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No. 101Psalms of Lament
Psalm 5
In the morning I lay my requests before You and watch expectantly
StatusEssential
Read2 min
Study5 min
DifficultyBeginner
Psalm 5 · A psalm of David · Israel; toward the temple
The Point
Psalm 5 describes a specific practice: in the morning I lay my requests before You and watch expectantly. The word pictures someone setting something out, like an offering arranged on an altar, and then waiting to see what happens. It is prayer that expects a response, offered by a man surrounded by people whose throats the psalm calls open tombs.
Story Snapshot
The psalm asks God to give ear to the psalmist's words and hear his cry, describing morning prayer laid out and watched for. It contrasts God, who takes no pleasure in wickedness, with the arrogant and deceitful. It describes entering God's house in the abundance of His loving kindness, asks for straight paths, and describes enemies whose throats are open tombs. It closes asking that all who take refuge in God rejoice and be defended.
Main Characters
| Character | Role | Key Trait | Why They Matter |
|---|---|---|---|
| David | The morning pray-er | Expectant, surrounded | Lays requests out and watches for an answer |
| The Deceitful | The enemies | False, flattering | Throats like open tombs, no faithfulness in their mouths |
| The LORD | The King who hears | Holy, defending | Takes no pleasure in wickedness and shields the righteous |
Story Summary
The psalm opens with three requests to be heard, give ear to my words, consider my meditation, listen to the voice of my cry, addressed to my King and my God. Then comes the practice that gives the psalm its character: LORD, in the morning You shall hear my voice, in the morning I will lay my requests before You and will watch expectantly. The verb pictures arranging something deliberately, and the watching that follows assumes an answer is coming. The middle section describes God's character in negative terms, You are not a God who has pleasure in wickedness, evil cannot live with You, the arrogant shall not stand in Your sight, You hate all workers of iniquity, You will destroy those who speak lies, the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man. Against that the psalmist places himself, but as for me, in the abundance of Your loving kindness I will come into Your house and bow toward Your holy temple in reverence, noting that his access rests on God's steadfast love rather than his own standing. He asks for guidance, lead me, LORD, in Your righteousness because of my enemies, make Your way straight before my face, and then describes those enemies in unusually visceral terms, there is no faithfulness in their mouth, their heart is destruction, their throat is an open tomb, they flatter with their tongue. He asks God to hold them guilty and let them fall by their own counsels. The psalm closes turning outward, let all those who take refuge in God rejoice and shout for joy because He defends them, for God blesses the righteous and surrounds him with favor as with a shield.
Timeline
- Give Ear to My WordsThree requests to be heard.
- In the MorningRequests laid out deliberately.
- I Will WatchExpecting an answer to come.
- God's CharacterNo pleasure in wickedness.
- Into Your HouseAccess by God's steadfast love.
- Open TombsThe enemies described by their speech.
- Let Them RejoiceRefuge and shield for those who trust.
Themes
PrayerMorningIntegritySpeechRefuge
What This Story Means
Psalm 5 is a morning psalm, and its central image is worth taking literally. Laying requests before God and watching expectantly describes a practice with two parts, the asking and then the attention, and most people are better at the first. The psalm assumes prayer is a transaction that produces something to watch for. Its portrait of the enemies focuses entirely on speech, no faithfulness in their mouth, throats like open tombs, flattery on their tongues, which suggests the psalmist's danger is social and verbal rather than military. Paul quotes the open tomb line in Romans 3 as part of his catalogue of human corruption. And the psalm is careful about the basis of access. The psalmist does not claim to enter God's house because he is better than the deceitful; he says he comes in the abundance of God's loving kindness, which grounds his standing in God's character rather than his own.
Bringing It Home
- Prayer has two parts, the asking and the watching, and we neglect the second.
- Danger is often verbal and social rather than physical.
- Access to God rests on His steadfast love, not on being better than others.
- Laying requests out pictures deliberate arrangement, not hurried asking.
Key Verse
Psalm 5:3
“Yahweh, in the morning you shall hear my voice. In the morning I will lay my requests before you, and will watch expectantly.”
Did You Know?
- The verb for laying requests pictures arranging an offering deliberately.
- Paul quotes 'their throat is an open tomb' in Romans 3:13.
- The enemies are described almost entirely in terms of their speech.
- It is traditionally used as a morning psalm.
Read Next
Romans 3:13Psalm 141:2Habakkuk 2:1Psalm 143:8
What This Shows Us About God
- God hears morning prayer and answers it.
- God takes no pleasure in wickedness or deceit.
- God surrounds the righteous with favor as with a shield.
What This Shows Us About People
- We ask without watching for the answer.
- We are damaged most often by words rather than weapons.
- We would rather earn access than receive it.
A Question to Sit With
Do I lay my requests before God and then actually watch for an answer, or do I ask and move on?
Prayer
LORD, in the morning I bring You what I need and set it out where You can see it. Now teach me to watch, because I usually ask and walk away. Lead me in a straight path where the talk around me is crooked. I come into Your house on Your kindness, not on my record. Amen.