“Give ear to my words, O LORD; consider my groaning. Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray. 3 O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch. 4 For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you. The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers. 6 You destroy those who speak lies; the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man. 7 But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house. I will bow down toward your holy temple in the fear of you. 8 Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me. 9 For there is no truth in their mouth; their inmost self is destruction; their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongue. 10 Make them bear their guilt, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out, for they have rebelled against you. But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you. 12 For you bless the righteous, O LORD; you cover him with favor as with a shield.” Psalm 5

“Psalm 5 is a psalm of prayer against the false teachers and the rebellious spirits. It harshly condemns both their glistening teaching and their works, by which—under the name of God—they do great harm to the pure Word of God and the true worship of God. The psalm prays for the righteous, that is, for the pure Word of God and the pure worship of God. In the last verse it promises that such a prayer will be heard and the rebellious spirits will be condemned. This psalm belongs to the Second and Third Commandments, in which we are commanded to keep both God’s name and God’s Word holy. It belongs to the First and Second Petitions of the Lord’s Prayer, in which we pray that God’s name, honor, and kingdom will be advanced.” (Martin Luther, Reading the Psalms with Luther)

“For you bless the righteous, O LORD; you cover him with favor as with a shield.” This is the greatest blessing of all – the favor of G-d. Knowing that G-d looks on us with favor and covers us with righteousness as like a shield. This should be one of the greatest feelings for a believer. This is our standing in grace before G-d through the works of Jesus Christ.

The shield of favor from G-d is armor over armor. This is how fully the favor of G-d, our standing in grace, protects us. When Martin Luther was on his way to face a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church to answer for what they said were his heretical teachings, one of the Cardinal’s servants taunted him saying, “Where will you find shelter if your patron, the Elector of Saxony, should desert you?” Luther answered, “Under the shelter of heaven.”

Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, You are the Light of the world and alone the Way to eternal life. Restrain the corrupters of Your Word and all the enemies of Your truth. Preserve the truth of Your Gospel in these latter days and in faithful teachers who will lead us in the way everlasting. Grant us to serve You in steadfast faith and a good conscience to our end. Amen.