“Lord, I cry out to You. Make haste to me! Give ear to my voice when I cry out to You.” Psalm 141:1
David knew that he needed God’s help and he was not hesitant to express it. He did not simply repeat words on a script. He spoke with God in a personal way. His desperate pleas for God’s help foreshadows the prayers of Christ. In Hebrews 5:7, it is written, “In the days of His flesh, when He [Christ] had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear.”
David wanted the creator and sustainer of the universe to listen to him and to respond quickly to his cry for help. God Almighty could help him much more so than anyone or anything else.
Do we approach God with reverence and desperation? Do we cry out to Him as though our life and the lives of our loved ones depend on Him? We should. “Holy Spirit, please help us to pray with holy awe and with earnest cries to God.”
While we always want to be appropriately respectful of who God is, we should not fear to come before Him. In Hebrews 4:16, it is written, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
“Let my prayer be set before You as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. Psalm 141:2
David wanted his prayers to rise before God like the incense that was offered in the Old Testament worship. The lifting up of his hands represented the lifting up of his heart—his desires, hopes, and dependence upon God. David was separated from the temple and could not personally participate in its worship. Thus, he asked God to accept his prayer as a spiritual offering. [1]
Prayer offered in faith and sincere love is precious to God. But prayer, like incense, requires fire, the fire of the Holy Spirit. In Acts 1:14 and 2:3-4, the disciples of Jesus gathered for prayer. They were praying in one accord or in harmony with one another when the Holy Spirit came upon them as tongues of fire. In Matthew 3:14, John the Baptist testified that Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit and fire. In 1 Thessalonians 5:19, Paul used the metaphor of fire when speaking of the Holy Spirit. He wrote, “Do not quench the Spirit.”
“Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth. Keep watch over the door of my lips.” Psalm 141:3
In Proverbs 18:21, it is written, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”
We should avoid speaking words that have no spiritual life of God in them. The Bible urges us not to complain, not to be fearful or unbelieving, not to gossip, not to curse, not to tell lies and not to use God’s name disrespectfully. Such words lack the life of God’s Spirit in them.
In James 3:9-11, the Lord questions the use of tongues to bless God but to curse people made in His image. He asks, “Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening?” Bitter words indicate that something in the water is not from God.
In 2 Corinthians 7:1, Paul wrote, “Beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”
In 2 Chronicles 20:14-17, the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel and he said to his king and everyone gathered with him, “Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow go... You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you... Do not fear or be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.” Jahaziel yielded his tongue to speak for God, and God gave life, zeal and victory to His people through his words.
In Ephesians 4:15, the Lord says to speak the truth in love. In Ephesians 4:25, He says to speak truth to your neighbor. In Ephesians 5:19, He says to speak “to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.”
Do we approach God with reverence and desperation? Do we cry out to Him as though our life and the lives of our loved ones depend on Him? We should. “Holy Spirit, please help us to pray with holy awe and with earnest cries to God.”
While we always want to be appropriately respectful of who God is, we should not fear to come before Him. In Hebrews 4:16, it is written, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
“Let my prayer be set before You as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. Psalm 141:2
David wanted his prayers to rise before God like the incense that was offered in the Old Testament worship. The lifting up of his hands represented the lifting up of his heart—his desires, hopes, and dependence upon God. David was separated from the temple and could not personally participate in its worship. Thus, he asked God to accept his prayer as a spiritual offering. [1]
Prayer offered in faith and sincere love is precious to God. But prayer, like incense, requires fire, the fire of the Holy Spirit. In Acts 1:14 and 2:3-4, the disciples of Jesus gathered for prayer. They were praying in one accord or in harmony with one another when the Holy Spirit came upon them as tongues of fire. In Matthew 3:14, John the Baptist testified that Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit and fire. In 1 Thessalonians 5:19, Paul used the metaphor of fire when speaking of the Holy Spirit. He wrote, “Do not quench the Spirit.”
“Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth. Keep watch over the door of my lips.” Psalm 141:3
In Proverbs 18:21, it is written, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”
We should avoid speaking words that have no spiritual life of God in them. The Bible urges us not to complain, not to be fearful or unbelieving, not to gossip, not to curse, not to tell lies and not to use God’s name disrespectfully. Such words lack the life of God’s Spirit in them.
In James 3:9-11, the Lord questions the use of tongues to bless God but to curse people made in His image. He asks, “Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening?” Bitter words indicate that something in the water is not from God.
In 2 Corinthians 7:1, Paul wrote, “Beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”
In 2 Chronicles 20:14-17, the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel and he said to his king and everyone gathered with him, “Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow go... You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you... Do not fear or be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.” Jahaziel yielded his tongue to speak for God, and God gave life, zeal and victory to His people through his words.
In Ephesians 4:15, the Lord says to speak the truth in love. In Ephesians 4:25, He says to speak truth to your neighbor. In Ephesians 5:19, He says to speak “to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.”
