Psalm 140 Part 2

Notice that God doesn’t just hear the words of the cry, but the ‘voice.’ of the cry. It is distinctive and meaningful to Him. God placed an unseen shield around him, covering his head on the day of battle. (c.f.Eph6:12-15). Here God is declared to be David’s armour-bearer. He prayed for God to work for His people and against ‘the desires of the wicked.’ When David considered the need for the wicked to be stopped in their evil plotting, it prompted a thoughtful pause (Selah). 

David’s plea now shifts into an imprecatory prayer. If this prayer is about Saul, it is another significant example of how David would not violently strike against Saul even when he had the opportunity (1Sam24:1-7,26:7-11). David would not touch Saul; for all his sins and faults, Saul was God’s anointed king. When David was attacked by Saul, he would pour out his heart in prayer to the LORD, entrusting Saul’s punishment to God, David prayed for simple justice in regard to his enemies. He prayed they would be covered with the same ‘evil’ they had spoken against others. Under the New Covenant, we are told not to return evil for evil (Rom12:17), but we sympathize with David’s cry for justice. The metaphorical “burning coals and pits” is a picture of Sodom where coals fell on the guilty cities and they perished. Thus the final stanza, the final movement, ends on a note of confidence and is an affirmation of faith. The “I know” of v12 is a victory cry stating that justice will be served in the end when the Judge of all the earth brings down His decree. 

Though assaulted by the wicked, David put his trust in the Lord and gave all his desire for retribution to Him. David believed that in the end, ‘the righteous’ would be thankful and would ‘dwell in Your presence’ – the best reward of all. This is the grand climax to which all of scripture moves. (Rev22:3ff) Sorrow and darkness come to all, but only those who know God and are sure of Him, make suffering, and the night, occasions of triumphant singing.