Give Ear to My Words

The psalm opens with its musical heading and David's plea that the LORD attend not only to his spoken words but also to the groaning beneath them. Morning by morning he lays his case before God as King and waits expectantly, framing the whole day as lived under answered prayer.

F¹or the choirmaster, to be accompanied by flutes. A Psalm of David. ²Attend to the sound of my cry, ³In the morning, O LORD, You hear my voice;

David grounds his prayer in the character of God, who does not delight in wickedness and does not host evil in his presence. The boastful, deceitful, and bloodthirsty are not merely inconvenient to the righteous; they are repugnant to the holy God before whom they cannot stand.

⁴For You are not a God who delights in wickedness; ⁵The boastful cannot stand in Your presence; ⁶You destroy those who tell lies;

In contrast to the wicked, David enters God's house through the abundance of divine steadfast love and bows in reverent fear. He asks the LORD to lead him in righteousness and to make the way straight in front of him because enemies are watching for every chance to trip him.

⁷But I will enter Your house ⁸Lead me, O LORD, in Your righteousness

David describes his opponents as inwardly corrupt and verbally destructive, then asks God to let their own rebellion undo them. The psalm closes by broadening from judgment on enemies to joy for the faithful: all who take refuge in the LORD may rejoice, for he blesses the righteous and surrounds them with favor like a shield.

⁹For not a word they speak can be trusted; ¹⁰Declare them guilty, O God; ¹¹But let all who take refuge in You rejoice; ¹²For surely You, O LORD, bless the righteous;