Psalm 141 - Heart At War

Psalm 141:1-10 NIV

I call to you, Lord, come quickly to me; hear me when I call to you. 

May my prayer be set before you like incense;

 may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice. 

Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips. 

Do not let my heart be drawn to what is evil

 so that I take part in wicked deeds along with those who are evildoers;

 do not let me eat their delicacies.

Let a righteous man strike me—that is a kindness;

 let him rebuke me—that is oil on my head. 

My head will not refuse it, for my prayer will still be against the deeds of evildoers.

Their rulers will be thrown down from the cliffs,

 and the wicked will learn that my words were well spoken.

They will say, “As one plows and breaks up the earth,

 so our bones have been scattered at the mouth of the grave.”

But my eyes are fixed on you, Sovereign Lord;

 in you I take refuge—do not give me over to death. 

Keep me safe from the traps set by evildoers,

 from the snares they have laid for me. 

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

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In some ways Psalm 141 is like Psalm 140. Both ask God for help against evildoers. Both ask God to let the traps they have set for others become their own entrapment.

What I find most appealing about psalm 141 is the intercession to be kept pure in speech and in deeds.

Psalm 141:3-4 NIV

Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips. Do not let my heart be drawn to what is evil so that I take part in wicked deeds along with those who are evildoers; do not let me eat their delicacies.

"Do no let me eat their delicacies." That's an interesting way to describe wicked deeds. What are the actual deeds the psalmist has in mind? I can only speculate. My assumption is ill-gotten wealth. Perhaps it's the wanton ways of pagan revelry, like drunken orgies. What I do believe to be true is that the psalmist is being rebuked by evil opponents. They are in a war of words, I think.

First the psalmist begins his prayer with a sense of urgency. "Come quickly to me; hear me", he prays. He hopes his prayers will carry the same impact as a priestly offering of incense or of fatty portions sizzling with a pleasing aroma up to heaven. In his battle with his opponents he prays to not be reduced to their level. He doesn't wish to become like those whose behavior he despises.

It's not that he despises the people, though he may, he specifically prays against the deeds of the wicked. He'd rather be rebuked by a righteous person than by one of these wicked men.

The psalmist knows that their evil deeds will catch up to them. It will mean their disaster. They will fall. Their graves will not be tended to or maintained as sacred. Their dishonorable lives will lead to dishonorable ends. This may be his way of letting go of his desire for revenge by acknowledging that the Lord will bring about the appropriate justice in due time.

Then Psalm 141 ends with a wise choice.

Psalm 141:8 NIV

But my eyes are fixed on you, Sovereign Lord; in you I take refuge...

The old hymn says, "Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face and the things of this earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace."

When the deeds of evil people and the mouths of wicked hearts bring you down, don't let yourself become what you despise. Seek grace to keep you from dropping to their low moral ground. Keep your mouth from cursing and your heart from violence. It's natural to respond to attacks and offenses with a desire for retribution. We want an eye for an eye. But that is not the way of Christ. He told us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us.

I find it difficult to shift from a heart at war with those who have offended me to a heart at peace, able to pray with love toward my opponents. In order to get out of that trap, in order to save myself from stooping to their level, I need to find a place of peace. From a place of peace I can think more clearly and follow the Lord more nearly. What better place of peace than the presence of the Lord?

I must learn the discipline of keeping my eyes fixed on Jesus. Each time my thoughts drift to hate, vilifying others, I need to look to the One who died for me and my enemies. My enemies are more than their wicked deeds and evil discourse. They are made in God's image and the object of God's love. Christ died for them, too. He prayed for them, as well as me, when on the cross He interceded, "Father forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing."

As I turn my eyes from obsessing over the wicked, and turn my attentions to the love of God in the face of Jesus, I consciously make a move toward a place of peace. In His peace I will be given the grace to pray for my enemies with love.

May the peace of our Lord heal your wounded hearts and lead you to live through a higher love. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy.