Psalm 5:4

Berean Standard Bible

For You are not a God who delights in wickedness; no evil can dwell with You.

King James Bible

For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.

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This single verse, brief in form but profound in meaning, serves as a critical theological pivot in the structure of the psalm. It moves the focus from the intimate prayer and personal expectation of verse 3 into a meditation on God’s moral nature and the implications of His holiness. David, the psalmist, is not simply making a doctrinal statement; he is building the foundation for his confidence in prayer and worship by appealing to the character of God.

At its core, this verse declares something essential about the being of God: that He is holy, morally pure, and separate from evil. David asserts that God does not "take pleasure in wickedness." This is not merely to say that God disapproves of evil, but that it is antithetical to His nature to enjoy, condone, or tolerate it. Pleasure suggests alignment, affinity, or delight—but none of these can be ascribed to God with regard to wickedness. His affections, His inclinations, His desires are entirely righteous. Wickedness may exist in the world He created, but it finds no sympathy in His heart.

This is a corrective to any view of God that diminishes His moral perfection. In a world where sin is often normalized, and where human systems often reflect compromise, it is tempting—even comforting—to imagine that God, too, is flexible on moral matters. But David leaves no room for such misrepresentation. God’s holiness is not negotiable. He is not morally neutral or passively tolerant. He is active in His righteousness and absolutely averse to sin. Wickedness is not merely something God judges; it is something that offends and contradicts His very essence.

Furthermore, David continues with the declaration, “evil may not dwell with You.” This phrase extends the thought from what God finds no pleasure in to what He cannot abide. The verb “dwell” suggests residence, nearness, intimacy. The implication is clear: evil cannot come close to God, cannot find a home in His presence, cannot stand before Him without being exposed, judged, and cast out. This is not about geographical proximity—God is omnipresent—but about relational and covenantal proximity. The holy presence of God is not a space in which evil can abide without being destroyed.

This reveals a fundamental reality about the divine-human relationship: that approach to God requires purity. It is not enough to draw near with words; one must do so with a clean heart. In the Old Testament temple system, this principle was embedded in ritual law. The priests could not enter the Holy of Holies without purification. Sacrifices were required not because God needed appeasement, but because His holiness required cleansing to make fellowship possible. Sin and God do not coexist in peace; there must be atonement, there must be cleansing, there must be transformation.

David likely reflects on this truth not in cold abstraction but in light of the world around him. He was a man who saw wickedness firsthand—violence, betrayal, deception, rebellion. He lived in a world, much like ours, marked by moral compromise and spiritual corruption. And in the face of this, he lifts his prayer to a God who is not like the world. He appeals to God’s holiness as the basis for justice, as the ground for hope. He knows that the wicked may flourish for a time, but they will not flourish forever, because evil cannot dwell with God.

There is also in this verse a word of assurance for the faithful. If God takes no pleasure in wickedness and if evil cannot dwell with Him, then those who walk in righteousness are not forgotten. They are seen and known by the God who is good. The holiness of God is not only a threat to the wicked; it is a comfort to the righteous. For it means that justice has an anchor, that goodness is not an illusion, that the moral order of the universe is not random but rooted in the nature of its Creator. The God to whom David prays is not indifferent to the plight of the innocent or the schemes of the wicked. He is a God whose character ensures that evil, however powerful or persistent, will ultimately be exiled from His presence.

But this verse also invites self-examination. If evil may not dwell with God, then what of us? Who among us is pure? Who among us is truly clean? David is not declaring his own perfection; he is placing his hope in the character of God. Throughout the psalms, he cries out for mercy, for cleansing, for renewal. He knows that it is only by God’s steadfast love and grace that one may draw near. The holiness of God does not encourage self-righteousness—it humbles us, exposes us, and drives us to seek refuge not in our own virtue, but in God’s mercy.

Ultimately, this verse anticipates the fuller revelation of God’s holiness and grace in Christ. For in Jesus, the holiness of God is embodied, and the exclusion of evil from God’s presence is fulfilled in both judgment and redemption. On the cross, evil is condemned and dealt with decisively; in the resurrection, the way is opened for sinners to dwell with God—not because evil is excused, but because it has been overcome. In Christ, the one who was without sin became sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God. The holy God who could not tolerate evil made a way to welcome the unholy into His presence by cleansing them through the blood of His Son.

