Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 5:11
But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.
11. We may render more exactly:
So shall all those that take refuge in thee rejoice,
They shall ever shout for joy while thou protectest them,
And they that love thy name shall exult in thee.
The punishment of the wicked according to their deeds is an occasion for the universal rejoicing of the godly. Not only do they sympathise with their fellow-saint in his deliverance, but they see in it a vindication of Jehovah’s righteous government, and an assurance that those who have put themselves under His protection will not find their confidence misplaced.
that love thy name ] Cp. Psa 69:36, Psa 119:132. ‘The Name of Jehovah’ is the compendious expression for His character and attributes as He has revealed them to men. See Oehler’s O.T. Theology, 56. Needs must those who love Him as He has revealed Himself rejoice when He proves Himself true to His promises.
defendest them ] Protectest, or shelterest them; in Thy secret pavilion (Psa 27:5, Psa 31:20); or, under Thy outspread wings (Psa 91:4).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice – Compare the notes at Psa 2:12. That is, they have occasion to rejoice in thee and in thy protection. The wicked have everything to dread, for they must be cut off; but the righteous have every reason to be happy, for they shall partake of the favor of God. This is, at the same time, the earnest expression of a desire that they might rejoice, and that the dealings of God with them might be such that they would ever have occasion for joy.
Let them even shout for joy – Internal joy or happiness is often expressed by shouting, or singing, as the word used here frequently signifies. The meaning is, that they should give every proper expression to their feeling of joy. This may be done by singing, or by grateful ascriptions of praise and gratitude.
Because thou defendest them – While the wicked are cut off Psa 5:10. The psalmist, in this expression, doubtless had a primary reference to himself and to those who adhered to him in his righteous cause; but, as is common in the Psalms, he gives to the sentiment a general form, that it might be useful to all who fear and love God.
Let them also that love thy name – That love thee – the name being often put for the person. This is but another form of designating the righteous, for it is one of their characteristics that they love the name of God.
Be joyful in thee – Rejoice in thee – in thine existence, thy perfections, thy government, thy law, thy dealings, thy service; in all that thou hast revealed of thyself, and in all that thou doest. Compare Phi 3:1, note; Phi 4:4, note. It is one of the characteristics of the truly pious that they do find their happiness in God. They rejoice that there is a God, and that he is just such a being as he is; and they take delight in contemplating his perfections, in the evidences of his favor and friendship, in communion with him, in doing his will.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Psa 5:11
Because Thou defendest them.
Our Protector
I. The Lord is our good protector.
1. A sympathising Protector. He that toucheth you toucheth the apple of His eye.
2. A sure Protector. He will save us with His right hand.
3. A personal Protector. He does not deal with the mass, but with the individual.
4. An everlasting Protector. Underneath us are the everlasting arms.
5. A loving Protector. The most endearing images are used in the Bible to tell us of the love of our God.
II. The condition required. They who would be protected must trust themselves in His care and be guided by His wishes. Is it not easy to trust in Him when we remember His almighty power, His perfect wisdom, and that He is our loving Father?
III. The protection He affords to His trusting people. He protects us–
1. From the slavery of sin.
2. From the penalty of transgression.
3. From the penalty which our sin leaves on us.
4. From the despair of failure. (W. Birch.)
Trust and joy in God
At an early period of his life Mozart, the composer, gave his heart to God. When he was twenty-one years of age he wrote, I have God always before me. Whatever is according to His will is according to mine, therefore I cannot fail to be happy and contented..
Psa 6:1-10
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 11. Let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice] Such expressions as these should be translated in the same way, declaratively and prophetically: “All those who put their trust in thee SHALL rejoice,-SHALL ever shout for joy.”
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Those that put their trust in thee; that dare rely upon thy word and promise when all human hopes and refuges fail; which was oft the case of David and his followers.
Rejoice; let them have cause of great joy from thy love and care of them, and because thou defendest them, as it follows.
