covers the
stench of the
rebellion against
God through his
death on the
cross.
And he covers
them with
righteousness
instead.
And so great
was that reversal,
so great was that
covering that the
lips of his
people no longer
spewed the
foulness of
verse 9,
of this
foulness of
the grave,
the foulness of
death.
But these lips
were changed
to proclaim the
songs of praise
and worship
and delight.
it's the Lord
Jesus that subdues
unruly hearts.
Turning them from
desire for
rebellion and
autonomy to
delight in and
hunger for
righteousness.
My friends,
what David could
only imagine in
his mind, and
probably couldn't
even imagine in
his mind, could
only sort of
search for in
his mind, we
actually know
in reality, in
our relationship
with the Lord
Jesus Christ.
We are
these homeless,
wicked
revels who
now have a
secure home
forever.
we are the
ones who
were caught
up in an
empty way of
life, handed
down to us
from our
forefathers,
thinking we
had the good
life, but
being deceived.
We are now
those who
know true
life, and
who can say
we will dwell
in the house
of the Lord
forever.
Jesus turned
the fruitless
search that
we see all
around us, and
people all
around us, whether
it's family
members, or
workmates, or
people we play
sport with, or
just general
public.
We hear it on
the news, we
hear it on our
TVs.
We see this
constant fruitless
search for
blessing and the
good life in
their own efforts,
and apart from
God.
God, but in
Christ we know
the good life.
We've been
spared that
fruitless search.
Jesus has come
to us, and
he's renewed
us such that
we have joy as
image bearers once
again, who can
find our
satisfaction and
joy in his
steadfast love,
in his grace.
we are loved.
We are loved
forever.
We are covered
fully in the
full extent of
God's love.
Nothing held
back.
This is what
God's steadfast
love delivered in
and through the
Lord Jesus means.
Let me just
finish with a
question that I
like to do.
there's a
godly perspective
which then
turns into a
question.
Is that a
perspective?
Is this a
perspective?
That's enough
for you to
live faithfully
and demonstrably
in obedience to
Christ this week.
Because when you
leave here,
maybe even now,
even as you're
hopefully listening
to me, maybe
even there's a
battle in your
mind of
the lure of
this world,
the attractiveness
of it, the
appeal of it,
the invitation
of it.
But is this
perspective enough
for you to live
faithfully and
demonstrably in
obedience to
Christ?
Opposition,
hostility to
God will
continue and it
will continue
more and more
I think to be
aimed and
targeted at
God's people.
And the reality
is that to be
in this world
but not of
it because we're
determined to
pursue righteousness
and obedience to
the Lord Jesus
Christ will
inevitably mean a
huge and
increasingly huge
cost of hostility
from the world.
That's the way
Jesus said it
will be.
That's the way
we experience it.
And so
therefore the
question is,
is our
perspective
complete?
What we see
at one point
is frightening,
at the other
point is alluring.
Both will be a
distorted
perspective
unless we come
to it through
the likes of
Psalm 5.
A godly
perspective,
my friends,
will help us
choose
to have
God's
blessing,
God's
home,
rather than
the
pseudo
blessing
or
pseudo
home
of being
at ease
in this
world,
of being at
ease with
our
rebellion,
being at
ease with
a lifestyle
that treats
the Lord
with contempt.
Pray with
me then,
please.
Lord,
you tell us
to live
by faith
and not
by sight.
And yet,
so often we
just do the
very opposite.
We're so
often we're
bound by
what we can
see.
And what we
can see as we
look at our
world either
scares us
or draws us
in seductively.
Help us,
Lord, to
cut ourselves
loose from
that distorted
perspective
and look at
our world
through the
lens of
your steadfast
love.
And to go
forth each
day into
the world
convinced
that being
loved by
you
is the
best thing
that we
can have.
And from
there, Lord,
give us
freedom to
serve you
with confidence
and with
courage
and with
openness.
In Jesus'
name I pray.
Amen.
All right,
thank you for
listening to me.