Psalm 5:4, then, is not only a doctrinal statement about God's moral purity—it is a theological lens through which we understand prayer, justice, worship, and salvation. It is a verse that confronts us, comforts us, and compels us to holiness. It challenges our assumptions about God and about ourselves. It reminds us that the God we approach each morning is not tame, not indulgent, not fashioned in our image. He is holy. And yet, in His holiness, He has made a way for us to come near. This is the marvel of grace: that the God who cannot dwell with evil has chosen to dwell with us, by transforming us, cleansing us, and drawing us into His light.

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To the beloved of God, chosen and called by grace, sanctified in Christ Jesus, and sealed by the Holy Spirit—grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I write to you as one who shares in your weakness and in your hope, who knows the battle against sin and the joy of communion with the Holy One. I write not with lofty speech or worldly wisdom, but with the weight of the Word that has shaped my soul and awakened my heart. May the truth of God’s nature become to you a stronghold and a compass as you walk through the confusion and compromise of this age.

Hear now the solemn and beautiful words of the psalmist David, “For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; evil may not dwell with You.” In this, we are not given a minor detail about God, but a mighty declaration of His holiness. We are reminded that the God we worship is not shaped by our preferences nor diluted by our compromises. He is holy, set apart, utterly and infinitely good. There is no mixture in Him, no shadow of turning, no hint of corruption. He is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.

In a world that has grown numb to sin and confused about righteousness, this truth stands as a plumb line, steady and unyielding. The God of the Scriptures is not entertained by wickedness. He does not take pleasure in it, tolerate it, or brush it aside. He is not amused by the things we excuse. He is not impressed by power, nor blinded by reputation. He sees the heart. He weighs motives. He judges with perfect justice. And while men may exalt what is vile, while societies may normalize what is shameful, our God remains untouched by the winds of cultural decay. Evil cannot dwell with Him.

You must understand this, dear saints: holiness is not merely one of God’s attributes. It is the crown upon all His perfections. His love is holy love. His mercy is holy mercy. His justice is holy justice. There is no virtue in God that is not saturated with holiness, for His nature is one—pure, whole, undivided. He does not change with the times or soften with sentiment. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

And yet, some today would remake God in their image. They speak of His love but forget His righteousness. They praise His grace but ignore His hatred of sin. They quote His compassion but silence His calls to repentance. But if we lose the truth that evil may not dwell with Him, we lose the Gospel itself. For what is the cross but the most violent demonstration of both God’s hatred of sin and His love for sinners? What is the empty tomb but the triumph of holiness over corruption?

Do not misunderstand me, brothers and sisters: this holiness is not meant to drive us into despair but into dependence. For who among us is without sin? Who can say, “I am clean, I am worthy, I can dwell with God on my own merit”? Not one. And yet, this holy God has made a way—not by lowering His standard, but by lifting up His Son. In Christ, the sinless One, we find our righteousness. In His blood, we are washed. In His resurrection, we are raised. Through Him, we are welcomed into the presence of the very God before whom evil cannot dwell.

So then, how shall we live? Shall we, who have been called into fellowship with the Holy One, walk as though holiness were optional? Shall we treat sin lightly because grace abounds? God forbid. Let us not take lightly what cost Christ so dearly. Let us not cozy up to the very thing from which we have been delivered. If evil may not dwell with God, let it not dwell with us. Let our lives reflect the character of the One we claim to follow.

Let your homes be places where righteousness is loved, where truth is spoken, where sin is not hidden but confessed and forsaken. Let your minds be guarded against the slow poison of compromise. Let your hearts be tender to conviction, quick to repent, eager to obey. Be holy, as your Father in heaven is holy—not in your own strength, but by His Spirit who dwells in you.

But take heart in this as well: the holiness of God is not only a call to purity; it is your comfort in an impure world. Because God takes no pleasure in wickedness, you can rest assured that injustice will not reign forever. Evil may rise, but it will fall. Corruption may flourish for a season, but it will not dwell with Him. He sees every hidden thing, and He will judge with righteousness. Let this anchor your soul when the world seems upside down. Let it remind you that God’s justice is not sleeping, and His holiness will not be mocked.

And know this too: holiness is not a dry command but a divine invitation. It is the path to joy, to peace, to intimacy with God. The pure in heart shall see Him. The contrite and lowly He will not despise. Do not fear the refining fire of His presence—it is the fire that purifies, not the fire that destroys. Draw near. Confess freely. Receive mercy. And rise to walk in the beauty of holiness, clothed not in the rags of self-effort, but in the garments of grace.