Thy name, i.e. thy majesty, thy word, and worship, and glory; all which is called Gods name in Scripture. David doth not confine his prayer to his party, but prays for all good men, though by their own mistakes, Or other mens artifices, some of them might now be in a state of opposition against him.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
11. defendest(compareMargin).
love thy nameThymanifested perfections (Ps 9:10).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice,…. Who trust not in themselves, in their own hearts, in their righteousness, or riches, or strength; but in the name, righteousness, and strength of the Lord: who betake themselves to him, and put all their confidence in him: let them rejoice in the salvation of the Lord, and in hope of eternal glory and happiness;
let them even shout for joy: not only rejoice inwardly, but express their joy externally, with their voices, and in the loudest manner; and that always, the matter and foundation of a believer’s joy always continues; and so does the grace itself: though it is not always in exercise, yet it is an everlasting joy; and with it the redeemed of the Lord will come to Zion, and no man will be able to take away their joy. Which distinguishes it from the triumphing of the wicked, and the joy of the hypocrite, which is but for a moment;
because thou defendest them, or “coverest them” w; with the feathers of divine protection, under the shadow of his wings, and with the hollow of his hand: so God preserves his people, keeps them by his power, as the apple of his eye, and is a wall of fire round about them. Which is a good reason why they should rejoice, and shout for joy;
let them also that love thy name; as all that put their trust in the, Lord do; they love the Lord himself, because of the perfections of his nature, and the works of his hands, and for what he has done for them: they love all they know of him; they love him in all his persons, Father, Son, and Spirit; and every name of his, by which he has made himself known. They love, admire, and adore all his attributes and perfections, as they are displayed in the works of creation and providence; and especially in redemption by Jesus Christ, where they all gloriously meet together; and in whom God has proclaimed his name gracious and merciful. They love his word, his Gospel, by which he is made known; and they love his people, on whom his name is called, and who call upon his name. And let such, says the psalmist,
be joyful in thee: not rejoice in their boasting of their wisdom, strength, riches, and righteousness; all such rejoicing is evil: but in the Lord, in his grace, righteousness, and salvation. He is the only true proper object of spiritual joy; and there is good reason for it, from what follows.
w “et operies super eos”, Vatablus; “operies et proteges eos”, Michaelis.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
11. And let all rejoice, etc It makes little difference as to the sense, whether we read these words in the future tense, All shall rejoice, etc., or in the optative mood, Let all rejoice, etc.; for in both ways the meaning of the prophet will be the same; namely, that if God deliver him, the fruit of this deliverance will be common to all the godly; as if he had said Lord, if thou succourest me, the goodness which thou conferrest upon me will not rest on me alone, but will extend to all thy servants: for this will serve the more to confirm their faith, and make them praise thy name the more. In order, therefore, to induce God to grant him deliverance, he employs as an argument the end or effect which it would produce, inasmuch as it would stir up all the godly to exercise greater trust in God, and encourage them to give praise and thanks to him. This passage teaches us, that we are ungrateful to God if we do not take encouragement and comfort from whatever blessings he confers upon our neighbours, since by these he testifies that he will always be ready to bestow his goodness upon all the godly in common. Accordingly the reason of this joy is added, because the Lord will cover or protect them. As often as God bestows any blessings upon any of the faithful, the rest, as I have said before, ought to conclude that he will show himself beneficent towards them. Again, this passage teaches us, that true joy proceeds from no other source than from the protection of God. We may be exposed to a thousand deaths, but this one consideration ought abundantly to suffice us, that we are covered and defended by the hand of God. And this will be the case, if the vain shadows of this world do not so beguile us as to excite us to take shelter under them. We ought also particularly to notice the statement, that those who trust in the Lord love his name. The remembrance of God must be sweet to us, and fill our hearts with joy, or rather ravish us with love to him, after he has caused us to taste of his goodness; as, on the other hand, all unbelievers wish the name of God to be buried, and shun the remembrance of him with horror.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(11) Rejoice.From root meaning primarily bright. Pro. 13:9 : The light of the righteous rejoiceth.
Shield.Heb., tsinnah. The long large shield fit for a giant (1Sa. 17:7; 1Sa. 17:41), which could protect the whole body.
Luther, when asked at Augsburg where he should find shelter if his patron, the Elector of Saxony, should desert him, replied, under the shield of heaven. The image is finely elaborated in Brownings Instans Tyrannus:
When suddenHow think ye the end?
Did I say without friend?
Say, rather, from marge to blue marge,
The whole sky grew his targe
With the suns self for visible boss;
While an arm ran across
Which the earth heaved beneath like a breast
Where the wretch was safe pressed.
