Psalm 141

Jun 2

Psalm 141, No Compromise

Scripture Text

Psalm 141:1, “LORD, I cry unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee.”

Psalm 141:2, “Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.”

Psalm 141:3, “Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.”

Psalm 141:4, “Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity: and let me not eat of their dainties.”

Psalm 141:5, “Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be excellent oil, which shall not break my head: for yet my prayer also shall be in their calamities.”

Psalm 141:6, “When their judges are overthrown in stony places, they shall hear my words; for they are sweet.”

Psalm 141:7, “Our bones are scattered at the grave’s mouth, as when one cutteth and cleaveth wood upon the earth.”

Psalm 141:8, “But mine eyes are unto thee, O GOD the Lord: in thee is my trust; leave not my soul destitute.”

Psalm 141:9, “Keep me from the snares which they have laid for me, and the gins of the workers of iniquity.”

Psalm 141:10, “Let the wicked fall into their own nets, whilst that I withal escape.”

Introduction

Psalm 141 is titled A Psalm of David. It presents David as a man with a tender conscience. He is surrounded by wicked men, yet his first concern is not merely what they may do to him. His first concern is what sin may do within him. He asks God to guard his mouth, protect his heart, keep him from wicked works, prevent him from sharing in the delicacies of evil men, and make him willing to receive correction from the righteous.

This is one of the marks of spiritual maturity. David is not careless about the evil outside of him, but he is even more watchful about the evil that could rise inside of him. Many men are quick to identify enemies, slanderers, and corrupt people around them, but they are slow to pray, “Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.” David does both. He prays against the wicked, but he first asks God to keep him from becoming like them.

The psalm is a prayer against compromise. David faces pressure from wicked men, possibly through threats, slander, temptation, social advantage, and the attractive benefits of joining them. He refuses their path. He does not want their table, their approval, their luxury, their protection, or their influence if receiving those things means sharing their sin.

Psalm 141 also shows that true holiness welcomes righteous correction. David would rather be struck by a righteous man than flattered by the wicked. He understands that faithful rebuke can be a kindness, even an excellent oil. This is a difficult lesson, because pride resists correction. But the man who wants holiness must be willing to receive rebuke from the righteous.

The psalm begins with prayer rising like incense and ends with David’s eyes fixed on the LORD. He asks God to protect him from snares and to let the wicked fall into their own nets while he escapes. It is a psalm for believers who want to survive opposition without compromising their conscience.

A. The Nature of David’s Prayer

1. Psalm 141:1 and Psalm 141:2, A Prayer Like Incense

Psalm 141:1, “LORD, I cry unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee.”

David begins with urgency, “LORD, I cry unto thee.” He directs his cry to Yahweh, the covenant God of Israel. He does not first turn to men, tactics, manipulation, retaliation, or self protection. He cries to the LORD.

The words “make haste unto me” show the pressure of the moment. David needs help quickly. There are prayers that can be offered calmly and reflectively, and there are prayers that come from immediate danger. This is one of those urgent prayers.

Yet urgency does not mean unbelief. David’s urgency is an expression of dependence. He knows that only the LORD can help him rightly. He asks God, “give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee.” David wants God to hear not merely the wording of the prayer, but the voice of the cry, the burden, distress, faith, and need behind it.

Psalm 34:15, “The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.”

Psalm 34:17, “The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.”

The LORD hears the cry of His people. David prays in confidence that God is not deaf to the voice of those who call upon Him.

Psalm 141:2, “Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.”

David now describes his prayer using temple worship language. He asks that his prayer be set before God “as incense.” Incense rose upward before the LORD, and its fragrance was connected with worship. David wants his prayer to rise before God in a way that is acceptable, pleasing, pure, and reverent.

The altar of incense was part of the worship of the tabernacle and later the temple.

Exodus 30:7, “And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it.”

Exodus 30:8, “And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations.”

Incense was offered morning and evening. David’s reference to the evening sacrifice suggests the regular rhythm of Israel’s worship. If David wrote this while fleeing from Saul, then he may have been physically cut off from the sanctuary. Yet even when he could not stand at the tabernacle, he could still pray to the LORD. Prayer became incense before God.

This is an important truth. Circumstances may keep a believer from the gathered assembly for a season, from public worship, from familiar routines, or from visible comforts, but nothing can keep him from prayer. David’s wilderness prayer could rise like incense before God.

The New Testament also connects prayer with incense.

Revelation 5:8, “And when he had taken book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are prayers of saints.”

The prayers of the saints are pictured as odors, or incense, before God. God does not despise the prayers of His people. He receives them.

