Psalm 5

The man of God cries out in prayer to the Lord. Will he find the words to say? God can considers his groaning, and will certainly know the heart that turns to him in trouble. The worshiper turns to the One who is above all earthly kings, and above all judges among men and angels, the Lord, the Almighty God.

In the morning, perhaps before anyone else is awake, and before distractions and duties overwhelm his time, he speaks to God. He praises the One who is most worthy of honor, and this sacrifice of his lips rises to heaven's throne, and God hears. Now he watches in faith to see what the Lord will do.

He remembers who God is . The Lord does not delight in wickedness. The gods of mythology fall into the same sins as men. They are not unchangeably good. How can any of them be the real God? The true and living God will not allow evil into His presence. If He hears a man who calls upon His Name, He will not abandon him. He will find a way to perfect him in holiness, and to bring him into His presence.

Some do not call upon the Name of the Lord. God will not hear them. They boast in themselves and commit themselves to evil. They cannot dwell with the Almighty. God hates them with a holy vengeance, or is Psalm 5 wrong when it says of the Lord that He hates all evildoers?

All men sin, but some, by the grace of God, repent, believe, and call upon the Name of the Lord. Others remain committed to lies that they will not give up. We cannot say that God hates the sin and loves the sinner when the Word tells us that “the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.”

This is how we understand the cross of Christ. The One who came from heaven and became man, the One who knew no sin, faced the holy hatred that we deserve. Not that God could ever hate His Son. He loved His Son as His Son took the hatred that we deserve for those who call upon His Name. This is the only way that God could be true to His own righteousness and extend His steadfast love to those who do not have the perfect holiness that God requires. This is what was necessary in order for us to be in the presence of the great God of heaven and earth.

This is the Lord's steadfast love for us. It is costly. It cost the blood of His great Son, Jesus. Because of this covenant faithfulness and mercy, the one who calls out to God in faith will be heard, and he will enter into the house of God.

In every generation, the true worship of God has been in His house. The Lord was pleased to make the Tabernacle His house in the days of Moses. Later Solomon, the son of King David built a house for God on Mount Zion. Today all who gather together in the worship of God through Jesus Christ are the house of the Lord. Yet the man of God can never be satisfied with only the earthly expression of the Lord's house. We will enter heaven itself, and do so even now in New Covenant worship. The temple we desire is Christ Himself on high. We turn toward Him in holy reverance. He is the One who bought our access to God with His life and death.

We look above, because we cannot see anything more glorious than the spacious firmament on high. We look with the eyes of faith to the temple of the Lord in heaven and to the Most High God. We cry out to Him in the morning through our Redeemer. We say what the worshipers of God have said for so many centuries: “Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me.”

We want to walk in heaven's rest in the midst of the dangers of a world that is troubled by evil. This is a place where a worshiper of God hears lies, and sees death and destruction. His life may be threatened by those who claim that he is a great man, that they love him, and that they are his friends.

God knows the truth. He sees beyond the false smile, and knows the thoughts of a man who flatters. Will the evil go unpunished forever? Will those who abuse the weak and the poor get away with their treachery? God will not allow it. The righteous man desires the fulfillment of God's justice as well as the glory of His mercy through the appointed Redeemer.

He believes these truths fervently, but he needs God's help now. He needs the plots of the wicked to be stopped. He cannot stand to see them succeed in their evil works.

He joins together with others in this connection between heaven and earth that we have in the worship of heaven's God through the one appointed Redeemer. He takes refuge with the church in the one Man of perfect righteousness, and he rejoices in Jesus. God hears him when he cries out in the morning. He covers him with divine protection and favor. Even if the righteous man is to suffer, he can receive it as a part of a larger tapestry of God's eternal favor toward him in Christ. One day his suffering will surely be over.