Psalm 140:1

Psalm 140:1

Protect me from the violent

Oh dear, at first sight this Psalm is the absolute antithesis of those beautiful songs of joy that we have studied over many months. There is not much to celebrate here, no popular verses to commit to memory. However, the truth is that none of our lives are permanently lived on the mountain tops where we sing songs of joy all day long. The reality is that most of us struggle through the valleys of life, and the heady mountain top moments are a welcome relief from either the ordinariness of our days or the constant battles that we are engaged in. The toughest times are when the battles involve family, friends, colleagues and contemporaries who are utterly opposed to who we are, what we believe and who we believe in. These conflicts can bring us down, not least because they are often orchestrated by the Satan who launches relentless attacks on our minds, our integrity and on our faith. David knew the human cost of all of this, and he writes on behalf of every one of us.

 

V1        The Psalm begins with a plea, a plea to the Lord that He would rescue David from evildoers. David also prays to be delivered from the violent – a subject we will elaborate upon further when we look at verse 2. The enemy is clearly defined here, their actions describe their character and their purpose, they are out to do evil, and they have no compunction about using physical violence to perpetrate their evil deeds. Some of us may have suffered at the hands of violent men, and women, we know how demeaning and frightening this can be and we’ve also experienced what it means to cower away from such attacks. I suspect that David sought to fight back but the constant evil strategies of his foes had become very wearing. If any of this rings true for us, then this Psalm may end up being a blessing and we should not shy away from the condemnations that are poured upon those who abuse and attack the children of Almighty God. They are digging their own graves!

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