The Truth of the Psalms Sets Us on His Path

The Psalms speak to us personally through the theology they contain. This morning's Psalm 25 did that for me; through its truth about who God is and how He acts, it spoke to my current feelings and wonderings. Let’s look at Psalm 25 together and see what it has to say to you and me today.

Psalm 25 (NASB)

Of David.

¹ In you, Lord my God, I put my trust.

² I trust in you; do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me.

³ No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame, but shame will come on those who are treacherous without cause.

⁴ Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths.

⁵ Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.

⁶ Remember, Lord, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old.

⁷ Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you, Lord, are good.

⁸ Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.

⁹ He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.

¹⁰ All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful toward those who keep the demands of his covenant.

¹¹ For the sake of your name, Lord, forgive my iniquity, though it is great.

¹² Who, then, are those who fear the Lord? He will instruct them in the ways they should choose.

¹³ They will spend their days in prosperity, and their descendants will inherit the land.

¹⁴ The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.

¹⁵ My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only he will release my feet from the snare.

¹⁶ Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.

¹⁷ Relieve the troubles of my heart and free me from my anguish.

¹⁸ Look on my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins.

¹⁹ See how numerous are my enemies and how fiercely they hate me!

²⁰ Guard my life and rescue me; do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.

²¹ May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope, Lord, is in you.

²² Deliver Israel, O God, from all their troubles!

Psalm 25’s main theme, freedom from shame, is spelled out in its opening verses, which proclaim, “No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame, but shame will come on those who are treacherous without cause” (v. 3). The theme is repeated in the psalmist’s closing request, “Guard my soul and deliver me; Do not let me be ashamed, for I take refuge in you” (v. 20). David knows that for those who trust in the LORD and seek to walk in His paths, shame or condemnation is not theirs to bear. David wants to experience this truth in his life in the face of those who would shame him.

Undergirding David’s need to break free from the weight of the enemy’s treachery (v. 3), traps (v. 15b), affliction, and trouble (v. 18) is his trust in what he knows to be true of God, saying in verse 4, “Lead me in your truth and teach me.” And this is exactly what we do with the Psalms; we go to them to be led and taught through the theology they contain, through their truth that sets us free. Like David, we embrace the Psalms to be instructed and guided on God’s paths, which the psalmist says are “lovingkindness and truth” (v. 8-10).

The psalmist repeatedly teaches by the Spirit that those who will not be put to shame are those who “trust” and “wait” upon the LORD (v. 2-3), those who “keep His testimonies” (v. 10b), and those who “fear” Him (v. 12-14). David also tells us that the godly person, lifted from the dung hill of shame, receives the LORD’s compassion and lovingkindness (3x’s) (v. 6, 7b, 10). They walk in the LORD’s goodness and graciousness (v. 7b, 8, 16).

David understands with confidence that his freedom from shame is not due to earned righteousness or any perfection of his own, but to the LORD’s willingness to forgive sins and transgressions. The author asks the LORD to forgive him and is assured that the LORD will do so because forgiveness is grounded in God’s goodness. The psalmist knows that God’s gracious gift extends to “instructing sinners in the way” (v. 8). David is a sinner saved by grace, unashamed, and calling on the LORD for help in his trouble, just as you and I are invited to do.

I was personally touched today by the truth of this psalm. Recently, I lost my mother; then, returning home from the memorial, adding to my sense of dislocation and loss, our cat disappeared (who sat with me during my morning devotionals). As I read Psalm 25 today, I was not only reminded of God’s graciousness in forgiving our sins and giving us His goodness in exchange for our shame, but I was also specifically encouraged by verses 12-14 (ESV):

¹² Who is the man who fears the Lord? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose.

¹³ His soul shall abide in well-being, and his offspring shall inherit the land.

¹⁴ The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant.

These verses encourage me that as I seek to rebuild my sense of “home” after loss, the Lord will instruct me on the right path; I don’t have to figure out my way forward on my own. Christ will guide my soul to “abide in well-being,” as only He can do. He will continue to bless my family and me because we are His, and He will walk with me in “friendship” through the grief of loss. Very comforting indeed.

Friend, I hope my shared journey through Psalm 25 today helped you find truth that set your feet on His path.

Blessings,

Nancy