Psalm 141 is a prayer for protection and deliverance from enemies. It is believed to have been written by David, the king of Israel, and it reflects his deep faith in God and his reliance on Him for protection and guidance.
In this psalm, David begins by calling upon God to listen to his prayer and to come to his aid. He expresses his desire to live a life that is pleasing to God and to avoid the temptations of sin. He also asks God to set a guard over his mouth and his actions, so that he may not speak or do anything that is wrong.
As the psalm progresses, David speaks of his enemies and their wickedness. He pleads with God to keep him from falling into their traps and to deliver him from their evil plots. He also asks God to bring punishment upon those who seek to harm him, and to let his own righteousness be an example to others.
Throughout the psalm, David expresses his trust in God and his reliance on Him for protection and guidance. He recognizes that only God can truly keep him safe, and he seeks His help and guidance at every turn.
In conclusion, Psalm 141 is a powerful prayer for protection and deliverance. It reflects the deep faith and reliance on God that David had, and serves as an example for us to follow as we seek to live lives that are pleasing to God and free from the influence of sin and wickedness.
Commentary on Psalms 141 by Matthew Henry
Verse 7: This is yet another hard verse! Look in Psalm 120 about the covenant. לָֽךְ Parse: Preposition, second person feminine singular. In language like this psalm, O Lord, would we entreat that our poor prayers should set forth our only hope, our only dependence on thee. Where was the incense kindled from? David says "My eyes are looking to you". It is, consequently, used as a prayer in times of distress. The Hebrew words of verses 5-7 are very difficult to translate.
Psalms 141:9
While we live in such an evil world, and carry about with us such evil hearts, we have need to pray that we may neither be drawn in by any allurement nor driven on by any provocation to do any sinful thing. This prayer was answered. No wholly satisfactory answer has been given. Let my prayer be set before You as incense: David used the smoke and smell of incense as a representation of his prayer to God. Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, To practice wicked works With men who work iniquity; And do not let me eat of their delicacies.
Psalms 141:2
The righteous God so some ; "I will welcome the rebukes of his providence, and be so far from quarrelling with them that I will receive them as tokens of love and improve them as means of grace, and will pray for those that are the instruments of my trouble. The psalm may be understood literally, as a prayer of the persecuted who has taken refuge in the temple, or figuratively, of one who has taken refuge in God. Give ear to my voice: When a child cries out to a parent, the parent hears not only the words but the voice of the cry. I need only remind you of one or two instances. We must account it a piece of friendship. This seems to be strong eastern painting, and almost figurative language; but that it may be strictly true, the following extract demonstrates: "At five o'clock we left Garigana, our journey being still to the eastward of north; and, at a quarter past six in the evening, arrived at the village of that name, whose inhabitants had all perished with hunger the year before; their wretched bones being all unburied, and scattered upon the surface of the ground, where the village formerly stood.
Psalms 141:5
David hopes his persecutors will, some time or other, bear to be told of their faults, as he was willing to be told of his "When their judges" Saul and his officers who judged and condemned David, and would themselves be sole judges "are overthrown in stony places, among the rocks in the wilderness, then they shall hear my words, for they are sweet. There must be reservoirs as well as pipes in order to supply the water through the whole city. Stolen waters are sweet; forbidden fruit is pleasant to the eye. But I pass from that, and ask you to think of the lovely picture of true devoutness given in that inflamed incense, wreathing in coils of fragrance up to the heavens. He prays that God would succour and relieve him as his necessity required.
The Meaning of Psalms 141:1 Explained
We are here taught how to receive the reproofs of the righteous and wise. } LORD, I cry unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee. We have to swing the censer to get rid of the things that make our hearts cold; we have to stir the fire, and only so shall we keep up our devotion. Remember what David said to Saul in 1 Samuel 26:19: If the LORD has stirred you up against me, let Him accept an offering. Let the righteous strike me; It shall be a kindness. . This is a psalm of David.
