Psalms 141

An Evening Prayer for Sanctification and Protection.

1 O LORD, I call upon You; ¹hasten to me! ²Give ear to my voice when I call to You!

2 May my prayer be counted as ³incense before You; The ⁴lifting up of my hands as the ⁵evening offering.

3 Set a ⁶guard, O LORD, over my mouth; Keep watch over the ⁷door of my lips.

4 ⁸Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, To practice deeds of wickedness With men who ⁹do iniquity; And ¹⁰do not let me eat of their delicacies.

5 Let the ¹¹righteous smite me in kindness and reprove me; It is ¹²oil upon the head; Do not let my head refuse it, For still my prayer ¹³is against their wicked deeds.

6 Their judges are ¹⁴thrown down by the sides of the rock, And they hear my words, for they are pleasant.

7 As when one ¹⁵plows and breaks open the earth, Our ¹⁶bones have been scattered at the ¹⁷mouth of Sheol.

8 For my ¹⁸eyes are toward You, O GOD, the Lord; In You I ¹⁹take refuge; ²⁰do not leave me defenseless *.

9 Keep me from the ²¹jaws of the trap which they have set for me, And from the ²²snares of those who do iniquity.

10 Let the wicked ²³fall into their own nets, While I pass by ²⁴safely.

Psalms 141 Commentary

Chapter 141

David prays for God's acceptance and assistance. (1-4) That God would appear for his rescue. (5-10)

Verses 1-4 Make haste unto me. Those that know how to value God's gracious presence, will be the more fervent in their prayers. When presented through the sacrifice and intercession of the Saviour, they will be as acceptable to God as the daily sacrifices and burnings of incense were of old. Prayer is a spiritual sacrifice, it is the offering up the soul and its best affections. Good men know the evil of tongue sins. When enemies are provoking, we are in danger of speaking unadvisedly. While we live in an evil world, and have such evil hearts, we have need to pray that we may neither be drawn nor driven to do any thing sinful. Sinners pretend to find dainties in sin; but those that consider how soon sin will turn into bitterness, will dread such dainties, and pray to God to take them out of their sight, and by his grace to turn their hearts against them. Good men pray against the sweets of sin.

Verses 5-10 We should be ready to welcome the rebuke of our heavenly Father, and also the reproof of our brethren. It shall not break my head, if it may but help to break my heart: we must show that we take it kindly. Those who slighted the word of God before, will be glad of it when in affliction, for that opens the ear to instruction. When the world is bitter, the word is sweet. Let us lift our prayer unto God. Let us entreat him to rescue us from the snares of Satan, and of all the workers of iniquity. In language like this psalm, O Lord, would we entreat that our poor prayers should set forth our only hope, our only dependence on thee. Grant us thy grace, that we may be prepared for this employment, being clothed with thy righteousness, and having all the gifts of thy Spirit planted in our hearts.

Cross References

• 1. Psalms 22:19; Psalms 38:22; Psalms 70:5
• 2. Psalms 5:1; Psalms 143:1
• 3. Exodus 30:8; Luke 1:10; Revelation 5:8; Revelation 8:3, 4
• 4. 1 Timothy 2:8
• 5. Exodus 29:39, 41; 1 Kings 18:29, 36; Daniel 9:21
• 6. Psalms 34:13; Psalms 39:1; Proverbs 13:3; Proverbs 21:23
• 7. Micah 7:5
• 8. Psalms 119:36
• 9. Isaiah 32:6; Hosea 6:8; Malachi 3:15
• 10. Proverbs 23:6
• 11. Proverbs 9:8; Proverbs 19:25; Proverbs 25:12; Proverbs 27:6; Ecclesiastes 7:5; Galatians 6:1
• 12. Psalms 23:5; Psalms 133:2
• 13. Psalms 35:14
• 14. 2 Chronicles 25:12
• 15. Psalms 129:3
• 16. Psalms 53:5
• 17. Numbers 16:32, 33; Psalms 88:3-5
• 18. Psalms 25:15; Psalms 123:2
• 19. Psalms 2:12; Psalms 11:1
• 20. Psalms 27:9
• 21. Psalms 38:12; Psalms 64:5; Psalms 91:3; Psalms 119:110
• 22. Psalms 140:5
• 23. Psalms 7:15; Psalms 35:8; Psalms 57:6
• 24. Psalms 124:7

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "fixed"
• [b]. Lit "to"
• [c]. Lit "in"
• [d]. Or "lovingly"
• [e]. Lit "And my prayer"
• [f]. Or "in spite of their calamities"
• [g]. I.e. the nether world
• [h]. Heb "YHWH," usually rendered LORD
• [i]. Lit "pour out my soul"
• [j]. Lit "hands of the trap"
• [k]. Lit "altogether"

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 141

\\<>\\. This psalm was written about the same time, and upon the same occasion, as that going before and what follows after; even when David was persecuted by Saul, and when he was in great danger of his enemies, and snares were laid for his life.