◄ Psalm 5:11 ►
But let all who take refuge in You rejoice; let them ever shout for joy. May You shelter them, that those who love Your name may rejoice in You.
Study Bible
But let all who take refuge in You rejoice;
This phrase emphasizes the concept of God as a refuge, a common theme throughout the Psalms. In ancient Israel, cities of refuge were designated places where individuals could seek asylum and protection (Numbers 35:6-34). Spiritually, God is portrayed as a safe haven for the righteous, offering protection from both physical and spiritual adversaries. The call to rejoice signifies a deep-seated joy that comes from trusting in God's protection and faithfulness. This joy is not dependent on circumstances but is rooted in the assurance of God's presence and care.

let them ever shout for joy.
The expression of joy through shouting reflects the exuberant and public nature of worship in ancient Israel. This is seen in various biblical accounts where the people of God express their joy and gratitude through loud praise (2 Samuel 6:15, Ezra 3:11). The perpetual nature of this joy ("ever") suggests an ongoing, eternal state of happiness that believers experience through their relationship with God. This joy is a foretaste of the eternal joy promised in the presence of God (Revelation 21:4).

May You shelter them,
The imagery of God as a shelter conveys a sense of divine protection and care. In the harsh climate and geography of the ancient Near East, a shelter was essential for survival against the elements. Spiritually, this protection extends to safeguarding the believer from spiritual harm and the attacks of the enemy. This concept is echoed in other scriptures, such as Psalm 91:1-2, where God is described as a refuge and fortress.

that those who love Your name may rejoice in You.
Loving God's name implies a deep reverence and devotion to His character and attributes. In biblical times, a name was more than just an identifier; it represented the essence and reputation of a person. To love God's name is to honor and cherish who He is. This love results in rejoicing, as believers find their ultimate satisfaction and delight in their relationship with God. This joy is a reflection of the intimate and personal relationship that God desires with His people, as seen throughout scripture (John 15:9-11).

Persons / Places / Events
1. David
The author of Psalm 5, David is expressing his trust and reliance on God amidst adversities.

2. God
The central figure in the Psalm, God is portrayed as a refuge and protector for those who trust in Him.

3. The Righteous
Those who take refuge in God and love His name, experiencing joy and protection.

4. Enemies of David
Implicit in the context, these are the adversaries from whom David seeks refuge in God.

5. Jerusalem
While not directly mentioned, it is often the setting for David's psalms and prayers.
Teaching Points
Rejoicing in Refuge
Believers are called to find joy in the security and protection that God provides. This joy is not dependent on circumstances but on the steadfastness of God's character.

The Power of God's Name
Loving God's name implies a deep reverence and trust in His character and promises. This love leads to a life of worship and joy.

Continuous Joy
The phrase "ever shout for joy" suggests that joy in God is not a one-time event but a continual state for those who trust in Him.

Divine Shelter
God's protection is likened to a shelter, providing safety and peace amidst life's storms. Believers can rest in the assurance of His care.

Active Trust
Taking refuge in God is an active decision. It involves turning to Him in times of trouble and trusting in His provision and protection.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does understanding God as a refuge influence your response to life's challenges?

2. In what ways can you cultivate a deeper love for God's name in your daily life?

3. How can the joy described in Psalm 5:11 be evident in your interactions with others?

4. What are some practical steps you can take to remind yourself of God's protection and shelter?

5. How do the themes of refuge and joy in Psalm 5:11 connect with the teachings of Jesus in the New Testament?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Psalm 91
This psalm also speaks of God as a refuge and fortress, emphasizing His protection over those who trust in Him.

Proverbs 18:10
Highlights the safety found in the name of the Lord, similar to the refuge mentioned in Psalm 5:11.

Philippians 4:4
Encourages believers to rejoice in the Lord always, echoing the call to rejoice found in Psalm 5:11.

John 15:11
Jesus speaks of His joy being in believers, which parallels the joy found in those who love God's name.