Do you see? Just my vengeance complete.
The man sprang to his feet.
Stood erect, caught at Gods skirts, and prayed
So I was afraid.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
11. But let all rejoice In this and the following verse the opposite character and treatment of the righteous are set forth, so that both the protection of the righteous and the punishment of the wicked which latter, under the moral government of God, is equally necessary for the vindication of the divine character and the salvation of those who trust in him shall be cause of eternal joy to all holy beings.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘But let all those who put their trust in you rejoice,
Let them shout for joy because you defend them,
Let those also who love your name be joyful in you,
For you will bless the righteous,
O Yahweh you will compass him with favour as a great shield.’
But in contrast let those whose trust is in YHWH and His covenant, those who love His name, rejoice, aware that He is defending them; let them shout for joy because they know that He will bless the righteous. So His defence of them and His blessing are causes of their great rejoicing. They know that the huge shield of His favour protects and watches over them.
‘Your name.’ That is His being, attributes and character. They love Him for what He is, the Deliverer of His people. See Psa 69:36; Psa 119:132.
So the psalm began with confidence and ends with triumph, triumph in the God of the righteous. Triumph in the name of the One Whose being, attributes and character they know so well, the One in Whom they can put their trust without any fear of being confounded.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Psa 5:11. That love thy name The name of a person or a thing is a Hebraism, whereby the person or thing is expressed. The propriety of this mode of speaking will appear stronger from the religion of names, as delivered by the Egyptians, and derived from them to the neighbouring states. The names of their tutelary deities were not only names of distinction, but likewise names of honour. The Deity, when asked his name by Moses, complied with this principle or custom, and assumed the name of JEHOVAH, by which he was considered as the peculiar tutelary deity of the Israelites. The love of his name, therefore, implying in it an abhorrence of idolatry, a strong confidence in him as their tutelary Deity, and a tacit obligation of obedience to his laws, is generally used in the Old Testament to express a religious conduct; and the frequent use of the word name, instead of the express mention of the divine person, will from hence appear to be no expletive, but to be consistent with the veneration which all nations had for the names of their deities, when used as terms of honour. See Div. Leg. vol. 2: Because thou defendest them, in the foregoing clause, may be rendered, And thou shalt overshadow them.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
DISCOURSE: 500
THE BLESSEDNESS OF THE RIGHTEOUS
Psa 5:11-12. Let all those that put their trust in Thee, rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them; let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee. For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him, as with a shield.
DAVID, in speaking of the persecutions which he endured from Saul, represents them as accompanied with every species of malignity on the part of his oppressors: There is no faithfulness in their mouth: their inward part is very wickedness: their throat is an open sepulchre: they flatter with their tongue. This character we should have been disposed to limit to the agents of Saul: but St. Paul teaches us to consider it as descriptive of human nature generally, and to apply it, without exception, to every child of man [Note: Rom 3:13.]. The fact is, that human nature is the same in all ages and places: and if it was so corrupt whilst under the immediate government of God himself, much more may it be expected to manifest similar corruption under circumstances less favourable for its control. Doubtless, to be reduced to a level with such abandoned men is very humiliating: but it is consoling to know, that if, on the one hand, we resemble them by nature, we, on the other hand, are partakers of all Davids privileges, as soon as ever we are renewed by divine grace. Under his great and accumulated trials, he was often filled with a holy and unutterable joy in God: and such joy is our portion also, if, like him, we place our confidence in God. This is expressly asserted in our text, in which we behold,
I.
The character of the righteous
In delineating this, the generality of persons would refer to actions only, and to those chiefly which had respect to men. But this would give a very partial and inadequate view of the subject. The truth is, that mans character is to be estimated, not so much by his actions towards men, as by the habit of his mind towards God. I mean not to say, that actions are not necessary to evince the truth and excellence of the internal principle; for the principle that is unproductive of holy fruit, is of no value; it is a hypocritical pretence, a mere delusion. But actions, though good in themselves, as prayers and alms-givings, may proceed from a vicious principle, and, instead of being acceptable to God, may be perfectly odious in his sight. Hence the righteous are described by characters that admit of no doubt:
1.
