I can’t recall all the different happenings that got me thinking on these lines, but I was “in church” recently, seated in my “pew” 15 minutes before the service begun, doing what good Christians are supposed to do to get/be in the right mind frame/spirit, such as meditating on some portion of the Bible.

Where better to start than with the Psalms. But which one – we are spoiled for choice after all? I can’t quite recall how it was my eyes remained fixated on Psalm 141, especially as it is for me one of the less familiar of all the 150 Psalms, but for the next few minutes I was captivated by precious thoughts that arose from checking out the ten verses contained in this psalm, reckoned to be a Psalm of David (it is reckoned he wrote half of the Psalms) and according to the great Matthew Henry: “David was in distress when he penned this psalm, pursued, it is most likely, by Saul, that violent man. Is any distressed? Let him pray; David did so, and had the comfort of it”.

What I would like to do for each verse is to share the outcome of my meditations. (Often it is good to check more than one translation. Here I quote from the KJV, then the Message (in italics)).

1. Lord, I cry unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee.

1. God, come close. Come quickly! Open your ears—it’s my voice you’re hearing!

Many psalms arise as a result of the psalmist, typically David, being in some sort of distress and crying out to the Lord, fully expecting a response. Where David differs from many of us is that YHWH was his first, rather than his last port of call and, moreover, he was confident that He will respond.

2. Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

2. Treat my prayer as sweet incense rising; my raised hands are my evening prayers.

Given I am writing a book about priests of the Bible and where they operated, at least in the time up to David – in the Tabernacle, “incense” and “evening sacrifice” have a particular significance. After all, the burning of incense, which we find is equated to prayer, was a priestly activity and so was the sacrifices offered on behalf of the people, every morning and, as is the case here, every evening.

3. Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.

3. Post a guard at my mouth, God, set a watch at the door of my lips.

It is likely all of us can think of times we have spoken inappropriate words, especially as was the case here, we are put under pressure, and on reflection it often may have been better to have spoken differently or nor at all. Here David calls on God to help him in this regard and especially given it is in these stressful times we may be more likely to say the wrong things.

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.

4. Don’t let me so much as dream of evil or thoughtlessly fall into bad company. And these people who only do wrong— don’t let them lure me with their sweet talk!

As well as speaking wrong, there is the propensity of doing wrong, especially if we fall into the wrong company with their ability to entice us into joining them. Again, he asks for God’s help that he would be able to resist their attempts to get him to join them.

5. Let 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.

5. May the Just One set me straight, may the Kind One correct me, Don’t let sin anoint my head. I’m praying hard against their evil ways!

Few if any like reproof but when it is comes from a righteous person, who presumably do so with good intentions, it is to be welcomed as having a positive and even soothing outcome, as David recognised. His desire is for sin and the ways of the wicked not to prevail, and certainly not to have any hold over his life.  

6. When their judges are overthrown in stony places, they shall hear my words; for they are sweet.

6. Oh, let their leaders be pushed off a high rock cliff; make them face the music.

Then, just as now, those who lead the wicked hold great sway and David’s hope is that they be brought down entirely and one of the results is that he hopes those who followed them will learn their lessons.

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

7. Like a rock pulverized by a maul, let their bones be scattered at the gates of hell.

While it doesn’t seem to be happening, in our day and David’s, his hope and expectation was that the wicked will come to a dire end.

8. But mine eyes are unto thee, O God the Lord: in thee is my trust; leave not my soul destitute.

8. But God, dear Lord, I only have eyes for you. Since I’ve run for dear life to you, take good care of me.

As for David, and us, we must fix our eyes on God and trust in Him, for it is Him (and only Him) who will do us good.

9. Keep me from the snares which they have laid for me, and the gins of the workers of iniquity.

9. Protect me from their evil scheming, from all their demonic subterfuge.

David was all too aware of the traps laid by the wicked for him and he looked to God for help.

10. Let the wicked fall into their own nets, whilst that I withal escape.

10. Let the wicked fall flat on their faces, while I walk off without a scratch.

David pleads his case with God, knowing the wicked will receive their just deserts and be undone by their dastardly schemes, and he will be rescued, without harm, from what is designed to entrap him.