David also speaks of “the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.” Lifted hands are a posture of prayer, dependence, surrender, and worship. David comes empty handed before God, yet his lifted hands are themselves part of worship.

Psalm 63:4, “Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.”

Psalm 134:2, “Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the LORD.”

David’s prayer teaches that true prayer must be offered reverently. Incense had to be prepared according to God’s command. Strange incense was forbidden. Likewise, prayer should not be careless, hypocritical, or impure. It should rise from a heart seeking God.

Hebrews 13:15, “By him therefore let us offer sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.”

Through Christ, believers offer sacrifices of praise to God. David’s prayer points forward to the greater access believers have through Jesus Christ, the true High Priest.

2. Psalm 141:3 and Psalm 141:4, A Prayer to Be Kept from Evil

Psalm 141:3, “Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.”

David now prays about his own speech. This is striking. He is in danger from wicked men, yet he first asks God to guard his own mouth. He does not want the same mouth that offers prayer like incense to become an instrument of sin.

He asks, “Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth.” A watchman guards a gate, city, or vulnerable place. David understands that the mouth is a vulnerable place. Many sins enter and exit through speech. Anger, slander, lies, rash vows, bitterness, complaint, manipulation, and foolish talk can all pass through the lips.

Proverbs 13:3, “He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.”

Proverbs 21:23, “Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.”

The guarded mouth protects the life. David asks the LORD to do that guarding.

He continues, “keep the door of my lips.” The lips are like a door. Words should not be allowed to leave without watchfulness. A wise man does not let every thought pass through the door of the lips. Grace must guard the door.

James shows why this prayer is necessary.

James 3:8, “But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.”

No man can tame the tongue in his own strength. Therefore David prays for God to guard it. The tongue must be brought under divine rule.

This prayer is especially necessary when a man is under attack. Slander, injustice, and pressure can provoke sinful speech. A man may tell himself he is justified in harshness because he has been wronged. David knows better. He asks God to keep him from sinning with his mouth while wicked men are sinning against him.

Psalm 141:4, “Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity: and let me not eat of their dainties.”

David now moves from mouth to heart. “Incline not my heart to any evil thing.” The mouth must be guarded, but the heart must be guarded first. Evil words come from evil inclinations. David knows that if the heart bends toward evil, the life will follow.

This prayer is similar in principle to the Lord’s Prayer.

Matthew 6:13, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is kingdom, and power, and glory, for ever. Amen.”

David is not accusing God of tempting him to evil. He is asking God to preserve him from the inward pull of temptation and the outward pressure of wicked men.

The verse continues, “to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity.” David does not want to participate in their deeds. He does not want to become their partner, imitate their methods, or survive by adopting their sin. This is the heart of the psalm’s theme, no compromise.

A man under pressure may be tempted to fight wicked men with wicked methods. David refuses that path. He asks God to keep him from practicing wicked works, even when surrounded by men who work iniquity.

Romans 12:17, “Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.”

Romans 12:21, “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”

David’s prayer anticipates this principle. He does not want to be overcome by evil. He wants to remain faithful.

The final phrase is vivid, “and let me not eat of their dainties.” The dainties of the wicked represent the attractive benefits of compromise. Evil often offers rewards, comfort, status, influence, protection, money, pleasure, social access, or ease. David does not want to sit at their table.

There may have been literal feasts or alliances offered to David. The principle is broader. The wicked may offer delicacies, but those delicacies come with poison. It is better to suffer with a clean conscience than to feast with the wicked.

Proverbs 23:1, “When thou sittest to eat with ruler, consider diligently what is before thee:”

Proverbs 23:2, “And put knife to thy throat, if thou be man given to appetite.”

Proverbs 23:3, “Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat.”

David would rather be afflicted with the righteous than enjoy the deceitful meat of the wicked. This is the faith of a man who fears God more than he craves comfort.

3. Psalm 141:5, A Prayer to Be Corrected by the Righteous

David now expresses a rare humility. He would rather receive painful correction from the righteous than flattering approval from the wicked. “Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness.” The word kindness is connected to covenant mercy and loyal love. A faithful rebuke from a righteous man may feel like a strike, but David sees it as mercy.

This is deeply countercultural to the human heart. Most men prefer praise, even false praise. David prefers truth, even painful truth. He knows that correction can save a man from danger.

Proverbs 27:5, “Open rebuke is better than secret love.”

Proverbs 27:6, “Faithful are wounds of friend; but kisses of enemy are deceitful.”

A true friend may wound with faithful correction. An enemy may kiss with deception. David wants faithful wounds.