They trust in God
[The righteous have a view of God as ordering all things both in heaven and earth. They know, assuredly, that not even a sparrow falls to the ground without his special permission. They see that both men and devils are but as instruments in his hands; and that, however unconscious they may be of any over-ruling power, they do, in fact, fulfil the will of Almighty God. Hence, whatever be done, they receive it as from God; and whatever be devised against them, they feel themselves secure in his hands. They know that, without him, no weapon that is formed against them can prosper; and that, through his gracious care, all things shall work together for their good.
David was exposed to the most imminent dangers through the malice of Saul: but he encouraged himself in the Lord his God, and committed all his concerns to him. So the true saint, whoever he may be, flees to God as a sure refuge, and hides himself under the shadow of his wings; assured that, when so protected, no enemy can assault him, no evil find access to him.
In the grace of God, too, they trust as well as in his providence. They are well assured, that there is no hope for them in themselves, either as it respects the obtaining of reconciliation with God, or the fulfilling of his holy will. On the mercy of God, therefore, and on the merits of their Saviour, they rely for pardon and acceptance; and to the Lord Jesus they look for such supplies of grace, as their necessities require. Renouncing all confidence in themselves, they go forward, saying, In the Lord have I righteousness and strength.]
2.
They love God
[They behold his glorious perfections, particularly as displayed in the Son of his love, who is the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person: and with holy admiration they prostrate themselves before him, saying, How great is his goodness! how great is his beauty! they also contemplate with wonder and gratitude the love which he has shewn to them, in choosing them, from before the foundation of the world, to be the monuments of his grace, and in imparting to them such supplies of his Spirit as are made effectual for their salvation. It is well said, that to them that believe, Christ is precious. Yes, his very name is as ointment poured forth: and to hear and speak of him is the most delightful employment of their souls.
Now, I say, these are the characteristic virtues of the righteous: and these are the graces which are of supreme excellence in the sight of God. It is evident, that by the exercise of these dispositions God is more honoured than in all the external acts that can ever be performed; because he himself is the object on whom they terminate, and whose glory they promote.]
In immediate connexion with these dispositions is,
II.
Their blessedness
1.
Who so joyful as they?
[Let them rejoice, says the Psalmist, yea, let them ever shout for joy. This is their privilege; this is their duty: the very command of God himself is, Rejoice in the Lord alway; and again I say, Rejoice. Rejoice evermore: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. True it is, that there are seasons for humiliation, as well as for joy: but it is true also, that though, in the experience of the worldling, there is a direct opposition between the two feelings, so that they cannot exist together, they may in the saint be called forth into simultaneous exercise and harmonious operation. Indeed, there is no sublimer joy than that which arises out of penitential sorrow, and is tempered by contrition. The very posture of the glorified saints in heaven bears testimony to this: for they fall on their faces before the throne, at the very time that they sing aloud to Him that loved them, and washed them from their sins in his own blood. But you will particularly notice what is said, They rejoice in Him: it is not in themselves, but in Him alone, in whom all their fresh springs are found.]
2.
Who has such ground for joy as they?
[They are already under the care and protection of their God, who defendeth them from the assaults of all their enemies, and who has pledged himself to be their Protector even to the end: as David says, Thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him, as with a shield. There is, in another psalm, a remarkable expression, which beautifully illustrates this: Thou wilt hide them in the secret of thy presence. The believer, when sensible of Gods presence with his soul, has an assurance of his protection, as much as if he saw with his bodily eyes the whole heavens filled with chariots of fire, and horses of fire, for his defence. He then realizes in his mind the idea, that God is a wall of fire round about him; and that whoever shall think to scale it will not only fail, but perish in the attempt. Verily, to feel ones self thus in the very bosom of our God is a joy with which the stranger intermeddleth not, a joy that is unspeakable and glorified.]
Application
[Seek to be truly righteous. Forget not wherein that character primarily consists. Seek to know God, to trust in him, and to love him; to know him as revealed to us in his Gospel; to trust in him as a Covenant-God and Saviour; and to love him with all your heart, and mind, and soul, and strength. Let a sense of his presence, with you be your chief joy, and every action of your life be performed for his glory. So will you be preserved from every enemy, and your blessedness be an antepast of heaven.]
Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)
Let the Reader observe in the close, as in the opening of the Psalm, that the sacred writer speaks of one identical person. It is the righteous one Jehovah will bless: it is him that is to be compassed as with a shield. And who is this righteous person, but the Lord Jesus, the glorious righteous Mediator? In whom are the people to put their trust, and in whom are they to shout for joy, but in Jesus, who is their salvation? Yes! Lord, thou art righteous, and the Lord our righteousness! Everlasting praises to him, who, though he knew no sin, was made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. 2Co 5:21 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Psa 5:11 But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.
Ver. 11. But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice ] Joy is the just man’s portion, et contra, Hos 9:1 Isa 65:13-14 ; and, according to the measure of his faith, so is his joy, 1Pe 1:8 .
Let them ever shout
Because thou defendest them
Let them also that love thy name
Be joyful in thee
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Psalms
A STAIRCASE OF THREE STEPS
Psa 5:11 – Psa 5:12
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 of it or not, he was anticipating and stating, with wonderful distinctness, the Christian sequence-faith, love, righteousness.
These three are the three flights of stairs, as it were, which lead men up to God and to perfection, or if you like to take another metaphor, meaning the same thing, they are respectively the root, the stalk, and the fruit of religion. ‘They that put their trust in Thee . . . them also that love Thy Name . . . the righteous.’
I. So, then, the first thought here is that the foundation of all is trust.
So, as a man in peril runs into a hiding-place or fortress, as the chickens beneath the outspread wing of the mother bird nestle close in the warm feathers and are safe and well, the soul that trusts takes its flight straight to God, and in Him reposes and is secure.
Now, it seems to me that such a figure as that is worth tons of theological lectures about the true nature of faith, and that it tells us, by means of a picture that says a great deal more than many a treatise, that faith is something very different from a cold-blooded act of believing in the truth of certain propositions; that it is the flight of the soul-knowing itself to be in peril, and naked, and unarmed-into the strong Fortress.
What is it that keeps a man safe when he thus has around him the walls of some citadel? Is it himself, is it the act by which he took refuge, or is it the battlements behind which he crouches? So in faith-which is more than a process of a man’s understanding, and is not merely the saying, ‘Yes, I believe all that is in the Bible is true; at any rate, it is not for me to contradict it,’ but is the running of the man, when he knows himself to be in danger, into the very arms of God-it is not the running that makes him safe, but it is the arms to which he runs.
If we would only lay to heart that the very essence of religion lies in this ‘flight of the lonely soul to the only God,’ we should understand better than we do what He asks from us in order that He may defend us, and how blessed and certain His defence is. So let us clear our minds from the thought that anything is worth calling trust which is not thus taking refuge in God Himself.
Now, I need not remind you, I suppose, that all this is just as true about us as it was about David, and that the emotion or the act of his will and heart which he expresses in these words of my text is neither more nor less than the Christian act of faith. There is no difference except a difference of development; there is no difference between the road to God marked out in the Psalms, and the road to God laid down in the Gospels. The Psalmist who said, ‘Trust ye in the Lord for ever,’ and the Apostle who said, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved,’ were preaching identically the same doctrine. One of them could speak more fully than the other could of the Person on whom trust was to be rested, but the trust itself was the same, and the Person on whom it rested was the same, though His Name of old was Jehovah, and His Name to-day is ‘Immanuel, God with us.’
Nor need I do more than point out how the context of the words that I have ventured to detach from their surroundings is instructive: ‘Let all those that put their trust in Thee rejoice because Thou defendest them.’ The word for defending there continues the metaphor that lies in the word for ‘trust,’ for it means literally to cover over and so to protect. Thus, when a man runs to God for His refuge, God
‘Covers his defenceless head With the shadow of His wings.’ And the joy of trust is, first, that it brings round me the whole omnipotence of God for my defence, and the whole tenderness of God for my consolation, and next, that in the very exercise of trust in such defence, so fortified and vindicated by experience, there is great reward. All who thus flee into the refuge shall find refuge whither they flee, and shall be glad.
II. Then the next thought of my texts, which I do not force into them, but which results, as it seems to me, distinctly from the order in which they occur in the context, is that love follows trust.
