Psalm 140 Part 1

David’s habit in times of trouble was always to pray it before the Lord. The infinite God upon whose shoulders the universe hangs is more than a match for all the evil in the cosmos. The trouble appears to be slander against him, probably when he was a fugitive escaping Saul’s court. Many times in his life he suffered the presence described in vs1-3. Its urgency was a prelude to its conclusion of praise. Here David was feeling the sting and poison of their words.

Paul quoted v3 in Rom3:13 as part of his description of all humanity’s deep sinfulness in its fallen condition. We haven’t seen a ‘selah’ for 50 psalms now we will see 3. Here it indicates that the deep sinfulness of man is worthy of our careful consideration. We often think too little of man’s sinfulness. 

As David prayed for preservation in the second stanza (vs4-5) we see him as a hunted rebel and remember that the Son of David, the Messiah, was crucified as a criminal and blasphemer, just as the early Christians were tortured as guilty felons. 

They hunted David like a wild beast on the pretence of an enemy of the state, striving to pierce him with the spear, or to entangle him in their snares, so as to take and sacrifice him before the people, Jesus was condemned for reverence and obedience to God. What they did to the head (Jesus) they did to the body of Christ down through the ages. In Rev12-13 God’s last day people are also hounded and condemned for reverence and obedience to God. 

Saul laid many snares for David, but the Lord preserved him. A cunning and experienced artist lays “snares and nets” for you! Jesus talked about the alluring and entangling baits of “the cares of this world and the delight of riches” (Matt13:22) that snatch away the seed of the kingdom. Honour, pleasure, and profit lie in wait unnoticed as we toil through life until we find our way entangled. Flee to Him who would free your feet from the trapper’s snares as David did in the third stanza of his poem (vs6-8).