Psalms 140-142

Thoughts

Psalm 140

Deliver Me, O LORD, from Evil Men.To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

Deliver me, O LORD, from evil men;
preserve me from violent men,
who plan evil things in their heart
and stir up wars continually.
They make their tongue sharp as a serpent’s,
and under their lips is the venom of asps.

• One of many times David has been pursued by evil men. 
• Violence begins in the heart 
• Words are treated as weapons, that can poison and destroy

Guard me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked;
preserve me from violent men,
who have planned to trip up my feet.
The arrogant have hidden a trap for me,
and with cords they have spread a net;
beside the way they have set snares for me.

• David asks God for protection
• Pride fuels hidden evil

I say to the LORD, You are my God;
give ear to the voice of my pleas for mercy, O LORD!
O LORD, my Lord, the strength of my salvation,
you have covered my head in the day of battle.

• David states his relationship with God: “You are my God.”

Grant not, O LORD, the desires of the wicked;
do not further their evil plot,
or they will be exalted!
Let the mischief of their lips overwhelm them!
Let burning coals fall upon them!
Let them be cast into fire,
into miry pits, no more to rise!

• Justice is requested from God
• Evil is asked to collapse under its own weight.

Let not the slanderer be established in the land;
let evil hunt down the violent man speedily!

• Speech and violence are again linked.

I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted,
and will execute justice for the needy.
Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name;
the upright shall dwell in your presence.

• Confidence replaces fear 
• God is portrayed as defender of the vulnerable.

Psalm 141

Give Ear to My Voice. A Psalm of David.

O LORD, I call upon you; hasten to me!
Give ear to my voice when I call to you!
Let my prayer be counted as incense before you,
and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!

• This prayer is urgent 
• Imagery of prayer as an offering to God.

Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth;
keep watch over the door of my lips!
Do not let my heart incline to any evil,
to busy myself with wicked deeds
in company with men who work iniquity,
and let me not eat of their delicacies!

• Sin is shown to move from heart to speech to action.
• David asks God to restrain him

Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness;
let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head;
let my head not refuse it.
Yet my prayer is continually against their evil deeds.

• Correction is received as grace, not an attack.
• Faithfulness welcomes rebuke over flattery.

When their judges are thrown over the cliff,
then they shall hear my words, for they are pleasant.
As when one plows and breaks up the earth,
so shall our bones be scattered at the mouth of Sheol.

• Theologians are a bit confused of the Hebrew of this section
• Could mean Saul
• Perhaps David felt collapsed under wicked deeds of others

But my eyes are toward you, O GOD, my Lord;
in you I seek refuge; leave me not defenseless!
Keep me from the trap that they have laid for me
and from the snares of evildoers!

• Hope is anchored in God

Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
while I pass by safely.

• Justice is allowed to run its course without retaliation.

Psalm 142

You Are My Refuge. A Maskil of David, when he was in the cave. A Prayer.

• Could be Adullam cave from 1 Samuel 22 or caves of En Gedi from 1 Samuel 24 (both when hunted by Saul)

With my voice I cry out to the LORD;
with my voice I plead for mercy to the LORD.
I pour out my complaint before him;
I tell my trouble before him.

• David cries out to His God whom he put his complete trust

When my spirit faints within me,
you know my way!
In the path where I walk
they have hidden a trap for me.

• Weakness is acknowledged 
• David admits God’s knowledge of the path 

Look to the right and see:
there is none who takes notice of me;
no refuge remains to me;
no one cares for my soul.

• David feels isolated and unseen by others
• There is no human support

I cry to you, O LORD;
I say, “You are my refuge,
my portion in the land of the living.”

• God is claimed as both safety and inheritance.
• Hope is rooted in God

Attend to my cry,
for I am brought very low!
Deliver me from my persecutors,
for they are too strong for me!

• Deliverance is requested 
• David acknowledges his weakness against the wicked

Bring me out of prison,
that I may give thanks to your name!
The righteous will surround me,
for you will deal bountifully with me.

• David shows gratitude  before his circumstances change.

Questions

Applications

Psalm 140 shows that we should entrust God as our protection. Rather than take vengeance, David requests for safety. Psalm 141 turns inward and  shows that we should welcome correction from the righteous . David asks for his heart to be shaped by God. Psalm 142 ends in full dependence asking God again for refuge.  David laments about his isolation and acknowledges human limitation.