Therefore, beloved, set your hope fully on the grace that is to be revealed. Be sober-minded, awake, and alert. Do not drift with the currents of the world, but be anchored in the truth. Let the holiness of God both humble and steady you. And above all, let it lead you to worship—not with lips alone, but with lives that reflect the glory of the One who has called you out of darkness and into His marvelous light.

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with great joy—to the only wise God, be honor, power, and dominion, now and forevermore. Amen.

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O Holy and Righteous Father, God of consuming fire and unapproachable light, before whom the angels veil their faces and in whose presence no impurity can dwell—we come before You, not in presumption, but in the bold humility granted to us through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Mediator and Redeemer. We come trembling and grateful, aware that You are not a God who delights in wickedness, and that evil cannot abide with You. We confess with reverence that You are altogether holy, and there is no shadow in You, no falsehood, no injustice, no stain of sin.

You are not like the gods of men, crafted in human imagination, corrupted by the image of fallen humanity. You are not swayed by wicked power, nor flattered by the praise of the unrepentant. You are not deceived by appearances, for You see the hidden places of the heart. You do not overlook the schemes of the proud or the violence of the deceitful. You take no pleasure in evil, no joy in rebellion, no delight in cruelty. You are holy, O Lord—blazing in righteousness, burning with truth, perfect in judgment, yet abounding in mercy for all who fear You.

We praise You that You have made Your nature known—not hidden in obscurity, but revealed through the prophets, proclaimed through the Law, and most gloriously unveiled in the face of Jesus Christ. Through Him, the Holy One made flesh, we have come to know the purity of Your justice and the depth of Your compassion. In Him, we behold a righteousness that does not bend to sin, and a love that stoops to rescue the sinner. In Christ, You have demonstrated both the terror of Your judgment and the wonder of Your grace.

O God, how could we stand before You, if not for the blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel? For we too have walked in crooked ways; our lips have not always spoken truth; our thoughts have wandered in the wilderness of pride and lust. We confess, Lord, that in our flesh there dwells no good thing. We acknowledge that evil has found lodging in our hearts far too often, and we are not worthy to dwell with You. But we cling to the mercy that flows from Your throne, through the pierced hands of Your Son, and by His sacrifice we dare to draw near.

Cleanse us, O God, by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit. Purify our hearts, not merely in outward behavior, but in the inner chamber of thought and desire. Drive out the hidden sins that defile our communion with You. Do not let us become comfortable with what You hate. Do not let us call light what You call darkness. Let us not make peace with lies, nor harbor pride in our secret places. If evil may not dwell with You, let it not dwell with us. Drive it from our hearts, from our homes, from our speech, from our ambitions.

Teach us to hate what is evil and to cling to what is good—not by the strength of our will, but by the power of Your Spirit working within us. Let us hunger for righteousness and thirst for holiness. Let our hearts be tender to Your correction, and our minds be conformed to Your truth. Let Your Word be the light that exposes and the fire that refines. Let Your presence be our fear and our delight, our boundary and our joy.

We long to dwell with You, O Lord—not merely as servants in Your courts, but as sons and daughters in Your house. Make us fit for Your presence. Make us a people in whom You find pleasure—not in our perfection, but in our repentance, our faith, our longing for Your glory. Let our churches be places where holiness is not a forgotten word, where truth is preached without apology, where sin is named not to shame, but to save. Let our witness in this world be marked by both grace and gravity—grace to the broken, and gravity before the Holy One.

When the world mocks holiness and celebrates evil, strengthen our hearts. When temptation whispers and compromise calls, anchor us in Your nature. When injustice prevails and truth is trampled, remind us that evil may rise, but it cannot dwell with You—it cannot endure Your judgment, nor silence Your voice, nor outlast Your kingdom.

So we wait for the day when You will make all things new. We long for the appearing of the Righteous One, the King in whose reign no lie will live, no sin will remain, no enemy will stand. Until then, keep us in the narrow way. Keep us from deception. Keep us from double-mindedness. Keep us from growing weary in the pursuit of holiness. Keep us, Lord, by Your mighty hand, until we stand in Your presence, blameless and with great joy—not by our works, but by the finished work of the One who knew no sin, yet became sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God.

To You alone be glory, now and forever. Amen.