Psalms 25

Psalms 25:1

Psalm 25: The Secret of the LordThis is an acrostic Psalm, though one letter of the Hebrew alphabet is omitted, and one is used twice. It is difficult to find a unified theme; instead, the Psalm seems to be a potpourri of prayers and meditations with the only apparent link being the alphabetical one. 25:1-3 First comes a prayer for protection. David’s enemies are never far away, it seems. So he looks to the LORD for help, acknowledging God as the sole object of his trust. David’s dual supplication is that he will never be disappointed for having trusted in Jehovah and that his enemies will never have occasion to gloat because God has failed His child. This is his prayer for all who depend on the Lord. As for those who deliberately deal falsely, he wishes them a full dose of shame. 25:4, 5 In the next section, the psalmist portrays a disciple seeking instruction. He wants to know the ways of the LORD, to walk in His paths, and to grow in His truth. His motivation arises from love for the God of his salvation, the One in whom all his expectations are bound up. 25:6, 7 Then David appears as a sinner seeking forgiveness. He appeals to the long-standing mercies and lovingkindness of the Lord and asks the Lord to remember that He has demonstrated such grace in the pastas if He could ever forget! If such requests betray an imperfect apprehension of God’s grace on David’s part, we must remember that he lived in an age of shadows while we enjoy the full light of the gospel era. . . . The sins of David’s youth were bedeviling him; they have a way of doing that. The psalmist succinctly asks the Lord to forget these sins but to remember him according to His lovingkindness and for His goodness’ sake. Such a prayer is irresistible. . . . What release there is in knowing that our sins are under the blood, removed as far as the east is from the west, buried in the sea of God’s forgetfulness, forgiven forever! 25:8-10 David now moves from prayer to contemplation. He is lost in admiration as he thinks of the teaching ministry of Jehovah. Because the LORD is essentially good and upright, He teaches sinners in the way of truth, justice, and salvation. The single most important quality which we need to learn from Him is humilitywe must be meek enough to admit our ignorance and our need for further instruction. If we are teachable we soon learn what is right, that is, what the will of God is. Far from having to endure an unpleasant life, those who obey the Word of the Lord find that life is filled with tokens of God’s steadfast love and faithfulness. 25:11 David now returns briefly to prayer for forgiveness. Thoroughly convicted of the vastness of his guilt, he bases his appeal on “Your name’s sake, O LORD.” Since a person’s name often stands for the person himself, the psalmist is here pleading God’s own characterand especially His mercy and graceas his only claim to pardon. There is not a word about David’s own merit! 25:12, 13 Once again he interrupts his prayer to engage in a spiritual soliloquy. He envisions the man that fears the LORD as the one who enjoys God’s best. This kind of person will experience: Unmistakable guidanceGod will show him the way to go. Personal prosperityhe will enjoy abundant provision. Family securityhis children will possess the land. Divine fellowshiphe will be in the inner circle of friends to whom the Lord reveals His mind and ways in an intimate manner. 25:14 This is undoubtedly the golden verse of the Psalm: The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him; And He will show them His covenant.It was to Daniel, “a man greatly beloved,” that God revealed the wonderful visions of Gentile governments superseded by the final kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And it was to John, the disciple who leaned on Jesus’ bosom, that the glorious revelation of Patmos was given. 25:15 David includes himself in this God-fearing group. His eyes are looking continually heavenward in trust and expectation, and he is confident that the LORD will extricate him from the net of trouble and affliction in which he is presently entangled. 25:16-21 The mention of a net causes David to cut short his spiritual reveries and to utter a prayer about his present plight. He is lonely and afflicted. The troubles of his heart are compounded. So he implores God to turn to him in mercy, to relieve his overburdened heart, to deliver him from his distresses, to take inventory of his afflictions and to forgive all his sins. David also asks the Lord to protect him from his enemies and their vitriolic hatred, thereby vindicating him for having trusted in Jehovah. When he prays “Let integrity and uprightness preserve me” he is not referring to his own rectitude, but is instead asking God to show His righteousness by delivering the one who put his trust in Him. 25:22 In the final verse, David identifies himself with Israel and prays for the nation’s redemption. This suggests that a Psalm like this will become the language of the godly Jewish remnant during the coming days of the Tribulation.