◄ Psalm 5:5 ►
The boastful cannot stand in Your presence; You hate all workers of iniquity.
Study Bible
The boastful cannot stand in Your presence;
This phrase highlights the biblical theme of humility versus pride. Throughout Scripture, pride is consistently condemned as a sin that separates individuals from God. In the context of ancient Israel, boasting was often associated with self-reliance and a lack of dependence on God. Proverbs 16:18 warns that "pride goes before destruction," emphasizing the spiritual danger of arrogance. The inability of the boastful to stand in God's presence underscores the holiness of God and the requirement for humility to approach Him. This is echoed in James 4:6, which states, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."

You hate all workers of iniquity.
This phrase reflects the biblical understanding of God's holiness and justice. Iniquity, or sin, is fundamentally opposed to God's nature. The strong language of "hate" here is not personal animosity but a divine rejection of sin and evil. This aligns with passages like Habakkuk 1:13, which declares that God's eyes are "too pure to look on evil." The cultural context of the psalm, likely during King David's reign, involved a society where justice and righteousness were central to maintaining covenantal relationship with God. Theologically, this phrase points to the necessity of repentance and the transformative power of God's grace, as seen in the New Testament through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, who calls sinners to repentance and offers forgiveness.

Persons / Places / Events
1. David
- The author of Psalm 5, David is expressing his prayer and meditation to God, seeking guidance and protection from his enemies.

2. God
- The central figure in this verse, God is depicted as holy and just, unable to tolerate sin and iniquity.

3. The Boastful
- Refers to those who are prideful and arrogant, believing in their own strength rather than relying on God.

4. Workers of Iniquity
- Individuals who engage in sinful behavior and actions that are contrary to God's will.

5. The Presence of God
- Symbolizes God's holiness and purity, where sin and pride cannot coexist.
Teaching Points
God's Holiness and Justice
God’s nature is holy and just, and He cannot tolerate sin. This calls believers to pursue holiness and righteousness in their lives.

The Danger of Pride
Pride is a significant barrier to a relationship with God. Believers are encouraged to examine their hearts for pride and seek humility.

The Consequences of Sin
Sin separates us from God. Understanding this should lead to repentance and a desire to align our lives with God’s will.

The Importance of Humility
Humility is essential in the Christian walk. It opens the door to God’s grace and favor, contrasting with the fate of the boastful.

Seeking God’s Presence
To stand in God’s presence, one must seek purity and righteousness, relying on God’s strength rather than personal merit.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does understanding God's holiness influence your daily decisions and actions?

2. In what ways can pride manifest in a believer's life, and how can it be addressed according to Scripture?

3. Reflect on a time when sin created a barrier in your relationship with God. How did you overcome it?

4. How can you cultivate humility in your life, and what practical steps can you take to ensure you remain humble before God?

5. What does it mean to seek God's presence, and how can you actively pursue this in your spiritual journey?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Proverbs 16:5
- This verse also speaks about the Lord's disdain for the proud, emphasizing that pride is detestable to God.

James 4:6
- Highlights the theme of God opposing the proud but giving grace to the humble, reinforcing the idea that humility is valued by God.

Isaiah 59:2
- Discusses how iniquities separate individuals from God, aligning with the idea that sin cannot stand in God's presence.

1 Peter 5:5
- Encourages believers to clothe themselves with humility, as God opposes the proud, similar to the message in Psalm 5:5.
Sermons
Prayer for Deliverance from Wicked MenC. Short Psalm 5:1-7
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
God's Hatred of SinJames Marshall, A. M.Psalm 5:4-5
God's Hatred of SinnersN. Emmons, D. DPsalm 5:4-5
The Great Matters of ReligionB. Whichcote, D. D.Psalm 5:4-5
The Relation of the Righteous God to Wicked MenPsalm 5:4-5
People
David, Psalmist
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Arrogant, Boasters, Boastful, Evil, Evildoers, Foolish, Fools, Hast, Hate, Hated, Hater, Hatest, Iniquity, Insolent, Presence, Pride, Sight, Sons, Stand, Station, Themselves, Workers, Working, Wrong
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Psalm 5:5

     5793   arrogance
     6025   sin, and God's character
     6606   access to God
     8801   presumption
     8803   pride, evil of

Psalm 5:4-5

     5004   human race, and sin

Psalm 5:4-6

     8715   dishonesty, and God

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

Links
Psalm 5:5 NIV
Psalm 5:5 NLT
Psalm 5:5 ESV
Psalm 5:5 NASB
Psalm 5:5 KJV

Psalm 5:5 Commentaries

Bible Hub
Psalm 5:4
Top of Page
Top of Page