“Do not incline my heart to any evil thing to practice wicked works with men who work iniquity; and do not let me eat of their delicacies.” Psalm 141:4
In Daniel 1:11-15, Daniel asked his supervisor if he and his three friends could be exempted from eating the food that others in the king’s service ate. Daniel said to him, “Please test your servants for ten days, and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance be examined before you, and the appearance of the young men who eat the portion of the king’s delicacies, and as you see fit, so deal with your servants.” At the end of ten days their features appeared better and healthier in flesh than all the young men who ate the portion of the king’s delicacies.”
We should neither eat food nor drink drinks that are proven to be bad for our health. Our minds and muscles function much better when given the right nutrients.
David prayed that his heart would not be inclined to any evil thing, and that he would not practice wicked works with people who are unfair to themselves and to others. Indulging in unhealthy foods, getting drunk with intoxicating drinks, smoking tobacco, or injecting mind harmful drugs into oneself is not fair to yourself or to those who love you.
For example, my father was warned by his doctor not to smoke and not to indulge in foods with high calorie content due to his heart’s condition. After two heart attacks, he did not yield to the doctor’s medical advice. He died at age 46 after a third heart attack. Thankfully, he did profess faith in Christ and he taught me and my siblings to believe in Christ. The Lord took care of us after his death, but we did experience many trials that could have been avoided if he had made the hard choice to eat right and to avoid alcohol and tobacco.
“Let the righteous strike me. It shall be a kindness. And let him rebuke me. It shall be as excellent oil. Let my head not refuse it. For still my prayer is against the deeds of the wicked.” Psalm 141:5
David understood that a faithful friend may sometimes need to tell us something we do not want to hear. Although his enemies criticized him falsely, he wanted the righteous to correct him truthfully. [2]
If our own conscience does not correct us as it should, we should be thankful for a faithful friend who will. It is worse to be left alone—to continue doing wrong without anyone caring enough to confront it. A faithful Christian friend tells us what we need to hear. [3]
David says that correction, “shall be a kindness.” Correction can hurt our pride, but Proverbs 6:23 says: “Reproofs of instruction are the way of life.” Proverbs 27:6 says that faithful wounds from a friend are better than the deceitful kisses of an enemy. [4]
We should view correction as medicine. “If correction hurts my pride but helps cure my sin, I would rather have the correction than remain wounded by my sin.” [5]
Their judges are overthrown by the sides of the cliff, and they hear my words, for they are sweet.” Psalm 141:6
David’s enemies—possibly Saul and his officials—were in positions of authority and had condemned David. But even powerful people can be brought low. [6]
The words of David’s judges were bitter, but David’s words to them were sweet. God’s Spirit led David to do as Jesus said to do in Matthew 5:44, “love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.” By keeping the law of love, David was not overcome by evil. He overcame evil with good.
“Our bones are scattered at the mouth of the grave, as when one plows and breaks up the earth.” Psalm 141:7
David and those with him were so close to death that it was as though their bones had already been scattered at the entrance of the grave. Their situation appeared hopeless. This imagery also suggests that they were being treated as though their lives were worthless—like pieces of wood scattered and ignored by someone cutting trees. [7]
His situation raised the question: “Can dry bones live?” Humanly speaking, his circumstances seemed beyond recovery, but with God all things are possible. [8] God raises the dead.
“But my eyes are upon You, O God the Lord. In You I take refuge. Do not leave my soul destitute.” Psalm 141:8
David could see danger, but he also saw God. He could see enemies, but he also saw his Savior. He could see death approaching, but he still had hope because God was on his side. [9]
If we look only at our circumstances, we may lose hope. If we look to God, we can continue trusting even when circumstances seem impossible. His hope was not based upon his own ability to escape. His hope was based upon God’s ability to rescue him. [10]
“Do not leave my soul destitute.” David asked God to be with him. In Matthew 28:20, Jesus told us, “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
“Keep me from the snares they have laid for me, and from the traps of the workers of iniquity.” Psalm 141:9
David knew that his enemies set traps for him. Thus, he did not depend on his own discernment to discover their carefully camouflaged traps. He asked God to be his navigator.
This is a good prayer for us as well: “Lord, protect me from dangers I cannot see.” [11]
“Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I escape safely.” Psalm 141:10
David asked God to cause his trappers to fall into their traps. And thus it happens, that sabotagors are sabotaged, deceivers are deceived, scammers are scammed, robbers are robbed and liars are told lies. A person reaps what they sow.
Psalm 141 provides us a path to follow. Welcome correction when wrong. Treat a faithful rebuke as kindness. Look to God for help when circumstances appear hopeless. Ask God to be your navigator. Leave enemies in God’s hands. [12]
[1-12] Material developed and edited from Matthew Henry’s Commentary
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