Hebrew scholars tell us that this psalm is distinctly in two parts. The first few verses are in very rugged Hebrew that grates on the ears, whereas the rest is quite smooth and sweet. This is how David emphasizes the description within those verses respectively. However, this is some dispute about the wording of the first verse, in part because too many Western scholars just don’t quite grasp the Hebrew emphasis on perception with the heart as a sensory organ in its own right.
So perhaps it should go something like this: “The rebellion of a wicked man tells my heart that he does not revere God.” It’s obvious to David because his heart reads the moral context of what he sees with his eyes. Sin and general moral failure is a direct insult to God, the maker of all things who wrote His character into Creation. This is indeed an issue with human pride to insist on evaluating things from his own sense of reason rather than embracing the revelation of God. Thus, his actions betray a lack of moral sensitivity. He stays up late looking for ways to prey on others and gain some unjust advantage.
In contrast, God is merciful and keeps looking for ways to bless the creatures He made. His compassion reaches to the clouds, outweighs mountains and has no bottom. There is no better place for a human to live than in the shelter of God’s revelation. Life can be no sweeter than in the joy of His holiness.
So David prays that God continue to differentiate how He treats those who love Him. He asks to be included in that sweet regard of God’s favor.
