Psalms 140
Chuck Smith on Psalms 140
Verse by verse, taught on Sunday nights: the C2000 series, 1979 to 1985, and the C3000 series, 1985 to 1999. Permission granted by The Word For Today.
Sunday Nights, 1979 to 1985 (C2000)
Chapter introduction
Psalm 140, another psalm of David.
Verses 1–5
Deliver me, O LORD, from the evil man: preserve me from the violent man; Which imagine mischiefs in their heart; continually are they gathered together for war. They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; adders' poison is under their lips. Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from the violent man; who have purposed to overthrow my goings. The proud have hid a snare for me, the cords; they have spread a net by the wayside; they have set traps for me (140:1-5).
Gins is traps.
Verses 6–12
I said unto the LORD, Thou art my God: hear the voice of my supplications, O LORD. O GOD the Lord, the strength of my salvation, thou hast covered my head in the day of battle. Grant not, O LORD, the desires of the wicked: further not his wicked device; lest they exalt themselves. As for the head of those that compass me about, let the mischief of their own lips cover them. Let burning coals fall upon them: let them be cast into the fire; into deep pits, that they rise not up again. Let not an evil speaker be established in the earth: evil shall hunt the violent man to overthrow him. I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and the right of the poor (140:6-12).
I'm glad I'm not David's enemy. He really asks God to take care of them. But it is so typical of so many of the psalms of David where his concern is about those who have conspired against him. David is the type of man that you either loved very much or hated very much. It was hard to just have a passive attitude towards David. He had many deep, loyal friends, but he also had many avowed enemies that were seeking to destroy him. And so he seems to be constantly asking God for help against his enemy and then asking God's judgment really to fall upon the head of his enemies.
Verse 13
Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name: the upright shall dwell in thy presence (140:13).
Sunday Nights, 1985 to 1999 (C3000)
Chapter introduction
Psalm one hundred and forty is another psalm of David. It is basically a prayer for God’s help from the enemies of David, which he seemed to have many. So the prayer is for deliverance from the evil man and preservation from the violent man.
Verse 1
DELIVER me, O LORD, from the evil man: preserve me from the violent man; (140:1).
David lived in a day of violence. There were many who sought after his soul, many who were wanting to kill him.
Verses 2–3
Which imagine mischiefs in their heart; continually are they gathered together for war. They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; adders’ poison is under their lips. Selah (140:2-3).
They were seeking to destroy David with their tongue. It’s amazing how destructive our tongues can be, how sharp they can cut in another persons heart. It is always a sad thing when a person uses their tongue to cut another person to ribbons or when a person uses their tongue in gossip to destroy another persons reputation or their life. David said they sharpened their tongues like a serpent, the poison of adders’ is under their lips.
Verse 4
Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from the violent man; who have purposed to overthrow my goings (140:4).
Who have set themselves against me, plan to overthrow me.
Verse 5
The proud have hid a snare for me, and cords; they have spread a net by the wayside; they have set gins [traps] for me. Selah (140:5).
David realizes that his life is in constant jeopardy, there were those who were seeking to trap him. In those days they would entrap animals by laying out the nets over a pit and then they would put bushes and dirt and all so you weren’t aware there was a pit. The animal would come bounding along, hit the net and go into the pit and the animal would be caught or trapped. David said that they set snares and traps for me. They hid the snare and spread their nets.
Verse 6
I said unto the LORD, Thou art my God: hear the voice of my supplications, [prayers] O LORD (140:6)
I’ve made you my God, hear my prayers.
Verse 7
O GOD the Lord, (140:7).
This is the only place in the Bible where this phrase is used in the Hebrew. The GOD you notice is in all capitals. It is signifying in the translators that the word is YAWEH in the Hebrew, which is usually translated LORD in all capitals in the English Bibles. O LORD the Lord, would not fly in the translation so the put GOD in all capitals to indicate to you that it is the Hebrew YAWEH. Thus in Hebrew it is O YAWEH the Adoni. The Lord is the title there. That’s the only time in the Bible that that phrase is used.
the strength of my salvation, thou hast covered my head in the day of battle (140:7).
Now the acknowledging of the Lord as my Lord who is my strength, has saved me. He shields me, covers me in the day of battle.
Verses 8–9
Grant not, O LORD, the desires of the wicked: further not his wicked device; lest they exalt themselves. Selah. As for the head of those that compass me about, let the mischief of their own lips cover them (140:8-9).
Lord, turn their evil back on them. Throughout the Bible it is interesting how many times the Lord turned the evil back on the person who was devising it. I think especially of the case of Haman who built the gallows ninety feet high to swing Mordecai in the eyes of all the people and how that the Lord turned things on him and Haman swung from his own gallows that he had built. How many times the enemies will come against you as a child of God but God will just turn their devises against them and you escape? That is basically what David is praying for.
Verse 10
Let burning coals fall upon them: (140:10).
David wasn’t really that generous or kind with his enemies. He surely didn’t pray that God would bless them but that God would really take care of them.
Verses 10–11
let them be cast into the fire; into deep pits, that they rise not up again. Let not an evil speaker be established in the earth: evil shall hunt the violent man to overthrow him (140:10-11).
David having prayed this then affirms his faith.
Verse 12
I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and the right of the poor (140:12).
It’s always good to know certain basic things about God. There are a lot of time when we are facing uncertain situations in life and it looks like maybe the enemy is prevailing, like maybe we are going to go under and surely there is no way that we can see out of this. So it is just good to know basic things about God. I know that God is good, I know that God loves me, I know that God is more powerful than any power on earth, I know that God cares for me and I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted and the right of the poor.
Verse 13
Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name: the upright shall dwell in thy presence (140:13).