Somebody Else’s Mail (11)

Last week we looked into the apostle Paul’s use of Psalm 5:9 in the book of Romans. For Christians, this is usually the bottom line: we’re interested in how the things that were written in the Old Testament apply in our own experience. That’s normal, natural, and even biblical, but it’s useful to keep in mind that whatever the NT writers may have legitimately made of them, these passages also had an original context and an original audience.

Today we’re looking at what these words meant when David wrote them something in the order of 3,040 years ago.

These last four verses of the psalm break nicely into two groups of two, because they speak of two very different types of men and women.

Psalm 5:9-10 — The Open Grave

“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.”

Four Statements

David makes four statements about these men that show the danger they pose to him and the concern they cause him is not physical but verbal. The problem is with their mouths, throats, tongues and inmost selves. Jesus taught that sin and defilement all originate in the human heart. It is that “inmost self” David refers to that is the problem, and in the case of these men, it manifests in misleading and untrustworthy speech.

The schoolyard adage implies sticks and stones are dangerous, but we don’t have to worry much about what people say. That was not David’s experience. Men’s mouths were dangerous things. Doeg the Edomite killed eighty-five priests with his sword, but the problem started when he tattled to Saul that the priests had helped David. It all started with a destructive heart and a throat that was an open grave for the priests of Nob. Likewise, Absalom stole the kingdom from David with his army, but he stole the hearts of Israel with his flattering tongue. We cannot say whether these incidents were on David’s mind when he wrote the psalm, but words can be very dangerous indeed, and David was concerned about what his enemies were saying. It would surely bear rotten fruit down the road.

No Truth

A Jewish commentator at TorahTodayMinistries points out that the Hebrew word for “truth” here is not the usual emet [אֱמֶת]. Rather, it’s kun [כּוּן]. The difference is subtle but not unimportant. Where emet may occasionally signify truth in its abstract sense (two plus two equals four is truth of this type), kun is very practical. It has to do with the impact of truth on people’s lives. What David is saying is that because truth is absent from their mouths, nothing these men say is reliable. It has no substance. If you listen to them, you will find yourself on shaky ground.

It’s a reminder that men in positions of responsibility have to be very careful where they get their counsel. It’s important to surround yourself with people who can provide knowledgeable advice, but even more important to get that advice from men of good character with godly motives.

Imprecations

Much has been written about the so-called imprecatory psalms, the ones that call down curses on one’s enemies. Christians who do not distinguish between Israel and the Church have difficulty with them. They expect that since Jesus instructed his followers in this present age to love their enemies and pray for those who hate them, therefore all godly men in other eras ought to have behaved the same way we do (or should). That makes it tough to account for sentiments in this psalm like “Let them fall by their own counsels”, “Make them bear their guilt” and “Cast them out”, which, while mild by the standards of some imprecatory psalms, nevertheless are not exactly a “Christian” way to pray.

This post tries to provide some insight into the reasons the imprecations of David and others were moral and legitimate in their time, but we don’t need to resort to such explanations here. It’s quite a bit simpler in this case. There is no conflict with the words of Christ in this prayer because the command is to love your enemies, not to love God’s enemies. That would be treachery. David’s concern here is not personal. It’s for the glory of God. “Cast them out,” he prays, “for they have rebelled against you.” Such prayers are reasonable in every age in that they call on God to demonstrate his justice, and will always have their answer eventually.

Psalm 5:11-12 — Those Who Love Your Name

“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.”

The final two verses provide further evidence that David’s concerns are not just personal. He’s aware that other godly people (“let all who take refuge in you”) may find themselves surrounded by enemies too, and that the Lord’s favor is toward those who love his name. He is our shield and protection. With God on our side, we can celebrate even in the midst of conflict. The language is quite strong here: “rejoice”, “sing for joy”, “exult in you”. All who take refuge in the Lord find he is a source of protection far more durable and trustworthy than a host of personal bodyguards. David had plenty of those, but he didn’t count on them.

There’s a definite contrast here with the men of verses 9-10, who use their mouths for evil. A righteous man uses his mouth to praise the Lord and give thanks for his faithfulness.