Romans 15:13
Paul speaks of joy and peace in believing, which aligns with the joy and refuge themes in Psalm 5:11.
Sermons
A Staircase of Three StepsAlexander MaclarenPsalm 5:11
Our ProtectorW. Birch.Psalm 5:11
Trust and Joy in GodPsalm 5:11
A Morning PrayerW. Forsyth Psalm 5:1-12
A Morning Prayer: for Sanctuary Service: in Evil TimesC. Clemance Psalm 5:1-12
David's State of Mind in Relation to God and SocietyHomilistPsalm 5:1-12
Prayer to GodThomas Wilcocks.Psalm 5:1-12
The Inward and Outward Sides of the Divine LifeA. Maclaren, D. D.Psalm 5:1-12
The Oratory GateMarvin R. Vincent, D. D.Psalm 5:1-12
The Poverty of Speech in PrayerPsalm 5:1-12
The Prayerful and UnprayerfulF. B. Meyer, B. A.Psalm 5:1-12
The Unspoken Part of PrayerB. Gregory, D. D.Psalm 5:1-12
The Righteousness of GodC. Short Psalm 5:8-12
People
David, Psalmist
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Age, Always, Coverest, Cries, Defend, Defendest, Exult, Faith, Glad, Joy, Joyful, Joyously, Love, Lovers, Loving, Protect, Protection, Refuge, Rejoice, Shelter, Shout, Sing, Spread, Trust, Trusting, Wilt
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Psalm 5:11

     7960   singing
     8162   spiritual vitality
     8288   joy, of Israel

Library
A Staircase of Three Steps
'All those that put their trust in Thee ... them also that love Thy name ... the righteous.'--PSALM v. 11, 12. I have ventured to isolate these three clauses from their context, because, if taken in their sequence, they are very significant of the true path by which men draw nigh to God and become righteous. They are all three designations of the same people, but regarded under different aspects and at different stages. There is a distinct order in them, and whether the Psalmist was fully conscious …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Morning Hymn.
"My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord."--Psalm 5:3. "Morgen glanz der Ewigkeit." [35]Knov. von Rosenroth. transl., Jane Borthwick, 1855 Jesus, Sun of righteousness, Brightest beam of Love Divine, With the early morning rays Do Thou on our darkness shine, And dispel with purest light All our night! As on drooping herb and flower Falls the soft refreshing dew, Let Thy Spirit's grace and power All our weary souls renew; Sbowers of blessing over all Softly fall! Like the sun's reviving …
Jane Borthwick—Hymns from the Land of Luther

Morning Hymns
Morning Hymns. [2] My voice shalt Thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee, and will look up. Psalm 5:3 …
Catherine Winkworth—Lyra Germanica: The Christian Year

Moreover what is Written "Thou Wilt Destroy all that Speak Leasing...
35. Moreover what is written "Thou wilt destroy all that speak leasing:" [2360] one saith that no lie is here excepted, but all condemned. Another saith: Yea verily: but they who speak leasing from the heart, as we disputed above; for that man speaketh truth in his heart, who hateth the necessity of lying, which he understands as a penalty of the moral life. Another saith: All indeed will God destroy who speak leasing, but not all leasing: for there is some leasing which the Prophet was at that time …
St. Augustine—On Lying

But if no Authority for Lying Can be Alleged...
9. But if no authority for lying can be alleged, neither from the ancient Books, be it because that is not a lie which is received to have been done or said in a figurative sense, or be it because good men are not challenged to imitate that which in bad men, beginning to amend, is praised in comparison with the worse; nor yet from the books of the New Testament, because Peter's correction rather than his simulation, even as his tears rather than his denial, is what we must imitate: then, as to those …
St. Augustine—On Lying

