Psalm 25:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame; they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.

NIV: No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame, but shame will come on those who are treacherous without cause.

NASB: Indeed, none of those who wait for You will be ashamed; Those who deal treacherously without cause will be ashamed.

CSB: No one who waits for you will be disgraced; those who act treacherously without cause will be disgraced.

NLT: No one who trusts in you will ever be disgraced, but disgrace comes to those who try to deceive others.

KJV: Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause.

NKJV: Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed; Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause.

Here David expresses his confidence that the Lord will come to his assistance. He will not allow David's foes to triumph over him and thereby disgrace him. David also includes all who hope in the Lord and await the fulfillment of His promises as being protected from disgrace by the Lord. To the contrary, the Lord will put to shame all those who treacherously oppose the righteous without provocation.

In all periods of history believers may trust the Lord to vindicate them and upset the treacherous plans of their opponents. The story of Job demonstrates this truth. The Devil schemed to destroy Job's faith by hurling all kinds of trials at him, including the ordeal of Job's wife suggesting that he curse God and die (Job 2:9). But ultimately God vindicated Job. He rebuked Job's so-called friends for judging him (Job 42:7), and he called Job "his servant" (Job 42:7, 8), and blessed "the latter days of Job more than his beginning" (Job 42:12).

Even those who do not live—on earth—to see their vindication have confidence that God is in control and working all things for a good end (Hebrews 11:13–16).

Psalm 25:1–7 reveals David's trust in the Lord in a time of intense danger. He waits on the Lord to keep him from falling into disgrace at the hands of his foes. Parallel to this, Psalm 37:1–11 contains David's counsel about trusting the Lord and waiting on Him. He assures his readers that the Lord will destroy evildoers but reward the righteous. Psalm 40:1–5 also records the value David found in waiting on the Lord for deliverance from danger and distress.

This prayer of David uses the Hebrew alphabet as a pattern. This is an acrostic, where verses each begin with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The final verse, however, repeats the letter used in verse 16. David declares his trust in God and the value of the Lord's wisdom. Mixed into these praises of God's truth are multiple requests that David be forgiven of his sins. The psalm ends with David asking for rescue from his enemies, and for a similar redemption for the nation of Israel.

Psalm 25 finds David facing difficulty and seeking the Lord's guidance. Proverbs 3:5–6 offers a similar emphasis on divine guidance for those who seek the Lord's will. Deuteronomy 32 provides parallel teaching, as do Psalm 37:1–7 and Psalm 40.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.