◄ Psalm 5:7 ►
But I will enter Your house by the abundance of Your loving devotion; in reverence I will bow down toward Your holy temple.
Study Bible
But I will enter Your house by the abundance of Your loving devotion;
This phrase highlights the psalmist's reliance on God's steadfast love, often translated as "loving devotion" or "mercy." The "house" refers to the tabernacle or temple, the central place of worship for the Israelites. The psalmist acknowledges that access to God's presence is not based on personal merit but on God's abundant grace. This reflects the covenant relationship between God and His people, where His lovingkindness is a recurring theme (Exodus 34:6-7). The concept of entering God's house by His mercy foreshadows the New Testament teaching of approaching God through the grace provided by Jesus Christ (Hebrews 4:16).

in reverence I will bow down
The act of bowing down signifies humility and worship. In ancient Near Eastern cultures, bowing was a common gesture of respect and submission, especially in the presence of a king or deity. This physical act of worship reflects an inner attitude of reverence and awe towards God. The psalmist's approach to worship is marked by a deep respect for God's holiness and majesty, aligning with the biblical principle that true worship involves both spirit and truth (John 4:24).

toward Your holy temple.
The "holy temple" refers to the sacred space where God's presence dwells among His people. At the time of David, this would have been the tabernacle, as the temple built by Solomon had not yet been constructed. The temple's holiness is derived from God's presence, making it a focal point for worship and prayer. This phrase underscores the importance of directing one's worship towards God, who is holy and set apart. The temple also serves as a type of Christ, who is the ultimate dwelling place of God's presence (John 2:19-21), and through whom believers have access to God (Ephesians 2:18-22).

Persons / Places / Events
1. David
The author of the psalm, King David, is expressing his personal devotion and reliance on God's mercy.

2. God's House
Refers to the temple or the place of worship where God's presence dwells.

3. Holy Temple
Symbolizes the sacred space where God is worshiped and revered.

4. Loving Devotion (Hebrew: "chesed")
This term refers to God's steadfast love, mercy, and covenant faithfulness.

5. Reverence
The attitude of deep respect and awe towards God, which David demonstrates in his worship.
Teaching Points
Approaching God with Reverence
Recognize the importance of entering God's presence with a heart full of respect and awe.

Reliance on God's Mercy
Understand that it is by God's loving devotion, not our own merit, that we can come before Him.

Worship in Spirit and Truth
Emulate David's example of sincere worship, focusing on God's holiness and faithfulness.

The Significance of God's House
Appreciate the value of communal worship and the sacredness of gathering in God's name.

Living in God's Presence
Strive to maintain a lifestyle that reflects constant awareness and reverence for God's presence.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does understanding God's "loving devotion" (chesed) impact your approach to worship and prayer?

2. In what ways can you cultivate a deeper sense of reverence in your daily walk with God?

3. How does the concept of God's house in the Old Testament relate to the New Testament understanding of the church and the body of believers?

4. What practical steps can you take to ensure that your worship is both sincere and in alignment with God's truth?

5. How can the example of David's reliance on God's mercy encourage you in times of personal struggle or doubt?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Psalm 23:6
This verse also speaks of dwelling in the house of the Lord, emphasizing God's goodness and mercy.

1 Kings 8:29
Solomon's prayer at the dedication of the temple highlights the significance of God's house as a place of prayer and reverence.

Hebrews 4:16
Encourages believers to approach God's throne of grace with confidence, similar to David's approach to God's house.

Micah 6:8
Calls for walking humbly with God, which aligns with the reverence David shows in this psalm.

John 4:24
Jesus speaks of worshiping in spirit and truth, which complements the reverence and sincerity David expresses.
Sermons
Sanctuary WorshipHomilistPsalm 5:7
The Christian Worshipping in God's TempleC. Bradley.Psalm 5:7
The Solemn Service of GodBishop Bloomfield.Psalm 5:7
The Tribute of WorshipN. Marshall, D. D.Psalm 5:7
Worship, a Sight of GodW. Page Roberts.Psalm 5:7
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
People
David, Psalmist
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Abundance, Abundant, Bow, Enter, Fear, Full, Greatness, Holiness, Holy, Kindness, Love, Loving, Lovingkindness, Loving-kindness, Measure, Mercy, Multitude, Myself, Reverence, Steadfast, Temple, Towards, Turning, Worship
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Psalm 5:7

     1065   God, holiness of
     5138   bowing
     5763   attitudes, positive to God
     6687   mercy, God's
     7328   ceremonies
     8334   reverence, and God's nature
     8608   prayer, and worship
     8632   adoration
     8660   magnifying 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

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