A Great Deal for Me to Read Hast Thou Sent...
1. A great deal for me to read hast thou sent, my dearest brother Consentius: a great deal for me to read: to the which while I am preparing an answer, and am drawn off first by one, then by another, more urgent occupation, the year has measured out its course, and has thrust me into such straits, that I must answer in what sort I may, lest the time for sailing being now favorable, and the bearer desirous to return, I should too long detain him. Having therefore unrolled and read through all that …
St. Augustine—Against Lying

On the Other Hand, those who Say that we must Never Lie...
6. On the other hand, those who say that we must never lie, plead much more strongly, using first the Divine authority, because in the very Decalogue it is written "Thou shall not bear false witness;" [2306] under which general term it comprises all lying: for whoso utters any thing bears witness to his own mind. But lest any should contend that not every lie is to be called false witness, what will he say to that which is written, "The mouth that lieth slayeth the soul:" [2307] and lest any should …
St. Augustine—On Lying

What Then, if a Homicide Seek Refuge with a Christian...
22. What then, if a homicide seek refuge with a Christian, or if he see where the homicide have taken refuge, and be questioned of this matter by him who seeks, in order to bring to punishment a man, the slayer of man? Is he to tell a lie? For how does he not hide a sin by lying, when he for whom he lies has been guilty of a heinous sin? Or is it because he is not questioned concerning his sin, but about the place where he is concealed? So then to lie in order to hide a person's sin is evil; but …
St. Augustine—On Lying

Since the Case is So, what is Man...
19. Since the case is so, what is man, while in this life he uses his own proper will, ere he choose and love God, but unrighteous and ungodly? "What," I say, "is man," a creature going astray from the Creator, unless his Creator "be mindful of him," [2683] and choose [2684] him freely, and love [2685] him freely? Because he is himself not able to choose or love, unless being first chosen and loved he be healed, because by choosing blindness he perceiveth not, and by loving laziness is soon wearied. …
St. Augustine—On Patience

Second Sunday after Trinity Exhortation to Brotherly Love.
Text: 1 John 3, 13-18. 13 Marvel not, brethren, if the world hateth you. 14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not abideth in death. 15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. 16 Hereby know we love, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoso hath the world's goods, and beholdeth his brother in need, and shutteth …
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. III

Question of the Division of Life into the Active and the Contemplative
I. May Life be fittingly divided into the Active and the Contemplative? S. Augustine, De Consensu Evangelistarum, I., iv. 8 " Tractatus, cxxiv. 5, in Joannem II. Is this division of Life into the Active and the Contemplative a sufficient one? S. Augustine, Of the Trinity, I., viii. 17 I May Life be fittingly divided into the Active and the Contemplative? S. Gregory the Great says[291]: "There are two kinds of lives in which Almighty God instructs us by His Sacred Word--namely, the active and …
St. Thomas Aquinas—On Prayer and The Contemplative Life

Covenanting a Duty.
The exercise of Covenanting with God is enjoined by Him as the Supreme Moral Governor of all. That his Covenant should be acceded to, by men in every age and condition, is ordained as a law, sanctioned by his high authority,--recorded in his law of perpetual moral obligation on men, as a statute decreed by him, and in virtue of his underived sovereignty, promulgated by his command. "He hath commanded his covenant for ever."[171] The exercise is inculcated according to the will of God, as King and …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Covenant Duties.
It is here proposed to show, that every incumbent duty ought, in suitable circumstances, to be engaged to in the exercise of Covenanting. The law and covenant of God are co-extensive; and what is enjoined in the one is confirmed in the other. The proposals of that Covenant include its promises and its duties. The former are made and fulfilled by its glorious Originator; the latter are enjoined and obligatory on man. The duties of that Covenant are God's law; and the demands of the law are all made …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Psalms
The piety of the Old Testament Church is reflected with more clearness and variety in the Psalter than in any other book of the Old Testament. It constitutes the response of the Church to the divine demands of prophecy, and, in a less degree, of law; or, rather, it expresses those emotions and aspirations of the universal heart which lie deeper than any formal demand. It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. Its words are as simple and unaffected as human words can be, for it is the genius …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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