And so faith is the only possible means by which any of us can ever experience, as well as realise, the love that kindles ours. It is the possession of the fact of redemption for my very own and of the blessings which accompany it, and that alone, that binds a man to God in the bonds of love that cannot be broken, and that subdues and unites all vagrant emotions, affections, and desires in the mighty tide of a love that ever sets towards Him. As surely as the silvery moon in the sky draws after it the heaped waters of the ocean all round the world, so God’s love draws ours. They that believe contemplate, and they that believe experience the effects of that divine love, which must be experienced ere our answering love can be flashed back to heaven.
Students of acoustics tell us that if you have two stringed instruments in adjacent apartments, tuned to the same pitch, a note sounded on one of them will be feebly vibrated upon the other as soon as the waves of sound have reached the sensitive string. In like manner a man’s heart gives off a faint, but musical, little tinkle of answering love to God when the deep note of God’s love to him, struck on the chords of heaven up yonder, reaches his poor heart.
Love follows trust. So, brethren, if we desire to be warmed, let us get into the sunshine and abide there. If we desire to have our hearts filled with love to God, do not let us waste our time in trying to pump up artificial emotions or to persuade ourselves that we love Him better than we do, but let us fix our thoughts and fasten our refuge-seeking trust on Him, and then that shall kindle ours.
III. Lastly, righteousness follows trust and love.
And faith leads to righteousness in another way. Open the heart and Christ comes in. Trust Him and He fills our poor nature with ‘the law of the Spirit of life that was in Christ Jesus,’ and that ‘makes me free from the law of sin and death.’ Righteousness, meaning thereby just what irreligious men mean by it-viz. good living, plain obedience to the ordinary recognised dictates of morality, going straight-that is most surely attained when we cease from our own works and say to Jesus Christ, ‘Lord, I cannot walk in the narrow path. Do Thou Thyself come to me and fill my heart and keep my feet.’ They that trust and love are ‘found in Him, not having their own righteousness, but that which is of God by faith.’
And love leads to righteousness because it brings the one motive into play in our hearts which turns duty into delight, toil into joy, and makes us love better to do what will please our beloved Lover than anything besides. Why did Jesus Christ say, ‘My yoke is easy and My burden is light’? Was it because He diminished the weight of duties or laid down an easier slipshod morality than had been enjoined before? No! He intensified it all, and His Commandment is far harder to flesh and blood than any commandments that were ever given. But for all that, the yoke that He lays upon our necks is, if I may so say, padded with velvet; and the burden that we have to draw behind us is laid upon wheels that will turn so easily that the load is diminished, inasmuch as for Duty He substitutes Himself and says to us, ‘If ye love Me, keep My Commandments.’
So, dear brethren! here is a very easily applied, and a very far-reaching test for us who call ourselves Christians: Does our love and does our trust culminate in practical righteousness? We are all tempted to make too much of the emotions of the religious life, and too little of its persistent, dogged obedience. We are all too apt to think that a Christian is a man that believes in Jesus Christ. ‘Justification by faith alone without the works of the law’ used to be the watchword of the Evangelical Church. It might be so held as to be either a blessed truth or a great error, and many of us make it an error instead of a blessing.
On the other hand, there is only one way by which righteousness can be attained, and that is: first by faith and then by love. Here are three steps: ‘we have known and believed the love that God hath to us’; that is the broad, bottom step. And above it ‘we love Him because He first loved us,’ that is the central one. And on the top of all, ‘herein is our love made perfect that we keep His Commandments.’ They that trust are they also who love Thy Name, and they who trust through love are, and only they are, the righteous.
Fuente: Expositions Of Holy Scripture by Alexander MacLaren
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Psa 5:11-12
11But 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.
12For it is You who blesses the righteous man, O Lord,
You surround him with favor as with a shield.
Psa 5:11-12 In contrast to the wicked enemy, the psalmist now describes the faithful followers (i.e., plurals, the prayer and experience of one became the description of all).
1. they take refuge in YHWH
2. they rejoice in YHWH
3. they take shelter in Him (I think this refers to a female bird metaphor, cf. Rth 2:12; Psa 17:8; Psa 36:7; Psa 57:1; Psa 61:4; Psa 63:7; Psa 91:1; Psa 91:4; see Special Topic below)
4. they love and exult in His name (see Special Topic below)
In light of this, YHWH
1. shelters them
2. blesses them
3. surrounds them as a shield (cf. 1Sa 23:26)
One can tell the difference between a faithful follower and a faithless follower by their fruit (cf. Mat 7:15-22)!
