Psalm 5:4 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you.

NIV: For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness; with you, evil people are not welcome.

NASB: For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; No evil can dwell with You.

CSB: For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil cannot dwell with you.

NLT: O God, you take no pleasure in wickedness; you cannot tolerate the sins of the wicked.

KJV: For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.

NKJV: For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, Nor shall evil dwell with You.

Scripture states clearly that God takes no pleasure in wickedness. Contrary to the belief that God is the originator of sin, James 1:13 states: "Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am being tempted by God,' for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one." David understood that God and evil are incompatible. Sinners who do not accept Jesus as their Savior must spend eternity apart from God, because God cannot dwell with evildoers (Revelation 21:26–27).

In Isaiah's vision of the Lord seated upon His throne, he heard seraphim call to one another, "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts" (Isaiah 6:2–3). To be "holy" is to be "set apart;" in most cases, this means to be separated from sin. Sin is foreign to God's nature. Jesus, the Son of God, lived a sinless life (2 Corinthians 5:21). The apostle Peter declared that we were redeemed "with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot" (1 Peter 1:19). Even Jesus' interrogators could find no fault in Him (Luke 23:4; John 8:46; Mark 14:55).

Psalm 5:4–6 expresses David's confidence in God's abhorrence of the wicked. No doubt, he had Absalom and the other rebels in mind (2 Samuel 15:13–14). The passage echoes the sentiments of Psalm 37:7–15 and Psalm 24:3–6. Proverbs 6:16–19 lists six things the Lord hates. Among these are lying, murder, bearing false witness, and sowing discord among brothers. Absalom and his men were guilty of all these sins that the Lord hates. Revelation 19 and 20 foretell how the Lord will judge the wicked. Psalm 1:5 states that the wicked will not stand before God.

Psalm 5 begins with David's urgent prayer for the Lord to heed his groaning and cry. He addresses the Lord as his King and his God, and indicates that he prays in the morning and watches for an answer. He recognizes that God takes no pleasure in the wicked but destroys evil, lying, bloodthirsty, or deceitful men. He anticipates that the God who loves him will allow him to enter the tabernacle, where he will offer reverential worship. He prays for the Lord's leading so that he will escape his enemies, whom he identifies as devoid of truth and violent. He prays further that the Lord will cause those rebels to bear the consequences of their transgressions. The psalm closes with an appeal to the righteous to sing for joy as they take refuge in the Lord, and David asks the Lord to bless and protect the righteous.

Like Psalm 4, this psalm is connected to Psalm 3. Psalm 3 refers to David's rising up in the morning, whereas Psalm 4 refers to his nighttime sleep. This psalm is addressed to the choirmaster. Like Psalms 3 and 4, Psalm 5 was composed by David in the wilderness, when Absalom's forces sought to destroy him (see 2 Samuel 15—18). This is one of the ''imprecatory psalms,'' so called because they pray for God to destroy the wicked. The imprecatory psalms are Psalms 5, 12, 35, 37, 58, 59, 69, 79, 83, 108, 139, and 140. These psalms urge God to judge those who oppose God and His people. Imprecations are also found elsewhere in the Bible, such as in passages like Jeremiah 11:18–20,15:15, 17:18, 18:19–23, 20:11–12; 1 Corinthians 16:22, and Revelation 6:10.

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.

Accessed 4/30/2024 1:50:46 AM