He says, “and let him reprove me; it shall be excellent oil, which shall not break my head.” Rebuke from the righteous is compared to excellent oil. Oil could refresh, heal, soothe, and honor. Correction may feel painful at first, but when received humbly, it becomes healing oil.

This is important for spiritual growth. A man who refuses correction will remain immature and vulnerable. A man who receives correction from the righteous gains wisdom.

Proverbs 9:8, “Reprove not scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke wise man, and he will love thee.”

Proverbs 9:9, “Give instruction to wise man, and he will yet wiser: teach just man, and he will increase in learning.”

David wants to be the wise man, not the scorner. He wants to grow.

This verse also warns against confusing flattery with love. Wicked men may offer dainties, approval, and opportunities, but their path leads to compromise. Righteous men may offer rebuke, but their correction leads to life.

Proverbs 29:5, “A man that flattereth his neighbour spreadeth net for his feet.”

Flattery is often a trap. David would rather be rebuked by the righteous than trapped by the wicked.

The final phrase, “for yet my prayer also shall be in their calamities,” is difficult, but it likely means David will continue to pray concerning the calamities of the wicked, or even pray for those involved when calamity comes. He remains a man of prayer. He refuses the path of wickedness, welcomes righteous correction, and continues to bring judgment and mercy before God.

B. A Prayer for Preservation Against the Wicked

1. Psalm 141:5b through Psalm 141:7, The Wicked and Their Work

David has just welcomed righteous correction, but he still prays against the deeds of the wicked. Receiving correction from the righteous does not mean becoming passive toward evil. Humility and moral clarity belong together.

The godly man must be willing to say, “Search me,” and also willing to say, “Deliver me from evil.” David does not pretend that all conflict is his own fault. He is humble enough to receive rebuke, but clear enough to recognize wickedness.

Psalm 141:6, “When their judges are overthrown in stony places, they shall hear my words; for they are sweet.”

This verse is difficult to interpret, but the general idea appears to be that the wicked rulers or judges will be brought down, and then the people will recognize the truth and sweetness of David’s words. If the setting is David’s conflict with Saul, then this could refer to Saul and his officials being humbled, after which many in Israel would recognize David’s righteousness.

David does not name Saul. This may reflect his continued refusal to attack the LORD’s anointed personally, even when Saul opposed him unjustly.

David had opportunities to kill Saul, yet he refused.

1 Samuel 24:6, “And he said unto his men, The LORD forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, LORD’S anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is anointed of LORD.”

1 Samuel 26:9, “And David said to Abishai, Destroy him not: for who can stretch forth hand against LORD’S anointed, and be guiltless?”

1 Samuel 26:10, “David said furthermore, As LORD liveth, LORD shall smite him; or his day shall come to die; or he shall descend into battle, and perish.”

1 Samuel 26:11, “The LORD forbid that I should stretch forth mine hand against LORD’S anointed: but, pray thee, take thou now spear that is at his bolster, and cruse of water, and let us go.”

David entrusted Saul’s judgment to the LORD. Psalm 141:6 may reflect that same spirit. He expects wicked judges to be overthrown by God, not by his own unlawful hand.

The phrase “they shall hear my words; for they are sweet” suggests vindication. David’s words, once rejected or twisted, will eventually be heard as true and good. This often happens when God exposes wicked leadership. The truth that was dismissed becomes clear.

Psalm 141:7, “Our bones are scattered at the grave’s mouth, as when one cutteth and cleaveth wood upon the earth.”

David uses a severe image to describe ruin, weakness, and near death. Bones scattered at the grave’s mouth picture devastation. The comparison to wood cut and cleaved upon the earth suggests things broken apart, scattered, and exposed.

This may describe David and his companions feeling as though they were near death because of the wicked. It may also describe the devastating effects of wicked rulers and violent men upon the righteous community.

The image is intentionally bleak. David is not minimizing the suffering. He is saying, in effect, our condition is nearly hopeless unless the LORD preserves us.

This is often the place where true prayer becomes most focused. When human strength is scattered like bones at the grave’s mouth, the faithful look to God.

2 Corinthians 1:8, “For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:”

2 Corinthians 1:9, “But we had sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth dead:”

Paul’s experience helps explain David’s posture. God sometimes brings His servants to the end of themselves so they will trust not in themselves, but in God who raises the dead.

2. Psalm 141:8 through Psalm 141:10, A Prayer to Find Safety in the LORD

Psalm 141:8, “But mine eyes are unto thee, O GOD the Lord: in thee is my trust; leave not my soul destitute.”

