Psalm 141
A Psalm of David.
1Lord, I cry unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee.
2Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
3Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.
4Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity: and let me not eat of their dainties.
5Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head: for yet my prayer also shall be in their calamities.
6When their judges are overthrown in stony places, they shall hear my words; for they are sweet.
7Our bones are scattered at the grave's mouth, as when one cutteth and cleaveth wood upon the earth.
8But mine eyes are unto thee, O GOD the Lord: in thee is my trust; leave not my soul destitute.
9Keep me from the snares which they have laid for me, and the gins of the workers of iniquity.
10Let the wicked fall into their own nets, whilst that I withal escape.
Chapter 141
Verse 1 I would relate to my darkest moment because when I cried out to the Lord, He made haste to me and helped me out as soon as He heard me. I'm not sure if I lifted up my hands during that time (v. 2), but it wouldn't surprise me if He thought of my prayer as incense. I also like Matthew Henry's insight on the verse: "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." He pretty much hit the nail on the head. Verse 3 may be one to keep in mind for examining myself in case there are times when I don't need to talk. I can't say I really talk excessively that much, but when I do, I'm not aware of it and do it just to be loud when no one's around. So maybe I should start asking to God to speak when I should and when I shouldn't since He knows ahead of time when I will and when I won't. I'm usually quiet when in the mornings and when I watch TV and stuff since I'm relaxing, but I guess when I act goofy when I'm on my own, part of that includes pointless speech, perhaps as a way of dealing with energy. I don't have a desire to do evil things (v. 4) and one of the things that comes to mind in regards to that is when I ask Go to help me to tame my tongue. I have to do my part my maintining self-control, which works out some days and doesn't work out on other ones. I can trust in Him, though, to help me out and watch over my heart since I have a fresh start on it every day. I'm not sure how I'd relate to verse 5 since I can't recall being reproved, but I can use it for future reference. I try to study the Word and understand it so I know it well and can avoid being corrected as much as possible. In Bible studies in the past, there has been a time or two when I missed a point, but I wouldn't I was corrected -- I just had the point mentioned to me. Furthermore, I wouldn't mind being corrected, but I shouldn't read over a verse and/or misinterpret it because then I just make myself look bad. I heard there's some Bible scholars that misinterpret even the most basic of scripture -- "Thou shall not kill" being an example -- and kind of makes me wonder if they've really took the time to study and understand God's Word by themselves or just had some man at a university teach them. I don't listen many preachers who make a habit of misinterpreting scripture, but rather I may not always agree with what one preacher says, which results in picking in choosing what I know is from His Word and not the traditions of men. I am not biblically required to agree with everything my pastor says and I'm glad I have that freedom. I also like Henry's thoughts on the verse: "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." I'm not sure how I'd relate to verses 6-7, but here's Henry's thoughts for the sake of clarity: "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." So if I were user verses 6-7 for future reference, I'd say that maybe I could bring His Word to those who have rebelled against Him and need to His Word. After all, Amos 8:11 does say, "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD, " which is something to keep in mind. I haven't meet somebody who has previously rejected the Bible and God and all that and changed their opinion on those things, but in case I ever do, I want for God to use me to make a difference in that person's life. As for me, I do set my eyes on Him and trust in Him (v. 8). I have made the right choice and can be used by Him for those who hunger for His Word. As I had mentioned in regards to the previous chapter, the Lord kept me from the enemy's snares in my darkest moment (v. 9). I don't have much to add to that, but being able to trust in God so that one doesn't get caught in the enemy's snares is a great thing because trusting in Him is what brings light into the darkness and provides a way out. I figure the enemy fell into his neat when God was finished dealing with him (v. 10) and He provided me a way out by protecting me from the enemy's influence.
Source used:
Henry, Matthew. "Concise Commentary on Psalms 141". "Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
on the Whole Bible". <http://www.searchgodsword.org/com/mhc-con/view.cgi?book=ps&chapter=141>.
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