seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Psalm 141 A psalm of David.
1 I call to you, Lord, come quickly to me;
hear me when I call to you.
2 May my prayer be set before you like incense;
may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.
hear me when I call to you.
2 May my prayer be set before you like incense;
may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.
3 Set a guard over my mouth, Lord;
keep watch over the door of my lips.
4 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.
keep watch over the door of my lips.
4 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.
5 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.
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.
6 Their rulers will be thrown down from the cliffs,
and the wicked will learn that my words were well spoken.
7 They will say, “As one plows and breaks up the earth,
so our bones have been scattered at the mouth of the grave.”
and the wicked will learn that my words were well spoken.
7 They will say, “As one plows and breaks up the earth,
so our bones have been scattered at the mouth of the grave.”
8 But my eyes are fixed on you, Sovereign Lord;
in you I take refuge—do not give me over to death.
9 Keep me safe from the traps set by evildoers,
from the snares they have laid for me.
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
while I pass by in safety
in you I take refuge—do not give me over to death.
9 Keep me safe from the traps set by evildoers,
from the snares they have laid for me.
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
while I pass by in safety
This is from enduringword.com.
Do not incline my heart to any evil thing: David knew that it was more than his lips that needed protection; his heart could also be affected by some evil thing, resulting in wicked works.
It shall be as excellent oil: The rebuke of a good man could be a healing and helpful to David as excellent oil upon his head. Like a kind anointing from a friend, he would not refuse such rebuke or correction – even if it were as severe as a strike upon him.
Still my prayer is against the deeds of the wicked: The previous lines described David as grateful for correction from the righteous. Still, he prayed for God’s work against the deeds of the wicked. For example, he wanted to see wicked judges be overthrown by the sides of the cliff – a severe but fitting judgment for those who improperly take sides, ignoring David’s righteous words (as he prayed for in Psalm 141:3-4).
But my eyes are upon You: Even in such a terrible condition (described in the previous lines), David deliberately set his eyes upon the Lord. Because God Himself was his refuge, David prayed do not leave my soul destitute. Without God’s protection, he was at the mercy of his wicked enemies.
It's hard to be a loving innocent old woman with only an online Bible and some online commentary this morning. This poem sounds to me like something David would say..... like he thinks he's the most righteous guy in the world. Sure he's the anointed king but he's a guilty as anybody else. All this talk about being hit by a righteous man for a good reason is ok.... but keep the wicked at bay is a little uppity when the death of Uriah, and Bathsheba's baby comes to mind.Is this another one of those poems David came up with while he was praying away Bathsheba's baby that resulted from the seduction/rape of Bathsheba and the murder of her faithful soldier husband, Uriah?
It must have been horrible for David to realize what he had done. A righteous man [like David], a man who loves God [definitely David] would indeed feel horrible when he did something like seduce/rape another man's wife.... impregnate her and then murder her husband to cover it up.... and he would beg God to keep him from staying wicked.
IMHO.... this song might have been written after Nathan confronted David about the whole affair. This righteous man who could hit David without David striking back.... would be Nathan... IMHO.
Preachers tend to teach us that everyone in the family of Jesus the Christ were "righteous". Sometimes people are righteously wrong. Jesus had a lot of no-good-nicks in his family tree. David and Solomon were both womanizers..... it's as obvious as the noses on their faces.....
