Bird's-eye view
In these concluding verses of Psalm 5, David draws a sharp, definitive line between the wicked, who are the subject of the preceding verses, and the righteous. The psalm, which began with a cry to God in the morning, ends with a confident explosion of joy and a declaration of divine blessing. The central theme is that our ultimate emotional state, whether it is gladness or ruin, is determined entirely by our relationship to God. For those who "take refuge" in Him, the result is perpetual joy, exultation, and divine protection. For the righteous, who are righteous only by God's grace, blessing is not a possibility but a certainty. The psalm closes with one of the most powerful images of God's defensive favor in all of Scripture: He surrounds His people with favor as with a massive, all-encompassing shield. This is not a psalm for the morally neutral; it is a song for those who have chosen a side, and who find all their safety and delight in the God they have chosen.
This passage is a beautiful summary of the Christian life. It begins with an act of desperate faith, running to God for refuge. This faith then blossoms into joyful worship, "singing for joy." This joy is sustained by God's active "shelter," His defensive presence. The outcome is a life of exultation in the God who is both our refuge and our reward. And all of this is undergirded by a foundational theological reality: God blesses the righteous. The final verse anchors this entire experience in the character and action of God Himself. Our joy is not self-generated; it is the result of His blessing and His favor, a favor that defends us more surely than any armor.
Outline
- 1. The Joy of the Sheltered (Ps 5:11-12)
- a. The Gladness of Refuge (Ps 5:11a)
- b. The Song of the Sheltered (Ps 5:11b)
- c. The Exultation of Lovers (Ps 5:11c)
- d. The Certainty of Blessing (Ps 5:12a)
- e. The Shield of Favor (Ps 5:12b)
Context In Psalms
Psalm 5 is one of David's morning psalms, a prayer to be offered at the beginning of the day (v. 3). It is structured around a stark contrast. On the one hand, David presents the character of the wicked: they are boastful, evil, liars, and violent men whom God abhors (vv. 4-6). David prays for their complete destruction, asking God to "make them pay for their guilt" (v. 10). On the other hand, David presents himself as one who, by God's "abundant lovingkindness," can enter God's house and worship (v. 7). The psalm is a plea for guidance in righteousness, precisely so that David will not be like his enemies. Our passage, verses 11-12, serves as the triumphant conclusion to this contrast. After praying for the judgment of the wicked, David turns to describe the glorious destiny of those who are not wicked, those who have placed their trust in Yahweh. It is the great "but" that separates the two eternal destinies.
Key Issues
- The Nature of True Refuge
- The Source of Christian Joy
- God's Protective Presence
- The Identity of the "Righteous One"
- The Meaning of Divine Favor
The Great Divide
Every psalm of this nature, what you might call an imprecatory psalm, forces a decision. David has spent the bulk of this song detailing the character of the wicked and calling down God's righteous judgment upon them. He is not being vindictive in a personal sense; he is aligning himself with God's own stated hatred of sin and rebellion. But after the sentence is pronounced, the scene shifts dramatically. The smoke of judgment clears, and we see another group of people entirely. And the word that marks the turn is the word "But."
This is the great "but" of the gospel. There are two paths, two destinations, two kinds of people. There are those who stand outside of God's favor, trusting in their own lies and violence, and they will be condemned. "But" there are also those who have run to God for safety. Their defining characteristic is not their own inherent goodness, but rather their desperation for a refuge. The entire emotional landscape changes in this one word. We move from the courtroom and the sentence of death to the festival and the song of joy. This is not just a change in mood; it is a change in federal headship. It is the difference between being in Adam and being in Christ.
Verse by Verse Commentary
11 But let all who take refuge in You be glad, Let them ever sing for joy; And may You shelter them, That those who love Your name may exult in You.
The verse begins with that crucial adversative: But. In contrast to the wicked who will perish, there is another group with another destiny. Who are they? They are defined by their central action: they take refuge in You. This is the bedrock of a right relationship with God. It is an admission of weakness, of danger, of inability to save oneself. It is the creature running to the Creator for safety from sin, from enemies, from judgment. And what is the immediate result of this action? Be glad. This is not a suggestion, but a command that flows from a reality. Gladness is the native air of those who are safe in God. It is followed by another command: Let them ever sing for joy. This is not a fleeting happiness dependent on circumstances. It is a perpetual, ongoing song. Why? Because their refuge is perpetual and ongoing. The next phrase gives the grounds for this joy: And may You shelter them. The Hebrew word means to cover, to hedge in, to defend. Their joy is not a flimsy, self-generated emotion; it is the direct result of being under the mighty protection of God Himself. He is their roof. He is their walls. The final clause identifies this group by another name: those who love Your name. To love God's name is to love His character, His reputation, His very being as He has revealed it. And their response? They exult in You. This is a joy that has God Himself as its object. They are not just happy they escaped hell; they are thrilled with the God who saved them.
12 For it is You who blesses the righteous one, O Yahweh, You surround him with favor as with a large shield.
This final verse provides the theological foundation for the joy described in verse 11. The gladness of the saints is not an accident. It is not arbitrary. The reason (For) they can be so joyful is that God has a fixed disposition toward them. You who blesses the righteous one, O Yahweh. The blessing of God is His active, covenantal goodwill flowing out toward His people. And who receives it? The "righteous one." In the Old Testament context, this is the man who is faithful to the covenant. In the ultimate sense, this is Jesus Christ, the only truly Righteous One. And by extension, it is all those who are found in Him, clothed in His righteousness. David, speaking as a type of Christ and as a believer, identifies himself with this righteous man. He addresses God by His covenant name, Yahweh, emphasizing the personal, faithful nature of this blessing. The psalm then ends with a magnificent simile. You surround him with favor as with a large shield. The shield here is not a small buckler for deflecting a few arrows. The Hebrew word suggests a large, full-body shield, the kind that a soldier could stand behind completely. And what is this shield made of? Not bronze or leather, but favor. God's grace, His undeserved kindness, His delight in His people, this is what surrounds them. It is an all-encompassing, 360-degree defense. Nothing can get through the favor of God to touch one of His own, except that which He permits for their good. It is a wall of grace.
Application
The message of these two verses is profoundly simple and simply profound. Your joy is a direct consequence of where you have taken refuge. If you are taking refuge in your job, your money, your reputation, your health, or your own righteousness, you are building your house on the sand. Those things are not a shield; they are a sieve. They cannot protect you from the wrath of God, the malice of the devil, or the fragility of a fallen world. To take refuge in God is to abandon all other shelters and run to Christ alone.
When you do this, joy is not an optional extra. It is part of the package. We are commanded to be glad and to sing for joy because gladness and song are the fitting response to being saved and sheltered by the almighty God. If you are a Christian who lacks joy, the problem is not your circumstances; the problem is your focus. You have forgotten what you have been saved from and who it is that is sheltering you. You are looking at the storm instead of the shield. The application is to look again at the shield. Meditate on the favor of God. Remind yourself that in Christ, God's disposition toward you is one of unshakeable, protective delight. His favor surrounds you. This is not positive thinking; it is biblical fact. Let that fact sink from your head to your heart, and the result will be the exultation that David speaks of. You will sing, not because your problems are gone, but because your God is present.