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(A) Give ear to my words, O LORD; consider my groaning. Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray. O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I direct my prayer to you and watch. (B) For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you. The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers. You destroy those who speak lies; the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.
(C) But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house. I will bow down toward your holy temple in the fear of you. Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me.
(B1) 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.
(A1) 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. Psalm 5: 1-12
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| A chiasmus is a rhetorical or literary figure in which words, grammatical constructions, or concepts are repeated in reverse order. The psalm above is a good example of that literary arrangement.
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The psalm above was written by King David of Jerusalem who ruled in Palestine between 1000 BC and 970 BC. David, besides being a strong leader and warrior, was a man of prayer.
But, like us in Jersey today, David lived in chaotic international times. And, like some of us in Jersey today, David lived in chaotic personal times.
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‘You are coming to a King/ Large petitions with you bring/ For his grace and power are such/ None can ever ask too much.’ (John Newton, writer of “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound…”, former slave trader, 1725-1807)
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He starts his prayer - (A) above – with “groaning”, asking the LORD to listen to “my cry”. He prays and then says, “I … watch”.
He ends his prayer - (A1) above – very differently. He rejoices because he has now taken “refuge” in the LORD. He sings for joy because of “your protection”. He knows that the LORD blesses “the righteous” – “you cover them with favour as with a shield”. What’s changed?
David’s second step in his prayer time is in (B) above. He reminds himself about the very nature of the LORD God above. No “delight in wickedness”. No “evil” can dwell with him. No “boastful” can stand in front of him. He destroys “those who speak lies”. “The LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful person.”
Given that this is the very nature of the LORD above to whom he is praying why should he continue to groan and cry about evil all around him?
David’s central conclusion is in (C) above). Before that, let’s look at (A1) above. It’s along the same lines as (A) above but instead describing what those causing the chaos around him are like. Their attributes fit with all that the LORD despises, as set out in (A). “No truth in their mouth”. Inner bent towards “destruction”. “Flattery”. Most of all, “they have rebelled against you” LORD.
In this chiasmus, David’s prayer has moved into – and then away from – a central truth. That truth is in (C) above. But it’s more than an academic truth for David. It’s a resolve as well.
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In this chiasmus, David’s prayer has moved into – and then away from – a central truth. That truth is in (C) above. But it’s more than an academic truth for David. It’s a resolve as well.
The truth is that David “will enter your (the LORD’s) house” – unlike his enemies. But why? For what reason? Did David earn that right of entry into heaven? No, not at all. “I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house.”
That abundant steadfast love has led him into the “fear of you”. And led him to pray that he himself will do no wrong. “Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me."
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‘Only by grace can we enter/ Only by grace can we stand/ Not by our human endeavour/ But by the blood of the Lamb/ Into Your presence You call us/ You call us to come/ Into Your presence You draw us/ And now by Your grace we come/ Now by Your grace we come/ Lord if You mark our transgressions/ Who would stand/ Thanks to Your grace we are cleansed/ By the blood of the Lamb ’ (Graham Kendrick, songwriter)
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