David now turns fully to the LORD. “But mine eyes are unto thee.” This is the decisive contrast. The wicked set traps, the righteous may suffer, bones may seem scattered, but David’s eyes are on God.

Faith is often a matter of where the eyes are fixed. If David looks only at the snares, he will despair. If he looks only at the wicked, he will fear. If he looks only within, he may be overwhelmed. But his eyes are unto the LORD.

Psalm 121:1, “I will lift up mine eyes unto hills, from whence cometh my help.”

Psalm 121:2, “My help cometh from LORD, which made heaven and earth.”

David addresses God as “O GOD the Lord.” He recognizes the LORD as sovereign Master. He then says, “in thee is my trust.” His refuge is not in his cleverness, weapons, allies, reputation, or ability to escape. His trust is in God.

He prays, “leave not my soul destitute.” David knows that without God, he is exposed. He does not want his soul poured out, abandoned, or left helpless before enemies. He asks God to preserve the deepest part of him.

This is crucial. David is not only asking for outward survival. He asks for the preservation of his soul. He does not want affliction, temptation, slander, or pressure to empty him spiritually.

Psalm 25:20, “O keep my soul, and deliver me: let me not be ashamed; for I put trust in thee.”

The soul must be kept by God. David understands that outward deliverance matters, but inward preservation matters more.

Psalm 141:9, “Keep me from the snares which they have laid for me, and the gins of the workers of iniquity.”

David again asks God to keep him from snares. The enemies have laid traps. These may include literal ambushes, political schemes, false accusations, temptations to compromise, or efforts to provoke David into sin.

David does not assume he is too wise to be trapped. He asks God to keep him. That humility is important. The man who thinks he cannot fall is already in danger.

1 Corinthians 10:12, “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.”

1 Corinthians 10:13, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common man: but God faithful, who will not suffer you to tempted above that ye able; but will with temptation also make way to escape, that ye may able bear it.”

God provides a way of escape. David asks for that escape. He knows the snares are real, but God’s preserving grace is greater.

Psalm 141:10, “Let the wicked fall into their own nets, whilst that I withal escape.”

The psalm ends with a prayer for righteous reversal. The wicked have laid nets for David. David asks that they fall into their own nets while he escapes. This is not random vengeance. It is justice. Let the trap makers be trapped. Let the schemes of the wicked collapse upon themselves.

This principle appears often in the Psalms.

Psalm 35:7, “For without cause have they hid for me their net in pit, which without cause they have digged for my soul.”

Psalm 35:8, “Let destruction come upon him at unawares; and let net that he hath hid catch himself: into that very destruction let him fall.”

David’s prayer is consistent. The wicked dig pits and lay nets without cause. God can make those schemes return upon them.

The final phrase, “whilst that I withal escape,” shows David’s confidence. He expects God to bring him through. The psalm does not end in despair. It ends with David passing safely beyond the traps of the wicked.

This is not because David is sinless or self sufficient. Psalm 141 has already shown his dependence. He needs God to hear him, guard his mouth, protect his heart, keep him from evil, give him righteous correction, preserve his soul, and deliver him from snares. His confidence is in the LORD alone.

Doctrinal and Practical Summary

Psalm 141 teaches that urgent prayer should be directed to the LORD. David cries for God to make haste and hear his voice. The believer’s first refuge in trouble must be God.

The psalm teaches that prayer is worship. David asks that his prayer be set before God as incense and the lifting of his hands as the evening sacrifice. Even when separated from public worship, the faithful can offer prayer that rises acceptably before God.

Psalm 141 teaches the need for guarded speech. David asks God to set a watch before his mouth and keep the door of his lips. The same mouth that prays must not be used for sin.

The psalm teaches that the heart must be protected from evil inclinations. David does not want to practice wicked works with men who work iniquity. He understands that compromise begins in the heart before it appears in conduct.

Psalm 141 teaches believers not to desire the delicacies of the wicked. Sin often offers attractive rewards, but those rewards are deceitful. It is better to suffer with integrity than feast at the table of compromise.

The psalm teaches the value of righteous correction. David would rather be struck and reproved by the righteous than flattered by the wicked. Faithful rebuke is a kindness and an excellent oil.

The psalm also teaches that wicked men set snares, but God is the refuge of His people. David fixes his eyes on the LORD and asks God to keep him from the traps of the workers of iniquity.

Finally, Psalm 141 teaches confidence in God’s preserving justice. David prays that the wicked fall into their own nets while he escapes. The righteous may face snares, but the LORD is able to bring His servant safely through.

Clayton Taylor https://taylorbiblestudy.com