SPECIAL TOPIC: SHADOW AS METAPHOR FOR PROTECTION AND CARE
SPECIAL TOPIC: THE NAME OF YHWH
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.
These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.
1. Why is Psalms 4 considered an evening Psalm and Psalms 5 a morning Psalm?
2. List the attributes of YHWH from Psa 5:4-6.
3. The life of faith is described as a road/path/way. Why?
4. Describe the wicked from Psa 5:4-6; Psa 5:9-10.
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
put their trust = flee for refuge to. Hebrew. hasah. See App-69.
defendest = coverest.
Thy name = Thee Thyself. “Name” put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Adjunct), App-6, for the person and character: i.e. all that the name implies and includes.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Psa 5:11-12
Psa 5:11-12
“But let all those that take refuge in thee rejoice,
Let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them:
Let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.
For thou wilt bless the righteous;
O Jehovah, thou wilt compass him with favor as with a shield.”
There is infinite trust and confidence in such a passage as this. It is the inalienable right of every true child of God to accept this passage and many others like it as his very own inheritance.
Notice that the joyful confidence here is not limited to the one offering the prayer, but it is the blessing of all who “love the name” of the Lord and truly serve him.
Kidner pointed out that the last clause here, “Thou wilt compass him,” etc. is a word, “Whose only other occurrence is in 1Sa 23:26, where it describes a hostile force closing in on David, only to find itself quietly deflected by God’s encircling, providential care of David.”
E.M. Zerr:
Psa 5:11. This is a fine thought and characteristic of David. He would have people rejoice, not merely because they were victorious over their enemies, but because the victory came through trusting in God.
Psa 5:12. This verse is much like the one preceding with regard to its thought. It promises the blessing of God upon the righteous.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
trust
(See Scofield “Psa 2:12”)
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
But: Psa 35:27, Psa 40:16, Psa 58:10, Psa 68:3, Psa 70:1-4, Jdg 5:31, Isa 65:13-16, Rev 18:20, Rev 19:1-7
shout: Psa 47:1-5, Psa 65:13, Job 38:7, Zec 9:9
defendest: Heb. coverest over, or, protectest
love: Psa 69:36, Rom 8:28, 1Co 2:9, Jam 1:12, Jam 2:5
Reciprocal: Gen 4:16 – went 2Sa 8:6 – the Lord Ezr 3:13 – shouted Psa 9:2 – I will be Psa 9:10 – put Psa 17:7 – savest Psa 32:11 – shout Psa 33:22 – General Psa 63:7 – therefore Psa 70:4 – General Phi 3:1 – rejoice
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Psa 5:11-12. But let those that put their trust in thee That dare rely on thy word and promise when all human hopes and refuges fail; rejoice
Let them have cause of great joy from thy love and care of them; because thou defendest them As it follows. Let them also that love thy name That is, thy majesty and glory, thy word and worship, all which is called Gods name, in Scripture; be joyful Hebrew, , jangletzu, exult in thee. Thus David does not confine his prayer to his party, but prays for, and predicts the happiness of all good men, though some of them, through their own mistakes, or other mens artifices, might now be in a state of opposition to him. And so, as the preceding verse foretold the perdition of the ungodly, this describes the happiness of the saints. For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous Thou hast engaged thyself by promise and covenant, and art resolved to bless them, and therefore my prayer for them is agreeable to thy will; with favour With thy love and gracious providence; wilt thou compass him as with a shield That is, keep him safe on every side.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
5:11 But {h} let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.
(h) Your favour toward me will confirm the faith of all others.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
On the other hand, those who love God can count on His blessing and protection. They will respond to His care with joyful singing in praise of Him. This is the first of many references to singing in the Book of Psalms. "Thy name," an expression found over 100 times in the Psalter, refers to the character and attributes of God as He has revealed these to human beings. The whole psalm finds its focus in the faith expressed in Psa 5:12.
We who are God’s people should seek God’s help in prayer diligently, so we may perceive and walk in God’s ways of righteousness. When we do so walk, we will experience His joy, protection, and fellowship-rather than sharing the fate of the wicked. [Note: See Swindoll, pp. 16-26.]