This is Spoken Gospel.

We’re dedicated to seeing
Jesus in all of scripture.

In each episode, we see what’s
happening in a Biblical text,

and how it sheds light
on Jesus and his gospel.

Let’s jump in.

Throughout the song, David pictures himself
entering God’s presence in the tabernacle.

In the morning he prepares a sacrifice.

Then he enters the tabernacle
and bows before God.

Finally, David says that all who take refuge
in God will be surrounded by his presence

just as the walls of the
tabernacle surrounded David.

David wants others to experience with him the joy and
gladness that comes with being near God’s presence.

This experience is only for those who, like
David, come to God with reverence and fear.

They aren’t allowed near God because they deserve
it, but because of God’s great love for them.

But David speaks differently
about the wicked in this Psalm.

They don’t bow in humility before God.

Instead, they try to proudly
stand in his presence.

They don’t use their lips to honor God but lie
and defraud others. So, instead of receiving God’s
love, David says they receive his hate.

Instead of being allowed near God,
they are excluded from his presence.

The wicked’s experience of God’s presence
is the exact opposite of the righteous.

The righteous are brought in.
The wicked are cast out.

Jesus picks up this language and
imagery in several of his parables.

Multiple times, Jesus says that those not
in his presence will be cast into outer darkness

where there will be “weeping
and gnashing of teeth”.

Jesus equates himself with the presence David
longed for in our psalm.

Being with Jesus is being
with the presence of God.

So, the ultimate punishment for wickedness
is being separated from Jesus.

When we read these passages, we might wonder if
we will be brought in or cast out of Jesus’ presence.

After all, we’ve been proud, we've told lies, and we are all
guilty like the wicked people David describes in Psalm 5.

Nevertheless, even though we all deserve to be cast out from Jesus’
presence, we instead can be brought into it.

And this is because Jesus went through a similar journey
into God’s presence that David describes in the psalm.

David offered an animal sacrifice to gain
entry into the tabernacle for himself.

Jesus, though, offered the sacrifice of his own
body to earn entry into God’s presence for others.

David bowed down in humility before God.

So, Jesus bowed lower, in deeper
humility, into the mouth of the grave.

And when Jesus died, the barrier that separated
God’s presence in the tabernacle from the
rest of the world was literally torn down.

Now, all those who take refuge in Jesus can
come near to his presence and sing for joy.

So, I pray the Holy Spirit would open your eyes to see the God whose
presence brings joy and protection to those who reverently draw near.

And may you see Jesus as the one who took our evil so that
we can be brought into the greatest good—which is his presence.