As David prays for help in trouble, he continually comes back to that help coming only through knowing and obeying God. In praying for freedom from shame, David not only asks that his enemies not succeed, but he points to the basis for his prayer: that he trusts and waits on God (v. 1-3), and that will be true only if the LORD teaches us to follow Him (v. 4-5). When he prays for God to remember His mercy and kindness, David remembers that this can be so only when God refuses to remember sin and transgression—and such mercy comes as He pardons, teaches, and corrects sinners (v. 6-11). As we learn to fear the LORD, we find blessings, in part through blessings in this life, but especially the blessing of being taught God’s ways more and more clearly and knowing His promises more and more (v. 12-15). Finally, as David returns to his original prayer for rescue from desolation, affliction, troubles, distresses, affliction, and pain, he sees the threat of enemies—and his own remaining sin (note v. 18). Only God can preserve from this double threat of outsiders and ourselves, and this rescue comes to those who trust God and imitate His integrity and uprightness (v. 20-21; compare God’s goodness and uprightness in v. 8).
What David takes as a given, but what we must constantly remember, is that David does not pray for rescue based on his own natural goodness and righteousness; he has not earned the right to pray this prayer because of his sinlessness or perfect wisdom. Instead, David’s integrity and uprightness has come out of believing God’s promises and God’s commands; he has learned from God what God wants, and has been taught by God—in hindsight we would say by the Holy Spirit—to walk in upright paths. And in hindsight we also see more clearly what David saw in part in Psalm 51:10, that David’s uprightness could only be acceptable if God Himself cleansed David—and that is only finally possible through David’s greater Son Jesus. Because a Savior would come from David’s line (2 Sam. 7), David’s sins could be pardoned, and he could be led out into God’s way. And so it is with us. Psalm 25 does not teach us to be really good people so that God will bless us, but to throw ourselves on God’s pardoning mercy, and based on that to trust His goodness in rescuing us from all other dangers. Our prayer for today is that He would never stop teaching us His way.
Grace and peace, Mike Yates
Bethel Baptist Church 